There is something magical about setting a personal goal, a promise just to yourself, and seeing it through till the end.
My 65th birthday was at the end of July, and as a gift to myself, I decided to get serious about my writing and post an article online at least once a week. It’s been a little over four weeks, and I’ve posted seven.
Yay me!
Were they all thought-provoking, riveting, well-structured, and educational? Well, no.
But what these articles are, they are out of my head, onto a couple of pages, and most importantly, published. If the words only influence or at least entertain or amuse one or two people, for now, I’ve done my job.
I am doing what I set out to do. And I intend to become a better writer by continuing to write. That is what writers do. They write. Right?
Also, completing the task of writing every week gives me a little more confidence to take on more in life and do some of the other things that I keep saying I want to do, such as decluttering, learning how to edit videos, painting, gardening, sorting old photos and documenting them, and, oh yes, losing weight. The list is long and never seems to end. But I really like it that way. I actually enjoy a variety of activities to choose from on any given day.
ADD anyone?
Multi-Tasking-Verses Completing One Thing At A Time
In the past, I was a great multi-tasker. At least, I thought so. The truth was that I had several books on my nightstand; all started, none competed (now they are in my Kindle), and numerous projects begun around the house, but none of those were buttoned up either.
So much anxiety is caused by looking around at many unfinished to-do’s. That ought to be on a sampler.
I’m a list-maker and note-taker. If I don’t get what needs to be done out of my head and onto paper, I start to feel overwhelmed. The next best step for me is to schedule it in my calendar. I’ve learned it feels so much better to either start something and stay with it till it is finished or at least schedule to work on it for a given amount of time and then consider it completed for that day before I move on to the next thing. That is progress. And in essence, starting and completing one thing at a time, even if it isn’t totally done, stick a fork in it, yet.
Morning and Perfect Day Routines
I have a morning routine as well as achievements during a “perfect day” posted at my desk. The morning routine is much shorter, basically must-dos like mindset work, walking, looking at my goals for the day, as well as monthly & big picture goals. The “perfect day” goals are if I have all the time in the world, with zero distractions and super focused. Suffice it to say the list is never ever completed.
I do try to look at that list, though, towards the end of the day to see if there is anything I can squeeze in and complete that hasn’t yet been done. There are usually one or two items that I can do in a short period of time, which makes me feel a little more accomplished, especially on those days when I have been super distracted. It happens.
Be Productive in a Room Full of Distraction
I’ve just recently heard of the Pomodoro Technique, like ten minutes ago.
I’m a curious person. I like to read. I love to research.
If I see a term or idea that I’ve not heard of before, I go and check it out. Google search. YouTube. If I haven’t satisfied my curiosity with those searches, the next stop is often Amazon to see if there are any books on the subject. Next, I look at ALL of the books on the subject in order of customer reviews. If I’m still interested, I check whether an audio or Kindle version would be the best option. If that passes the test, I usually download a sample of the book for later to see if it is something I really want to pursue reading or listening to.
After all of that, if I am lucky and wasn’t pulled in by a social media post or email, about 30 minutes later, I’m back to where I started, except it takes another 20 minutes or so to get back in the flow (as long as nothing else comes up to distract me).
If you don’t know, the Pomodoro technique is a method for time management developed in the late 1980s that focuses on breaking your work into 25-minute intervals known as “pomodoros” and then taking a break after each one, usually up to four times-
but maybe I was the only person that hadn’t heard of it before? After all, there are several books on the subject.
It sounds like an interesting method. I could see myself getting caught up in the management of the minutes more than completing the task at hand.
Another popular time management tool is blocking chunks of time on your calendar and staying focused only on that task during that hour or two or more. I have never been able to master or even muddle through that method. It never works for me. I need more flexibility than that offers.
What has worked more often for me as of late is to list on the calendar three to five things I want to complete on that day. They can include errands and appointments, as well as to-do items, actual work, or creativity.
It feels good to take your highlighter and mark the items as completed at the end of the day. I’m not a fan of marking a line through the tasks because you can’t go back later and recognize what you have done. Where’s the joy in that?
Take Breaks and Reward Yourself
Brendon Burchard, my favorite motivational speaker, advocates that you get up for 10 minutes, stretch, walk around, and decompress every 50 minutes instead of barreling through hour after hour. Or, at the very least, decompress between tasks, from Zoom calls to writing, for instance.
He explains this technique in this two-minute video:
Besides the reward of the “highlighter of completion,” as you achieve your goal for the day, week, or month, feel free to recognize and celebrate the joy of achievement in other ways.
Enjoy a hobby, video chat with a friend, get a manicure or get outside and explore nature and your community. Do something unexpected and memorable to mark the occasion so it will be even more rewarding to start and complete the next goal on the list.
As I said at the start of this article, the more goals you are able to achieve and tasks you are able to mark off your list, the more inspired you will be to move on to what is next, and next after that, and after that and feel confident that it can all be done and beautifully highlighted.
Here is to a productive week!
Keep reading! Keep smiling!
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