productivity

20/20 – Day 14: 20 reasons why lists do/don’t work

Writing all these posts with lists of 20 are both a boon and a pain.  Should you write a list? Use the following two lists to find out.

10 reasons why lists are great

  1. They focus the mind.
  2. They’re easy on the eye.
  3. They challenge, inspire and satisfy.
  4. You can add or subtract from them with ease.
  5. It’s a less stressful way to start an essay.
  6. Comparison lists work well side by side.
  7. They’re as succinct or complex as you want them to be.
  8. They work well as blog posts!
  9. They aid collaboration and team work.
  10. They’re a quick test to see if you have enough points, or if you should rethink something.

10 reasons why lists aren’t so great

  1. They’re linear.
  2. It’s difficult to make points overlap effectively.
  3. Lists are often incomplete in themselves. Further explanation may be necessary.
  4. Can appear laboured, scraping the barrel.
  5. Can go off the mark, especially if facing Point 4…
  6. You risk repetition.
  7. A list is more a tool than a full answer.
  8. You risk repetition.
  9. If you commit to a particular number (like I am here) you may get stuck, spoiling everything.
  10. Er…better find someone to help me out…
    Okay, any list that claims to be definitive or appears as a set of rules is not necessarily as helpful as it first seems. I’ll give the final point over to Molly Young in Intelligent Life:

“Can anyone doubt…that an author’s rules are as specific (and exclusive) to her as her DNA? And yet, if we can’t learn anything new from such lists, why do we find them fascinating? Their value, I think, is mainly an affirmative one. At their best, writing rules remind us of the things we already know about ourselves. The advice that rings true, in other words, is the advice we already follow.”

As a bonus to the above lists, here’s Atul Gawande (author of The Checklist Manifesto) explaining why we need checklists:

“On the one hand they are memory aids. If you go shopping, a list doesn’t tell you about every single step you take to the grocery store, it reminds you of what you might forget. The second aspect of a checklist is that it can help you perform well when you are working with many people on a complex procedure.”

So there we have it. Are you an avid list writer?  What sort of lists do you like to use?

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 10: 20 pushes to get you working

Difficulty in starting a project doesn’t have to be down to procrastination.  A number of factors can buzz around, disrupting your efforts.  You may not even know what’s causing the problem.

If you’re serious about starting, or at least want a nudge in the right direction, here are 20 possible solutions for you.

  1. Start straight away. Important, yet rarely used.  The best way to deal with any work is to start soon after you’re given the task.  You needn’t do loads, just get started.
  2. Small chunks. Part of the brilliance with starting straight away is that you don’t have to spend hours in one go.  20 minutes here, half an hour there…in the first few days you’ll be a lot closer without breaking into a sweat.
  3. Stop treating coursework negatively. It’s easy to feel trapped in essay hell when rushing to complete work, especially when looming close to the deadline.  A negative attitude toward the work will simply make you feel worse.  Fine, given the choice you won’t always jump at essay work over everything else, but when a job’s got to be done, you’ll find it more difficult when you’re downhearted about it.
  4. Study buddies. Some people swear by the power of working with others.  They don’t have to be on your course and they don’t have to be in your year.  It may help for some study, but the main draw here is to get together in a group so you can spur each other on to work.
  5. Write casual. Treat writing like a personal blog post, diary entry, Facebook message, or conversation.  Switching to scholarly gear isn’t an instant process.  Get rid of the problem by going casual.
  6. Use different materials and stick with what makes you happy.  If you hate staring at a blank screen on the computer, get a pen and pad.  If the software proves too distracting, try a minimal interface.
  7. Procrastinate AFTER you start, not before.  Procrastination before you know where you want to go with an essay makes the job harder.  Procrastination when you’re half way through the process is not so bad.
    Anyway, a bit of a pause can be a good thing.
  8. Write drunk, edit sober.  Whether or not you take this advice literally, the point drives home the need to write without fear.  Don’t clear up as you go along, especially if that means obsessing over the exact words and ending up writing nothing at all.  When you’ve written the detail, you’re in a better place to mould it suitably.  Set aside separate time for the editing process.
  9. Take inspiration from unlikely sources.  This depends on the subject, but some lend themselves to this exercise.  An unlikely source doesn’t have to be weird, just away from a regular starting point.  For instance, your lectures are separate entities, but they overlap in terms of content, reference, people, and so on.  Therefore, a generally unrelated lecture may still hold a cue to set you thinking.
    Alternatively, a news story or a YouTube video could provide you with an idea.  Be on the lookout for anything that draws you back to the essay you’re working on.  Anything is possible.
  10. Work somewhere else.  The simple process of leaving one situation and engaging with another is often enough to give you renewed vigour.
  11. Do something daring. Changed perspective and a sense of the unknown help bring clarity to your thoughts.  Step out of your comfort zone and do something you wouldn’t normally. A bit over the top, you might think, but it can feel so, so good!
  12. Don’t offer yourself rewards for work. Just make it rewarding! You should be studying this for a reason.  If it’s that dull, pick a different theme/title.
  13. Find inspiration from quotations.  I’m not talking about self-help nuggets.  I’m referring to quoting others in essays.  When you find a killer quotation, write around that.  Shape the essay around the quotation, rather than shaping the quotation into the essay.
  14. Use your past work as inspiration. I don’t mean you should plagiarise, but you should look back to relevant coursework and refer to key points and major areas in order base your new work.
  15. Go for a walk/run. A very common piece of advice (regularly offered by myself among many others).  Alas, it’s advice commonly ignored.  It works so well, you should at least give it a chance.
  16. Change the lighting.  This is a weird one, but it works wonders.  If the main light in your room is on, turn it off and use a desk lamp instead.  If it’s the middle of the day and your curtains are open, see what happens when you close them and have a bit of artificial light.  Changes in the light do all sorts to your attitude, mood, outlook, and focus.
  17. Use a timer. Race yourself.  Just ten minutes can help.  Force yourself to work until the alarm goes off.  A bit of pressure can go a long way.
  18. Ask the tutor for an interesting reference/starting point.  They’re not going to tell you how to write your essay.  Neither will they hold your hand and give you a killer introduction.  However, they should be willing to discuss where you’re looking to take ideas and suggest key areas to explore based on those ideas.
  19. Brainstorm and mindmap. Go crazy…Write lists, make charts, draw pictures, you name it!  Pick key concepts, search a bit deeper, and attempt to shape a rough outline.  I often do this when preparing anything, not just coursework.
  20. Don’t research. Write blind. See how you do and put the research in after you’ve had a go.  Research can bog you down, so write what you think it best first.  Even if you scrap it all later on, it’s the fact that you’ve actually given the topic thought that helps drive you further.

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

20/20 – Day 5: 20 uses for 20 minutes

Pushed for time?  Got some spare time?  Don’t want to waste time?

Whatever the case, 20 minutes isn’t very long. But it’s long enough to do all sorts of things.  Day 5 of 20/20 explores some of the things you can do in a seemingly small space of time.

  1. Wash your clothes. Gather up a load of washing, stick it in the machine, throw in the detergent, and you’re away.  Even if you have to walk to the laundrette, it shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes to get this done.  And if you want to wait for the load to finish, it’ll give you more time to do some more of the stuff below.
  2. Wash the dishes. One of the jobs we love to hate.  You don’t really see dishwashers in student digs, so the washing up has to be done at some point.  Get it out of the way when you’ve got time to spare.  When it’s done, it’s out of the way.  Now all you need to do is never eat or drink again…
  3. Have a shower. You’ll be clean, you’ll be refreshed, you’ll be stimulated. Not bad for 20 minutes work.
  4. Start writing an annoying essay. Time yourself and see what you write. It’s just a way to ease you in. When it works, it’s awesome. And it works more than you think it might.
  5. Read.  If you need an excuse…
  6. Power nap. A quick rest to give you more energy for the rest of the day. What’s not to like?
  7. Walk somewhere nearby.  10 minutes each way, but make it 20 minutes each way if feeling adventurous. Get your mind working, enjoy the view, think about stuff or ignore everything. Up to you. A walk brings many benefits and it’s healthy too.
  8. Send a postcard. It’s a great way to keep in touch with people you care about.  It doesn’t take long and it’s a novel way to make someone smile.
  9. Make a phone call. Not just any call. Ring someone who’ll really appreciate the fact that you’ve taken the time to make contact.
  10. Watch educational videos online.  Get a short burst of mental stimulation.
  11. Write something different. A short poem, a manifesto, a journal entry.  Make your mark in a way you wouldn’t usually consider.
  12. Make a list of the things you want to do before you graduate. To get an idea, check Savvy Student’s suggestions.
  13. Make a social media splash. Not just chatting on Facebook. Start a professional profile, follow influential people on Twitter, get a blog started, if you’ve already got a blog then write a post for it.
  14. Work on your CV. Never too early to make it shine.
  15. Tidy up. There’s never enough time for stuff like clearing your room. There is if you only spend 20 minutes on it.  You won’t finish, but it’s better than doing no tidying at all!
  16. Take stock.  20 minutes is all you need to see how far you’ve come and note what you need to do going forward.  It’s actioning those plans that takes the time.
  17. Write a list. Who knows where it will take you?
  18. Listen to a genre of music you’re not used to. Experience the new. If you don’t like it, you’ve not wasted much time. If you do like it, you’ve got so much more goodness to explore.
  19. Do something different. However big or small, change your perspective and do something you’ve never done before. Or do something old in a completely different way. Do it just to see how you react. Obviously don’t do anything dangerous. I’m saying do something different, not stupid.
  20. Just stop. Celebrate silence. A few moments of pure nothing is wonderful in a world where we’re always doing something.  You’re allowed to have a breather.

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: Robbert van der Steeg (cc)