And a one-day class called "How to Get More Organized" which planted itty bitty seeds of organizational wisdom in my brain that took root and stirred in me some strange sensation. It's a feeling that is foreign and frightening, but also somewhat exhilarating. I believe it's called "motivation."
My entire life has been spent making To Do lists. I make lists in my sleep, in my planners, in my notebooks, on scrap paper, on my hand, in my e-mail. List-making is what I do. I love pens and pencils and paper, remember? Now here's the catch: You actually have to DO the things on your To Do list. I know, crazy, right?
Most of my To Do lists go like this:
1. Write To Do list.
2. Doodle all over To Do list while reading e-mails.
3. Look over To Do list in utter despair.
4. Totally ignore To Do list for the rest of the day.
5. Recycle To Do list.
6. Write a new To Do list.
In the past week, this thing called "motivation" has facilitated a change in my list-making mindset. I'm still allowed to keep my master To Do list, that mighty Beast that bogs me down and makes me feel terrible about myself. But starting last week, I've been creating a smaller, more manageable list every day: my Priority List. Every morning, I start by writing down my meetings (endless). Then I guesstimate the number of unexpected fires, e-mails, calls I'll get throughout the day (infinite). This leaves me with the amount of time I'll have throughout the day to get real work done, which is generally about 4 hours out of a 9 hour day (pathetic). Then, mustering all of my strength and courage, I look at The Beast and transfer the most important tasks into my Priority List for the day - with time allocations next to them! AH HA! Finally! I can chew everything I've bitten off!!! And that knowledge means that instead of cowering in the dark shadows of my massive To Do list, I can face my small daily list with enthusiasm and power through those tasks I'd been putting off.
I totally win. I beat myself. I get to cross monstrous, looming projects off my Priority List left and right, every day. And then, with a tear in my eye, I cross them off The Beast. And I'm finding that I leave work with a satisfying sense of accomplishment and more energy than ever before.
Downside: Way less time for blogging and Google Reader.
I put off writing my paper and read all your blogs. I try to ignore the downside of organization as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteyeah...too bad that i am still not disciplined enough to adhere to that every single day...sigh.
ReplyDelete