One of my challenges is organization...
It's mainly trying to figure out what to do each day. I usually have a general idea of what needs to be done, but then I would squirrel.
Squirrel - that's something I learned from my dog, who would be focused on one thing and then then....SQUIRREL!
I'm not crazy about squirreling...it just creeps up on me and then...SQUIRREL!
Computers are great for squirreling. You turn on the screen at 8:00 a.m., sneeze, and then it's for lunch!
I'm no different. It's easy for me to get focused on one thing, and then get on my squirrel pursuit.
To give you an example of my battle between me and the squirrel, one morning, I needed to connect with administrators in the Manteca (CA) school district:
Me (thinking): I need to find out the number for Manteca's school district." (google, google). Manteca - hee hee - that's Spanish for lard...I used to eat it all the time in the tortillas my grandmother made for me.
Squirrel: What kind of lard did she use? (google, google)
Me: Let's see...there is a picture of a lard container. I remember that! Armour Lard...I remember using that stuff! God bless my abuelita and her tortillas! Sigh, good times....
Squirrel: Armour...isn't that the first name of the guy who invented baking soda? (google, google)
Me: No it's Arm and Hammer. That stuff works pretty good in my refrigerator...I guess.
Squirrel: Okay, so the baking soda is named after the guy, not the lard...(google, google)
Me: No, that's Armand Hammer. He was a rich guy.
Squirrel: So, what did he own? (google, google)
Me: Occidental Petroleum.
Squirrel: I thought Occidental was a college. (google, google)
Me: I was right...it is! I had a friend years ago who used to wear a shirt that had the letters O-X-Y on it.
Squirrel: Where the heck is OXY? (google, google)
Me: Southern California....hey, their website says "oxy.edu." That's cool. Hey, if I was a student there, I'd call it "Accidental College." Ha ha. I'm so funny.
Then it was dark outside. Day over.
So, I'm learning that mastering time, along with myself, is work, but it doesn't have to be a chore. Here is how I'm learning in 30 minutes a day.
1. I set aside 10 minutes to plan my day. I don't turn on my computer, but I do grab my coffee (very high priority) and I sit down with a notepad. I then review what I already have planned, and add to it what I feel will make my day successful. I sort them out, from the hardest and/or highest priority items to be done toward the beginning of the day, before even checking email, Facebook, Twitter, et cetera, and then working the list by order of priority. Since I need to use email, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, I have to specifically make note of what productive thing I'm going to do while on my social networking media, rather than find out what kind of sushi Mildred posted while on her trip to Hawaii.
2. Every hour I refocus for a quick minute - how am I doing? I manage my day one hour at a time. That comes out to 8 minutes throughout the day.
3. At the end of the day I take another 10 minutes - to review and see how I did, and make note where I was most productive and most distracted and to make a preliminary plan for the next day.
Okay, so it's 28 minutes...but you get the point.
The power of a routine is it's inevitability. By doing the same thing in the same way over and over again, the outcome of a routine is inevitable as well. By choosing to focus with purpose and constantly remind myself of my being focused, I will remain focused.
By the way...did you know that there's an actor named Armie Hammer? Sigh...that just popped into my head....darn squirrel...(google,google)
Have a great day!
John
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