Tag: projects

25 Time Management Strategies

~ K ~ 2 Comments

In January and February 2011, I attended a two-part session on time management by Heartwork Organizing. Here’s a list of 25 strategies I obtained from that session with the ones I am working on in bold. Let me know three of the 25 strategies you think you could use.

  1. Keep a weekly (not daily) to-do list.
  2. Note 3 top priorities/projects/tasks to complete each day.
  3. Using the 80/20 rule (only 20% of your tasks are most important), ensure the tasks in your 20% are the first ones you tackle.
  4. Carry your planner everywhere, even to church, gym, and dates/appointments.
  5. Be aware when you are making a commitment to yourself and others.
  6. Make written appointments with yourself, and keep them as routinely as you would with your hairdresser.
  7. Separate making your to-do list from accomplishing your to-do list.
  8. Separate projects from tasks.
  9. Schedule time on your calendar to work on projects.
  10. Never check your email before __(insert customized time here)__.
  11. When working on projects at your computer, don’t leave your email and browser programs open.
  12. Use a sheet of paper as a “time container” and only write until full.
  13. Use “sticky notes” as disposable containers, not permanent records.
  14. Use “Prince/Princess time management” because you are a Son/Daughter of the King.
  15. Keep your calendar free enough to entertain angels.
  16. Beware of the latest electronic gadget as a time waster.
  17. When spinning, ask “What is the next thing I have to do?” and do it.
  18. Build in rewards for your efforts (e.g, I will get a snack after I finish this proposal).
  19. Remove technical issues when they exist.
  20. Ensure written goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.
  21. Practice conscious breathing. Schedule it if necessary.
  22. Decide if your tasks pass the five-year test. (What’s going to be important five years from now?)
  23. Use a time to chunk out unpleasant/large tasks 15 minutes at a time.
  24. Learn how to use your cell phone or microwave timer.
  25. Prioritize people over things.

Not all of these are practical tips for me. For example, I wouldn’t check my email before 5:30 in the morning because I’m likely sleeping, but if I don’t check it before noon, I’m at work where I really can’t view it. It’s also the primary means of contacting me during the day.

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iPhone/iPad/iTouch Productivity: Lists & Tasks App Mania

~ K ~ 3 Comments

I’m an organizational/planning freak. As a result, I’m CRAZY about lists.

  • If there’s something to do, it goes on a list.
  • If there’s something I want to purchase, it goes on a list.
  • If there’s a book I want to read, there’s a list for that too. (Goodreads is fantastic, btw.)

I have grocery lists, travel lists, and wish lists. I am your List Maven Du Jour.

I received an iPhone for Christmas, and as a result, have been exploring the to-do list apps in Apple’s App Store. At one point, I downloaded about six (free) apps all at one time just so I could try out their features. (Note: An app that was free has since begun charging since I downloaded it.) A few of them were free “lite” apps meaning that they had limited features for you to try out before plunking down the cash to use the full version. I really appreciated this since I’m judicious about paying even $.99 for an app unless I know it’ll be good. I don’t download apps that cost money unless I’ve tried them for free first or their ratings are so spectacular that the app is likely to be good. (App Store users: PLEASE pay attention to ratings and reviews. They are your friend. They will spare you from forking over $1.99 for a prank app that looks real.)

So, I’ve made a list of pros and cons for each of my six apps. Some things I’ve listed as cons might be pros for you. This is not a comprehensive list of To-do/Task apps but simply the ones that I tried. I purposely avoided the super-popular ones like Remember the Milk and Toodledo (because they cost money). Hopefully you’ll find one that works for you.

[Update as of 1/30/2011: the basic Remember the Milk app is free for Apple mobile devices.]

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Day 25 of Enjoying God: Daily God

~ K ~ 1 Comment
Image from mundiwestport.fashion41.com

Today, I had to write everywhere in the apartment the following: ONE THING AT A TIME. (Yes, in all caps to get my point across to myself.)

I felt overwhelmed by the disarray of my surroundings and all the tasks before me. Visually and mentally, I saw clutter, disorganization, and messiness.

But God, who the Bible calls the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9, 13, 22) and is the supreme organizer and task manager, takes things one day at time. (But, if you’re of the day-age theory, 1,000 years can be as a day to the Lord. [II Peter 3:8])

It is why Jesus prays in the Lord’s Prayer (or the “Our Father”) “give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).  It is also why Jesus admonishes us not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of its own (Matt. 6:34).

Whether a Christian subscribes to a 7-day (as humans know it) creation theory or the day-age creation theory, the general idea is that God approached one task or one project at a time:

  • Day 1 (or 1,000 years): God created morning and evening.
  • Day 2 (or 2,000 years): God separated heaven and earth (which had already been created from the beginning).
  • Day 3 (or 3,000 years): God separated land from water and created vegetation.
  • Day 4 (or 4,000 years): God created the sun to shine on the earth by day and the moon to illuminate the earth by night, further adding distinction between morning and evening.
  • Day 5 (or 5,000 years): God created creatures for air and sea.
  • Day 6 (or 6,000 years): God created land species: all animals for land and the first humans.
  • Day 7 (or 7,000 years): God rested, instituted the Sabbath to be holy, and performed no work or tasks.

As the days went on, God got more and more complex with his tasks (going from creating one general thing to two general categories with many subcategories, er, subspecies if you will). But the thing is, God took life one day at a time and to enjoy Him fully, I need to follow that example. I need to stop Americanizing my life by multitasking and overloading myself with 500 things I can’t possibly accomplish one day and approach tasks the God-centered way: one thing at a time, one day at a time.