When I really need to blast through a lot of work, but really don't want to, I use the (10+2) * 5 method invented by Merlin Mann. It's a modified Pomodoro method, but instead of 20 minute work sessions followed by a 5 minute break, it shortens both work and break times. I prefer (10+2)*5 to Pomodoro because the 10 minute start seems do-able, whereas the 20 minute block often seems insurmountable.
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One of the most useful things I have learned to do over the course of my professional career is to organize project notes. Not only does this allow me to tell you where the status of any piece of my work is at a given point, but it also allows me to revisit the items when questions arise after the work is completed.These days I use a Bullet Journal. I also have used OneNote, Evernote, and a personal wiki to do the same thing. I believe that this general system can be used no matter how you track it.
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Tonight I was completely spun up, running around on a hamster wheel. A busy week that seems to have no end, task lists that keep growing, having to fight a few battles that were necessary but still took a lot out of me, little sleep, and dealing with a bunch of vendor dumpster fires. I thought I was going to implode. So how did I get it to stop in a matter of hours?
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I followed Flylady for many years. And felt guilty for not being able to make it work. It was a struggle for me. Was I not doing it right? Flylady would tell me the problem was me. Here are the ways Flylady doesn't work for me:
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I'm going through a rough patch in my life right now, and I know that I can't keep up with everything. Unlike the past when this has happened, I am asking for help, offloading what I can, and letting some projects go dormant. So how do you know what to let go of, even temporarily?
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If all it took were buying a facecream to get rid of wrinkles, no one would have wrinkles. There is never a silver bullet.
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With inflation rising, our money doesn't go as far as it used to. Everyone I know is looking for ways to cut back expenses. Here are 12 ways I use to cut grocery costs.
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I have a tendency to make the same recipes frequently. I know the steps to make the food, but not necessarily the exact proportions. Yes, I could look them up, but just having a list with my bare-bones information was all I really needed.
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A reader asked about how to analyze and get rid of commitments that are taking up your time. It's a hard proposition: we are pulled in so many directions, and many of us really want to actively contribute to many of our commitments. However, we are still over-scheduled and over-committed and we need to cut back. Here is my take on how to get rid of commitments:
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If we apply my standard definition of clutter to be "something that you don't love and don't use", we can define mental clutter as the "baggage" we carry around in our heads. But what is mental clutter, and what can we do about it?
