From David Allen, Super Lazy

My personal management system is set up to prevent ever having to have a thought twice! I capture thoughts when I have them, so I don't have to have them in the same way again. I only put things on my calendar that have to get done that day, so I don't have to keep rethinking what's on the page when I look at it. I have an "@Computer-Online" list of actions, separate from my "@Computer" list, so when I'm working on my laptop on a no-Wi-Fi plane, I don't have to keep rethinking which items on the list I can do, and which I can't. I decide the next action step on my projects and keep those current, so I don't have to keep thinking "what should I be doing to make this happen?" I review the projects and areas of interest and focus of my life once a week, so that I don't have to keep thinking that I should be thinking about them.

I was not born a very naturally organized kind of person, and it's not something I do for its own sake. I have just worked pretty hard at figuring out how to not work that hard. There are better things to do than to waste energy.

GTD was born out of my desire to find the easiest ways to do things, with the least amount of effort. 

Patience

Did you know that you can't do everything at once? Did you know you can't clean the whole house at the same time? Did you know if you think that cleaning the whole house is the goal it is too overwhelming and we avoid the whole idea and find something less oppressing to do?

Did you know it doesn't have to be that way.

You can't scrub a counter, clean a toilet, dust that picture, and fold laundry at the same time. Maybe if we were Elastigirl (Mrs. incredible) and had 3 extra sets of hands. The problem is we can think of 20 things that need to be done while we are working on a task.

So let's think of 2 or 3 things that you want or need to done. You are more than welcome and encouraged to put everything else on a list. Save it for later. Now take another 10 seconds and think of the very next action that will move those tasks forward.

You are still making progress to the ideal, a clean house. But it is no longer an impossible dream (cleaning the whole house). It is actionable, it is doable, and by doing it you will feel accomplished instead of guilty because you do what you wanted to do.

I also loved this thought, "Today all your duties with patience fulfill." Isn't that great. We don't (and can't) do everything. But we can do something. Take a deep breath and have a little patience with yourself and decide the one thing you can do now.

Date Change on Workshop

If you are interested.  

 

Dear Moms...

To those of you who were interested in my workshop but not able to make it due to UEA - ask and ye shall receive! The date has been changed to NEXT thursday October 25th. But there are limited spots, so make sure to register soon at this link!

Tenille Eyre Cundick
Power of Moms Certified Trainer

If you are interested

This is an email I got today. And I wanted to pass it along.

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Dear Moms...

I hope each of you are doing wonderful - that you had a great summer, and are glad to be back in the routine of the school-year. Personally I'm pretty sad to see summer go since most of my summer was involved in getting ready for a new baby and then adjusting to having one! But I am also grateful that we've finally gotten into a routine - and the school year has really helped with that.

I wanted to let you know that I am hosting a Five Steps to Less Stress workshop this next Thursday - September 27 at 7:30pm. These five steps are the very basics of the Mind Organization for Moms program written by April Perry, based on David Allen's book Getting Things Done. The M.O.M. program has helped me so much in becoming more of the mother I want to be on a daily basis - and that is why I'm taking the time to host this workshop for other mothers! If you have the time and desire to join me, please follow this link to the registration page. There is a small fee of $15 for this workshop, and the size will be limited in size so that we can have great discussions and really learn from one another.

Tenille Eyre Cundick
Power of Moms Certified Trainer

If you wish to not receive my emails, please reply and let me know. I won't be hurt one bit! All you need to do is say UNSUBSCRIBE in the title field!

The link http://powerofmoms.com/upcoming-retreats-and-workshops/five-steps-to-less-stress-workshop-in-salt-lake-city-may-31-2012/

A Mind like Ivy

I was out tacking a yard project this morning.  Well, I guess I should say I wanted to tackle a yard project.  After being in this house for 3 years, I discovered cement curbing!  Under overgrown ivy.  It was like discovering buried treasure.

I started pulling the ivy out like this

All in a bundle.  It was too hard.  All my amazing upper arm strength couldn't make it budge.  I got discouraged.  My self talk was like, "this is just too hard. , I can't do it.  I don't have time for this." 

Then I thought of trying one vine at a time.  

Like this. 

And it was super easy.  And I pulled out a nice long, satisfying vine!  And I was making progress!  And it took some hard work, but I did get my curbing uncovered!  

It really reminded me of my brain.  Sometime it is a jumbled tangle of vines and I don't know where to start, and it is all too hard and I get discouraged and want to give up.  But if we take that tangle and focus on one vine at a time we can make progress on all the things that are on our mind!  

One vine at a time, one thing at a time.  We can make progress.  So when everything you have to do is jumbling up your mind, take a few minutes to do a great mind dump, and start doing one thing on your list at a time. 

If I can do it, You can do it!

School STUFF!

A new beginning a new school year, a great time to get a system that you trust!  

I loved my in box.  I dumped out the small pile of junk collected in there.  And then I put in the things that really needed my attention.  School papers!  

I filled out forms*.  I signed what I needed.  I scanned info.  I sorted things that were relevant and things that we junk.  It took about 15 minutes for 3 school kids.  I saved one paper that I needed to look at more closely and do something online with the computer.  

Then I had Stuff left over.  What was I going to do with the stuff.  It was important because it had information on it.  I had read through the class info, but I wasn't ready to throw it away.  It still had value, but I didn't want it crowding my counter space.  

Da da DAH!  Folders to the rescue!  

I just made three folders.  Kid #1 School Info, Kid #2 School Info, and you guessed it, Kid #3 School Info.  So now I have reference folders for the info that I don't need right now, but I might as the year goes on.

*lest you think I am some super crazy lady, I did let my kids watch tv and relax after school, and even let them play outside for a long time, and we got our 15 minutes of getting things done right before it was bedtime.  

Summer Inversion

I can't believe I haven't posted all summer long!!!

But I'm back. 

Confession:  I haven't felt I was living up to my own values in regards to the Art of Stress Free Productivity for a few months now.  Hence, the reason I haven't posted anything. But I have a clear mind now and I'm ready to take on new challenges, and even the old challenges I didn't want to face. 

More Info:  My family is moving.  My family (with kids aged 9, 7, 5, 2 and 2) is moving to Brazil for 2 years.  It just rocked my whole world.  I was feeling so good.  I was gettinig so much done.  I was on a role!  Then this came and knocked me back.  I had a hard time getting back on track. 

Everything that was on my pre-Brazil To Do lists wasn't relevant anymore.  Everything that was on my "For Brazil" mind I couldn't do anything about (there were a lot of unknowns about our departure).  I felt trapped. 

You know in the winter when the valley fills up with smog from the inversion.  That is how I felt in my brain.  Lot's of pressure and no clear view on what to do next.  There were so many unknowns.  When we would be leaving, what we needed to bring, what we needed to buy.  Well I finally feel like I've driven up the mountain and above all the smoggy air and can see clearly!  

It's the best feeling in the world. 

And I can start again to Get Things Done!

Here is what is getting me going.

"We can't always go back to the beginning for a new start, but we can start from now and make a brand new end."  Let's start from NOW.  What is the most relevent or important thing to do now.  Keep your To Do lists relevant by reviewing them often and not be afraid to take something off your ASAP list and put it on your Someday Maybe list. 

And "It only takes 2 minutes."  My 2 minute tasks are saving me.  Because I am doing them.  I'm doing the little things and I get in the momentum of doing.  So instead of being overwhelmed I am taking action.  It may not be all the big things that are on my list, but I am tackling those big things by taking my next action on the little things.

And of course.  "What is the very next step that will move this project forward?"  Taking a little extra thought into a project can help you decide the veryNext Action.

So Feel Free to share your experiences.  What is on your mind?  What happens when you take the next step to get it off your mind?