*NEW* Moving to a New Platform for Courses & Programs
We’re moving all our programs over to a new platform - see this blog post for full details.
As an existing customer you qualify for a free upgrade.
To access your free upgrade please visit this page to get your upgrade link.
Welcome to Day 2 of 7 Days To Better Productivity & Time Management.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour.
Today we’ll learn a secret that will help you escape one of – if not the – biggest time-management traps there is.
If you’re signed up and logged in then today’s task will appear below.
Not signed up? Join us now. Complimentary for Premium Subscribers.
What a difference a day makes! After I narrowed my priorities down to the 5 most important, I realised that all the other little things I’d been doing in my day I actually doubled up on (sometimes even tripled!). Now my plan is to get the big things done and then ‘tidy up’ those tasks at the end of the day. It will mostly still get done but I only have to do it once (or not at all, depending on how the day pans out). It’s amazing how quickly this adjusted my focus as I managed to get a HUGE chunk of work done on a project I seemed to walk past and ignore more than a dozen times a day.
So, I’m going to live forever – you don’t die until your work here is done and we’ll never get everything done! What’s important to me? I only wrote 5, so that made narrowing the list down really easy, haha. These are the same things that seem to consume my time now. Guess I’ll have to watch the other “little” things (like TV) that waste my time.
I actually did this yesterday but still wanted to check in. Letting go of the small unimportant stuff makes total sense to me. It is the working on concentrating on the important stuff that will take training on my part. I did make a list of the 5 important items and you are right! Since I had made that list recently from your other program, I have changed a few of them already! I need to do a better job of looking at them daily.
Day 2: When I read the reality of the time management secret, my jaw dropped and my stomach did flips. I couldn’t grasp the concept at first and really still can’t, but I am repeating it over and over in my mind until it does sink it.
I am a perfectionist and do concentrate on the little things too much that I lose focus of the overall situation. I quickly become overwhelmed that it turns into “paralysis by analysis” so that nothing gets done (at least in my mind.)
After reading day 2, I will start giving myself a break and stop beating myself up for not having the perfect house, perfect diet, etc. “I will not be able to get all those little things done!”
Top priorities for me right now: safety in the house, family nutrition, my kids, my sleeping routine (need to develop a good one-always tired), and my appearance.
Nice to hear someone else say(especially w/ your experience) “you’ll never get everything done”. I need to continually remind myself of this. I certainly can be one of those who gets caught up in the trivial minutia at times. I have made my list/and will look at several times daily. THANKS!
You’re not alone Tonya! I think most people fall into this trap – I sure did. 🙂
The thought of not letting the small stuff take over is very liberating. I love the idea of placing my 5 priorities everywhere so I can keep focused on what is really important to me at the time. Great way to focus!
It sure is Vanessa. And seeing your priorities regularly will make it hard to forget them.
Wow, I’ll never get everything done? I’ve been waiting for that magical day FOREVER!!
My priorities overlap a little too…but because my family will all be out of town for the next couple weeks on a fishing/visiting in laws trip, I left them out of the equation. (Just so no one thinks I’m heartlessly and selfishly devoting everything to work & me!!). 😉
My top priorities are:
1). Studying for my EA exam. This is a HUGE work goal – I really need to take that test this summer, but I don’t want to take it twice, so I have to be ready!
2). Getting as much work out of my office as possible. I’ve taken over for my boss (and daddy!) who just passed away…so I have A LOT to do.
3). I need to make time for diet & exercise. No more horrible food because its fast. No more diet pepsi. Time to exercise – I have a new set of videos I haven’t even taken the time to try!!
4). Time for ME! Alaskan summers are SHORT, and I need to spend less time wasting time, and more time enjoying it before its gone!
5). I need to work on keeping the house tidier and more organized. No more ignoring the messies cause I’m so busy!!
Thanks, Michele! This is awesome!! 🙂
😀
And Joy it’s great news because now you’ll free yourself to do more of what matters. 🙂
What matters to me is not feeling cooped up in my home. I think I can make priorities based on this, like: take the dogs out for a walk every … day; get up get dressed every … day; a
True, you need to get out of the house if you can, otherwise you start feeling a bit trapped. I had that as well, and was yearning to get out and do and see something else for a change. Works wonders every time! Take care x
Those are good ideas Julie. You might also like some of the ideas in these 2 articles:
http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2013/04/prescription-for-happiness-personal-organization/
http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2013/05/7-simple-ways-to-feel-more-confident/ 🙂
This is such a liberating exercise! Acknowledging some things will be left undone gives you even more motivation to ensure the things that DO get done are those that matter most (to you).
My priorities are always:
– taking care of myself & my health.
– being with my family.
– dong inspiring, creative work that benefits others & gives me great satisfaction.
Thanks Michele! xx
Ah yes exactly! And that motivation is priceless.
I thought about my priorities recently in the Simplify your Life challenge, and they haven’t changed, but I realized I needed to make more copies in more places so I’m reviewing ALL THE TIME. I tend to want to do more and more and more things, which means that I start more things than I finish. My goals are all about honouring what I have – my health, my career, my relationships, my current commitments, and even taking care of my stuff. New things are fun and exciting, but I either need to let the old things go, purposefully, or see them through/take care of them.
The everyday crowds out the important, Jen, so we really do need to keep reminding ourselves of the things that matter. 🙂
I do see myself getting caught up in the minutia. My top 5 priorities are: Losing weight, Savoring the summer time, Working on marketing for our business, Enjoying life more, and Scheduling more quality time with my husband. Thank you for the reminder that I can’t do everything!
It’s a fantastic discovery Michele – now we can focus on doing what matters. 🙂
In Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Tim Carlson, he said “your in-basket will be full when you die”. I think about that quote quite often in terms of that I will always have something to do. I now see it differently. My “busy work” in-basket will be full. My non essential in basket will be full. My mind will be full of “stuff” that is not important unless I work on the important things first.
I often try to start a project maybe painting a room, but I will see a little something that needs repairing in that room or some deep cleaning that I should do, just anything but start on the project. It may the next day before I get started, if then.
Writing this list of top priorities has helped me tonight to realize how much of the “piddling” things that I waste time on and get frustrated that the important things don’t get taken care. Thanks.
Great insights here, Cammie. Any don’t worry – we’ll come to focus on Day #5.
I finally completed my Priorities exercise. I shied away from doing it completely when I was working through the 21-day Organizing exercises. Now I feel ready. I identified 10 priorities. I am glad I can change them frequently (once a quarter, etc.) It feels sad to narrow the list down into the Top 5.
I realize that I “hoard” internet browser tabs/windows and also “hoard” articles (electronic/paper) because I want to read everything/archive everything. This is a form of perfectionism trying to “know” everything (just like Michelle describes trying to “do” everything.) I hope I can begin to let go of saving old magazines to read every article, save every link/browser tab to follow it up, etc. Very enlightening! I hope to dig deeper and find what need I am trying to satisfy–need to always appear smarter, better than, etc. Also need to satisfy curiosity, avoid boredom. More will be revealed!
Nancy, my rule of thumb is to only save information for things on that top-5 list. I release everything else. When I’m ready, I can search for what I want. Information changes so fast that there’ll likely be new/better stuff by then anyway. 🙂
This post is so freeing for me to read right now. I heard recently on a productivity podcast, “You can do anything! But you can’t do everything.” That has been my refrain lately. I’m learning to let go of my need to control the minutiae.
Love that refrain Nancy! Another way of thinking about it is, ‘You can’t do everything, so do what matters’. 🙂
I tested this out by not putting things like “clean the kitchen” on my to-do list. Things like this always seem daunting so I put them off, and then they get worse, and I just have to keep moving it from today’s to-do list to tomorrow’s. But I noticed that today, when I didn’t make cleaning the kitchen this huge freaky priority, I ended up cleaning up a little bit every time I was in there waiting for food to cook or filling up my water glass. At the end of the day, my kitchen is almost spotless! The counters need a wipe-down but I’m sure that will come the next time I have a few spare minutes. Anyway, I use the kitchen every day, so it won’t ever be completely clean, but I can at least live in harmony with it.
Harmony is all we need. 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager
Wow! For me this was definitely an eye-opener. It seemed like I really was pushing myself to be one way, but realized I was happier and less stressed the other way!
From your questions, I concluded that I strive better with fewer projects with routine/schedule in the late afternoon or early evenings with minimal noise or stimulation. I tested that theory out by choosing one item on my list to do at my peak time and guess what?? I actually finished it!
May not sound like much, but to me, I feel empowered. The thing I would do differently from now on is that I need to be ready to go at my peak time.
Thanks so much -looking forward to the rest of the week.
This should have been on day 1. See…I need to get organized! Lol!! 🙂
Cdm Pavs Lol! I’m so glad you had a break-through. Looking forward to hearing more over the week. 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager
I know I can’t get everything done, but a part of me still wishes I could — I do and have always understood the reality there. My priorities do shift but certain priorities are always the same. So, my focus over the next several weeks:
– my husband, he is always number 1, and making sure we have time for one another is always important to me and helps the rest of my priority list go smoothly when this goes smoothly.
-Spending time with my daughter, she is a newly only child after my oldest just left for college.
-cleaning my house – like deep cleaning. It has been “a little thing” for about 6 weeks, with my son’s graduation, vacation, getting him off to college.
-eating healthy & exercising – this is always one my top 5, somewhere.
– Couponing – I only have time to seriously do this in the summer, but it is incredibly addictive an a lot of fun. I am probably glad I do not have the time to do this seriously year round, or I might not get anything else accomplished:)
Hi Mary,
Getting your son off to college marks a big change in your family dynamic. Never a better time to start some new routines! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager
That is very liberating. I feel like I felt the day I actually admitted that “Life isn’t fair.” It’s okay and it’s not up to me to make sure it turns out that way for anyone else. And it’s not up to me to make sure everything gets done by sacrificing myself on the alter I create of my time, health and sanity. I like it.
Liberating – yes, I agree!
I have always believed that everything will never get done, and I am not a perfectionist, so that has never been an issue for me. I’m fine with things being in process–though, like everybody, I do love that feeling of just finishing anything! (Even if I know it isn’t going to last long!)
I have also kept close tabs on my priorities. I teach a prioritizing workshop to homeschooling moms, and my husband and I were taught early in our family life to prioritize–then we continued to learn that we need to re-prioritize every physical season since children grow up quickly!
I like to be very specific with my priorities. For mid-summer, they are (1) spending time with my seven kids (ages fifteen to thirty–either in person or on the phone/computer for the distant ones); (2) spending time with my husband, especially ballroom dancing together; (3) revising my line of composition books with my son; (4) exercising; (5) helping my husband lose weight (lots more cooking, food preps, shopping, etc.); (6) decluttering my house.
The biggest problem I am having right now with prioritizing is that my productivity has gone down so much in the past year or so, and I am discouraged about that. I used to not have such an issue prioritizing because I could put a lot of things on my plate at once and get them all done. Now I have to choose more carefully, and I get frustrated not being able to work as fast or produce as much as I used to.
Hopefully after identifying your strengths from yesterday Donna, the frustration will be less. 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager
I like this exercise it causes me to ask that important question “is what I am doing contributing to my top five goals?”
My top 5 are.
– Health
– Environment. My living environment matters to me, it always feels like a reflection of what is going on inside. I have a little work to do here.
– Business, I have some business goals that are important to me right now.
– Balance / Happiness. The above business goal would take over if I didn’t focus on health and balance as well so this area is very important to me.
– Family – I want to improve contact with my family. I live remotely so it takes a deliberate effort to ensure we all keep up that contact and share our lives.
It will be interesting to see what changes you make in your day to ensure your top five goals are met. Let us know how that goes, Leonie! 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager