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Welcome to Day 4 of 7 Days To Better Productivity & Time Management.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour.
Today we’re going to learn about the absolute, single-best time-management system in the world.
What are we waiting for!
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Most of this stuff will come in the evening for me, (a lot of my “day job” is dealing with tasks as they come in and requests as I get them, etc..) but I am really to deal with the clutter in my small apartment, and stay on top of paperwork for a side-business, but I’m also tired after working all day, so I’m going to try to devote an hour (at least) each evening. I have about 6 “magic” tasks in mind, and if I can do 4 of them (about 15 min each) each evening I think I’m off to a good start.
Finally back from vacation and a working trip, time to finish the program and get producing! I like checklists, they are a visual reminder of how much I have to do or got done. However, I tend to forget them or lose them, so an app on my ever present phone is my method. I have some activities that will be daily and others will be every so many days – which takes a lot of pressure off until I get more productive and can squeeze them in more often.
I rely on my phone for making appts and adding on the go information; this then goes to my computer calendar which my hubby shares so we know what is going on with both of us. I also keep a paper calendar because I’m very hands on and this seems to make it “real” for me. I was happy to find that my daily output meter has only seven things on it, and not every one needs to be done everyday. I am excited to put these into “practice” to see if where I have “assigned” them is the best place for me.
I have always done a big list and gotten overwhelmed (and soon stopped doing a list), so now I’m going to try to use a pared-down list for my everyday peak time. I haven’t decided if I will A. work from a regular pared-down daily list and have a separate long-term list only for those less-urgent/less-critical items since I’m afraid I’ll forget or never get to if I don’t, or B. every day pick out a pared-down list out of a bigger list of “magical” tasks (using idea of picking and choosing tasks I am motivated to do at that time, since I am happier when I am spontaneous). Either way I think digital works better for me, because I’m constantly losing my paper lists or notebook!
Also, I like the idea of quantifying my tasks because I think it will be a good motivator for me since I tend to do worse without concrete expectations. I just have to remember not to overreach! Or if I do, not to let that discourage me to the point of dropping it all, but instead be more cerebral about it and simply adjust my goals 🙂
After much trial and error, My perfect planning system is a paper planner and I use Outlook for reminders. Some of my daily output meters are: stick to my diet and track daily, set aside at least 30 minutes a day for family time and also have meals together, make a budget for non essential spending (wants), reduce current spending, 20 mins exercise minimum per day and track it, weekly meal planning, list of projects but only focus on one at a time until done. I love the adjustments and feel good about them!
Today’s challenge was the easiest by far for me since starting this particular program. Ironically about a year ago I created for myself a similar mode for productivity for myself each day. And, for the most part, it is a successful setup for me too. However, thanks to you, I see now where I went wrong in my planning and where I need to tweak and focus on in order for it to really work for me. I am excited about that. I aimed too high. For example, my targeted priorities overall were much more than five so spreading it out over a week was spreading myself thin. I will continue with a different focus each day. My “daily output meter” included non-magical activities. The non-magical ones were wasting my energy. Silly me thought they HAD to be done. That is an easy adjustment and I know what to do here. I have been using the “Toodledo” web/app system for well over a year now. It works for me! That mainly holds all my non-magical items (I just didn’t realize they were non-magical til now). I find once I add it there, it is off my “brain” drive which allows me to focus on what is really important. Brain doesn’t have to remember everything except to know where to check for the list when the time is ready. Thanks, Michelle!
I totally agree with the concept above but I think it works best for someone who is actually working at a job, not as easy to apply to my situation of being home with children. So much of what I do is dependent on other people, namely my children.
But in an effort to see this through to see if I get to my ‘a-ha’, here is how I interpreted the above.
I should pick 1 or 2 priorities to focus on each day in a regular routine, ideally in the morning in a quiet environment. So I tried to put the pieces in but they don’t go. Almost all of my things need to be done on a daily basis (so can’t focus on just a few each day) and are either done throughout the day or are tied to other people.
Relationship building with my son – daily, though I could think about doing a regular weekly date with him. Even though it is daily, I can try to think of something specific we can do together in the morning, before the business of our homeschool day begins. He hates to be told what to do and I it feels to him that I do that all the time since I am his mom and teacher. We struggle with that. Better systems in place will help (he knows what to do without me telling him) but he also really loves to take brakes and play throughout the day. It can be hard to fit that in as much as he wants. Maybe we can have a set play time in the morning where I’m playing with him?
Tracking food intake – done throughout the day and caught up each evening before sleep so doesn’t fit my ‘style’ but minimal work and not a problem.
Creating systems for easier days – also done throughout the day but focused work on it has to be done in quiet and while I’d prefer that in the morning, I only get it (right now) when everyone else is asleep. Next week I am starting CrossFit at 6am probably 3 times a week so maybe I could use the other two mornings a week to work on system creation? I’ll see if that works.
Writing – still, no ideas here. Possibly my non-exercising early mornings? But much of what I need to write comes easier later in the day. While I don’t mind waking up early, I don’t think really clearly/deeply at that time.
Quiet time each afternoon – our summer is so irregular it would be hard to start this now. Also we have no time scheduled for it in the fall. I’m reworking our fall commitments again to reconfigure the schedule, mostly doing things in shifts instead of doing everything at once, but also taking things out if I can. That is a big project and takes a lot of quiet hours by myself to finish. So this is a task I hope to do in the fall, probably starting at 20 min a day and going up to one hour if our schedule allows it. It will help for the boys to be reading to themselves by that time but so far they are not interested in doing that.
And I’m a paper all the way girl. I do wish I could find a calendar that I love but I make due with whatever I buy thinking it will be better than the last. 🙂
Ok, I just completed this assignment and I found a check list I really love – a Word check list/to do template that had 5 sections already set up. I just changed the headings to be my 5 Priorities and then changed the picture next to each one to relate to each priority. Then I put in to do’s for my Daily Output Meter. I just printed it out and can check off each thing per day. Since I have a large workspace of course there are a lot of to-dos. So I will have to experiment with the list and see if it is actually doable (probably not). I will edit it down from there to make sure it is more reasonable.
Does anyone else say ‘its all in my head’ – brain planner! I don’t have a bucket-list but a truck-load list, it all comes back to my health. Perhaps I will commit to 1 thing from my ‘truck’ per day. My magic activity
This one was hard.
I broke my activities into 12 daily or weekly activities. Achieving 10+ on a certain day is good, 7-9 acceptable, 6 or less not good.
I am struggling somewhat with today’s assignment-either too specific or not specific enough with my daily magic activities. Here’s what I’ve got so far for my output meter:
Schedule 10 minutes of exercise per day (thought I would start small, but I feel guilty…)
Drink a glass of water before I snack.
Do one fun thing a day (schedule a massage).
Spend 30 minutes a day rereading marketing book & taking notes.
Talk to Scott about video script for website.
I think I need to reread your manager examples, Michele, and work more from those. If you can offer some additional suggestions for marketing a business, that would be great too! I found Corinne’s activities really helpful~Thanks, Corinne!
I found it hard to quantify for the output meter, but I’d did try and organize my magic activities into days of the week so at least I have a focus on each day.
I have my own businesses http://www.amazeeducation.com.au.
Magic activities:
Working with staff- meetings, mentoring, goals and targets, curriculum development
Finance- EOM and EOFY reports etc, debtors, payroll, purchasing and bill payment
Growth and development- marketing (outsourced) liaising and following up, research development prospects, networking and self education
Monday- working with staff, meetings and minute write up
Tuesday- finance, pays, bills, reports
Wednesday- return emails and calls (non urgent ones)
Thursday- as above
Friday- networking, centre growth research, marketing initiatives, networking
Still a work in progress, but hopefully will allow me to focus more
OK… so I loved Days 1, 2 & 3. But, today seems difficult for me. But, I’m trying to stick with the accountability thing, so I’m checking in. Michele, it’s almost like you follow me around. 🙂 I am ALWAYS on the hunt for the perfect planner, app, etc. to make it all make sense to me. I’m going to have to give this one some more thought to make it more clear and to make my commitments.
I am a bit more comfortable with a paper system, but I am married to a computer engineer who uses a digital system. Since both of us have crazy schedules, the digital has won out for appointments and such. I still keep a paper to do list so I don’t forget tasks. My daily output meter only has 6 things on it. I feel like I am constantly spinning my wheels, but I think that if I can get this list done, I will feel better about the other tasks that seem to overtake my life! Quantifying some of the tasks has helped me to feel successful even though I didn’t “finish” the entire job. I didn’t make this mess in an hour and a half, I’m not going to get out of it that way either!
I use my phone’s calendar and a kitchen wall calendar. The wall calendar is the go to for checking family activities, the phone is for on the go.
The daily output meter will be an excellent way to keep track and hit targets to get to my goals.
Today was tough. Like Corinne I need to simplify my planning/to-do system, too scattered. By the time I got done with my Output Meter list it was a page and a half long. Not good. I obviously have not learned that I cannot do everything and especially in one day! I think I’ll go back and re-read the first three lessons and see if I can get more clarity to todays notes and lists. Oy!
THANK YOU for the permission to use what feels to me like a hybrid system. I should use and am happy to use google calendar to be in sync with my husband and work; I like to use google contacts, but I NEED to use pen and paper for planning and my todo lists. I think out loud, as I am writing, and I like the feel of pen on paper. I somehow got into the space of believing that I am supposed to make it all digital.
So, now the thing I need to figure out is how to take those written lists with me as easily as I take my iPhone.
I am imagining a weekly routine in which I re-visit my priorities, pick my magic activities, and set output meters for the week. Because week-to-week things change for me. And certainly my meters will be different this summer than they will be in the school year. YAY! I see structure #1 to put in my pocket that seems to be bereft of known structures.
I love that the output meters are very measurable.
This summer they are:
Practice guitar for at least 30 minutes every day.
Clean / declutter 30 minutes each day (this feels like a REAL stretch).
Spend time with Carl on his spelling & math & violin each day: 30 mins.
Make one real contact with one friend each day (email / phone, a conversation on FB counts, but a “like” on FB does not count.”
The rest: completing other courses, revising syllabi, yoga, revising my documentation, etc, etc, will happen. Or not.
This adjustment feels BRILLIANT! Thank you.
And Thank you for the quote that I need to post next to my computer, in my bathroom, and perhaps tatoo on my right hand (not really): “Overthinking and perfectionism are always illusory acrtivities.”
As I did task #1 I realized that my current time tool is just too much! I am using iCalendar, Evernote, a spiral bound notebook AND our family calendar at home. I really need to streamline things. I am taking valuable time just -entering it all in everyday-. Blah. Oh, and then I am using Kanban Flow at work. Which is nice. But yet another thing I have to enter stuff into.
Anyway: some of my magic activities:
-write and then -promote- content for my blog http://www.doctorcorinne.com on a 2x/week basis.
-write a daily facebook update for my business http://www.facebook.com/doctorcorinne.
-check in on my 10, 000 step goal every 3 hours so I actually hit it (it is amazing how little I move on work days).
-reach out to businesses/medical practitioners in the community: goal of 4 a month (hopefully to be a higher number, but that is 4 more than I am reaching out to now).
-comment on local blogs/facebook pages or blogs/facebook pages where people would be interested in what I have to say.
-read for further self-education purposes 30 minutes per work day.
I love this idea.
I have created my Daily Output Meter with most of the focus on my top 3 magic activities. I feel that getting a handle on these top three will help to set many other things straight in my life. I am going to work on being more at ease with lower standards. I have been living with them for some time but allowing them to dominate my feelings about myself. I am attempting to make a brain shift here and be less hard on myself. As my physical health improves all other areas will as well.
Did my magic activities first and started with the important stuff this morning. Got through the, really quickly and easily and was then able to move on to the less important stiff which I just powered through. Actually got a lot more done, plus all the important stuff I don’t have energy for later in the day, got done first and t of the way. Tis stuff really works . Plus I was thinking abut want I wa doing and thinking about whether it was important and even worth doing, or whether I could leave it or pass to someone else. Love it!!