Getting more done

take everything

Hi
Kinda generic query but any good tips for getting more done. :pac:
I've got so many things i would like to do but never have the time to do them.

Stack of half-read books/DVDs/TED talks/online documentaries etc etc (looked into a speed-reading app there recently ).
Making time for gym/golf etc.
Learning new skills/languages etc.

I really wish i had more time to get stuff done.
I think i might pack this pesky work-thing in altogether.
Ideas?

/awaits Viz-like advice

theKillerBite

I have had the same problem. I have come up with a solution which is working for me quite well. I bought a whiteboard and list my upcoming tasks/things I want to achieve. I keep the whiteboard in my room so it's staring at me all the time. I list everything, goals/tasks/things I want to buy etc. I also keep a diary which I update everyday on the progress I have made that day on getting those tasks done.

take everything

Cheers.
That's one thing i might look into. Be like Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.

Actually i just purchased a couple of ebooks about this (David Allen's Getting Things Done and Steven R. Covey's Seven Habits...), ironically giving me more to get through. Worth a shot i suppose (seem to have very good reviews anyway).

Any other suggestions welcome.

miamee

Start with getting rid of your tv (if you still watch tv) and using the spare time to do things...make lists...set achievable goals per day or week or month. I'd start with small daily goals until you get used to doing things.

I did this about a year ago when I moved, got loads done, then got Netflix...the amount of time spent sitting in front of a screen is terrible...but so entertaining I really should take my own advice

Iwannahurl

I need to start by spending less time on Boa

fiachraX

I agree about listing everything you want/need to do. I'd also add assigning priorities to that. I recently started using the Eisenhower matrix where you indicate for each task whether it's important/unimportant and urgent/not urgent.

Then you focus on the important ones (especially the important and urgent ones) and try to delegate or dump the unimportant ones.

So everything goes into one of 4 categories:
(1) Urgent and important - do these first.
(2) Non-urgent but important - don't neglect these. The temptation is to go for category 3 first, but you should make space to do these category 2 items because in the long run they matter more.
(3) Urgent but not important - try to delegate these ones, or think about whether in fact they really need to be done at all.
(4) Non-urgent and unimportant - bottom of the list. Dump them - or at least delegate them - unless you really have nothing higher priority to be doing.

Old-fashioned system, but works well for me so far.

jcon1913

fiachraX wrote: »

I agree about listing everything you want/need to do. I'd also add assigning priorities to that. I recently started using the Eisenhower matrix where you indicate for each task whether it's important/unimportant and urgent/not urgent.

Then you focus on the important ones (especially the important and urgent ones) and try to delegate or dump the unimportant ones.

So everything goes into one of 4 categories:
(1) Urgent and important - do these first.
(2) Non-urgent but important - don't neglect these. The temptation is to go for category 3 first, but you should make space to do these category 2 items because in the long run they matter more.
(3) Urgent but not important - try to delegate these ones, or think about whether in fact they really need to be done at all.
(4) Non-urgent and unimportant - bottom of the list. Dump them - or at least delegate them - unless you really have nothing higher priority to be doing.

Old-fashioned system, but works well for me so far.

Get a book called ( I think ) 'Managing time loving every minute'. Its published by the Chartered Sales Institute I think in the UK. I'll check later on when I find my copy. I got it free with a Filofax. The filofax is long gone but i still have the book. It give you loads of ways to get more done.

1sky

take everything wrote: »

Hi
Kinda generic query but any good tips for getting more done. :pac:
I've got so many things i would like to do but never have the time to do them.

Everybody has the same time available.We all have 168 hours. You just got to identify the time killers. Keep a time diary for a week or two jot down everything. You will be surprised !

take everything wrote: »

Stack of half-read books/DVDs/TED talks/online documentaries etc etc (looked into a speed-reading app there recently ).

1. Start reading one book and finish it. You will find yourself picking up another pretty quickly after.
2. All those ted talks . Transfer them to an ipod and listen to them in a car or on the bus.

take everything wrote: »

Making time for gym/golf etc.

Go to the gym before work. It sounds tough but maybe start going once a week before work then gradually upping it. You will find yourself having lots more energy throughout the day. Consider the gym like an appointment. You have to go. Everything else is second.

take everything wrote: »

Learning new skills/languages etc.

Try signing up to a short evening class. Pick something you like then sign up and commit.

take everything wrote: »

I really wish i had more time to get stuff done.
I think i might pack this pesky work-thing in altogether.
Ideas?

To do all this stuff you have to eat well and exercise but once everything kicks in you will be motivated and ready to accomplish anything you want. Start small and gradually change.Then watch those energy levels increase.

Best of luck.

colosus1908

I had to rid my laptop of movies... it was the toughest thing i have done in ages.

Jellybaby1

I have a board on the wall for my to-do list. Problem is, its there so long now I don't even notice it any more. It has become an ornament! I know the answer to your problem and mine. We have to give up the computer and internet. I used to think I didn't have the time for everything I need to do, but of course I have plenty of time, I just spend a lot of it in front of one screen or another. We just need the motivation to stand up, move away, and actually DO something better with our time. Yes, I'll go now. I will, really I will.

GoingBonkers

First its good to understand that when you say you don't have time to do something, its not that you don't have time, but that you put everything else you do in higher priority than that which you don't have time for. What I do, because my knoggin is a clutter mess sometimes, is create a list of things that I "have to do" and then when its done I have my freetime.

Ella29

miamee wrote: »

Start with getting rid of your tv (if you still watch tv) and using the spare time to do things...make lists...set achievable goals per day or week or month. I'd start with small daily goals until you get used to doing things.

I did this about a year ago when I moved, got loads done, then got Netflix...the amount of time spent sitting in front of a screen is terrible...but so entertaining I really should take my own advice

You do not even know how much I agree with you on this issue

Stovepipe

There was a tip that said that you should time each task and deal with any task that takes less than 25 mins as first priority, such as post out, washing clothes, putting away clothes, walk the dog, bins out and so on. Start with a list of all the have-to tasks such as washing clothes/paying bills/bins out (list the bin days on the calendar...an actual paper calendar!) and address them first. The longest tasks on an average day is probably a gym visit or a big shop or preparing your dinner; these can be broken down into smaller tasks, too. To see how quickly you can get things done, time them and tick them off your list so you will know the real world length of time it takes to do tasks. Incidentally, I dont know why it says 25 minutes per task but most tasks take less time and it's a good indicator of much you can get done in a short time. It also requires discipline, especially with things like walking a dog, dealing with gardening tasks, dealing with washing clothes and bedding and doing household chores such as vacuuming and dusting..

EdensTempleX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118611997#Comment_118611997

Great advice and a great thread, thanks!

Spanish Eyes

Divide tasks into urgent and important. Do the urgent and most offputting tasks first one per day if possible. Then enjoy the important but less onerous tasks, but put a time limit on it. It can become a task in itself to complete a task, leading to more and more.

Declutter stuff, stuff and more stuff out of your house. Buy something, get rid of something in return.

Don't fret too much, as long as you are happy and content that is the most important thing. I am so lazy it is unreal. Lists are my go to fiction choice lol.

jiltloop

There are a few productivity tips that do the rounds from time to time on social media, they might be more work oriented but I think a lot of them could apply to general life as well. I think the below rule is a good one.

1-3-5 rule: at the start of every day identify 1 big thing to achieve, 3 medium things and 5 small things. If you have a to do list categorised in to these categories you can work your way through the list everyday and also include social/recreational/fun things on the list.