Creating an Environment to Get Things Done

Every passing day signifies 24 hours of our life, which we will not be able to get back. Very often, days pass by so quickly that they turn into weeks, months and years before we know it. We often complain about the day not having enough hours, and yet, we tend to lose precious moments every day. It is only when we look back and think of what could have been, do we realize how vital it is to use the time we have to the best of our ability. I do not believe in regrets and beating myself up for what could have been. What upsets me however, is seeing myself waste time. It can be procrastination, day dreaming or the fact that I was overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done. Either way, I know I will not be able to get that time back.

Here are 5 steps to create an environment to get things done.

1. identify all the stuff in your life that isn’t in the right place – what do you really need

2. get rid of the stuff that isn’t yours or you don’t need right now – it’s a distraction

3. create a right place that you trust and that supports your working style and values

4. put your stuff in the right place, consistently – yes, everyday

5. do your stuff in a way that’s efficient and effective to your time, your energy, and the context of any given moment

Let me break these steps down for you…

1. Collection: This begins with picking up pieces of our lives scattered all over the place. This includes cluttered desks, messy drawers, loose papers, over flowing inboxes and over loaded thoughts. Like when you clean out a closet… you have to empty the closet to get a good look. Make your piles. It requires much discipline and hard work to get all this stuff into one place initially. This takes a huge load of one’s mind, and allows it to focus, rather than be confused with all the happenings in your head.

2. Processing: After step one, there will be much information to be processed. This means we need to go through each item, sort out which needs to be acted upon, those that need to be archived, and most importantly, those that need to be trashed. We have to make a conscious effort to minimize the number of items. Items which require 2 minutes or less of action, must be acted upon instantly, and be done with them. For example, the bill that needs to be paid, pay it now, and send out. It’s now off your desk/list/schedule.

3. Organizing: Once we’ve processed, this stuff needs to be organized in a manner to enable us to refer to it, as and when needed. This means each item needs a home, or bucket. These buckets can be projects or education tools, in which to organize all the necessary items under its specific file. For example if you are launching a new business website, all the items and thoughts for that project need to be put together. It is important to label all these action items with contexts that allow you to focus on them when required. Examples of contexts are “Phone Calls”, “Emails”, “Errands” etc. This way you can batch certain activities together.

4. Reviewing: This is a critical step which refreshes your mind of commitments, and closes loops on projects taking up more time than they should. I use three cycles which are a daily, weekly and monthly review. In these reviews, I ensure that my daily schedule is structured to maximize my time. Weekly reviews give me a higher level view of everything accomplished during the course of the week, and the progress made. Lastly, the monthly view provides me a snapshot of the larger picture. Evaluate what was easy, what was hard, what was necessary or unnecessary and what do you want to mix up. Without these constant reminders it is easy to get side tracked, and revert to old ways.

5. Doing: Very often it comes down to taking action. Lists are only useful, when the items on them are periodically checked off and progress made. Without action we could use the most sophisticated technology in the world to collect, process and organize our data; without seeing any improvements at all in our lives. I try to break down my activities into categories. For example if my commute to work everyday is 30 minutes and I have access to my phone during that period of time, I use my “Phone Calls” list and make all the calls during this period of time or listen to an audio book or podcast for my “Education.” Likewise the task I choose depends on the time available, the amount of energy I have and most importantly how important the task is..

There is not just one way this system can be implemented into your daily lives. Everyone has different needs and requirements, each step can be customized. What is important is that we create a system which is reliable and all encompassing. We need to take the load of our minds and put it down on paper, where we can process it more efficiently. Where we will be able to move seamlessly from one activity to another, while maintaining a high level of productivity and efficiency. If you’re looking for a starter system for you week, download my Goals Worksheet. I’ll be back next week with 35 Ideas to Get More Done.

Best of Success! ~Andrea

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