Disappointingly, it is all 'common sense'.
Even more disappointingly, I think I knew most of it before last year.
It is an object lesson about the difference between what I 'know' intellectually, and what I 'know' implicitly...
*sigh*
I can do anything for 15 minutes - including focusing.
I learned
the value of small snippets of time years ago - I remember how shocking it was
to truly see how much you can do in just 5 minutes. Then more recently I came
across FlyLady that put a shape around this idea - no matter how awful,
tedious, boring or scary, you really can stick with ANYTHING for 15 minutes.
And having done that much, the sting is usually gone, and you can get on with
whatever else has to be done. Most things last year were done in small windows
of time, while task-switching like mad.
I learned
this years ago when I became an Associate of the Community of the Sisters of
the Church - taking the time to let my mind stop helps me to keep going. Then I
relearned it when I worked at Sigma and I was working 4 evenings and Saturdays
as well - I used self-hypnosis scripts and reflective prayer/meditation every
lunch time to keep me going.
The annoying
thing is that I know that I know that it makes it easier to copy, and that I am
more focussed... I just don't seem to be able to take the time until I'm
approaching shutdown.
I have used
it erratically this last year, and I think I finished up quite well. If only I
could get my act together and do it regularly again...
If I don't get 7hrs sleep MOST nights I can't work at my best.
In fact, the
ideal is 7.5hrs, and anything under 7 for more than a night or two and my mind
is fuzzy, my mood is grumpy and my self-discipline is non-existant.
Aggravatingly,
this is something my mother told me when I was a child.
If I am tired I will eat badly.
See above. I
will eat ANYTHING except fruit and vegetables after one night of less than 5
hrs, or several nights of less than 7.
If I don't eat my fruit I will suffer.
Something
else my mother told me. And yet, I don't remember my ... ahem... bowels being
quite so ...sensitive in the past.
When I've written something that matters, wait, re-read the original question, and try to put myself in the audience's shoes before replying: I usually overengineer solutions and replies.
I love
writing, and one of the few things I learned this year that is actually new is
that I get carried away writing the first brain dump and draft. I have to
restrain myself from letting the output off the leash until I have pulled it
back. This is probably the only thing on this list that has resulted in a
consistent change of behaviour.
I am a bloody good writer.
'nuff said.
I am crap at self-control - and it's worse when I'm tired.
See above.
I can achieve just about anything I choose to do, if I am in control.
If I get my
sleep, eat my fruit, and get on top of my procrastination by running with the
15 minute rule, then I have mental space for the to-do list. I learned in 2011
about 'getting things done' and Evernote. I used them both well last year, and
in truth I achieved an amazing amount of work. In keeping with the value of the
time-snippet the big thing I got from GTD in 2011 was that if you look at
something that has to be done, and it will take you less than ... 2 minutes ,
then you just do it. NOW. The GTD author felt that 2 minutes is the breakeven
between how long it takes to add to the to-do system, and completing the
existing task; I tend to run with a flexible 2-5 minutes, depending on current
pressure.
Riding on this knowledge, I am now launching my new business - Pax Charta
None of this is new.
Why has it taken me 40 years (I'll allow myself a 10year run up to self-knowledge) to work it out?
LMFAO
