Jory Mackay's 'The Importance of Just Starting' reinforced an idea I have been driving home already for a couple of weeks. Sometimes the simple act of starting a task I am avoiding is enough to give me the momentum to power through. This has recently been helpful in achieving goals I would have counted out of my reach such as helping to gather donations for my speech team's upcoming tournament. I am no saleswoman, but I am proud to say that simply making those initial phone calls gave me the inertia to get almost 50 pizza's donated to our cause!
Sometimes you it is not as simple as 'just starting', though, and 'The Psychology of Checklists' reminded me that it is more than okay to break up intimidating goals into smaller, bite-sized pieces. I sometimes struggle with this, which is why, looking back at my schedule I set myself for this class, I decided to break my work up a bit more and make it easier to manage so that I avoid feeling overwhelmed by mountains of work every time I sit down to try and make progress. Caroline Webb's 'How to Beat Procrastination' also suggested identifying steps to solve problems.
I have little interest in the article on multitasking simply because it is not new information to me. I was already aware of the perils of playing two or more games at once. Honestly, I've never been much of a juggler so I'll leave the flaming chainsaws to the professionals and keep myself a good safe distance away.
Which brings me to 'The Myth of "Too Busy"' and '11 Ways Unsuccessful People Mismanage Their Time'. These two articles inspired me to pick up a habit my mom has been bugging me about for years - a day planner. This will help me this semester to keep my appointments, assignments, schedules, practices, etc. in order. In the past, I have had trouble keeping my feet on the ground when the semester gets busy. My lovely new planner will help keep me grounded and balanced, lending itself also to the tips about making time blocks and compartmentalizing in the '10 Entrepreneurs Share their Tips for Staying Focused' Article.
The final two articles, 'Why Time Management is Ruining our Lives' and 'Four Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination' both deal in our strategies of avoiding actually doing the work we need to get done. I, for one, know I am guilty of doing this - of going out and saying I'm being productive then spending four hours sifting through email and notifications without getting much of anything done.
This semester I am going to make this public declaration: I will use the planner I have bought myself to plan and schedule my time. I will cut out the unnecessary noise, and I will be on top of my responsibilities so that I can enjoy the free time I have.
(Of course - I still intend to be a little spontaneous now and then. Otherwise, where would the fun be?)
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