09.17.09
What Works – Variety Task List
I used to put only my most major, most important tasks on my to-do list, things that may take more than a day to accomplish and that I would really set my mind on. The problem with that was, when I didn’t feel like working on a major task, I didn’t get anything done at all. I would sit there trying to hype myself up to do the big tasks. Then, the little tasks would pile up until I was way behind on everything.
So, I started putting a variety of things on my to-do list, some things that take hours or days, some things that can be done in a half hour or so, and even short 10-minute tasks. Now, there’s always something I can convince myself to do, so if I’m not in the mood to work on a big task now, I can get the little things done so they’re out of the way when I am in the mood to work on the big task (or when the deadline on the big task is looming and I’ve procrastinated it so long, I must work on it at the expense of everything else!).
It also feels good and is motivating to check stuff off the list, even if it’s just something little!
On a related note, I just bought this shirt: http://tr.im/yW1c !
06.18.09
What Works – Bills in Google Calendar
I’ve had some “failures” and some successes with my ADD lately. One thing that is definitely helping me is putting my bills in Google Calendar.
I scheduled 2 small bills to be paid monthly from my online banking interface. Because I’m bad at keeping track of my checking account level and don’t want to bounce checks, I didn’t automate my more expensive bills.
But, I do have a semi-automated system that helps. I am on my Gmail account daily for personal emails and for work emails which get forwarded there, so I look at Gmail constantly.
So, I sat down and set up all of my monthly bill dates in Google Calendar and have it email me 1 day ahead of when they need to be paid. If I do more than one day, I’ll put it off and forget. Less, and I might miss it. So, I get an automated notice from myself by email that says “Pay Credit Card Bill Online Tomorrow” and I leave it “unread” so it is bold until I pay it.
It has worked very well and the only problem now is remembering to enter in the one-time bills since I rarely look through my bill pile anymore! It has saved me late fees and raised interest rates since I pay on time now!
01.25.09
How to Declutter
Here’s an article from CNN & Real Simple Magazine with tips on how to declutter all that stuff you’ve been keeping around!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/homestyle/01/20/rs.top.causes.of.clutter/index.html
12.13.08
Bill-Paying Calendar on GCal/GMail
I’m notorious for missing bills. I’m sure I have paid several hundred dollars of late fees in my lifetime, which I can’t really afford to be doing.
I don’t have so much money that I’m willing to set up auto-payment for all of the bills online (for fear of risking overdraft), but I did set up auto-payment for 2 of my smaller bills through my bank website.
For the rest, I set up a Google Calendar with alerts. So, I get notified the day I need to put bills in the mail (I thought about notifying myself further in advance, but then I’d put it off and probably forget.) Now I just have to remember to take it to the post office once I fill it out! If I still have trouble, I’ll set up 2nd alerts for the day after the payment should be mailed, saying “Have you mailed the Credit Card bill yet?” I also enabled the calendar widget in Google Labs so it shows up in my GMail sidebar.
Now if I could only get better about balancing my checkbook. (Thank goodness for online bank statements!)
08.22.08
GMail To-Do list idea
I tend to forget things I mean to do, so I have come up with this system (that’s not working too well) where I mark important emails as unread so they stand out to me, and when I open some web pages to get work done, then get interrupted or sidetracked, I leave the web pages open so I’ll eventually see them and hopefully get to that task. (Firefox’s tabs have really helped me cut down on taskbar clutter) If I bookmark an item, it tends to fall into my uncategorized bookmark abyss and is rarely seen ever again.
There are 2 major problems with my existing system, though -
- If my computer shuts down or I accidentally close a window, some of my to-do tasks go missing. This also prevents me from shutting down my computer regularly because I don’t want to close the windows. Windows Update and my memory aren’t too happy about me rarely rebooting.
- I tend to pile up a lot of half-done tasks, so I end up with a TON of windows open, which both slows down my computer, and slightly overwhelms me.
06.26.08
Completed a goal!
Yay, I finally cleaned out my closet and dresser, like I said I wanted to about a week ago.
I divided my wardrobe into ‘fits’, ’slightly small’, and ‘yeah right’ sizes. I got rid of everything in the ‘yeah right’ pile, because I’m never going to be under 110 lbs again like I was in high school (nor do I want to be), so anything that would be too tight to wear got put in the yard sale box.
I picked my favorite items in the ’slightly small’ pile, and stored them in a small box that can fit under my bed. Those are things I’ll be able to wear if I get in better shape like I’m planning to.
Then, in my ‘fits’ pile, I got rid of anything I really won’t wear. I also put 3 of of my 7 purses and 4 of my 12 pairs of shoes in the yard sale box. Most of my shoes are actually pretty worn and getting old, but if I get any new ones, I’ll be sure to eliminate a pair I have now. I don’t need that many shoes. I got rid of pair of heels that I really like, but that really hurt my feet, because if I keep them around I’ll wear them, but every time I wear them I regret it. I also got rid of a couple formal dresses that barely fit, and that there’s a slim chance I’ll ever wear. If a formal event comes up, I have 2 dresses I could choose from. I really have no need for the rest, and maybe some girl could use one of my old ones and get joy out of it and that would be much better than having it gather dust in my closet.
So, in total, I think I put at least 1/3 of the total items in my closet and dresser into the yard sale bag, and I put all of my winter sweaters in a storage bin in the basement. Now, I have fewer clothes to rummage through when I’m looking for something to wear, and my drawers all open and close easily!
This organization task is a big accomplishment for me, Read the rest of this entry »
06.18.08
ADD & Clothing
I have what I’d call a medium number of clothes. Not a ton, but my drawers are full. I realized the other day that I probably only wear about 25% of my clothes, and I spend a lot of time sifting through the other 75% of my clothing looking for the 25% I want to wear. And the only time the other 75% gets worn is when I haven’t done laundry in a while! (Which does happen fairly often)
Does anyone else have this issue? I didn’t even realize it was an issue until I had to try on 3 pairs of jeans that didn’t fit before getting to a wearable pair today.
I’ve gained about 10 lbs in the last year, mostly in my stomach and thighs, so it really affects how my jeans fit. However, I don’t want to throw away my smaller jeans because I plan to lose weight – but as you know from my other posts, exercise is one of the first things I tend to procrastinate!
ADDers tend to be messy and be “pack-rats”, right? I think that applies to my messy clothes collection. Sometimes I go weeks without being able to find a certain shirt, only to find it in the bottom of the laundry basket of clean clothes sitting next to my dresser because the t-shirt drawer is too full to unload the basket, or because I don’t like going through my drawers looking for clothes when it’s easier to leave them in the basket, then dump it out onto the bed when I need them. It would probably be even easier to have organized drawers!
So I have another big plan – I’m going to clear out all of the clothes I don’t like or that really don’t fit, and give them away, and only save my few favorite pairs of smaller pants for if I actually do lose weight, and clear out the rest. There’s no reason for me to have 10 pairs of pants in my drawer if only 5 fit! Same goes for the shirts, shorts, etc. – I think I can get rid of about half of my wardrobe. (A lot of it is old t-shirts I save for “memories” but I decided to put them in a box and maybe make a blanket out of them one day instead of filling up my t-shirt drawer with size S shirts from 8 years ago…)
I also decided I’m going to stop unbuttoning my jeans when I’m sitting around the house. Maybe if I’m uncomfortable in my clothes, I’ll be more likely to exercise and lose weight and less likely to want to spend money on new pants that are bigger…. or I might just be more likely to walk around the house in pajama pants all day :)
Either way, I’m going to organize my clothes and get on track to lose a size and fit back into the ones I wore last summer! I’ll save money, be forced to do laundry regularly, be healthier, and be less cluttered that way!
05.29.08
“Finding Your Focus”
I just finished reading Finding Your Focus by Judith Greenbaum and Geraldine Markel. The fact that it took me a month to read does say something about the book – if I’m really excited about a book, I’ll read it in 2 days, so that means this book didn’t excite me that much.
However, I think the non-excitement came from the fact that this book really tells you how you are – the way your mom does – by saying things that are sometimes hard to hear, like “People with ADD can talk constantly… not allowing anyone else to get a word in edgewise.” How many times have I heard that in my life? Though these criticisms are difficult to read sometimes, the book gives some valuable and simple advice.
At first glance, the book is super-simple and almost seems stupid in it’s short-chapter to-the-point writing style – but the genius of the book is in it’s simplicity. It’s easy to skim and get to the areas you personally need help with, it’s easy to refer back to a strategy you read and want to re-visit, and it’s easy to just get to the “meat” of the writing without sifting through a lot of filler. They just tell you “here’s your problem” and “here’s a solution”.
You really do have to read it over time (I plan to refer back to it) because, as the authors encourage, you can’t implement all of the coping strategies at once. You have to make each strategy a habit and improve in one area, making small accomplishments, like always putting your keys in the same place when you walk in the door, before you can move on and tackle your next problem.
This book does not have a lot of “fluff”. Each chapter pretty much follows this format: example of a real-life person that has a problem, defining their problem in ADD terms, what is stopping them from solving their problem, strategies for attacking the problem, and worksheets for making a plan to implement these strategies for you. I really liked that the authors mentioned some very specific problems (most that I have) and a method for solving them. Here are some of the topics that resonated with me:
- Steps to De-Cluttering and Organizing (looks like I was on the right track with my method of attacking my piles of paper)
- Overcoming Procrastination (including rewards!)
- A Routine for Paying Your Bills on Time (I just might take a twice-monthly trip to the coffee shop to pay my bills)
- Talk Less – Listen Better (Lord knows I need this advice)
I also liked that the book provides strategies that can help people deal with ADD without medication.
So, overall, I’d say this book isn’t super-exciting, but it’s a good book to have around, and to refer to when you are ready to attack a particular problem in your life. If I could summarize my opinion of “Finding Your Focus” in one word, it would be: practical.
09.08.07
Update on Folder System
OK well it’s been 8 days that I’ve been using the folder system. So far, it hasn’t really helped me get any more done in a day, but it has helped majorly in other ways:
- My desk has about half as much clutter as it would this long after I last cleared it since the papers are all in the folders
- I find I can avoid hyperfocusing at the expense of an urgent task (which I sometimes do for fear of fogetting something later) by dropping a note to myself in the folder for a more appropriate day to focus on a task
- I have a “tactile” feel for how many different tasks I’ll need to think about in a day based on how many slips of paper are in a folder. I also can put off a task for another day without fear of forgetting it by just moving the slip of paper.
It’s a good feeling to get just a little more organized, enough that it makes a small but noticeable difference. I recommend the 31-day folder method!
08.31.07
Something Else New – 31 Folders
OK, so I admit I can’t wrap my head around the whole GTD thing (well, I haven’t even tried to) and I’ve heard of the 43 folders system before and thought “wouldn’t that be nice” but never tried it. I didn’t want to complicate things.
However, after some very-nearly-almost late bills and knowing I have 2 more projects being added to my always-growing list of work projects, I figured I better put a system in place now. I mentioned my “customized planner” before, and haven’t yet finalized how it looks and works, so I haven’t uploaded the excel file yet (though I have been using it for more than a week at a time, which is an improvement!). I’ve also mentioned my Bible reading plan and haven’t yet been able to start on that.
One of my primary goals with this folder system is to focus on a small amount of projects every day (like 2) and have defined work tasks each day, instead of being overwhelmed to the point of being frozen by the large stack of papers from 8 different concurrent projects each day.
You may be wondering why I, a self-professed computer geek, am not using a PDA or Google Calendar to manage this. Here’s the answer: they haven’t worked for me so far. I forget to put a task into the software to be reminded about it, or I get all gung-ho and put everything in all at once, then forget to take it with me or check my email by a certain time each day to see the email reminder or whatever. For whatever reason, software doesn’t help me much.
So, here’s my plan for how I’m going to start with the 31 folders. Hopefully, I can keep this up an grow the system more later.
1) Get 31 folders, 1 for each day of the month (After I decided to do this system, I found a pack of unused folders in my business parter’s old file cabinet with folders pre-labeled 1 through 31! neat!) There are supposed to be 43, but I’m starting out small here.
2) When a bill comes in the mail, immediately drop it into the folder numbered a few days before it has to be mailed.
3) Make index cards for the following and put them in the corresponding folders
- When an invoice should be created to bill a client for work I’ve done (approx. every 2 weeks)
- When a bill is regularly due
- When a gift or other item needs to be bought or mailed
The cool thing about that is if a bill is due on the same day each month, I can leave it in the folder and be automatically reminded on the day the next month.
4) Put tasks on slips of paper (including Bible reading chapters) and put them in the folder. If a certain task doesn’t get done, it gets dumped into the next day’s folder and the current day’s folder gets moved to the next month stack.
Putting each task on it’s own piece of scrap paper will help with a problem I have of making long lists, then finishing most of the list, then letting the remaining 1 or 2 items on the list go undone when the list gets buried in a pile of stuff. Now, if one item doesn’t get done, I just drop it in the next folder.
This should also help by getting papers I don’t want to forget, but don’t need for a few days, off of my desk – hopefully avoiding creating piles of things and combating the “out of sight, out of mind” problem. Now, the thing I need should pop into view when I need it and not all the time! (won’t that be a nice change!)
Anyway, I’ll update if I do more with it, but that’s what I’m starting with for now. Time to put my Mountain Stream sounds on and get back to work!
