Taking Ownership of My Day

As I've come to do with each and every one of these blog posts, I go out on Google and do a little inspiration seeking, reading, and note taking. In this instance, I came across a wealth of life hacks and ended up saving a bunch to a Pinterest board...


Not really helping me with this post and illustrates a key issue I have with getting work done - distractions! Although this technique has served me well in the past, its success relies entirely on my ability to focus on the task at hand and ignore the shiny objects that seek my attention and take me to a place I like to call "Procrastination Station."

Since it's so easy to get sidelined on the internet, I prefer to work in places that don't compound distractions. First, it's easiest to work when my kiddos are in bed or at school (obviously). Next, I like to get out of my office, where there's always a pile of things to be done and work someplace that's very tidy and pretty. I usually end up at my dining table (see my pink floral tablecloth below). This also means I can work with Brandon - here you'll see him getting cranky because Madewell isn't playing well with AWS. Finally, you'll also see that I am in close proximity to the OG of distraction - my television. It has got to be turned off.


My process usually goes something like this:
  • Make a list of tasks for the day and divide them up by "must get done" and "I'd like to get done" items. This usually gives me about 4-5 key items to tackle and 5-10 additional items to try to get done if I can. Not only does this help me prioritize my work but it also gives me the opportunity to feel accomplished early in the day.
  • Tackle the most important items early in the day, if not first. This alleviates a lot of stress and I like the positive lift of an early win. 
  • Evaluate the task and set a deadline. I am a perfectionist by nature and given unlimited time, I would just keep working and working. I need a cut-off point and that can be an actual due date or it can simply be an estimation of what this task is worth in my life, i.e. 60 minutes.
I also take a lot of breaks during the day. I feel better about the breaks that get me moving but still feel productive so I will often get up and clear the kitchen sink or run down to the basement and fold a load of laundry. At the end of the day, it all needs to get done and mixing it in helps clear my mind and keep me from feeling lethargic. I've also done some reading that says we do a lot of our best creative thinking when we're in the midst of mindless activities - think shower time or going for a run - because it allows your mind to wander. I find it incredibly effective!

Although it drives some people crazy (Ryan, I'm talking to you), I also like to work with several windows and lots of tabs open. I put all of my distracting websites, i.e. social media, email, e-commerce, etc.,  in one window so I can easily access them when I want a break. This saves me some incremental time that I might spend typing in each of the URLs. Next, I keep a window open with everything that I need to work. For example, I have a window dedicated to this blog and it houses tabs for the associated email account, Blogger admin, INNO 652 blog, and everyone else's blogs so I can easily read each and comment.

Finally, I make myself write everything down. I do really well with keeping it all in my head and manage to neglect very few things but I have more trouble with recall when someone questions me on something unexpectedly. That may sound counterintuitive but I think I have a good recall of tasks because I do a lot of mindless activities where I have quiet time where I'm often contemplating the next thing to be done. However, when I rely on my memory exclusively, I don't always get things done in the most ideal order. Putting it in writing and seeing the list in print makes a big difference for me!

Comments

  1. Great tablecloth! I like the way you organize your list into "must do" and "would be nice to do". I have a friend who has been using something like a Kanban system that sounds similar, with a "to do" "doing" and "done" section. It's all on sticky notes, and she evaluates the "to do" every morning- moving some to the "to do" and then hopefully "done."

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  2. Your tabs drive me crazy because chrome runs each tab like it's own program. If you have 40 tabs open, there are 40 programs running on your computer! It's madness!!! I have found a perfect solution for you though, there is a chrome extension called "the great suspender". It works by 'suspending' idle tabs (closes them, but leaves the tab open, when you come back to the tab, it refreshes!). so that you aren't running a billion little programs at once!

    I do totally get the multiple windows of a browser though, that's clever! I'm also a huge proponent of breaking up work with small things, One of my favorite reasons to work from home is that sometimes, when something is taking up so much of my mental energy that I can't focus on anything else, I can just go do it and come back to my work fresh!


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    Replies
    1. Ooooh, I will have to check that out! Thank Ry-Ry. :)



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