Reading: How To Get More Things Done

Every year I pick an idea to investigate and learn about. Generally, it relates to something that I’m having trouble with, and I set aside some of my free time to explore the topic. For example, for years I had a black thumb and killed every plant in my garden. Eventually, I decided to research and learn all about plants, and lo and behold I discovered that if you buy the right soil and water the seeds, plants grow! I not only started growing my own plants from seed, but I eventually ended up with a master’s degree in sustainability. These are not “resolutions” to do something better or improve. They are investigations.

My topic for this year is time management. As a newly minted entrepreneur, I’ve struggled to create a daily structure that will propel me forward. One trick I learned this year: color-coding my Google calendar and planning out the segments of work I need to get done each week. This includes programming in time for exercise and the walks I take, my hair color and cut, etc. Otherwise either nothing gets done, or all I do is work — which is no fun at all.

The first week of January I stumbled across the Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change. I was intrigued by what I’d heard about the “pomodoro method” (using timed increments of 25 minutes to propel you forward), which the planner relies on. After working with the book now for a month, I can tell you that if you follow the instructions faithfully — including the seemingly silly meditations on how you felt about each day and the weekly reviews — you will speed through your projects. I’m getting so much done so much faster that I have to plan for what I’ll do in my free time! Imagine that. Let me know if you try it and what happens if you do. What other methods are you using to organize your life so you feel happy with your daily accomplishments? I’d love to hear them. I’ll be posting this note on the CoveyClub IG and Facebook pages, where you can leave your answers.