by Shawn Tuttle

[This article was originally featured in The Weekly Simplifier Issue #5.]

Even professional organizers have challenges managing their time and efforts on occasion. These are actually opportunities to figure out what isn’t working, and to create solutions. Then, if we’re really on the ball, we’ll write an article about it, so others can share in our discovery.

Such was the case with two situations I went through recently. The result? A firmer belief in making sensible distinctions between Planning Time and Doing Time.

Scenario #1:
Working with a client last week I was faced with a dilemma: keep on track implementing our office reorganization plan, or take a little “side trip” to deal with an unexpected mess (an extensive photo collection).

If we deviate, we won’t be on track with our agreed upon plan. Expected progress for the day won’t be achieved and we’ll have to tack on extra time at the end of our projected completion date. From experience, I know these consequences can be frustrating for the client.

Scenario #2:
I sat down mid-afternoon at my cleaned-off desk to work on a marketing project for the advancement of my business. It’s an important and challenging project. 3 hours later, very little progress has been made, I have another 5 unrelated files open on my desktop, 3 more projects in process, and it’s time to run off to an appointment.

The result of this work session? This part of my project is pushed off until the next day and I miss out on a satisfying sense of accomplishment—in fact, I have that frustrated feeling that comes from getting caught up in details and ignoring my goals.

A good system of Planning Time and Doing Time can help out in both of these situations.

Peak Brain Time = Planning Time

We have 24 hours in the day, 16-17 waking hours, and we typically dedicate 6-10 hours of brain cell use to our business. Realistically, how many of those are peak brain cell hours? This variable often depends on how rested you are, your level of stress, and the time of day.

Planning, problem-solving, and idea development deserve your peak brain cell time. Not only are these the activities that grow your business, they are the higher-brain activities that encourage and require your creativity. I’ll call this Planning Time.

Doing Time Is For Easier Actions

If you’ve done a thorough job, the plans that are created in Planning Time often have a number of small, manageable items that work into your schedule. The notable point here is that they don’t get your peak brain cell time. They get the time between appointments, or maybe you do as many as possible in a scheduled one hour Take Action session.

Let’s apply the Planning Time vs. Doing Time distinction to my earlier examples:

Scenario # 1: The client and I were implementing our existing plan, i.e. Doing Time. I opened up my binder to the “Systems to Create” page, wrote down, “photo collection,” and got back to our plan. This page will be revisited with the client once our original project is complete.

Scenario # 2: First, I block out Planning Time in my schedule in the morning (my peak brain cell time) to do this phase of my marketing project. Then, during that time, I’ll have my ToDo list nearby. When I feel the urge to get sidetracked on a task, I’ll simply write it down and save it for Doing Time.

The difference made by delineating these times is outstanding–like the difference between night and day. We use different parts of the brain for Planning and Doing. Separating the two thought processes is the difference between simply enjoying my work and frantically circling without relief.

We have a limited amount of time each day to work with. Adhering to Planning Time and Doing Time helps calm the mind while increasing productivity. Give it a shot and see how much easier it makes your day!

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Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.