A New Time Management Method

I'm trying so hard to fit more actions into my days. Of necessity I've added a lot of gardening into my routines. Now I need to add back in things like journaling, writing, and art table time. I'm desperate.

I created a new daily time tracker sheet using Word. A piece of paper listing all the things I want to do in a day. Something to remind me what else can be done, aside from time wasting. I honestly believe that the more I organize my thoughts, the more I'll get done.

I could post a copy of my activity tracker page, but it is personal to my goals for my time, so I'll not do that. I'll just say I'm using Word, adding tables with my lists in them. I'm printing only one page daily because it is bound to change as I adjust my goals and expectations.

It's Been One of Those Days When It Seems Like Nothing Gets Done

I feel like I've accomplished nothing today. It wasn't because I didn't try. I've been trying to organize my audiobook collection. I'd never transferred most of these books from my old computer, and since that one isn't working well, sometimes using it is an exercise in frustration and futility.

SanDisk Clip
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Well, today I did it - I transferred all the audiobooks to my portable hard drive then installed them in my new computer, and transferred some to my SanDisk Clip.

I can fit a lot of audiobooks and music on that because I have a 32GB micro-hd card in it. I have an entire audio NKJV Bible on the card, and many other things. I spent some hours deleting things I no longer want and need. In the process I found a recorded sermon from my friend's church, and stopped to listen to that. It was about when Jesus appeared to His disciples when they were fishing (this was after His resurrection) and told them where to cast their net to get fish.

This audiobook organization is something that's been on my to-do list at Workflowy.com for a long time, so I'm glad I took time to do it, even though the work isn't completely done yet. That's probably why I feel like nothing is done - because I can't cross it off the list, unfortunately... and not much else got done.

The one drawback to being a web worker is that I'm never done with my work. There's always a massive number of tasks left to do. I can't just walk away from it like I'd do if I had only eight hours at a job in someone else's business.

Getting Rid of My Stuff

I spent thirty years collecting stuff. Now I'm spending twenty years getting rid of it (so far). I have cut down on my possessions for years now, ever since I read Taming the Paper Tiger back in 1993 when I lived in a flat in North Oakland, California. I had an entire room full of boxes of "stuff" and set out to organize it. Well, it has been a struggle ever since, but I've finally got it down to a dull roar, meaning most of my unwanted/unorganized items can fit into two closets at this point.

I still have a few items that tear at my heartstrings, that I have yet to resolve, as to how to handle them. Of course, old family photographs are one item. Another is my collection of valuable old Beatles albums. These will go to my children. My oldest daughter has been a Beatles fan since she was a teen. Now she's a princess among women and deserves to get this aging collection of albums I purchased in the 1960's.

The family photographs are a bit harder to deal with. I have five kids and will divide among them. What else can I do? I will try to give each child lots of photos of themselves. This will require a lot more organizing and sorting than I've put into it so far.

As it turns out... old boxes of filing and paperwork are easy to go through and dispose of because most of the papers are no longer relevant to my life. The only things I tend to hold onto are my writings... I have a backup system because I consider my writings the most important things in my home. I've been writing since I was a teen and still have most of it in my possession. Pretty strange, huh? Luckily I haven't lost much of it over the years.

So, I continue to declutter but the huge pressure I felt a few years ago is over. I'm doing much better with "stuff" now.

Ah, that reminds me of a video a friend told me about recently:

I have to love George Carlin - though he went way over my comfort level with profanity and vulgarity at times, most of what he said was spot on and I have to respect him for that.

I am Creative / Disorganized

I've got way too many things to do. I love to start new projects. I'm constantly looking for new ways to organize my time and projects.

Sound familiar?

I thought I was a total freak until I read Time Management For Unmanageable People. The author explains the situation without making it sound like a problem. The fact is, we're just this way and should focus on using the condition's positive aspects. If creating multiple organizational methods and experimenting with them motivates us, we should do it without feelings of guilt. It is just the way we think and our constant need for new systems.

We spend way too much time with guilt, IMO. It saps our strength and keeps us from getting things done.

My newest system is to write projects on index cards - then choose one random project, complete it, and move on.