My original goal was something nebulous along the lines of "systematize my life" but obviously that's too vague to really be helpful. So I thought a little harder about how and why I want to create systems and came up with three main goals:
Obstacles: I have storage but not a lot of drawer space so I basically have to change out my wardrobe according to the seasons. This is a tedious process that often doesn't get done, which means my clothes end up in large piles around my room. Also, having always been messy I think it'll be really hard to change my mindset in the way required to maintain a clean room. :/
Skills Required: Organization skills- I think I have these, but my problem is that I tend to get too in the weeds. Like I'll end up organizing smaller things that are more interesting to me, instead of the things that actually need to get done.
People/Groups: I'm pretty embarrassed about the state of my room so no one in person, but I belong to a local Facebook group for people looking to organize their homes. I turned off the notifications because I felt bad about never completing the challenges but I guess I should turn them back on.
Plan: On one day, go through clothes (This Saturday?). Divide into the following piles: dirty, clean + in season, clean + out of season, giveaway. On another day, go through desk clutter (Sunday? During the week?). For the next week I'll pay attention and document my day, deliberately noticing when I am losing things, searching for things, picking things up and putting things down, then one day (Next Saturday or Sunday?) I'll create a organizational system so it's not just going back the way it was.
Deadline: May 20th
Obstacles: Have a hard time writing about myself and defining tasks
Skills Required: Design & organizational skills
People/Groups: My goal group? (Haven't been meeting lately so setup meeting?)
Plan: First divide skills into categories (design, marketing, event planning, fundraising, etc). Then put organizations/projects under each category. Then ask for testimonials? Once finished share on social media channels and ask friends to share.
Deadline: June 1st
1.) Clean my room & create a system for where things go based on my daily activities (like putting my keys, shoes, clothes in certain places when I get home, and planning out stuff like outfits in advance).
Benefits: I live in a small space and am often fumbling around my room trying to find things or tripping over stuff. Obvious this is a huge hassle and causes unnecessary stress in my life.Obstacles: I have storage but not a lot of drawer space so I basically have to change out my wardrobe according to the seasons. This is a tedious process that often doesn't get done, which means my clothes end up in large piles around my room. Also, having always been messy I think it'll be really hard to change my mindset in the way required to maintain a clean room. :/
Skills Required: Organization skills- I think I have these, but my problem is that I tend to get too in the weeds. Like I'll end up organizing smaller things that are more interesting to me, instead of the things that actually need to get done.
People/Groups: I'm pretty embarrassed about the state of my room so no one in person, but I belong to a local Facebook group for people looking to organize their homes. I turned off the notifications because I felt bad about never completing the challenges but I guess I should turn them back on.
Plan: On one day, go through clothes (This Saturday?). Divide into the following piles: dirty, clean + in season, clean + out of season, giveaway. On another day, go through desk clutter (Sunday? During the week?). For the next week I'll pay attention and document my day, deliberately noticing when I am losing things, searching for things, picking things up and putting things down, then one day (Next Saturday or Sunday?) I'll create a organizational system so it's not just going back the way it was.
Deadline: May 20th
2.) Finish my Portfolio/website.
I realize this isn't particularly obvious in terms of how it fits into systematizing my life, but I need a way to catalog all the projects I'm working on to make sure I'm not dropping the ball, and I figure listing it on my website would be a good way to do this. I also want to start blogging but not before my portfolio is finished. Once it's complete I intend on creating a communications/media plan based on the content of the rest of the site.
Obstacles: Have a hard time writing about myself and defining tasks
Skills Required: Design & organizational skills
People/Groups: My goal group? (Haven't been meeting lately so setup meeting?)
Plan: First divide skills into categories (design, marketing, event planning, fundraising, etc). Then put organizations/projects under each category. Then ask for testimonials? Once finished share on social media channels and ask friends to share.
Deadline: June 1st
3.) Document my daily schedule/activities.
The purpose of this is three-fold:- To manage my expenses, which I've always been terrible at.
- To document how my time is spent, since it seems like I never have time and I want to figure out ways in which I'm wasting time.
- To document what food I'm eating to make sure I'm eating healthy(ish) and within a budget
- To create a list of recurring tasks that I can outsource to a VA, so I can take on even more work.
Obstacles: I have tried to do something like this before and I have a terrible memory when it comes to remembering to document this stuff.
Skills Required: Analytical
People/Groups: Maybe try to find accountability buddies? At least for documenting food. Tell my financial advisor to send me periodic texts/emails?
Plan: I'll set period alarms throughout the day to help me notice what I'm doing and when. I'll also attempt to write out a day plan in the morning, then at the end of the day I'll take note of what differs from the original plan.
Deadline: May 15th
RS:
Whoops, I totally forgot to list the benefits of the last two goals. For finishing my portfolio- it'd be nice to have a website that reflects the digital skills that I supposedly have, haha. It's also be nice to be able to intake potential clients (when I'm ready to start taking them that is). For tracking my habits the benefits are being able to manage these aspects of my life a lot better, because as the old saying goes- if it's not measurable it's not manageable.
This weekend I filled in a planner I forgot to use with the things I did over the past few weeks and the benefits of this activity were incredible, affirming my hypothesis that tracking my time could be a keystone habit for me.
I definitely "waste" a lot of time mind-wandering, but it's what propels my creativity so I don't want to be totally rid of this time. I just want it to be manageable. I hate when I suddenly look up and realize nothing's been accomplished all day, but since I intended to work I couldn't enjoy the day as if it were a day off. (I have waaaay too many of those days) I need to get better about creating boundaries between I'm relaxing and when I'm working.
As for blogging, it's a task I find wholly unenjoyable, and to be honest I am not really planning on making a true habit or living out of it. In fact I'll probably outsource the task as soon as I can. Really I just want something to document all the things that I am doing and working on. Who knows though- maybe if I start doing it I might actually come to enjoy it, so I'm going to give it a try.
As for long terms goals- I have plenty, but I thought the purpose of this was to pick goals that were accomplishable in the timeframe of the class? Let me know if I'm wrong though.
- Stephanie
Skills Required: Analytical
People/Groups: Maybe try to find accountability buddies? At least for documenting food. Tell my financial advisor to send me periodic texts/emails?
Plan: I'll set period alarms throughout the day to help me notice what I'm doing and when. I'll also attempt to write out a day plan in the morning, then at the end of the day I'll take note of what differs from the original plan.
Deadline: May 15th
RS:
Whoops, I totally forgot to list the benefits of the last two goals. For finishing my portfolio- it'd be nice to have a website that reflects the digital skills that I supposedly have, haha. It's also be nice to be able to intake potential clients (when I'm ready to start taking them that is). For tracking my habits the benefits are being able to manage these aspects of my life a lot better, because as the old saying goes- if it's not measurable it's not manageable.
This weekend I filled in a planner I forgot to use with the things I did over the past few weeks and the benefits of this activity were incredible, affirming my hypothesis that tracking my time could be a keystone habit for me.
I definitely "waste" a lot of time mind-wandering, but it's what propels my creativity so I don't want to be totally rid of this time. I just want it to be manageable. I hate when I suddenly look up and realize nothing's been accomplished all day, but since I intended to work I couldn't enjoy the day as if it were a day off. (I have waaaay too many of those days) I need to get better about creating boundaries between I'm relaxing and when I'm working.
As for blogging, it's a task I find wholly unenjoyable, and to be honest I am not really planning on making a true habit or living out of it. In fact I'll probably outsource the task as soon as I can. Really I just want something to document all the things that I am doing and working on. Who knows though- maybe if I start doing it I might actually come to enjoy it, so I'm going to give it a try.
As for long terms goals- I have plenty, but I thought the purpose of this was to pick goals that were accomplishable in the timeframe of the class? Let me know if I'm wrong though.
- Stephanie
Steph - a few comments:
ReplyDelete1. you trail off on the benefits. Articulating the benefits is a key part of the exercise, because you're saying out loud what you'll get inspires you to action.
2. try Mint.com for tracking your finances. I really like that one. I'm sure there are others.
3. You lack of time may be a function of wasting time, but it's also a function of being interested in many things. I'm not sure tracking time is the solution. It may be having to let things go so that more important things get more attention. If everything is important, nothing is.
Or you can accept that you want to do all things and assume that what you learn in one place will benefit you in the future somewhere else.
But then there's self-care.
4. Have you articulated a vision of your future? A clear and concise mission statement? That may help you decide what's most worthy of your time and what's interesting, but should be laid down.
Stephanie - someone said to me once that a half baked idea is still worth sharing. You might consider blogging BEFORE your portfolio is finished. You might receive comments or connections to lead you to the developing the idea further. I also am working on taking the risk of blogging shorter pieces rather than a fully developed post - its not easy but the more I give myself permission, the better.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree wholeheartedly with Doug, if everything is important nothing is. And I often get into a trap where I am spending more time consuming information and experiences and less time on producing and creating my own stuff and/or completing important tasks. Do you think this might be true for you?
And finally, I wonder if a personal retreat that you designed for yourself would help give you the hours you need to focus? I found taking a few days off from the world or even just a Weekend Day with my phone off and a commitment to getting one thing done was a gift. And sorry this was late. There was confusion with the connection to one of my blog responses so I went through and found yours devoid of comments and wanted to make sure you had input.
Hello Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for being vulnerable about yourself. Your goals are honest and self reflective. Have you thought about building in small rewards and perhaps a few milestones to keep you motivated? I can relate to the 'clean clothing monster' As I have one of those too. Recently I started playing a game where I had to tackle the pile before going to bed each night. 20 minutes makes a huge difference. No sleep, until it was reduced or entirely gone. Putting away the clean sheets first and voila, extra coziness awaits. Also purge purge purge. Get rid of stuff you don't need. Lastly, prioritization is a great exercise to help you figure out what really matters from the list of to dos. Asking yourself the 4 D's can make a world of difference. What can you delegate? What can you delay? What can you dump / get rid of? And then ...what really needs to done?
Sorry to be adding this late! Better late than never.
ReplyDeleteGoal 1!
I commend you for taking time to think about organizing your space; putting things into its place can remove unnecessry stress, like you mention. Looking at your plan, one thing I notice is that your dates / times when you’ll do each piece are a bit vague. Have you considered making a date with an organizey friend to come over and help / provide moral support / advice? The one thing I think is missing from this Zig Ziglar planning method is accountability. For something that can feel overwhelming, that might be helpful.
Goal 2!
Portfolio sites are one of those things that can also be overwhelming. I actually recommend talking to someone who can help reflect back the work you do and help you define it. Also consider that there are interesting things you do at the intersection of each of these categories.
Goal 3!
This one is really tough, and I think you could use a little more work defining the skills you need. Analytical is part of it, but the other part of it is diligence and organization. Similar to Goal 1, there needs to be places for the things like receipts. I’d also recommend looking up apps / books for tracking. I like that you have accountability buddies. My friend Rachel Binx did this project for a little while called Side Project Club. All it was, was an email sent once a week to a group of people that was like, What did you do with your project last week? What did you do with your project this week? And it really helped us to stay on track.
All in all, good start on defining your goals. I notice that they are all short or medium term .. what do you think about long term goals? Or are you starting here?