Just Seven Things

Exploring why and how we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Archive for the category “Time Management”

15 Sep 2008

Time Management Progress in Action

I was prompted by a comment on one of my posts from June (J7T was just 19 days old) about how hard time management was. It made me stand back and evaluate how far I’ve come in just over three months (and particularly after a 7/10 level day in terms of stress and task bittiness as I travelled between appointments):

  1. I feel more relaxed control (and a clearly ring-fenced idea of where there is a diminishing pile of ‘stuff’ to clear through the GTD system
  2. I am significantly better at locking down my focus to a task in hand. To switch and give it my full thinking attention. Ironically, writing this blog (with the aim of posting at least 5/7 days a week) has improved this ability
  3. I have a more flexible approach to prioritisation based on trust of my systems and reaction to a gut response. This opposed to the constant prioritising and re-prioritising trap that it is sometimes easy to get into
  4. My sense of ‘someday/maybe’ or just ‘ruthless task deletion’ has improved. I feel like I know myself better and cull those things that will just sit for years on front-of-mind task lists and create noise.
  5. I (as posted on recently) am a lot better at just doing the action. Just getting on and starting without messing around.
And the main area for improvement? 
As WorkLoadMaster states in his comment to my post on the ‘Stress of Time Management’ above: it’s all about keeping on top of the system. I feel like my report card would say:
‘Si has shown much improvement over the term. With continuing effort and focus he should continue to improve……’

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to Ma.gnoliaAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

Posted in Action Orientation, Change, Control, Deliberate Practice, Focus, Habits and Routines, Learning, Psychology, Time Management and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
01 Sep 2008
2 Comments

What Do the Secrets of Greatness mean for Time Management and Productivity?

Pierogi by Anna Moderska

Pierogi by Anna Moderska

Following my last post, I’ve been thinking about what the secrets of greatness mean for time management and the impact this has on personal productivity? 

I think that there is a scarily simple answer: just do it.

To explain: the core of the ‘secret’ of greatness was deliberate practice. Practice defined as being the focused attention at getting better at doing whatever it is that you’re doing.

Therefore, the only way you’ll get better at managing your time and productivity is ‘just do it’.  Just take the time and do the task. Don’t prevaricate or procrastinate. Just start and do what you can in the time. Lowest unit of time? Assuming everything is to hand (i.e. brain/ pen/ paper) then five minutes? Try and do this as many times in a twenty four hour period as possible.

So this gives you the ‘practice’. When it comes to the deliberate improvement activity:

1.    Try and get better at just starting and doing

2.    Try and maintain mindfulness on the best way of squeezing the task in hand, and the quality required, into the time you are so ruthlessly managing

3.    ….and repeat

There was a TV programme about a dumpling factory in China. The most productive dumpling maker was interviewed. When asked what she thought about all day when making dumplings, she replied ‘how to make them faster and better’

Dumplings or decisions: the deliberate practice is the same.

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to Ma.gnoliaAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

Posted in Action Orientation, Control, Deliberate Practice, Focus, Habits and Routines, Mindfulness, Time Management and tagged , , ,
23 Aug 2008

How to Improve Time Management: The Blockers to Focus

Focus by CraigPJ

Focus by CraigPJ

Contrary to popular opinion about multi-tasking being a higher form of skill than the individual who just does one thing at a time, the key to Productivity+Efficiency=Time Management is focus.

Now this is no great revelation: most good time management/ productivity books will highlight focus as being the ‘magic’ ingredient or key to success.

However, until recently I have felt similar sentiments on this to that portrayed in my comment in my post on Mindfulness: Learning in the Task:  ‘I have always challenged that multi-tasking, or at the very least thinking about something else whilst doing the things you can mundanely/ unconsciously do is a higher form of skill. That just focusing utterly and mindfully on one thing is time wasting’

I think that a number of things have shifted in my views. The value of focus is starting to glimmer through the clearing mists of ‘to-do’s’ as my own personal productivity improves. I have identified the following as a ‘starter for ten’ on things that facilitate or block your ability to focus: Read more…

Posted in Action Orientation, Control, Focus, Habits and Routines, Learning, Psychology, Stress, Time Management and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →