The Weekly Simplifier - May 24 - The Right Time for the Right Task
Welcome to The Weekly Simplifier, brought to you by…
Contents:
1. A Note From Shawn
2. Quote of the Week
3. Article: Planning Time vs. Doing Time
4. This Week’s Simplification Tip
5. In the News & On the Web
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
7. Keep Smiling
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1. A Note From Shawn
Full and ready to be read. That’s my description of this newsletter. Allow me to point out how beautifully the Hans Hoffman quote sets the tone for the Article, and then how the article flows into the Tip of the Week. Now I’ll step aside without further ado! Enjoy.
Let it be easy!
Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
2. Quote of the Week
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
- Hans Hofmann
3. Article: Planning Time vs. Doing Time
by Shawn Tuttle
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.
4. This Week’s Simplification Tip
Scheduling With Biorhythms
Among other things, we are biological beings (excuse the statement of the obvious!) We are influenced by cycles, also called biorhythms, some of which reoccur daily. One of the most common results of these cycles is heard in the assertion, “I’m a morning [or night] person.” Why not make it easy on yourself and play to these cycles?
When you align your activities and appointments with your biorhythmic day, things just seem to go more smoothly. Sounds great conceptually, but then how to do this when life happens?
This doesn’t have to be a big operation. Read through the below suggestions and think through or write about your own daily cycles. Just doing this exercise may be enough to help you start seeing things differently. When scheduling, let it influence your decisions without being something to get hung-up on.
Step 1: Think about your experience during different times of the day. Tap into your body experience, separate from how you tend to react to your schedule. Each time of day is followed by notes on my own cycles.
early morning: This is my best brain time. I’m alert, mentally energetic, it’s easy for me to focus, not feeling social.
mid-morning: Still energetic, a little less focused, still energetic, ready for the unexpected, feeling social, good physical time.
afternoon: Energy level low, not very focused, prefer relaxing activities, feeling social.
night time: Not a social time for me, I like doing ‘mindless’ or repetitive activities now.
Step 2: Categorize your activities and place them in the time of day most conducive to that activity.
Some phases to watch for: your best brain cell time, best client time, your preferred physical time, best social/networking time, best ToDo time.
So for me that means:
early morning: planning, writing, idea developing, strategizing
mid-morning: client work, client appointments, physical work-outs
afternoon: around town errands, personal/social appointments, networking
night time: put on the groove music and get stuff done, grunt work, data entry etc.
Structuring my schedule this way every single day isn’t realistic, and I don’t stress myself out trying. However, since I’ve been working with a biorhythmic understanding of my day for several years now, scheduling with this “filter” has become natural.
For example, I make a point of allowing myself planning and writing time every morning by not scheduling client appointments before 10am. Also, I automatically schedule personal appointments like haircuts & dentist for the afternoon.
See for yourself how working with, instead of against, your natural cycles facilitates a smooth day!
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5. In the News & On the Web
[In this section, we will highlight sites and pages of interest from around the Web, as well as news stories that relate to simplicity, time management, and organization when we see them. If you know of something in the news or on the web that should be featured here, let us know!]
In The News
There’s Something About Being Merry (American Chronicle)
http://tinyurl.com/h96u8
In Cyndi Seidler’s latest column she talks about making your room happy, and offers an experiment to prove that rooms show emotion.
Professional Organizers Cut Clutter (Buffalo Grove Countryside)
http://tinyurl.com/ekm95
This small-town (suburban Chicago) story follows organizer Michelle as she tames “lid-hoarder” Staci’s kitchen. “If you don’t need it, use it, or love it- get rid of it,” says Michelle. “So, I should just throw all these lids away?” says Staci (who devoted precious counter space to a large blender she had only used twice in four years).
On The Web
MSN Special: More Time for Me
http://tinyurl.com/ovpmg
This MSN “Special Feature” area is anything but simple in its interface, but there is enough useful content there that we still wanted to pass it on. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by choices on the main page, try starting at the “Work Essentials” section down on the right side. (Note: While this Special Feature is primarily targeted toward women, a lot of the tips are for anyone looking to increase “quality time”.)
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
Shawn’s Musings
http://projectsimplify.com/sections/musings/
Of all the sections on our blog, “Musings” is the biggest– because it’s the broadest. We could call it “Thoughts on Everything Else”, but that’s a bit too metaphysical or something. And we considered “Dear Diary”, but it turns out that term is owned by Donald Trump now. And “We Don’t Know Where Else To Put These Posts” is problematic, for obvious reasons.
Ah…we kid the Musings, because we love them. ;-) Here are some of the reasons why:
(Click the title to read a given entry.)
Merging creativity and economics
Shawn on Dave Pollard on revolutionizing the economy of the future.
Simplification for me is… Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Put simply: musings on simplification.
Work that she loves
About one woman who makes a decision to draw a line in the sand regarding her employment choices.
What’s with the flowers
Flowers on the business card…in the logo…on the website. Find out why here.
Wendell Berry
Reflections on seeing the farmer/novelist/essayist speak in Santa Barbara several years ago.
TV Interview
Project Simplify’s first official interview recapped.
Self-indulgent clutter
Shawn considers it, then considers dispensing with it.
That’s just scratching the surface of the Musings section. You can find all the Musings entries here:
http://projectsimplify.com/sections/musings/
There’s also a link to it under Blog Sections in our site’s sidebar.
7. Keep Smiling
The Power of Optimism
The following are excerpts from this fascinating article, based on an interview with researcher Martin Seligman.
…In a longitudinal study of school children, those scoring highest for pessimism were most likely later to suffer depression. High scores for optimism are predictive of excellence in everything from sports to life-insurance sales…
‘I used to be an agent of both truth and happiness,’ says Seligman. ‘That’s still a central premise of most therapists. But research in our lab and others is increasingly challenging that view. Even when offered a monetary incentive for accuracy, optimists consistently overestimate their ability. Optimists have a set of self-serving illusions that enable them to maintain good cheer and health in a universe essentially indifferent to their welfare.
Optimists are more resistant to infectious illness and are better at fending off chronic diseases of middle age. In one study, we looked at 96 men who had their first heart attack in 1980. Within eight years, 15 of the 16 most pessimistic men died of a second heart attack, but only five of the 16 most optimistic men died.
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A psychological analysis of Mozart’s correspondence shows that he was almost pathologically optimistic, with an exuberant self-confidence. Optimistic people who suffer setbacks tend to attribute them to external causes that are temporary and can be changed. Writing in The Psychologist, Professor Andrew Steptoe of St George’s Hospital Medical School says that towards the end of Mozart’s short life, when he suffered the deaths of four children, serious illnesses and repeated professional and financial disasters, his optimism actually rose.
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Thanks for reading - see you next week!
