Saturday, November 5, 2011

Time Management: It's All About Rhythm



As a creative type, I have (finally!) nailed down three major elements of time management that actually work for me:

1. Routines     2. Projects     3. Rhythm
Routines:
Now, at initial glance, the thought of a routine sounds B-O-R-I-N-G. However, the type of routine that I have discovered that I like and need is the kind I can do without thinking. Anything I can do by muscle memory, or because that's what I always do when I wake up, etc. is very helpful for me. First of all, it means that I'm accomplishing something without having to make decisions or create momentum - and that is a VERY good thing for someone like me. Secondly, it adds structure and stability to my life, which everyone needs. This is especially important for me, because even though I need structure, I am not naturally inclined to create and sustain structure. If I am left to my own meandering creative path, with no structures in place, who knows where I will wander off to! :)

Projects:
Projects work well for me because I can immerse myself in them and become inspired by them. They also work well for me because they have a definite beginning and a definite end. I can only sustain focus on one area for so long before I move on. So if I start something that requires ongoing maintenance that isn't a habitual routine (such as a garden) it will likely be abandoned along the way when something else inspiring comes along. But if I take on a project that is short enough that my momentum can last 3/4 of the way in, and the last 1/4 could be covered by diligence, desire for the satisfaction of completion, and the grace of God....then it is a workable-sized project.

The combination of routines and projects helps me to minimize the necessity of LISTS. Don't get me wrong, I like lists. As long as it is short enough to fit on a post-it note, an index card, or the screen on my Android phone. When it gets longer than that, I may start to feel overwhelmed, guilty, or I may just come down with a case of the "shoulds". The best case scenario is if I condense my "to do" items into projects, so I can just focus on one big thing at a time. Then I can leave the list for miscellaneous stuff like "return library books" and "set up auto-payment for bill" - or my favorite kinds of "to do" items: "email Annette about coffee" and "call Grace" and "text Ariel". :)

Rhythm:
A healthy balance of projects and routine both contribute to the larger aim of having a rhythm of life. In this last season, I have had the freedom to experiment more with a rhythm that works for me - mostly by trial and error. :) As an ENFP, one thing that is particularly essential is taking time to get centered. I am learning that I need to make sure that I get a chunk of time to get centered at the end of the work week, along with smaller times to get centered throughout the week. I'm also learning that for me, most experiences with people require time to process afterward. Maybe they said something confusing or interesting that my brain needs to sort through, or maybe they inspired me on a topic and I need time to reflect on how to incorporate it into my life. Or maybe they are struggling and I need time to entrust that burden to God so it doesn't weigh me down.

Another part of rhythm is knowing I have chunks of time set aside for things like home tasks, sabbath time, and people time so that the need for each of these isn't taking up mental RAM while I'm trying to do something else.

For people who are more practical and productivity-minded, this may seem ridiculously obvious, but for a creative type, here is a revolutionary thought: most things in life require preparation beforehand and clean-up or follow-up tasks afterward. I am trying to learn a "before, during, after" rhythm instead of my old approach of "dive in" followed by "dive in to the next thing".

Update from Time Management: Cell Phones and Emails and Computers, Oh My!
As for the tools I knew were working for me, they still apply. :) I use my netbook a lot and still LOVE Xmind. Only change is that my Blackberry has been replaced by an Evo (at my husband's prompting...dare I say nagging?).

On the other hand, my hopes for getting email under control have been dashed. All systems thus far break down at the "consistent follow through" step. The only solution I have come up with so far is to continue to offer myself grace and hope my friends do, as well. :)

On the plus side, I know of all kinds of tools that will help people who have better follow-through than I. However, I'm not sure those are the people who really need the tools. Hmmm. Catch-22?

If you read my last time management post (in April) you will know that one thing I aim for is that technology would work for me and not against me! A key piece of this is that I want social media to augment and improve my flesh-and-blood relationships, not distract from them or dilute them. This is one I have to keep re-examining. Trolling through facebook's news feed status updates on my phone can be an addictive distraction. However, when I go to a good friend's page or see an update from them, it helps me stay connected to them when it wouldn't otherwise be practical to do so. Enter stage left: Facebook's new Close Friend's List. I'm hoping this will help me keep up with the people I am trying to intentionally do life with, instead of losing track of them while I read about where That-Guy-I-Met-At-Some-Conference-Last-Year went to lunch.




2 comments:

  1. Holly, you don't know me, but I am an ENFP, too!!!! its so hard sometimes!!!! thank you for an awesome, well-structured rhythm list for someone like me, who is trying to do the same thing to keep from drowning in a 'dive-in' syndrome!

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    1. It is hard, isn't it! Thanks for reading, and thanks for the encouragement. I'm so glad to know you are also endeavoring to live a life of rhythm. :)

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