Category: life

Thoughts on Productivity

I’ve read David Allen’s book, I regularly visit Merlin Mann’s site 43 folders, as well as a long list of other sites. I use the hipster pda and a PIM. I am no stranger to the ideas and concepts that various productivity gurus advocate in their book, on their website, and in interviews. Understanding how I process and control information isn’t something I have a problem with. All of that is easy enough and I think I’ve been able to increase my productivity through applying these concepts in my life.

All of the above is not the problem for me.

It’s time and drive.

These are the issues that defeat me every time I attempt to re-organize my life. I’ve tried taking big steps. I’ve tried taking baby steps. The end is the same. Despite all my organization, info capturing techniques, etc, etc. It all falls apart because I can’t manage my load. Or when I am somehow organizing it I’m so burned out from doing so that I have no desire to work on the projects that do interest me. The things I want to do get pushed aside by the actually planning of them.

I want to do things. My list of projects is only getting bigger and I feel the ideas that I’m putting down are getting better. But that’s as far as it goes. Looking at the list now is daunting. I’m afraid to even begin tackling it. What is it that is preventing me from making actual progress? Why can’t I shape the time I have available to me? Why is it that my free time is filled with me loafing about always?

What is stopping me? What am I afraid of?

A new plan…

It’s so much better than the last one…

I was doing so well too, for a while there I was updating here almost once a day. Impressive, no? Then things fell apart. When I say fell apart I mean I got distracted. So here is the new plan. Tomorrow is the first of July, My goal is to write here at least twice a day. One of the posts will be something of substance, the other will be me just shooting off my mouth. The goal is a minimum of two posts each day. If I can do more I most definitely will.

I know I’m going to be distracted but I’m trying to commit myself to this. It’s just 31 days… let’s see if I can do it

LSATs!… eventually

So I started studying for the LSAT’s today. If you call and hour of my nose in my guide studying… I wasn’t just staring at the pages blankly, I was actually reading, studying, exerting mental energy. But, only for an hour. I need to look over my calender and start scheduling study sessions. If I have to leave home in order to actually study I’ll do that too. I just need to get it done, you know? I waste an inordinate amount of time doing nothing. While I am in the middle of committing these acts of nothing I am busily thinking about all the things I can and should be doing. This is a recipe for disaster! I need to transfer all these thoughts into actions. Stop living in my head and start living in reality.

I also have to register for the GREs, study for them, and begin giving a hard look at schools. Of course, before I do that I should decide on what type of graduate program I want to get into.

So many choices, no ideas what to do. So may ideas, and no will to make them.

I’m trying to stay positive. Look, I’m writing here. I have two ideas on back boilers, one in the pot. Things are good. I need to get focused and stay there is all.

More Random Thoughts…

I know I wanted to write something to do. One of my New Year resolutions was to write everyday. It only took about 72 hours for that resolution to fall apart. I haven’t even been able to write once a week. Not here, not in my journal, and not in/on any of my “creative” endeavors. I have no excuses. I can only chalk it up to my own laziness. That isn’t to say things aren’t going on in my life that demand attention. None of them though, excuse me from pursuing my so-called dreams. Dreams that have so far been ignored and relegated to the furthest parts of my mind.

Can I really consider them dreams? Actually, that is probably the most accurate term. Dreams are things that just happen, you do not work for them. They are like miracles, asked for but never worked for. Is that the problem? That I do not couch my aspirations as goals or ends to achieve, but, rather as dreams? Is this all a useless argument? One in which the end result is me blaming semantics for my lack of energy? It goes without saying that this little tirade of mine has accomplished nothing and unless I begin to make real changes in my life and how I live (not a total Life make-over, but rather how I approach my goals, beginning with actually approaching them).

Airing my grievances against myself won’t do anything toward that either, I imagine. Seeing them here though on my blog and the accompanying guilt might do something.

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