SillyGrrl Guide to getting shit done
Lately I’ve been really, really, really busy. I wake up at 8 and do a little emailing & blog reading in the morning, work at my 9 to 5 all day, and then either head to aerial practice or home to work on designs for my freelance clients. Somewhere in there I also squeeze in dinner with my family and hangs with my friends, plus a few nights off.
I’ve gotten to the point now where being bored is not an option. If I find myself with down time I have a to-do list a mile long that can easily fill the space. Though I’m not always checking things off, sometimes I just crash on the couch and read a book or surf the web (do people still say that??) for fonts and design inspiration. But I am always doing something productive that’s taking me a step closer to my goals.
Even if I can’t dive right into a big project, working on little bits while waiting for an appointment or in a boring meeting gets things moving and helps me feel focused and productive. Like this article…at some point in the past few weeks I wrote a good chunk of it in Google Docs while eating lunch, so when I finally decided to create a post I already had a great start.
I’m also a big planner. I know exactly what I’m doing every night this week and what will be popping up on the blog at least two weeks out. I am notorious for whipping out my calendar for even the smallest note, like emailing a client or making sure I have time at night to stretch. I have big dreams so knowing where I’m headed every day keeps me on track. It’s important to prioritize and not try to do everything all at once. Some items CAN wait until tomorrow or next week or not at all. Of course everything is subject to change because sometimes you just can’t pass up an invitation to go out.
I try to avoid being workaholic 24/7. I find every week or two I need a night off…completely off. That means I’m not going out, I’m not touching my laptop, the dishes are staying in the sink and the laundry can wait another day. I literally do nothing. During my nights off I usually have to remind my brain multiple times to stay away from my to-do list and focus on relaxing and breathing and being in the moment.
I’ve never been an all-nighter type person. At about 11pm every night I set my cell for phone calls only. Which means no email, no Twitter, no Facebook, no BBMs, no text messages. If someone wants to talk to me bad enough that they’ll actually call I’m happy to answer, otherwise I will respond in the morning. It’s a strange feeling to know my phone will not be interrupting me as it seems to be buzzing and blinking all day long, but there is actually a sense of relief having it silenced.
Bottom line…I’m really good at staying focused on my goals and getting shit done. Make a plan, don’t waste time, work when you have the chance and take a break before you burn out.
How do you keep on track and plow through your to-do list or complete a big project? Do you use your time to the fullest or procrastinate until it passes you by?
01.28.11 in achieving goals, silly grrl guide
wow. go, you :) i’m terrible about staying motivated to do things. i have two to-do lists – 1 for stuff i can put off & 1 for stuff that have deadlines. the deadlines get done, but not always leaving enough time for the other list
i’m working on it :) sorta
You totally had to google Jesse from saved by the bell to get her last name! and Now I feel magically better from eating all those gummie vitamins.
You’re my hero – thank you for the lifesaving gummies.
I totally did not and you’re welcome :)
Does this mean you’re on speed pills too? Are we going to have to force an intervention on you?
Yeah I got them from Jesse Spano right after I downed a bottle of one-a-days…oh wait that wasn’t me ;)
That’s awesome! I really need to create a master to do list and stick to it. That’s where I fail, I don’t have an actual list of tasks to refer back to so I get distracted easily :)
So inspiring, woman!
And now I wanna watch “Empire Records” again.
OK, for some reason I get the vaguest bit irritated at how together you are because you’re younger than me. Fortunately I know that’s just me being an asshole.
But I do TOTALLY identify with this: “being bored is not an option.”
I know a woman, who is 55 (55!) and only works part time and complains about being bored. Bored?! There’s so much to do. When she last said that to me, I looked at her and said, “I have no idea what that feels like. I always have something to do.”
Even if, like tonight, it’s being lame at home with my dogs, having a cocktail, and catching up on blogs. I really couldn’t be happier. (And, my list for the weekend is 2 pages long. I’ll get started on it manana …)
Yet again, you are an inspiration to me! I go through phases of extreme productivity, and then laziness. I’m in a lazy phase right now, and I’m blaming the winter blahs. I haven’t been feeling 100%, have been tired and not sleeping well, so it makes it hard for me to focus. I know I need to just buckle down and work! Like you, I have big dreams, and I have a lot of big goals this year with my writing, so I really need to stick with working on them. Thanks for being such an awesome inspiration!
Thanks Jen! I was having issues with getting a good night’s sleep a couple weeks ago, totally threw me off track. I eased off on working, started eating really healthy and tried taking melatonin before bed. I made sure to take care of myself so I could put 100% into my projects when I was feeling better. Try taking a little break and then get back into it :)
Wow, I totally admire you. I have a really hard time focusing. I work from home, I think that’s partially my problem- I have a second bedroom that I share with my husband as an office for both us, but it’s really hard to work when he’s on the phone with clients, or vice versa.
I would love to be this organized. I don’t credit laziness, I think I blame it on lack of motivation, but then I feel that’s not enough of a good excuse to lack my focus. So I guess I blame myself! Thanks for this, I shared it in Google Reader, it’s a great read.
Thanks for sharing it! When I work from home it’s just me and the pup, but at work I’m surrounded by people so I always have a to-do list open on my computer to keep myself on track. When it gets way too noisy I whip out the headphones. Motivation is definitely a big part of getting stuff done. If you’re not getting a big return on your investment it it’s hard to keep going. Like laundry…rarely gets done :)
Wow – great post and comments. I’m so glad I found you and can’t wait to see the mock up for my redesign! As far as how do I keep getting things done – I unfortunately forget to stop. I have that horrible Pieces trait of the addictive personality and it comes out in my work and projects – thanks for the reminder to find some chill time!
I’m glad you found me too :) I learned about taking a time-out the hard way, but it was a good lesson to learn. Much easier to get a lot done when you’re not constantly burning out.
I am so horrible at procrastinating. I have gotten a little better recently but I need to buckle down. I have so many things I want to do with my life and I am getting in the way of myself by not just doing them! Thank you for being such an awesome motivator!
You’re welcome Erin – sometimes you just have to remind yourself to get moving. Good luck!
You’re like the James Franco of online productivity.
I’ve been really pushing myself for the past month to create more of that energy and motivation in my life, although my long-term goal is to go into “maintenance mode,” wherein GSD (getting shit done) just becomes a part of who I am, and without great detriment to my lavish suburban playboy lifestyle.
Hope that’s a good thing haha Creating more energy is also a huge part of staying focused and productive – post coming on that topic next week :)
This is why you’re so fucking awesome.
I love lists, I’ve sucked at writing them lately. I used to do one every Sunday night. I think I need to make one every night for the next day. And what i don’t get done, pushes to the next day. If, at the end of the week, I get half the things done, then it was a good week.
But it’s good you keep that one night a week of balance. Nate didn’t, and even though he made a lot of revenue from GRID last year, and from his day job, it landed us almost in the marriage slammer (DUCF day, when I was a mess). Balance and respite is a good idea.
My problem is that I take respite before getting to work. I’ve been very lazy all my life, so being your and Mandy’s friend (and having the honor of calling you guys my bests), makes me feel like a bum, and I want to start doing stuff, even if it’s just a little bit!
XX.
Mae Lu, @ thereafterish.
Aww Mae <3 Mandy and I will definitely kick your butt and get you on track!
This is why you would be so awesome at working for yourself. I need to suck a little bit of this out of you and keep it for me! :)
I think I’m just as good at procrastinating as I am at plowing through my to-do list and getting things done. I’ve never been one to make lists, but once I started working from home I realized I would wake up feeling so overwhelmed with “omgomgomg WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO” that I would force myself to sit at my desk for 5 minutes, go through email and client information and literally write down everything I needed to get done that day. Taking 5 minutes to make a list and getting organized makes a HUGE difference, because it’s so easy to get off track or freak out when you realize how unraveled you are or how much you have going on. It also helps cut down on freak outs quite significantly. LISTS RULE.
Agreed! The entire reason I make to-do lists is to get it all out of my brain, on paper and then I can look at it and decide what need to get done when. And it feels really good to check things off! B3 power meetup again soon :)
This is just another reason why I adore you. You truly get shit done. I envy that motivation you have. Maybe I just don’t have a ton of things going on in my life at the moment which is why I feel like I do have some downtime to enjoy. Lately though, when I get home from work, I don’t even turn on my laptop. I am getting lazy with my “internet life” and the worst part is that I don’t care. Ek! I really like your idea of setting your phone to “calls only” at a certain time – I might try to do this too!
You should enjoy doing nothing – as much as I work, it’s one of my favorite things. And yes, having tons to get done really helps get me motivated and moving.