How do you do it all?

[Bob]

How can I maximize my time during the day?  It seems like I can't get enough done.  Even on the days off, I'm still working on stuff all day.  I tried planning it all out, but that only goes so far and I end up spending a lot of time just sitting around planning rather than doing.  How can I be more effective and efficient?

[Tash]

ah yes i've done exactly the same thing. if you plan out your days you have to be very disciplined and make sure you include procrastination time too. so like the night before, give yourself time to organise the stuff for the next day- it's like ultimate procrastination time, so you clean everything and make it all nice so it looks productive. and then the next day you can start fresh- the hardest thing is starting, so just set your mind to actually doing it and not just thinking about it- once you're on a roll it's excellent. i did this when studying for my hsc (final school exams) and it worked pretty well when i forced myself to. and i think eventually if you can get yourself used to it then it might become more natural and you'll just do it.
but it's amazing how much i was like jeez i so don't have enough time to do all this work, and i put it out in a timetable and there was so much spare time! so i think as long as you include procrastination/organisation/food (food time is VERY important!)  time you're set.
and be enthused! enthusiasm is very good, so be excited about how productive you're going to be and think of it all as really fun and exciting! hopw that remotely helps

[Torp]

It's not about planning, it's about prioritizing.  There's always time to do the most important things.

Jef

[athykay]

Stop messin' around on fora!

[pianonut]

i agree with all of the above, and add exercise.  if you don't feel like really getting a whole job done, go exercise.  when you come back, sometimes you feel so much better that you can get the job done in 1/2 the time.  if this doesn't appeal to you, i think posting on the forum is actually cathartic.  sometimes having a listening ear gives you the boost you need to get it done.  like tash's encouraging words...be enthusiastic!

all the snails get behind bob and push him forward ten paces, while cheering and yelling 'go bob.'  soon he feels like he is on one of those kid slip-n-slides and cannot stop.  everyone has gone and he cannot keep from going forward.  he looks for the brakes.  no brakes.  he looks for a tree branch (too high).  gaining momentum due to stress leakage, he wonders why he wanted to 'do it all.'

[Bob]

Yes, it does feel like a slip in slide.  So much for summer.

(snails sleep quietly... _@_   _@_       Bob kicks snails)




("Oops that wasn't a snail!")

[janice]

(I know that this is off the subject, sorry!  Tash, I just noticed that you have updated your signature and added a link to one of your pictures.  It is truly stunning!  I encourage everyone to take a look at it.  I love the way her feet and legs are posed!)

[lostinidlewonder]

Usually it helps to work in a different environment, somewhere you are not normally use to. For example when I was in highschool I studied for exams in at different local libraries and make a great deal of progress away from distractions and other influence.

[bernhard]

Get yourself a timer and set it for, say, 30 minutes.

Now for the next 30 minutes, do whatever is it that you have decided to do in that time slot (it can even be planning what to do in the next 30 minutes).

When the timer beeps, stop doing it and set it again and do your next task for the next 30 minutes. Go through the day like this.

Next day repeat.

Here is how it works:

1. It avoids you from spending 5 hours in a task and not noticing where the time went. When the timer beeps, you can of course decide to keep at the present task for the next 30 minute slot, but at least it will be a conscious decision.

2. It is essential that you have a list of tasks, so that the next day you can come back and spend another 30 minutes on the same task. The assumption here is that 30 minutes done consistently over time will add up to great things. Assuming that you sleep an average of 8 hours a day, this gives you 32 slots of 30 minutes to do whatever you want to do with your life.

3. Somethings you may not need to do every day (washing the dishes ), other things you may need more than 30 minutes to do (pianoforum ), and yet other things will take less than 30 minutes. Figure it out. The main point is that the timer will make you aware that you are using time - the most valuable commoditiy in the universe.

Have to go now. My timer just beeped.

Best wishes,
Bernhard

[Tash]

yes listen to bernhard- that was the other thing i did- had my alarm go off at the end of however long i set myself to do whatever- BUT you must make sure you keep all clocks in a place where you can't see them or you might spend your entire time looking at them! and to make it more bearable, have a 10-15 minute food break to re-sustain yourself between working hours, that always helps. and move to a different thing, even if the thing you've just been working on isn't done- come back to it in a later slot so you've got a fresher mind for it.
and yeah what pianonut said, exercise is good too- me and a friend who lived near me would wake up at 6am and go for a walk together every morning, and those days were always the most productive
jeez i spend too much time creating the perfect way to be productive!lol
and thanks janice, i can always count on you for random advertisement for me! hahaha