Month: March 2010

20/20 – Day 13: 20 ways to cut down & free up time

You’re busy, so I’ll keep it brief. Here’s how you can start saving even more time.

  1. No unplanned events. Impromptu is a no-no.
  2. Ignore TV.  As Gary Vaynerchuk says, “Everybody has time, stop watching f__king Lost”
  3. Switch off IM services.
  4. Switch off Facebook, Twitter, et al.
  5. Filter out all unnecessary plans/tasks.
  6. Quit something.  Do less and win.
  7. Order in Most Important Tasks (MIT).
  8. Don’t let unfinished tasks bog you down. Finish them, or get rid of them completely if unimportant.
  9. Declutter. Mess doesn’t work for everyone.  If it bothers you, get rid of it, make some quick fixes, or change your system.
  10. Do not be disturbed. No exceptions.  Switch yourself off from the world.
  11. Stop using so much toothpaste. Your time, according to Sid Savara, is like a tube of toothpaste.  Savara says:
    “Unlike a stream running or sand falling in an hourglass, toothpaste does not simply come out of a tube on its own – we force it out and use it up. Similarly, we are not spectators in our own lives with our days, weeks and months passing us by. Each day we make a decision what to do and what not to do. Every moment is our opportunity, but it’s a moment that we must choose to use up.”
  12. Plan a leaving time every time you go out. Stick to it.
  13. Be strict. Time is precious. Treat it that way.
  14. Don’t schedule and forget about it.  To make proper use of a timetable or schedule, check it in the evening and at the start of the day.
  15. Incorporate unexpected events as soon as possible. Make appropriate changes to your schedule right away.
  16. Complete overlapping tasks together in order to avoid doing the same preparation two or three times.  Batch those tasks!
  17. Read my six-part series, “Make Time for Time“.
  18. Check times saps like social services and email just once or twice a day.
  19. Delegate, if possible and appropriate.  Not a typical student option, but don’t rule it out.  There will be occasions.
  20. Keep on top of routine tasks.  It’s quicker and easier as you go along.
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)

20/20 – Day 12: 20 escapes from essay writer’s block

A poem:

Blank mind, blank screen, all is clear.
Scared to start and full of fear.
Not quite sure where to begin,
Nothing grand inspires within.
Vicious circles loop the loop,
“How can all my thoughts regroup?”
Take a look below and see
If these ideas can set you free.

  1. Free writing. Let all sorts out. At least you’ll be writing. Wikipedia has the rules.
  2. Compose without editing as you go. Similar to free writing, but not quite so relaxed.  For when your main problem lies mainly with perfectionism.  Leave that issue for later.
  3. Mix it up. Start at the end if you like.  Start wherever you want. Writing doesn’t have to be a linear process.  If you prefer to conclude before anything else, that’s okay with the world.
  4. Sum up what you want to argue/explain in a few sentences and work from that. Armed with your own overview, you’ve got more to go on.
  5. Use headings and notes as a core structure. Don’t know where to start? Take the information you already have and create a plan that way.
  6. Find quotations to work from.  You quote throughout an essay to back up, give examples, and engage.  Turn things on their head by using quotations as a way to start the writing process.
  7. Agree to craft just one sentence before walking away.
  8. Now agree to just one paragraph before walking away.
  9. Now agree to just one section before walking away. Little steps become bigger with confidence.
  10. Do/Don’t listen to music as you write.  Do the thing you normally wouldn’t do.
  11. Create a list of points instead of writing in full paragraphs. Challenge yourself to making 50 points. If you only end up with six points, who cares? You’ve made six points! Woo!
  12. Go for a walk and think about the essay as you survey the world.  To be sure you remember the good stuff, take a notepad and pen.  Don’t note stuff down on your phone/Blackberry.  Make this special, make this separate from everything else.
  13. Get rid of distractions.  Stay focused and don’t let anything get in your way.  That goes for distractions on screen too.  Try DarkCopy or Writer for getting rid of distractions while writing.
  14. Deconstruct the essay question.  The question is never as simple as you first imagine.
  15. Eat, drink, be merry. Is your gut holding you back?  Don’t go hungry or thirsty.  You’ll be most productive when you’ve satisfied your appetite.  But don’t eat too much or you’ll be annoyed by indigestion instead.
  16. Stop calling it a block.  If you treat any lack of writing as a block, you’ll feel more blocked.  It’s an opportunity to shine, not a block.
  17. Take relevant lecture notes, write them out again and work around them.
  18. Find dictionary terms for words mentioned. Look for inspiration through the definitions.  If that’s not enough, look the words up in a thesaurus too and see where else you can head.
  19. Change medium and/or location.  Handwritten essays can be typed up.  Try writing the old fashioned way.  And why always work in your room or in the library?  Use a bench on campus, a different computer room than your usual norm, anywhere that’s different.
  20. Refer to your essay as a ‘draft’. Your final version is where you think about the exact structure and ultimate arguments.  Don’t be so formal with a draft. Let rip!
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)

20/20 – Day 11: 20 reasons to look up at the world

Let’s face it.  Most of us spend our time staring at a computer screen, looking down at your phone, watching something on a handheld device.  We do so much without stopping to look up and really take in what’s around us.

But it’s beautiful.  Away in the country, deep in the city, in a building, outside, there’s so much wonder wherever you are.

Why should you look up?  Here are 20 reasons for today’s 20/20 posting.  It’s short, because I want to give you some extra time to look around and enjoy!

  1. There’s a world around you. It’s easy to forget that.
  2. If you want to help that world, look at what you’re trying to help first. Give yourself all the enthusiasm you can to make a difference.
  3. To be inspired by the little things around you.
  4. Be amazed. We spend so much time looking down and away that even the most familiar surroundings can surprise.
  5. Online confidence is easy, but what about offline? It’s possible that people are beginning to project a more realistic picture of themselves online. But it’s often more difficult to be as dynamic offline as you are online.  Realism is one thing, acting boldly is another. How strong can you be?
  6. Not everyone is online. Most of you use Facebook, but not everyone is completely engaged with the Internet.  Can you engage with the people who don’t make as much use of technology as you do?
  7. Could you cope without the Web or without your mobile? Give it a go.  What are you free to do now?
  8. To get a different perspective. For instance, ask a librarian for help on research you’d usually consult Google about.  Google it later, by all means, but first do something new.
  9. While no one is looking… You could get away with something, since most of us are still looking down at our devices!  What do you dare do? [Oi, I mean sensibly!]
  10. Books still exist. Electronic text is not (yet) the only option you need consult.
  11. A conscious disconnect is healthy.
  12. Just 30 seconds taking in your surroundings is therapeutic.  Too often we don’t think about it.  This is like a miniature conscious disconnect.
  13. Because if you don’t look up enough, people start to look strange when they’re *not* pixelated.
  14. Sometimes the long way round is time well spent. We’re used to getting things instantly.  What if you did it differently?  A different way could take more time, but could also reap greater benefits…
  15. It’s just a tool, not a solution.  Don’t get stuck in the tool.
  16. Your eyes need a break.
  17. Experiences come from all around, not just a screen.
  18. Hey, you may miss “THE ONE” walk past if you head’s down. “Your soulmate? Oh, they were walking off into the distance about, er, twenty minutes ago.  Well, I don’t know, they looked in a hurry…”
  19. For all the communication you do, it makes many feel lonely.
  20. Life’s too short.

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: Seeks2dream (cc)