A work in progress

Time management? Never had much time for it. Procrastination? Can work for you or against you. Distractions? Come in all shapes and sizes. Taking charge? Now, that's more like it.

Despite my best efforts, I've come to accept that some of my day is wasted on trivial and unnecessary, sometimes useless pursuits. But last Monday, I decided to take charge, identify the culprits, and counter them. This is what I did and how it worked.

Facebook and Twitter — check at the start of the day, then shut them down. Yes, I could disconnect completely, but there are certain people and groups I like to check in with regularly.

UPDATE: I decided that once a day was regular enough, and while I stuck to that for FB — and survived nicely, thank you very much — I actually ignored Twitter completely. (Don't think my 33 followers even realise I've bailed ....)

Daytimer — write in what I want to achieve each day. Doesn't have to be detailed, just visible. Designated time allotments are even better! Starting with a blank schedule is dangerous and gives me free reign to do nothing.

UPDATE: Working brilliantly!

Phones — let calls go to voice mail. Pretend I am in my car or in a meeting, or ... wait ... busy!

UPDATE: Silence is golden!

Doubts — talk them over with myself. Left unaddressed, most doubts fester, filling the tiny crevices of open time and blowing them way out of proportion. Giving them a voice and an ear usually does the trick.

UPDATE: Also works to get up and do something completely different for even a minute, or shift the workspace to the back table, outside, the coffee shop, or to a CCC [see next blog for an explanation of that successful little idea].

Expectations — group the source of each according to "wait for it", "try, try again" and "move on without". Sadly, somehow, in some way, for some reason, at some time, someone will not step up as I had hoped or needed. An unreturned phone call, non-response to an email, disregard of a deadline, lack of a confirmation, dishonest intentions — disappointing and frustrating, but fretting over them only serves to soak up time.

UPDATE: Giving expectations an arbitrary degree of importance has helped me keep moving rather than stay wallowing in the "who's the blame" and "what's wrong with me" games.

Projects — which hat am I wearing? So many of my projects compete for attention against commitments for others, with my stuff often on the losing side. Yes, it's my doing, but I think it's because I don't always know which hat I'm wearing when I start work. Editor? Writer? Speaker? Secretary? Designer? Project manager? Counsellor?

UPDATE: I start the day (or segments of the day) announcing which hat I have on, and then committing to that role, seeing it through without distraction.

And there you have it. Those things that distract me, my plan to counter them, and progress so far. Of course, it's not always about countering — sometimes it's about understanding what they are trying to tell me. Too many projects on the go? Believing that my work and I are not important? Derailed by the success of others? Any or all of the above.

The real lesson here, however, is that I am a work in progress. That not everything goes to plan. That things happen and I simply have to deal, one way or another. But if I stay true to what is important to me, and maintain my integrity and focus, it will all come together, perhaps even better than expected.

And keeping that in mind, my friends, is the best counter of all.