Managing the schedule
One of my 2013 goals was to finally start a Happiness Project. For January, I decided what I want to do is manage the schedule. Be more efficient. You may wonder what that has to do with happiness. I'm anal. I like schedules. I like order. I like to have a schedule that is manageable but also challenging. Last year got a little TOO challenging. I was taking on too much, and I couldn't possibly get it all done. This year, I'm managing the schedule.
I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau: “It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?”
Here are my resolutions that will help me manage my schedule:
1. Say NO. This one is hard. Nobody wants to say no. I'm not good at it. I want to do everything at work, run every race, travel every weekend and say yes to every invitation for dinner/cocktails/coffee/shopping. It's just not possible. Last fall we traveled four consecutive weekends - three times to West Virginia and once to Virginia. It was too much. I was exhausted. I did it to myself, so the person I need to say no to the most is me.
2. Eat that frog. One of my co-workers gave me a copy of the book Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. The concept is largely first thing in the morning to eat that frog: do one task that is huge and daunting. If you had to eat a frog every day and did it first thing, it would remove the barriers for everything else you had to do. The rest would seem easier. I'm not a procrastinator by nature, but I do tend to put off that one task that if I'd just do it, my day would go so much more smoothly. It generally involves calling someone (I HATE talking on the phone). On Saturday mornings I will get up and run immediately. I will eat that frog every morning.
3. Let it go. This is hard for me. I don't often regret decisions I've made, but I will mull it over and over again in my mind and deconstruct it. This happens with lots of things - running, work, relationships. Once the decision is made, I need to accept it and let it go. The self review is taking up energy that I could put toward more effective projects.
4. Do yoga. I used to do yoga quite regularly, and once I started running I stopped. I do it every now and then, and it's a soul healing activity. Not only is it good for my body, but it helps quiet my mind. I'd like to do a significant yoga workout at least once a week, but at the very least I'd like to do some poses every day. I know it'll be beneficial in my running, and it's an important way to cross train.
My schedule may still be crazy, but I'm going to work on these resolutions to do better. It'll help me more thoroughly enjoy the trips we take and the miles I run.
I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau: “It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?”
Here are my resolutions that will help me manage my schedule:
1. Say NO. This one is hard. Nobody wants to say no. I'm not good at it. I want to do everything at work, run every race, travel every weekend and say yes to every invitation for dinner/cocktails/coffee/shopping. It's just not possible. Last fall we traveled four consecutive weekends - three times to West Virginia and once to Virginia. It was too much. I was exhausted. I did it to myself, so the person I need to say no to the most is me.
2. Eat that frog. One of my co-workers gave me a copy of the book Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. The concept is largely first thing in the morning to eat that frog: do one task that is huge and daunting. If you had to eat a frog every day and did it first thing, it would remove the barriers for everything else you had to do. The rest would seem easier. I'm not a procrastinator by nature, but I do tend to put off that one task that if I'd just do it, my day would go so much more smoothly. It generally involves calling someone (I HATE talking on the phone). On Saturday mornings I will get up and run immediately. I will eat that frog every morning.
3. Let it go. This is hard for me. I don't often regret decisions I've made, but I will mull it over and over again in my mind and deconstruct it. This happens with lots of things - running, work, relationships. Once the decision is made, I need to accept it and let it go. The self review is taking up energy that I could put toward more effective projects.
4. Do yoga. I used to do yoga quite regularly, and once I started running I stopped. I do it every now and then, and it's a soul healing activity. Not only is it good for my body, but it helps quiet my mind. I'd like to do a significant yoga workout at least once a week, but at the very least I'd like to do some poses every day. I know it'll be beneficial in my running, and it's an important way to cross train.
My schedule may still be crazy, but I'm going to work on these resolutions to do better. It'll help me more thoroughly enjoy the trips we take and the miles I run.
Great goals! number 1 and 3 - totally relate..and definitely something I'm working on!
ReplyDeleteWe're all a work in progress! :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to share my experience; I'm managing my schedule with time management application. It is something that I started implementing recently and I get more done that way. The name of that application is Replicon - http://www.replicon.com/olp/online-time-recording-software.aspx .
ReplyDelete