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Welcome to Day 1 of 7 Days To Better Productivity & Time Management.
Today’s task will take about 1 hour.
We’re going to begin by identifying your very best way to work. We’ll uncover your ideal productivity style so that you’ll be able to get more done, with more natural motivation, and without willpower or tricks.
Let’s start!
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I found this exercise very comforting! My husband hates my productivity style as he’s the complete opposite. He won’t even start a task unless he can finish it (therefore nothing gets done around the house!)
At the moment I’m all about routine with some flexibility allowed as I have an almost 4 year old and an 8 week old. I get bored very easily with pretty much all tasks, so it helps to do a chunk of everything over the course of the day. It’s quite satisfying to see some progress being made almost everywhere, but of course if it’s a rough day with the kids, progress is very slow!
My saving grace is when my hubby gets home and I go out to work for a few hours. Sanity time!
I’m looking forward to the next day’s task (which I’ll be reading at the 4am feed!)
Now that you understand each other you might find it easier to help one another Karen. EG if you know he needs to have enough time to FINISH a project then you may be able to help arrange a longer time for his – so you get the project you want done! And by your acknowledging his style, he may be more understanding of yours.
Wow! I was a little surprised by his this went! I work in an office where I’m constantly bouncing from one task to another, which I thought suited my tendency toward ADD nicely. In answering the questions, I discovered that I’m actually a small brainspace person! Side note – this could NOT have come at a better time!!!!!! 🙂
Don’t you love that Joy? When the student is ready, the teacher appears. 🙂
I don’t see how I can take advantage of my ‘style’ being a homeschooling mother. I know what I’d like best if I were setting a schedule for *me* but I don’t feel I really have that luxury; I have to set a schedule to best suit the *family*. I am relatively new to trying to figure out a daily/weekly schedule but whenever I think one through and feel good about it, I never end up following it. I actually CRAVE a regular routine but with four kids around, there never seems to be anything regular. Many things derail the routine: children’s bad moods, surprisingly good weather, illness, too many things on my to-do list, a bad night sleep, etc.
In general I am small productivity centered, I need a mix of routine and flexibility, I am at my worst from 4-8pm so if something doesn’t get done by 2pm, it doesn’t get done (unless I stay up late after everyone else is asleep like I did tonight), and in order to actually THINK, I need quiet, which just doesn’t happen often in my house. I’d love to implement a quiet hour in the afternoons for me to work/study but our afternoons are busy with homeschooling activities. (We stay at home in the mornings to try to keep a regular routine for academic learning.)
Is there a solution?
Shannon do you have homeschooling neighbors or friends? Can you share some activities so that you get some time to yourself?
I do have many homeschooling friends and we share a lot of activities, but rarely does it allow me alone time – usually they are family-based. And a regular exchange of children won’t work because then I’d need to set aside time to have my friend’s children over and that just adds to the schedule.
This goes back to honoring my style. Take the idea that I like to have only a few projects going at a time. Say I decide I want to focus on learning Spanish and piano, in addition to my ‘regular’ life. But my ‘regular life’ is so busy with the projects of my children. I work very hard to keep our schedule light but I also really want to respect my children’s special interests (and make sure they are well-educated). I know I prefer to be home two full days a week, but with our planned fall schedule there is not one day we are home all day. And after all we do in the afternoons, I don’t have any time carved out me for to work on my own projects.
I really have sat down several times to cull the schedule and it is still to packed.
Shannon Jordan It’s very, very tough to make these decisions, and I’m no expert in home schooling. But a happy, calm mother who’s not overworked MAY be worth sacrificing some special interests. Unfortunately in these situations there’s got to be a trade-off – only you can decide what gets sacrificed. I hope it’s not you. 🙂
I totally agree. I have a few close friends incl. my husband that I’m bouncing ideas off of to help me figure out what to drop. Something has to go bc I already feel suffocated thinking of all these lovely things were doing come September! 🙂 This is the reason I took this class and I hope it will help put things in place for me.
I prefer a few projects at a time, routine, am most productive/motivated in the early morning & late at night, like a quiet environment. However I have been functioning the complete opposite. I’m always stressed out, overtired, overweight, unhealthy, my job is extremely demanding as is my 3 year old son and I just moved into a new home with lots to do. It has always been my plan to stick to a routine but I never can seem to do it. I want to stay on top of my calendar and to do list but I really need to make it a habit. I want to have a life of structure and routine, I’m so tired of living moment to moment and always procrastinating.
Tami, can you use any of your insights to make changes – even small ones?
I prefer multiple projects however I tend to overwhelm myself with too many at one time. when that happens I tend to get frustrated and put everything down.
Yes yes yes Julie! Overwhelm kills motivation. Stupid overwhelm! 🙂
I prefer multiple projects but do get stressed, so need to work on that. I do enjoy having a routine, but like some flexibility. I know I do my best work earlier in the day, after lunch forget it! I like a quiet environment, but work around 4 other people with no privacy and that gets challenging…
Look for ways you can ‘create’ some privacy, Connie – eg earbuds and classical music, turning your desk to face away from the others, adding a screen…?
Ouch…. I hate to admit it but if I was honest, I prefer fewer balls in the air so that I can get more achieved! (Or at least feel like I get more achieved!) I don’t like mornings, however I feel that I’m more motivated in the morning provided I’ve had a good night. But I can be quite productive at night when it comes to study – so in saying that more physical things in the morning and more mental things in the latter parts of the day. I know I need to know the big picture, but instead of letting my energies focus on too much, prioritise and take smaller chunks out, but keep referring back so that I can reprioritise when needed.
I like that insight Bronny – physical things in the morning, mental in the evening.
I used to enjoy multiple projects and thrived on multitasking. As I get older I find it is more difficult to be focused when too many projects are on my plate at time. I prefer routines but also like to have the flexibility to abandon the routine when necessary. I am most productive in the early morning. If I can get out of bed and dive right into work I accomplish so much. I work better in peace and quiet the fewer distractions the better although I occasionally try to work in restaurants and coffee shops. I am going to evaluate my routines at work and see how I can change up when I do things that require the most concentration during my most productive times.
Debbie, you would probably benefit from having a fantastic evening routine so you can hit the ground running in the morning. You might like this:
http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/blog/2009/10/create-your-organized-life-bedtime-routine-mission-20/
-Small productivity brainspace; too many things to think about causes me to feel overwhelmed and if I’m overwhelmed I start avoiding.
-I like routine, but with lots of flexibility and no pressure. I love calendars, planners, and lists, lists, lists. (And checking off items on those lists!)
-I don’t function well in the morning at all. I need to do things that don’t require much thinking. Late morning, mid-day and early afternoon are best for me. Evenings are good, too, but too many conflicts.
-I need calm and mostly quiet. Music of my choosing playing softly in the background is okay.
-What will I do differently? Good question! Need to ponder that one.
Exactly – overwhelm is the enemy of motivation Ann! So knowing what overwhelms you is a valuable insight.
I need to figure out my most productive time of day. I KNOW it’s not morning… The other 3 preferences I know and will now acknowledge.
LOL I know that feeling Karen – don’t know when it is, but it sure ain’t morning!! 🙂
The first step stumped me this morning. I wanted to ask if there is a Medium Prod. Brainspace!?! (Lol) But after much thought thanks to your questions, I realized I prefer to concentrate on a few projects at a time. Rather I work my best that way even though many projects appeal to me. I am definitely a routine person but am flexible enough to allow some spontaneity to work it’s way in if an opportunity presents itself. Definitely am a person who does my best work early in the morning. And I, like you, do best if my primary work area is lacking of unnecessary distractions. I related to your “aside” comment. I already see where I want to make some changes in my routine to what I think I will benefit better. Since I am more productive as a morning person, I will reschedule my workouts to be in the evenings and perhaps check my emails later in the day. Thanks, Michelle, I really enjoyed this session today!
So glad you’ve found changes to try Robin – they can make so much difference.
WOW – I am a small brain space person. I am 45, and perhaps my brain space has been shrinking… but these days I am more productive when I have fewer tasks going on. What a valuable insight! My family values large brain space people. (maybe our society does too) So I can see why I have always tried to be on that side. Such a valuable insight!
Hmmm. I now have only 3 jobs. At least that is down from many many more (I was doing consulting work and used to have many more things in the air than I do now.) I had a feeling that I would be happier with fewer large jobs instead of many small ones. Now I have a word for that feeling 🙂
In fact, I recently have heard myself telling my students and my son “I can only process one thing at a time.” But I thought it was age related, and wasn’t quite respecting it myself.
I mostly have the summer off. So the challenge for me in the fall will be to parse out my work and home-life so that I am only doing one thing at a time. There is enough going on this summer to start it now though!
The other HUGE insight for me is that I like structure. A lot. But I believe that I am bad at creating it. Whether or not that is true, I tend not to create it for myself. (my students benefit greatly from it too!) Because I rarely create enough of it, I have let myself believe that I don’t need it.
I like quiet spaces. Just saying that is helpful. No, I cannot do work when my son in in the adjoining room fighting aliens or exploring new planets. No I cannot work when the TV is on anywhere near me.
I am not sure when I work best, because like others on this list, I can procrastinate very well at any time of the day. My best work time gets confused with “when is it the most quiet.” So I’ll have to check it out.
Very useful. And it took me less than an hour.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s work!
WOW – I am a small brain space person. I am 45, and perhaps my brain space has been shrinking… but these days I am more productive when I have fewer tasks going on. What a valuable insight! My family values large brain space people. (maybe our society does too) So I can see why I have always tried to be on that side. Such a valuable insight!
Hmmm. I now have only 3 jobs. At least that is down from many many more (I was doing consulting work and used to have many more things in the air than I do now.) I had a feeling that I would be happier with fewer large jobs instead of many small ones. Now I have a word for that feeling 🙂
In fact, I recently have heard myself telling my students and my son “I can only process one thing at a time.” But I thought it was age related, and wasn’t quite respecting it myself.
I mostly have the summer off. So the challenge for me in the fall will be to parse out my work and home-life so that I am only doing one thing at a time. There is enough going on this summer to start it now though!
The other HUGE insight for me is that I like structure. A lot. But I believe that I am bad at creating it. Whether or not that is true, I tend not to create it for myself. (my students benefit greatly from it too!) Because I rarely create enough of it, I have let myself believe that I don’t need it.
I like quiet spaces. Just saying that is helpful. No, I cannot do work when my son in in the adjoining room fighting aliens or exploring new planets. No I cannot work when the TV is on anywhere near me.
I am not sure when I work best, because like others on this list, I can procrastinate very well at any time of the day. My best work time gets confused with “when is it the most quiet.” So I’ll have to check it out.
Very useful. And it took me less than an hour.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s work!
LOL Debbie – I’m not sure the smaller productivity brainspace is age-related. But I think as we get older we get more fed up with feeling overwhelmed do we notice it more and tolerate it less.
I prefer a few projects at a time; sometimes this causes problems because I feel like I have to complete one thing before I can move to another (perfectionist issue, I know), i.e., tax preparation, so it becomes an obsession. I am a slave to routine, and often making the perfect to do list or finding the perfect organizational app gets in the way of actually getting stuff done! I work best from 10-2 and try to exercise around 2 as a way to complete the “work from home” portion of my day. Of course, this doesn’t always happen because I don’t get everything done that I had hoped during that time. I should probably rethink my “me” time and better incorporate it into my daily routine. Do you have any suggestions about how to manage career responsibilities, home responsibilities, and me time? I never seem to have time to get them all done…
Michele there’s never enough time, it’s true! We’ll talk about priorities over the coming days.
If I don’t have ADD, I certainly have many of the symptons so I prefer multiple projects but can get overwhelmed if it is too many, too fast. I think I get bored if I don’t have enough things to think about and work on. If I am pushed, I think very clearly and can work on multiple things at one time. If I am not being pushed by outside influences-then I do better with fewer things going at one time. It also depends on the project.
I need routine but not too strict. If it gets too strict then I will do the strict routine for a while and think my life has changed but soon enough it all ends. So I have a few routines that are sort of automatic but I need a list of what needs to be done in a weeks time. That is usually enough of routine for me. I need room to wiggle.
Mornings are better for me. I always thought I was a night person. But recently I took an early rise challenge and now realize that maybe I am a night person-but I get an awful lot more done if I get up early and start early. I like a mostly quiet environment at least no one talking to me. I also like music while I work.
Just recognizing these “styles” is helpful. I think I will embrace the fact that I have multiple projects going at the same time instead of beating myself up.
Cammie, recognizing your style is great info to use as we look more at priorities and habits in the coming days.
I’ve always thought of myself as being a multi-tasker and loving it. I was recently surprised to find my reaction to the new assertion that multitasking is just a way of saying “you can’t focus your attention on one thing long enough to get it done or done well”. My reaction was a strong sense of relief and agreement, totally unexpected. Having suffered from non-progress syndrome for the last few years, I’ve recently tried to narrow my focus and eliminate distractions but never really gave it much thought until your exercise on brainspace. Quite a ah-ha moment for me. I’m a small brainspace person. Who knew? I do know that I love an energized and crowded atmosphere for creative brainstorming but need a quiet and distraction free environment for actual development of ideas and working on them. I’ve always thought I concentrated best between 2 and 8 pm (DH gets home at 4 and wants attention, making me crazy) but I’m wondering if it’s really true or just that I’ve always felt compelled to get the mundane chores out of the way before I’m “allowed” to work on “my stuff”, meaning it’s 2 pm when it’s finally “my time”. Part of my issue is that I’m older and have years of conditioning working against me here too. :-0 Not quite as old as dirt, but close. I also just realized that I like structure but not too much. A task list, in the order things have to get done, but not a “do this at this time, then do something else at that time” schedule. I have to have the freedom to work on one thing until I’m ready to move to something else, not when the clock says so. Make sense?
I love that you referred to it as an “ah-ha moment”, Deborah. Prioritising “my time” could be a good start for you! 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager
I like to plan a lot of projects, but I feel most overwhelmed when I have a lot of projects on the go and am not sure I’ll be able to finish them all. I’m not sure how to deal with that. I’m a night person and get a burst of energy around 11 at night. However, I need to be at work at 9am and if I don’t get enough sleep then I’m not productive at all the next day. As much as I like staying up late if I’m on a roll, I know that most nights I’m too tired to really be productive. Even though I’m not very cheery in the mornings, I do manage to get things done then. I’m going to try to schedule some pre-work chores and get up a little bit earlier. Then my evening won’t be taken over with menial tasks.
Jen, I recently read a biography of Patricia Highsmith. She would come home from her job and nap, then wake up, shower, and work through her peak night time hours. She felt it gave her 2 days in 24 hours. Maybe an idea for you?
Hmm, that’s an interesting idea. I’m not a very good napper, but it’s worth a try!
I have a small productivity brain space, enjoy routine and love planning and scheduling. I tend to get caught up in too much planning and scheduling, actually. I love perfection. It takes me longer than others to complete the same tasks because I have an ADD brain that makes me go over and over something until I have it just so. I work best in the morning, and like a mostly quiet environment with TV noise in the next room. I also like having my pets in my office with me. None of my answers came as a surprise, but rather as proof to myself that I have been working against my nature. Unhappy with my productivity lately, I have been working hard on scheduling, and I think that taking my individual nature into account is part of what has been missing. I already see a few adjustments I can make!
I love this Kathy – ‘taking my individual nature into account’. 🙂
few projects
routine
earlier in the day.
quiet
My problem is that all this is fine and works well on the week my husband is on “day” shift and is off to work early in the morning. The next week he is on “afternoon” shift and does not leave until 3.30pm and is home late at night.This completely throws my routine. We get up much later and I waste my productive morning times because he is here and I don’t have “quiet”-and then can’t seem to make myself do anything at all in the afternoon/evening when he is gone. How can I make peace between the two opposing schedules?
Robyn I think you need to create 2 schedules for yourself. One is preferable, I understand that, but try to make the other one the best you can, given the constraints. Then allocate your most challenging projects to the ‘A’ week, and leave easier ones to the ‘B’. week. That way you’re optimizing your effectiveness within as well as between weeks. See how that works. 🙂
Being a morning person who lives in Australia, could we have these tasks unlocked a bit earlier so we can get to them during the day, rathe than in the evening for us down under!
Good question, Debbie! The majority of Michele’s followers are from the US, that’s why we cater for US morning time to unlock the tasks. Our Australian followers will see tasks unlocked after 6pm each evening – which means you’re ready to go first thing the following morning. (See what I did there!) I know it’s not ideal for Australian members, but remember you have two months to complete the program so being a few hours behind shouldn’t make too much difference in the long run. 🙂 Kylie ~ Community Manager