Best Results Organizing

You have task lists. You have apps filled with task lists. You have alarms set to remind you to check your apps filled with task lists. 

And yet, do you sometimes feel down in the dumps because you can’t achieve what you set out to do? If so, congratulations. That means you’re human. (No offense intended to my intergalactic readers, of course.)

The common parlance for solutions to getting things done is “time management,” but as you’ve heard me say often, we cannot manage our time, but only ourselves. Notwithstanding crying children, screaming bosses, and messed-up public transportation schedules, the inconvenient truth is that we really are the only ones in charge of what we do and when we do it.

Yes, there are consequences to us making the choices we do, but the key is that we’re controlling our reactions to the demands on our time. The minute we relinquish belief in our own control, we’re deciding the game is lost.

Thus, I see my role as one of explaining all of rules of the game, letting you know about the sneaky combatants trying to sabotage you (whether they’re in your own brain or out there in the world), and trying to arm you with mighty powers to vanquish whomever is trying to steal your time. (And yes, I realize this does seem to sound more like Dungeons & Dragons than time management.)

WHY WE CAN’T GET A HANDLE ON TASK and TIME MANAGEMENT?

There are a variety of reasons why people find it hard to accomplish important things. 

Maybe We Don’t Know What’s Up

Sometimes, you’re unhappy with the way things are but you can’t really identify the problem and don’t know there’s a solution. (If that’s the case, Organize Away Frustration: Practice The Only Good Kind of “Intolerance” offers some guidance for both recognizing that there is a problem and locating a solution.)

Other times, you know what you need to accomplish and you do want to do it, or at least, you want to have done it. (In the words of Dorothy Parker, “I hate writing. I love having written.”)

In those cases, when your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went, there can be a number of causes. Read on.

Maybe There’s a Pandemic Going On

Early in the pandemic, there were the shifting sands beneath our feet as we couldn’t quite get a handle on things, so I wrote Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 5 Strategies to Cope With Pandemic Time Dilation.

In that post, I covered research that is still apt today, about how the pandemic caused us to lose our sense of routine. Even if you’re back to working in the office, you don’t know if your child’s school is going to be closed unexpectedly, if planned meetings will “go virtual,” or if something (anything!) will turn out as it was planned. Two years on, and we are absolutely not back to normal, whatever we used to think that meant.

We also examined the research showing that our brains turned mushy, largely due to lack of novelty (for the work-from-homers) and something related to allostatic load, where our bodies’ physiological reactions to emotional stress caused a build-up of stress hormones. So, we couldn’t get our bodies in gear with the energy needed to perform all of the regular life-and-work mental tasks. 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

And then our body clocks were out of whack because we weren’t sleeping (normally or otherwise), eating (normally or properly, and everyone’s move to drawstring waists seems to reflect that), we weren’t getting enough fresh air or sunlight, and we were getting too much blue light from our devices…which made it hard to sleep.

Guess what? We’re all still having trouble with these things, to one extent or another, two years on. We may have moved from the dining room to a bedroom turned into an office, or even back to our real offices. We’ve have moved on from Tiger King to Inventing Anna. But everyone is still having trouble with productivity!

In that post, I suggested strategies to cope with time dilation and get reconnected to time. If your task list means you barely have time to read this post, here’s a summary:

1) Put structure in your life. 

Create daily rituals so you have a real sense of the start and end of your workday, and develop buffer habits so your brain gets the same benefits of a commute even if you’re walking around the block instead of driving to work while listening to your favorite podcast.

Time block to create boundaries in your day. (Of which, more later.) By blocking off specific times in your schedule for overarching categories (passive work projects, creative/active work projects, self-care, self-education, entertainment) you’re guaranteeing that there’s a place in your schedule for each. Knowing this gives you a sense of security, a system upon which you can depend. 

2) Enhance novelty.

I offered up a laundry list of ways to boost novelty and get your brain making new synaptic connections. If every late winter slog through your day has been cold, grim, and not very novel, connecting with people you don’t normally speak with can spark enthusiasm for all sorts of things on your to-do list. It doesn’t matter whether that spark is a mild sense of competition with a former colleague or a stray comment you can build on to turn your work in a bold new direction.

In addition to new(ish) people, I suggested trying out different spaces, like working from a guest room or even moving furniture around to give you a new angle or a new vista. 

3) Create vivid sensory clues for the passing of time!

At the time, I said:

Go Analog. Digital clocks don’t give you the same sense of the passage of time as old-school watches and clocks. Start by looking to see which of your digital clocks you can change to an analog appearance. Android phones allow you to change your lock screen from digital to analog easily. On the iPhone, the clock app iconis a working analog clock, but the lock screen stays digital. There are apps like FaceClock Analogue to give you a working clock, but they can’t be added to the lock screen.

I encouraged embracing the Time Timer and even hourglasses. The key? Shake up your relationship with time and make it more real.

4) Get what you know you need!  I covered everything you needed to get enough of: daylight, sleep, exercise, and normalcy (including getting groomed and dressed). Judging from the people in PJs and slippers I see in the grocery store parking lot, I don’t think this can be said strongly enough.

5) Take a Technology Break – In some ways, this goes along with what I said about taking your view of time analog. Our dependence on technology takes us away from the reality of what we’re trying to do. Whenever possible, deal with the real and tangible.

Unplug when you can so you’re refreshed when you have to plug back into the matrix.

Oh, and in case you’re having trouble getting things done but feel like all of that stuff about the pandemic is old news, I invite you to read Rhymes With Brain: Languishing, Flow, and Building a Better Routine. The post dug deeply into brain-related changes you can make to get your mojo back in gear.

Maybe We’re Trying to Go It Alone

I mean, come on, any good D&D (or other tabletop game) player will tell you that you can’t go it alone. You need to forge partnerships. At the risk of pulling out every “maybe it was really the friends you met along the way” trope from TV and movies, getting support is essential.

There’s a reason they say, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

To that end, if your obstacle to getting things accomplished is a lack of external motivation, then look no further than two now-classic Paper Doll posts: 

Count on Accountability: 5 Productivity Support Solutions walks you through options for motivating yourself through accountability with friends and strangers, individuals and groups, random humans and paid professionals.

Flow and Faux (Accountability): Productivity, Focus, and Alex Trebek pushes your task management forward when you can’t (or don’t want to have) an actual person pushing you to get your lists checked off, but you do need some kind of push. This post offers up a deeper understanding of what doesn’t work about virtual support and what does, so you can benefit from a little artificial intelligence (or artificial environments) without finding yourself stranded in an uncanny valley.

Maybe Our Spaces (or Our Brains) are Too Loud

Jump five years into the past for this Paper Doll classic. 5 Keys to Focus, or What Lord Chesterfield Knew About Multitasking, is (shockingly) one of the shortest posts in my 15-year collection. 

From decluttering your physical and digital workspaces to shushing the distractions out there (in the world) and in there (in your head), to actually scheduling time to get it all done (ahhhh, there’s that hint again), this post will help settle your mind and turn you away from the dangers of multitasking.

Maybe We’re Stuck in the Past

If you can’t seem to move forward and take action on your tasks, maybe something is pulling you back?

via GIPHY

It’s not always about finding a different method of keeping your conveyor belt of task management moving. If you need something with a little more of a philosophical bent to get you to let go, try reading Emerson, Angelou, Ted Lasso, Tashlich & Zen Monks: Letting Go for a Fresh Start. 

Maybe We Haven’t Found the Right Tool or Magic Solution Yet?

Ah, you know this one. The truth is, there are no magic wands. (I told you so in The Truth About Celebrity Organizers, Magic Wands, and the Reality of Professional Organizing.) 

There are bad solutions, like the kinds you see advertised on social media. (If you only see ads for a solution to something in the organizing and time management world, but aren’t seeing any of your favorite expert bloggers talking about the solution, there’s probably a good reason for that.)

And there are good solutions applied badly (or at least inexpertly). 

And there are stellar solutions that work if you commit to learning, tweaking, and making your own. 

I’ve certainly advised readers on my share of time and task management options. In the blog post about time dilation, I talked about the Pomodoro Technique, which is great for taking baby steps toward starting (and completing) tasks and conquering procrastination.

Other times, the blog has delivered insight about cognitive or tangible tools for organizing or accomplishing tasks:

Checklists, Gantt Charts, and Kanban Boards – Organize Your Tasks

Project Management Tools To Get It Done in 2019

Playing With Blocks: Success Strategies for Time Blocking Productivity (and ooooh, that was a good one!)

And that last post is our long-awaited segue to what I especially want to share today — an opportunity for you to get some cutting-edge information from a gaggle of experts (myself included) on task management and time blocking.

THE TASK MANAGEMENT AND TIME BLOCKING VIRTUAL SUMMIT 2022

This all starts with my friend, colleague, fellow Cornell University alum — and, we were surprised to learn, former dorm-mate — Francis Wade, founder of 2Time Labs in Jamaica.

Francis operates in the field of “applied research in a world of increasing time demands.” (Sound familiar?) He’s also the author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity: How To Protect Your Mind As Time Demands Increase. (You can read more about the book here.)

Way back in 2020 (pre-pandemic), Francis hosted the Time Blocking Summit, one of the first virtual time management and productivity summits I’d attended. Last year, it expanded in scope and depth and became the Task Management and Time Blocking Virtual Summit, and coming up soon is the third iteration, the Task Management and Time Blocking Virtual Summit 2022!

Registration gets you access to 40+ thought leaders and experts in the world of productivity, time and task management, wellness, and a variety of allied topics.

What Productivity Superstars Will Be Presenting?

I’m psyched to see that so many friends of the Paper Doll blog are set to participate, including returning speakers Ray Sidney-Smith, Dr. Frank Buck, Augusto Pinaud, and Art Gelwicks, as well as some NAPO colleagues I count as friends, including Casey Moore, Janice Russell, and Lisa Mark.

Also, I admit I’ll be fan-girling in my virtual seat when Laura Vanderkam, author of many productivity books, including 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think and Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done, is on the stage!

Oh, and to brag, Paper Doll will be on-stage, too! (Whoohoo!)

Last year, I participated as a panelist (talking about the future of time management) and moderated a Q&A panel. This year, I’m excited to be doing triple-duty!

I’ll be presenting my own session, Tickle Yourself Productive: Going Retro with Paper to Get and Stay Productive. But I’m also going to be moderating a panel on wellness, sleep, and productivity, and I’ll be panelist-ing to answer some deep and meaningful questions about my presentation.

What’s Going To Happen?

Held over three days (Thursday, March 3 through Saturday, March 5, 2022), the Task Management and Time Blocking Summit 2022 is delivering a number of different experiences for attendees, including: 

• Pre-recorded video presentations — available 24/7 throughout the summit (so it won’t interrupt you getting your actual, already-scheduled tasks completed). Fresh content is will be added all day, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST, giving people around the planet a chance to watch something new whenever they want.
• Live, interactive sessions — There will be Q&A sessions, where moderators and attendees get to dig deeper and ask presenters questions about the pre-recorded presentations, but also panel discussions on all things intriguing and timey-wimey (to borrow from Doctor Who).
• GTD Track — This year, the summit is going to honor the 20th anniversary of the publication of David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity with special content tackling the challenges many people encounter as obstacles to implementing GTD to greater success.

 

• Live Debate — My understanding is that some of the experts among us have been selected for an “Oxford-style” debate on a vital topic in the time management realm. Curious? You’ll just have to register and show up to see it in action! 
• Online networking in a Zoom-like virtual ballroom (much like I described with last year’s NAPO virtual conference).
• App Discounts — Francis and his team will be inviting app developers to place their products in the summit store at a discount. I don’t have the secret details of the “who” and the “what” but last year, we had some pretty intriguing app developers share their wares. Keep your eyes open!

So, What Does It Cost?

Free Registration for the Task Management and Time Blocking Summit 2022

If you register for the free event, you’ll be able to log in and view all of the summit content for 24 hours after release. Francis also puts together a nifty pre-Summit Workbook to review in advance and use to keep track of what you find compelling.

As a “thank you” for registering, Francis is making providing registrants a complimentary, digital copy of his first book, Bill’s Im-Perfect Time Management Adventure.

Premium All-Access Pass for the Task Management and Time Blocking Summit 2022

Anyone registering for the summit as a Premium, All-Access Pass holder (a $4700 value for $249) will also get a year of 24-7 access to all summit content, plus a digital copy of Francis’s second book that I referenced above, Perfect Time-Based Productivity. 

But wait, there’s more! (I’ve always wanted to say that, along with “It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping!) Francis gave me a coupon link for my readers, so if you buy the All-Access Pass before the summit using this super-secret-squirrel discount link, you can score a ticket for only $99.

 

If you do register and you watch my presentation, come to my panels, or see me in the networking events, please send me a “howdy!” And watch this space for a recap highlights in the weeks following this year’s summit.

 

 

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