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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’m 2 wks behind on this “project” since I didn’t realize there was a program schedule. Only after doing this mission do I realize I probably got overwhelmed by all the goodies there are on the site! 🙂 Great questions to get down to the heart of where my best times of the day are. I prefer few projects, LOVE to plan and have structure. I work best with routines. The most surprising thing was I’m best early in the morning. I am not a morning person so this is a shocker but I do feel a LOT more happier, energetic and productive when I’m up early getting things done. Even at work I am more productive earlier in the morning. Thanks! 🙂
It was very helpful being able to identify those preferences and not always knocking myself for not being the other preference. Funny how some things need to be identified and labeled before they can be made most useful. Who’da known… loving this.
So… I’m
1) Smaller Brain Capacity, and it was really great to know that..
2) Routine Person, with some leeway… 😉
3) Evening/Late night for happiest work (the happiest test was so “duh”!
4) Quiet Room for best focus
I so enjoyed hearing what type YOU were…. and how candid you were about each point (people watcher… that’s me too! lol….very high distractability). So far So Good!
I enjoy a few projects with structure & routine. My best work time is in the morning with a quiet work enviroment. A good reminder for me to get back to doing my most important tasks in the morning.
I am in the process of changing from an outside executive role to working from home. And I can’t believe how disorganised I can be in my new role!!! In my outside job I could get into “overwhelm” because of too many projects, but at home I can easily get into “underwhelm” if I am not careful. I enjoy planning and scheduling and structure, which can get messed up pretty easily in the working from home environment (one knock on the door, one prolonged chat with a neighbour ☺️). I need focus, which is my struggle I think at the moment. Looking forward to the next 7 days – happy New Year to all.
I work from home also and juggle many other things in my schedule. I ALWAYS have many projects going at once, which suits me unless I get TOO many. Then I begin to feel overwhelmed and bogged down. I need and crave spontaneity, but sometimes abuse it. I am pretty easily distracted but also get bored pretty easily and lose focus on my work. I like the idea of a routine, but can’t seem to keep one. I am motivated most mid morning and late at night. I usually like a busy work environment, and seem to work best while listening to music or an audio book. But if I am truely bogged down and under major pressure, I need quite to concentrate. I am a walking contradiction…. Haha!
I work from home and juggle a lot in my schedule; especially caring for a daughter who is medically fragile with special needs. I need structure and flexibility, as my time is not always my own. I need to work first thing in the morning and in the quiet. I am learning to do more with less time to keep my focus on the details at hand. I get easily distracted and exhausted by afternoon.
Happy New Year! I’m up for making 2016 the year for change, so here goes!
This is the second time I am doing this course and I recall this task was difficult last time – in that it gave me so much to think about. It has done the same again today.
I definitely steer towards the large productivity brain space, although I have become more introverted than extroverted in recent years. I acknowledge though that I can also work well when time permits me to be fully focused on one thing (that I am motivated to do) as this plays to the perfectionist in me who wants to think everything through to the finer detail. I can also reach the stage where I have taken on too much and can become overwhelmed too, but this is usually at the stage of hundreds of things at once. Having said that I am a mad bunny who will find things to do if left for 5 minutes on the sofa.
I believe I like both routine and spontaneity, so I love the advice of having broad objectives allowing me to play to my mood or motivation on a given day, or allow the planner in me to take comfort with a routine planned, but accept there is nothing wrong if I choose not to stick to it.
I have been able to fine tune the peak and fallow times since last doing the course. On waking I like to do some physical chores to get myself going, but then my most important tasks are best for mid to late morning. I dip in the afternoon so should leave this time for admin, planning and catch-up meetings. Being an early riser most of the time I find I am useless after dinner each night, but I have also noticed that writing flows well in the evening for me, whether that be letters, repots etc. it’s like the creativity in me can relax and flow after dark.
Step 4 is the only easy question for me, I am a quiet room girl with candles and classic fm too!
Thanks as always!
I like a few projects, a plan with the ability to switch to a project I feel more ready to work on, I do best in early am like beginning exercise no later than 7 am, and tackling physical projects in the morning , such as house cleaning or yard work. Sometimes office work is best done in the afternoons. For housework I like to listen to music for motivation but for computer work or reading I need quiet
I spent most of my working life in hospitals and offices where there was too much to do in too little time. Now that I’m retired, I can set my own schedule but I find that I still feel overwhelmed because I have an ever-growing list of projects that I either have to do (declutter house) or want to do (paint, make collages, write). I hate distractions but find that even when my DH is working quietly in another part of the house, I need to know that he won’t suddenly “invade” my space with a spontaneous suggestion of lunch in town or just taking a break together. So we agree ahead of time on how long I need to do whatever it is I’m doing and that we’ll check in with each other in 3 hours or whenever. And in the past few months, I’ve tried time-blocking – on Sundays, I look ahead to the coming week and decide which time blocks will be set aside for phone calls and emails, when I’ll work in my studio, when I’ll have a block of free time, when I’ll exercise, etc. I draw a block around those time periods with different colors of Frixxion pens (erasable) – red is for exercise and other health-related activities, green is for finances, blue is for art, etc. I write in specific tasks if there’s a deadline; otherwise, I just write in “Art” or “Free Time” or whatever, and figure out the specifics the day before or the morning of. So it’s sort of a structured plan in a way but not too structured.
So, I like all the options! I’m not sure how to move on with this knowledge.
This was really helpful. I have never looked all the angles on how I work best before! Thank you!
I like to have several projects going at the same time. I usually have 3 books I’m reading, 3 knitting/needlework projects going, too.
I need some routine, but like room for some spontaneity too.
I am NOT a morning person. That’s best for exercise, meditation, then making necessary calls, etc. I hit my stride about 11 and sometimes have to be reminded to have lunch by 2! (Not eating is dangerous for me) After lunch I need appts, meetings, sometime to keep me awake. Then I have another focused time about 5-7.
I need a balance of busy/quiet time, too.
I am going to be more comfortable with my own productivity style! (It’s completely different from my husband, a morning person with a fairly rigid schedule.)
this has helped me identify that I need only a few projects at a time….not the long, long to-do list that I never seems to get to!
1. I prefer a few projects at a time, or else I become overwhelmed.
2. I like routine in my day.
3. I am most productive in the morning; when I can think with higher brain power.
4. I like a quiet work enviroment to think better and I become most energized at that time.
5. I will rearrange my schedule so I will do my most brain power activities in the morning. For the afternoon I will have a to do list for more lower brain powered activites that I can do in automatic mode.
I am new to Organized Wizard. I have tried various systems before and failed. Never tried a system where it teaches you to figure out how you work best. I feel quite clairified. Over the next months I will consider a career switch as well.(In a career contract till end of June/I think I may have the opposite career that I am most functional in). In the mean time I look forward to learning more about myself and of course getting organized (MUCH NEEDED – IN EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE) I am a severe declutter person and since getting remarried and moving into my husbands home (which used to be his parents; and both were horders) I have lost my way and up past my head being lost in the clutter.
1. Prefer to concentrate on one or a very small number of projects at a time.
2. I need structure. I don’t have that now and I think it’s probably the main reason I don’t accomplish what I want to.
3. I’m not sure about peak and fallow times. I’ll need to pay attention over a period of time to see what I think about this.
4. I need a quiet room and closed door before I can focus.
5. I think my optimum productivity style is concentration without interruption or distractions. I recently bought a paper day planner, which I haven’t used in years doing this electronically instead. However, I suspect physcially putting pen to paper may help ground me better, so I can get more done.
I am sort of in the middle for most of the questions.
1. I enjoy being busy but not TOO busy
2. I like having a routine but being flexible too
3. I am definitely most productive early in the day
4. More toward the quiet side but not absolute quiet.
5. I’m not sure yet. I know I need to work on finding the boundary between happy busy and stressed busy!
I have felt moving and shaking with multiple projects but thinking about having multiple projects gives me anxiety so I thnk fewer projects is best, spontantity to me means blowing off my todo list I am spontaneous in nature but thrive in routine. I am productive earlier in the day but find I only have time at night. I have about 20 minutes in the morning I can commit. Busy or quiet- as long as it’s not kids, or husband. I will work on leaving 10 minutes earlier for work so I can have my time in my office to do my most important tasks or I will have to find time at night- it’s hard at night because I get distracted with so much on the computer.
I fell of the wagon. Here I go again.
1. Love multiple projects. I seem to thrive on busy, although I can get TOO busy easily.
2. Spontaneous
3. Early bird
4. Busy, NOT quiet
5. I need to continue to find that healthy balance between busy and TOO busy.
Hi. I found these steps quite clarifying. I haven’t learned anything new about myself, but I value the opportunity to have a good look at the stories I tell myself about my productivity and work style.
I have a small productivity brainspace, and rather than think of myself as a pea brain, I recognise that I have the capacity for deep immersion and exquisite attention to detail.
I think I prefer routine, but have never really effectively initiated or sustained one, so I’m excited by the prospect of building one that works, and checking out if that frees more of my energy.
I’m a highly sensitive type and work best with low stimulation. Here’s the rub – I’m also full time single mum to 2 bouncy critters and a full time nursing student.
So this is my challenge – can I work out a style and system that liberates me from the chaos of disorganisation to the extent that I can find the energy to keep myself balanced and calm in the centre of the storm that is single motherhood, and nursing? Hmmm, methinks I seek a miracle!
I do know this: I’ve always felt disorganised. I haven’t learned or developed skills to change this. If I CAN change this and start to identify myself as organised and productive, it might just be the change I’m looking for.
I wish a joyous journey to all who are getting organised and productive.
I’m new to getorganizedwizard. Have aspired to organization my whole life and I’m still way below average! Hope to find some motivation to keep trying. Encouraged by the revelation that it’s okay to work within my own unique style preferences!