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because i got acksed about it

the best reading i’ve found on the subject is a harvard business review article called “manage your energy, not your time.” which is short and great.

i do find it useful to have a time division though: work time, recreation time, and sleep time. i like to build a firewall around them. right now i’m drinking kalimotxos and i in no fucking way wanna be dealing with fucked business headachs. later when i go sleep i don’t wanna wake up at 2am to write to a client. fuc dat nois fuc fuc fuc. same as vacation time: it’s fucking vacation. talk to the hand.

but anyway oh i have to go look at a pork roast right now. i will continue later i promise.

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so fundamentally the best energy you get at any task comes from a state of flow. for which your read mikhail chzkzkzkzkzkzkzkz to get a scientific explanation of it, but basically, everyone has felt this, “flow.” the question is how to recreate it at will.

for this it’s best to NO INTERRUPTIONS. which brings you back from energy into time: time blocks for things.

see, time is necessary after all. but it’s not necessary to assign a specific task to a time. not at least in the big picture yet.

you assign tasks to your energy.

then you perform the tasks.

the question here is how to manage TASKS, not time.

i’ll say more later but i’m watching this “britannia” show about the pre-roman celts and it’s kinda fuckin cool w/ the druids tripping ballsacs.

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episode 1 was great

anyway where was i. oh yes the ability to create flow at will by preventing interruption. not always possible but eh.

i really like francesco cirillo’s POMODORO TECHNIQUE. a book and a website and a buncha tools— most pomodoro apps miss the actual point of the technique. or many points. gimmicky shit. read the book first buy the app later— much later.

anther great for task/project management is GETTING THINGS DONE by this corporate dude whassisname. it’s good, it’s a great system, but tends to overcomplicate things. overambitions for overachivers

leo babauta’s ZEN TO DONE is better in that it’s a paredown of GTD. 3 big rocks, blam.

i combine pomodoro + gtd when possible.

i use omnifocus for gtd online/synced/etc. worth the price if you actually use it.

ok. my neurotransmitters are spent. laters.

[Bytor Peltor]

I’ve received multiple hours of training on time, the value and making the most of it. My job is mostly time sensitive. In fact, if something goes wrong during my shift, State officials in Austin are reviewing my actions in accord to documented time. Routine-routine-routine is my peace of mind.

I’ve also received training on how to declutter unnecessary things from your life, things that take up too much space & time.

[evollove]

I suppose someone with time-management training wouldn't take time to elaborate on their training? Is there a good youtube vid at least?

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I'm not even stressed. I've just taken on too much this year and things are falling through my fingers. Feel more guilty than stressed.

Just need to structure my day better or something, although every day is different so I'm having troubles.

I'l check out article, although doesn't everyone try to focus energy when they have it? I'm tired now, so I can write here. In an hour, I'll be more alert, so I'll naturally want to do something more productive. But maybe I don't get the article's point yet.

Found a book called Execute on my hard drive. Forget how I got it. Did someone recommend it? Read 20 pages last night and it sucks cuz uneducated yet rich people wrote it.

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i did speak of “execution, the discipline of getting things done” some time ago but it was a bit of a pile of shit for me because it was all about running megacorporations not about personal habits.

there still was a lesson in it for me, which was: most failures are not due to bad strategy but due to lack of execution on it. and again: focus. and again: “hire the best people” bla bla bla. too long for me— best to read a few good reviews of it.

as bytor hints, a good routine is a life saver, and decluttering and simplicity are superimportant. the leo babauta blog is a lot about that: simplicity and habits. i’m not a believer or anything but it’s a good starting point.

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as for “every day is different”, GTD (david allen was his name) is who will teach you to manage your workflow in a changing environment. it’s a bit of a ponderous read but worth the time and care you put into it. there are SO MANY MISREADINGS AND MISINTERPRETATIONS OF IT on the echo chamber that is the internet that i wholeheartedly recommend you avoid them and go directly to the source. then later you can abbreviate, customize, recombine with other methods or whatever, but you gotta really understand it first, and hearsay is not the way to go here. it’s a bit of a cult and it’s been around nearly a couple of decades now, so fortunately it’s free at public libraries, etc., so you dont have to commit resources before you decide it’s not for you, or just dip a toe before taking the plunge. plus the guy has a website.

ok gtg

[evollove]

That's a pretty sweet website. Thanks.

"Your head is for having ideas, not for holding them."

That's after ten seconds of browsing around! Cool.

[Bytor Peltor]

Originally Posted by evollove

I suppose someone with time-management training wouldn't take time to elaborate on their training?

No video or presentation to watch......actually, it’s mostly a big waste of time. In the same vein as weight loss = exercise more and consume fewer calories.

I try and keep a working “todo” list on a 3x5 card. One side might be work related, the other mostly home / things to do on the way home. Oddly, there is self-satification from scratching things off my list.

I also keep a monthly planner up to date: oil changes, replacing homes AC filters, denhist appointments. Writing these things down and looking at them weeks& months ahead can be therapeutic.

Arriving to work 10-15 minutes early is a must for me!

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yeah a calendar and a to-do list are essential

gtd divides to-dos by context. i have @home, @errands (for multiple cities), @office, etc.

gtd also requires a separate master list of projects. so you don’t forget what you’re supposed to be moving forward.

you can keep these lists on paper (google “hipster pda”) or digitally. i used to keep them on evernote, now after years of practice i have them on omnifocus, which is specifically tailored for gtd but can be used with other systems. but i like it because it ties next-action with projects. can get very elaborate and it’s pricey but for me worth it.

as for a calendar, i prefer digital also, cuz of the alarms/reminders, and being able to sync beween the desktop and the pocket is essential for my adhd, ha ha ha. plus the cloud backup that prevents total loss.

i addition to this i do break my workday into pomodoros. it’s much better to know that i can post shit here at the end of 25 minnutes than to let myself be thinking about it at random times, and creating a distraction.

the pomodoro workday is divided into 2h blocks separated by 25 min long breaks.

each 2h block is broken into 4 “pomodoros” of 25m in length each, with 5 min breaks in between.

the deal is taht those pomodoros are pure unadulterated focus—everything that’s not-work gets pushed out.

the 5 min breaks are for piss/water/bullshits

the 25 min long breaks are to stretch the brain, poke around the internet, etc.

this arrangement is of course not feasible if your day includes a lot of random interruptions, phone calls, texts, impromptu meetings, prattling office mates, etc.

but if you can hack it, it’s worth the effort

when i can work my GTD tasks into a pomodoro schedule, it’s pure magic

 

the pomodoro technique was invented by a student (who is now a business guy), and as such it’s best for studying and learning, but it can be adapted to any workday, at least by chunks, especially when you require deep concentration/thought and can fend off interruptions. it is truly a glorious thing.

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Originally Posted by operator

i use some small psychological tricks.

e.g.
my procrastination machine announces time every 30 minutes. it’s not as intrusive as you’d think and it doesn’t work most of the time but occasionally that female voice will guilt me out of it.

so like the clock chimes that powered the industrial revolution

hmmmmmm

lml

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not an apple app. will test similar

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yeah i believe that

with chimes i always lose count

old mechanical technology did what it could