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Welcome to Day 7 of 7 Days To Better Productivity & Time Management.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour.
Today we’ll we’ll conquer our second demon, procrastination. Forever.
And then we’ll wrap up our powerful new system for better productivity and time management. Yay!!
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And… isn’t it ironic that Day 7 took me weeks to get around to. I still valiantly look for reasons not to get started, not to finish, not to efficiently get at it once I do get started, but so far I have found no escape clause – only decisions and self-responsibility *sigh*. Consequently I have read many books, developed many business contacts, and found an amazing opportunity perfectly in line with my life philosophy and academic interests. Aarrrgghh – you win again! As I finished each section I made a summary of the inspirations, questions, and my answers. It is printed and posted strategically. I read through it every day or so and remind myself of things like EXACTLY what my magic activities are (those illusory activities are so very chameleon-like, and so very alluring…). Thanks again!
Procrastination is definitely my sticking point, but I’m starting our taxes TODAY~talked with my husband and we are going to try the kanban timer idea for projects. There are some great online options to keep you moving until a suggested break time. Loved beginning the year with this program and looking forward to the upcoming schedule. Thank you, Michele and Kylie, for the motivation and the expertise!
I certainly intend to come back and reread all 7 days’ messages but for now it’s enough for me to decide what is most important, what only I can do, what I can get help with or even pass the job to(dh), choose which area to work in and set it up. When I do a project like clearing out the cellar I work on it every day, just a few minutes at a time. I use a timer and when it goes off I’m done regardless of how much is left to do. I set up all the equipment I will need(so the entire time is on task) and do not start the timer until I’m in the cellar, and have chosen the section I will work on. I keep track of how many boxes or bags I got out that day. It encourages me to keep at it as I see the numbers and the open spaces grow. Babysteps. Persistence. Determination. A plan! Some projects require years to complete. So, there are very long term jobs to be worked on a little at a time, medium range projects that can be accomplished in a matter of weeks, and of course, the ones that require mere minutes. By breaking a job into the steps and “chunking” it into what can be reasonably completed in a single worksession. I waste no time turning around and around and wondering what to do next. I know what to do, next. I already planned it out before I left the area the last time. To get to the closet I need to have the boxes in front of the closet removed. To remove the boxes I must have a place to put them. If I want to put them by the wall I must first move out the boxes already by the wall. So, I will be moving the boxes by the wall onto the bed. Then, I can move the boxes in front of the closet to their new “temporary” home by the wall. Then, I can take the boxes off the bed and stack them on top of the other boxes. Along the way I can enlist dh to move the boxes! Another time, another day I can walk up to the closet and begin the next phase of my plan. You make the plan and you keep coming back until you’re satisfied with the result. It can take minutes, days, weeks, or years. You just keep coming back. Don’t look up. Work in the area you chose for the time you chose. One day you will finish your time on task, look up and be amazed at how much you’ve accomplished. Starting a job, any job becomes automatic if you let it. Remind yourself until you no longer need to think about it. You just do it. Progress!
It’s been several months since I first went through this program. Just want to tell you that you are awesome and you’ve solved the productivity problem. This works for everyone! Great stuff and thanks!
It’s taken me awhile to get to the Day 7 post…mostly because most recently I was away on vacation for a week. But before that because I was so busy working on my magic activities! I have gotten a lot done since I implemented this system, including starting reorganizing my bedroom (I’m a bit of pack-rat) which related to one of my main priorities (my relationship with my partner!) and moving on to some professional goals that I had put on the back burner for too long, which also connected to my central priorities. I am less depressed and more motivated overall and do not feel as overwhelmed or down on myself or my partner as I used to. I am tweaking my daily schedule a bit all the time, but mostly I have stuck to the system I implemented. Thank you thank you thank you!
Procrastinator – I’m pretty sure my picture is in the dictionary next to this word. Term paper – type it the night before it is due. Yep, that was me. I have turned things around at work, but at home? Dust and dirt will wait for tomorrow – but now the kids are grown and time with them (still a magic activity) is not a daily event so what am I waiting for? Perfectionism. Another P word. So, while it might not be perfect, I am forging ahead with a “scary” project. I have put it off for almost 10 years. I am actually anxious to start!
I really enjoyed this program Michele! Thank you so much! I always feel overwhelmed and my husband and I always talk about how we need better time management, yet we don’t change anything. This is going to help a ton!
I have always had a lot of ideas for starting businesses, but often have trouble getting started once the initial excitement wears off. To look at procrastination as a choice is very helpful. I think it will actually push me to get started (at least on some things). 🙂 And for the other, I’ll either choose to let them go and not stress about it or decide it’s OK to choose to start on them later.
I’m going to go over the program again now and guide my hubby through it too. I think it will help bring a little more peace into our family, so I am very grateful!
This was the perfect program for me and what I needed. Thank you for your timeliness and for not procrastinating to complete and make available!
I realize that fear has been keeping me from tackling, eh, even starting my priorities; that sneaky interlopers have keeping me from doing most anything of importance; that allowing procrastination to take over makes me a victim; that DSSN are four powerful letters when together, and the world won’t end if I’m imperfect. I know I need a routine; I am able to concentrate on only a small amount of activities at once; I prefer low stimulation when doing work, and although it may take me from A-Z to complete a priority, I need only to pay attention to the magic activity I am working on right now. I have calibrated my daily output meter, and I know just how much I can get done in a day if there are no distractions, and that distractions (life) gets in the way of my perfect plan and I just have to say OK to that and push on when I can.
I am so much more knowledgeable about myself and my productivity than I was on July 8. I have purchased book after book, read article after article, and spent a lot of money trying to find the best way to manage my time and get more done. Now I have the tools I never had before.
This class has been awesome!
I finished the program a day late because I started over halfway through due not completing each assignment perfectly. I should have started on Day 6! Ha, just kidding, just wanted to provide some organizational levity.
I didn’t check in yesterday because we had some unexpected magic! My girls have really wanted to see the band One Direction, and it was one of those things that we hadn’t gotten around to doing. I was talking to my husband yesterday morning, feeling a little bad that we hadn’t made this a priority. The girls are straight A students, are involved in lots of activities and really give us no trouble. Spending time with family is on my magic activities list, so we decided to go for it. My husband got online and we bought tickets to last night’s show in Chicago. We live in St. Louis 🙂 We bought the tickets at 12:30PM, got in the car to get the kids and were on our way to Chicago at 2:30. At 7:30 we walked into the venue, saw the concert and I pulled into the driveway at 4:31AM! While I’m feeling a little slow this morning, I’m really glad we could make it happen. I have no regrets about the clutter I didn’t remove yesterday or any of the other less important tasks that I could have been doing. Not sure I would have felt this way last week! I feel like I’ve gotten more done and felt better about it in the last 7 days than I have in the last 7 weeks!
We’ve had several home improvement projects on the back burner for a while, but making the calls and appointments seemed like “extra” work I didn’t need. It wasn’t until I looked at my list and realized that having a nicer home was a top priority for me did it dawn on me that making those calls was a magic activity, not the junk I’d been spending my time on. While Rome wasn’t built (or uncluttered) in a day, I think I’m on the right track. I have taken “beat myself up for not getting more done” off of my list:-) Thanks for a great week!
I found Step 1 illuminating, I have never looked at procrastination that way. I see how it can be totally self defeating and I love the idea of turning it into conscious “choices”. I think I need a sign over my desk “Starting is hard. Will I start now? Why?” This may force me to think about why I’m putting off something that matters and fixing it.
I have loved the class and the exercises made me look at a few things from a different angle. There have been some real ah-ha moments and eye openers too. I’m putting reminders in my calendar to re-read the lessons on a regular basis so I can make some of them automatic behavior.
Thanks for the ride!
Thank you so much, Michele, for this great week! 7 days was the perfect amount of time to allow me to focus and commit. I’ve been successful with my magic activities since setting my output meter on day 4. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that it’s OK to put myself first and accomplish what I call my “Me” goals before I get to Career, Family, and Home goals. The energy I feel from doing these first gives me the momentum to get more done in those other life areas as well, and I’m definitely happier and more productive. Amazing 🙂
Haven’t checked in before, but I really like the I’ll give myself 10 minutes and decide how I feel choice. Putting things off is my biggest problem. This gives me a second chance to start, once I start I’m good to go, but the starting is the hardest.
Brilliant, yes it all fits together. I have a series of post-it reminders on my monitor to remind me of the process and the things I need to remember. Now it comes down to creating the new habits and making them stick. I have gained some valuable insights during this program.
Of these the most important for me personally are:
1) acknowledge my productivity style without feeling bad about it and use it to my advantage.
2) identifying my top 5 priorities and asking myself if what I am doing contributes to them.
3) setting my output meter.
4) DSSN – get started and stick with it!
Love it! Thanks Michele. I’m glad you overcame your procrastination and put this one together!
x
This is a great paradigm shift, victim/procrastinator to empowered/decision-maker!
I am still working out my routine and specifics for the daily output/magic activities, but I have made progress on my #1 top priority: I’ve lost 2# this week. Number 3 priority(Decluttering) success: I gave more items than I expected to a friend’s fundraising garage sale & it felt good to have them gone from my house!
Just deciding on a Top 5 Priority list made me really think about what is important – to me, rather than projects and ideas other people think I should do or should want to do.
Now, I am going to decide: go for a family hike (must rally the troops) or write 500 words…
Great program Michele! You have provided some great tools and given me something to focus on on a daily basis that I didn’t think about before this course. Daily focus will turn to habit. I do personally want to take a separate perfectionist and procrastination course as well which I believe will help me tremendously. I also need to work on my self-esteem/doubt. Thanks again and look forward to future courses and tips!
I like the idea of empowering myself rather than being the victim of the procrastination monster (that is definitely my P monster -smile-). Thank you so much for this program, it is already helping tremendously.
So now it is all coming together. One of my priorities is getting healthy, following a long illness by taki g care of myself , losing weight and getting fit. However I have struggled to keep it up and I have suddenly realised why. Firstly I have just moved house, started a new job , husband started a new career after 16 years in the military so I complete liefesle change. I realise now I am just overwhelmed by too many things goi on , too many projects at once. I can’t get started on it as I want to do it perfectly, even though I would never call myself a perfectionist, but now I erase in some things I am.
So now I have given myself permission to not start it until I feel out of this overwhelm state, and to do it imperfectly, so if I fall of the wagon, so what just start again from where I am.
All of a sudden I feel as if a ten tonne weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel in control again, not guilty and useless. I am making positive decisions abut my time and priorities and how much I can cope with right now given every thing else going on in my life.
Thank you Michelle, I will be wording with this now and doing more of the last 7 days analysis in other areas to more forward more positively and get done what is really important in my life right now.
So now it is all coming together. One of my priorities is getting healthy, following a long illness by taki g care of myself , losing weight and getting fit. However I have struggled to keep it up and I have suddenly realised why. Firstly I have just moved house, started a new job , husband started a new career after 16 years in the military so I complete liefesle change. I realise now I am just overwhelmed by too many things goi on , too many projects at once. I can’t get started on it as I want to do it perfectly, even though I would never call myself a perfectionist, but now I erase in some things I am.
So now I have given myself permission to not start it until I feel out of this overwhelm state, and to do it imperfectly, so if I fall of the wagon, so what just start again from where I am.
All of a sudden I feel as if a ten tonne weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel in control again, not guilty and useless. I am making positive decisions abut my time and priorities and how much I can cope with right now given every thing else going on in my life.
Thank you Michelle, I will be wording with this now and doing more of the last 7 days analysis in other areas to more forward more positively and get done what is really important in my life right now.