Tag Archives: motivation

The best-laid plans…: Dealing with “demons” that interrupt planning

I have this irrational habit of procrastinating by reading how-to-get-organized books and articles. I am always looking for the holy grail of productivity, and although I know it doesn't exist, it hasn't stopped me from going "oooh! Shiny!" when I see something interesting or new I haven't heard of yet, and then reading all about it.

In the end, it always comes down to the same list of recommendations: keep track of what's going on or needs to be done and don't keep it in your head, review regularly what you've got on all your lists, break the large projects into small bites, and begin doing something. That "something" should in my case not be "read more things that might get you unstuck" because I am not really stuck, I'm just lazy and sometimes lack internal motivation. Nothing quite like a deadline!

This spring break I am reading How to Make it All Work by David Allen of How to Get Things Done/Getting Things Done fame, and Joli Jensen's Write No Matter What came through Interlibrary Loan the other day and they complement each other nicely.

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The power of the ever-present sticky note

I like the look of this: crossing off things on the long term to-do list.

When I moved to Allentown, PA last year and set up my desk in early July, I was overwhelmed by all the things that needed to be done. So I made a list and put it where I was bound to see it every single day: my desktop in my home office. Continue reading