How do you get organized and stay organized?

[JimD]

Here's the situation.

I've read the books and tried this system and that on getting organized but still find that all to often days slip through my fingers with little accomplished on my goals.

Now I know the saying that everyone has the same 24 hours but I should explain how mine are currently structured. My full-time job expects my appearance from 10 PM to 7 AM, presently, Sunday through Thursday though my nights off change every six weeks.

On the current schedule I get home at 7:30 AM, eat a light supper, check e-mail, read a little and go to bed. I'm generally up by 5:30 PMwhich gives me roughly 3 and a half hours to work on various goal related projects, take care of daily life, eat breakfast, and get ready to leave for work at 9:30 PM.

On the start of my weekend it's the same as far as the time I get home and the time I get up Friday evening. Once I'm up I generally spend time with family, try to work on some of my projects and go back to sleep about 1 AM so I can have all of Saturday to work on the important things.

So, what it comes down to is having only one full day of my weekend that I can spend time with family, take out the trash, take care of my self, and work to wards my goals. Most of the time I feel like I'm running in sand up hill.

Any ideas, suggestions, or thoughts are appreciated. What has worked for you?

[YazKMan]

Since no one has replied to this message yet, I will help you out.
I'm in the same boat except I work a regular day shift as a software developer. Generally every day by the time I get home I have at most 4 hours to cook, eat, do dishes, get a little entertainment, and then work on my own projects.

I try to combine as much as possible. When cooking and eating I get my entertainment by listening to some comedy or music, then watch an episode of whatever it is i'm currently watching since eating usually takes me about 30 minutes. Same thing when doing dishes.

Now that that's all done I have around 2 to 3 hours left for the night. I try to get some work done on my projects, although after doing software dev all day at my job I have to really push myself to actually start working on it, but I know that it won't get done on its own and I won't reach my goals unless I work on it.

On the weekends I combine all the house cleaning and laundry into the same 2 hour time slot. After that I'm left to do whatever I want with my time.

If you want, I've written some articles over at my website/blog on organization. You can check them out if you want; Being Organized , Steps to declutter your work area , and Uncluttering your mind . Let me know if they help, would love to get some feedback.

Take care.

[cdn2wheeler]

Hi Jim. While the times are different - I work straight days - I can really relate. There's this myth in time management circles that you "make time for the things that are important."

It is, of course, nonsense. You cannot make time anymore than you can make air. Humans just don't have that power.

Fact is, there really is no such thing as time management, there's only task management. But frankly I don't really see much wrong with what you're doing.

And I'll tell ya why (cuz you're bound to ask!).

You already make sure you carve out time with your family, and that's got to be one of the most important things you can possibly do. Better to ensure that your family time is sacred than to sacrifice it for the sake of, say, well, anything else.

Remember, as well, that nothing is permanent. Your schedule is going to change as the kids get older, your shifts might change, your priorities will certainly change. So please don't feel that you're ignoring the big stuff. Family is the big stuff. You're doing very well, even if it may not feel like it (feelings lie, remember).

[Steve Pavlina]

Being organized and staying that way is a mindset... almost an addiction of sorts.

But it doesn't really make sense to work on your goals for part of a day and have a job that doesn't serve your goals occupying so much of your time. If you want to organize your life around your goals, your career must be part of that. IMO it's the most crucial part. If 40+ hours of your life are being leaked away every week, that's a pretty major hole that needs to be plugged.

I think it's more efficient to be homeless working on your goals on a park bench than to give up so many hours just to have a roof. You may reach your goals faster with more time and no money than with more money and only a small slice of time. Time is a far more precious resource than money.

[JimD]

Thanks to all for the replies you have given me food for thought.

YazKman,

after doing software dev all day at my job I have to really push myself to actually start working

I definitely understand that feeling. I'm in Tech Support for a TV Station and most of my night is spent verifying that our databases are updating correctly or dealing with server issues.

I like the way you combine activities. I need to do more of that. Getting into the habit of multi-tasking could free some additional time for my projects. Actually several of them could be sketched out or other tasks taken care of without going near the computer. Paper and pencil are still viable tools .

Thanks for the links to the articles. I'll definitely take a look at them and post some feedback.

cdn2wheeler,

You're right, we can't create any more time. All we have is all there is.

Remember, as well, that nothing is permanent. Your schedule is going to change as the kids get older, your shifts might change, your priorities will certainly change.

While it is true that nothing is permanent, it is highly unlikely that my schedule will change. Management knows they have a skilled, dependable, person on a shift that no one wants so they aren't very likely to allow me to move.

For good or bad my kids are older. Thing is, like many parents today, they appear to be homing pigeons instead of eagles. My son had been back home with the grandson for 5 years and the daughter has been back home with the granddaughter for 2 years.

Although this has caused quite a bit of disruption in my wife's and my life they are working at improving their lives as both have went back to school. Our son will finish up in late January and he already has several good job offers. Our daughter still has about 2 years before she'll finish up.

My priorities have definitely changed in the last couple of years. Creating an income independent of an employer and debt elimination are my number one and two priorities.

Steve,

Being organized and staying that way is a mindset... almost an addiction of sorts.

You're right and it's an addiction I need to develop. That is another thing that would help my productivity. Getting rid of a lot of the clutter the wife and I have allowed to accumulate in our environment.

I understand your view on the 40 hour job and can't say that I disagree totally. If I were 20 or 30 years younger or didn't have family responsibilities I might even consider some modified form of your view as an option. For example, some form of a part-time job, contract work, or consulting.

However at my age, I now qualify for a senior discount at some places, and with my wife of 39 years and two grandchildren I have to consider more than just my own feelings and welfare.

I've been reading, enjoying, and learning from your blog for sometime now and I'm going to go back over some of the articles you've written on productivity and getting things done. I'm also going to read your article on blogging as I feel that writing, hopefully, to help others is what I should be doing with my life.

Again, thanks for the replies. I read somewhere that no one has all of the answers, but everyone has something, a piece of the puzzle, that can help another to reach their full potential.

[5of8]

I know this post is old but I am new to this forum so here goes. The book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has some solid practices. Without getting into the book in detail, there is one practice that I found particularly effective. It happens in 3 steps.

Step 1 Distill your priorities. Sort them out so you know what is most important to you.

Step 2 Schedule to work on each of your priorities every week. Put it on your calender as a time, date, and place. Keep that appointment with yourself.

Step 3 If you did not keep your appointment with yourself then you need to re-examine your priorities. Just saying something is important to you is not enough, you have to act on it. If you don't then it is not the priority you think (wish) it is. If you did keep your appointment, schedule your next one.

[Trustme]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I think it's more efficient to be homeless working on your goals on a park bench than to give up so many hours just to have a roof.

dangerous advice, especially when you are responsible for others

[JimD]

5of8,
First, welcome to the forums. Next, thanks for the reply.

The book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has some solid practices.

I've never read that one but I'll definitely check it out. In analyzing the situation I feel a lot of the problem is caused by to many distractions. Eliminating as many of those distractions as possible is something I need to start working on.

Trustme,

especially when you are responsible for others

Yes, when a person is single and only has to think of themselves it is somewhat easier to take extreme measures. Of course, if your goals includes an internet business it's hard to do that from a park bench .

When a person has family than the decisions become more involved. I will have to say my wife has always been supportive of anything I've wanted to do. If I said we're moving to Podunk Montana she'd say OK. Though she'd probably ask if I was absolutely sure this was something I wanted to do.

I'll keep on keeping on, putting one foot in front of the other.

[Ilya]

JimD, I had to read your message twice to see, what the problem was. You are working at night! So in addition to all problems of office workers, you are out of sync with your family. I don't know how used are you to the nocturnal life, but it can also cut your overall productivity. You are living most of your life without seeing the natural light. It must be very hard.
I wouldn't suggest quitting your job, but if you have any chance of changing the job to the one that happens during the day, it may be a good idea. Even if it is longer commute, longer hours, you'll be better off because you will be more in sync with the rest of the people.

Also, are you very busy at work? I mean night shift at tech support should have some times when there is nothing to do. If your boss is understanding, you could use that time to work on your own projects. All you need is to think and maybe write down some things that can be used at home.

Another approach is to think about your financial situation. Can you cut your expenses? Can you save more? You don't have to have "projects" and "business" to create income streams. Good old investments can do wonders. But you have to free some money for that. Your kids are making it harder for you, but may be in return they can help you out when they get their jobs?

What does your wife do? Can she contribute to the funds? I don't know your situation and what is appropriate in your family, but at your age you have to act efficiently on all levels, not just on the level of day routine.
You seem to believe that the projects will give you the money, which will give you time. If you free up some money without projects you may get your time faster and in a responsible way.

Try to find a good financial planer, ask for the ideas, how you can get some investment income. Even if at first you will make just a few hundred dollars a month, you can then downshift to a less taxing job.

Hope some of the ideas helped.

In terms of time management, I see that you mention taking out trash as something that you do. Why you do it? Why can't your son do it? I'm using this as the example of delegation. You've mentioned trash, but may be you can delegate something else. It can give you some free time.

Also, do you have your "breakfast" and "supper" in sync with your family? If not you are wasting the "family" time that can't be made up during weekend.


Try to substitute reading with audiobooks during commute and morning routine. This will give you the chance to go to bed earlier and subsequently wake up earlier.

Try batching as much as possible - for example iron all shirts for the week in one go, the same for the repetitive steps of your "morning" routine that can be done beforehands. If you cook your own meals, can your wife help you?

At some point I've laid down my route around the house during morning routine on the floorplan. I've noticed loads of inefficiencies, unnecessary returns, loops etc. After moving a couple of cupboards and changing the sequence of the steps, my route was shortened ten times and my overall time for the morning routine has shortened five times. You don't have to brush your teeth in the shower as I do, but it can give you an idea how far optimization can take you.

Measure your time at home. At least for a week. Have a stopwatch and a short notepad. Mark everything you do and how long does it take. If something surprises you, try to optimize it.

Also, try to cut your preparation time when working on your projects. Have a desk where you leave your stuff the previous day, so you can come back and continue. Being neat and packing everything up can work against you. Use sound blocking headphones. Since you are working during the time your family is likely to be active and noisy, you might need to do it, to protect your productivity. Minimize interruptions. If your family expects to be able to walk in on you and ask for a favor, explain that you have to have undisturbed time. At the same time, when you are with them, be fully with them.

I can go on forever, hope this all gives you some ideas. If you have more detailed questions, ask away.

[JimD]

Ilya,

Thanks for the reply. You’ve definitely given me a lot of things to think about and revisit the things I’m doing and the way I’m doing them.

I’ve been working those same hours for over 20 years. At first it worked out well for both family and my own temperament. However, as I’ve gotten older, and the job has become routine in the extreme, and my priorities have changed it’s really no longer working as well as it use to.

Given my area of specialty as TV Broadcast Technician, actually a computer, server, automation, technician because of changes in the industry, it would be difficult to make a change. The other TV stations are cutting personal instead of hiring.

I attempted to move into the computer tech industry but the companies I applied to basically are looking to hire people a lot younger than myself. Of course they won’t really admit to that. Two companies were interested in hiring me however it would have meant over a 50% pay cut and no health insurance. Additionally, the hours wouldn’t have been much of an improvement as I’d be on call 24/7.

On most nights I have 4 to 5 hours when very little needs to be addressed so I spend that time reading, planning, and doing some research. Although I don’t do a lot of the latter as our IT supervisor has snoop ware installed and likes to see what people are doing on the company computers. I really need to start taking one of our laptops to work with me so I can work on web pages, templates, and graphics.

Basically, our expenses are kept to a minimum; however, I did notice that spending has gotten a little out of control of late. Something I’ll have to address again. Sadly, given my age, putting enough back from current income to enable me to reach a point of financial independence strictly through investments isn't a very probable situation. Like a lot of people my age I waited to long to get started. It’s as the old German saying goes; “To soon old. To late smart.

The wife works as a regional supervisor for a marketing / merchandising company that has accounts in several major retail stores. She works around 30 hours a week but occasionally has to go out of town. She helps out as much as she can with the other tasks such as cleaning, cooking, washing, and personal finances.

at your age you have to act efficiently on all levels, not just on the level of day routine.

That is a fact, and it is an area where I feel I’m not meeting my expectations. I do a review at the end of my day and see that little concrete progress has been made. Perhaps I’m being too hard on myself but I feel time is getting short for me to reach my goals and meet my expectations.

You've mentioned trash, but may be you can delegate something else.

I should have explained that phrase. It’s a phrase I heard from Tony Robbins years ago. His use of it was referencing all of the little daily tasks that go along with daily life. Such as, paying bills, balancing check books, checking investments, changing the oil in your vehicle, mowing the yard, and taking out the trash. The kids help out some but with school, working part-time, and the grand children their time is very limited also.

My two major priorities are:

• Debt Elimination
  and
  Increasing Non-job Income

I’m adding these to my priorities:

• Increasing Organization and Efficiency
  and
  Eliminating Clutter

[Ilya]

JimD, thanks for your clarifications.
Well, I wish I spotted some weak link in your situation that could make a huge difference. I understand how the life of the older people turns into a system that is not that easy to turn around. I guess, you are going in the right direction, and taking a laptop to work, so you don't waste the night hours, is indeed a good idea.

I also noticed that the word planning has appeared in your posts more than once. Ask yourself, are you being a perfectionist by any chance. I am guilty of perfectionism more times than I'm ready to admit. I know how it can be a huge drag. May be you should launch your site with as simple design as possible and start building it from there in live mode? Granted, it won't be pretty, but design can be polished later and the site history is something that comes only with time. In the modern Internet, the site, sometimes has to sit for half a year just to be considered trustworthy by search engines. And by not launching, you are wasting the lifetime of your business.

Still, it is amazing how you keep doing something towards your goal. I don't believe that apathy onset necessary happens at a certain age, but you've clearly avoided it. Keep going and you will reach your goals sooner than you'd expect.