Return to basics, eg, GTD, 5S 30 min time-blocks

[MarkBruns]

Your method for setting goals, developing SMART objectives, breaking down projects into chunkable action plans with atomic tasks and planning those tasks into 30 minute time blocks becomes your day, becomes your life.

You can and should experiment with different methods ... you can and should take vacations from yourself and your time management regimen with its tight discipline ... but you should not just stay on vacation or experiment so much that you have no regimen or discipline.

DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM

Freedom is not free -- it's YOUR responsibility to use your freedom to develop your sustaining discipline. You are FREE to develop a discipline ... but if you abdicate on your responsibility to plan your day, the default discipline is the discipline of LAZY THINKING ... this is why most people NEED jobs, ie because they lack the DISCIPLINE to have 6 - 8 active income generating activities with a part-time [maybe 40 hr/week] throwaway Walmart greeter job, long-term investment portfolios, nanoenterprise startups and venture philanthropies ... when you are lazy and don't want to OWN your time, you will need a job, partly for the $, but mostly for the structure and time management discipline. Discipline Equals Freedom No Discipline Equals Needs External Adult Supervision, ie a job.

Written Goals With SMART Objectives

Each activity or venture of your life requires WRITTEN goals ... the general overall vision or goal can START OFF being somewhat sketchy, dreamy or nebulous -- but the general vision or goal for the activity has to move toward being a tight, rehearsible 30-45 second elevator pitch.

The elevator pitch is not enough.

Each activity also needs SMART objectives

Specific

The first rough sketchy draft can [and maybe should] START off being kind of nebulous ... maybe just a doodle on a yellow pad ... but it must move in the direction of being as concrete as possible, but not more concrete than possible, ie or else, you delude yourself with a lie. Specification is an ART, but specifying generally takes time, rumination and iterations.

Measureable / Matter

How can you PROVE to anyone that you crossed the finish line? How is it a foundation for the next big step? WHAT will this measurable goal actually set the stage for? Why/how does this particular level of accomplishment MATTER for the next phase ... does being able to do 63 burpees in 10 minutes matter for something other than just doing more burpees, ie is it part of achieving a larger goal?

Aggressive / Achievable

It should STRETCH you a bit, but it should be achievable ... because it feels good to crush the goal and do more than necessary before resetting / revising-up the next SMART objective for the next phase.

Relevant / Realistic

So what? Why bother with this goal? Why is it relevant or important to your project? Why is it relevant to accomplish this NOW? Yes, it needs to be a stretch and something that you cannot just do right now if you would just GTD, but is the goal even feasible ... a goal should not be something you should just do, eg like mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, cleaning a room ... and as with mattering is it relevant now for laying a SOLID foundation for the next immediate big push?

Time-Bound / Tied / Tight

Hour:Minute:Second on a specific day ... ideally, you should TIE the goal to an important approaching day like Easter, 4th of July, New Year's Day or your birthday ... this linkage should represent a day that is TIGHT or memorable or firmly structured in your friends/ associates comprehension of TIME, ie not something like October 9th [unless that's your son's birthday or your anniversary or some mutually important date].

Thirty 30-minute Blocks

Block your day into 30-minute time blocks

25 minute Pomodoros

One atomic task OR just work 25 minutes on reading or doing open-ended tasks.

4 minute HIIT Tabatas

Just HIIT it for 4 minutes, then regroup.

Build in five 5S periods for housekeeping

Two 30s in/out regroup periods

What's the next thing on the day planner

GTD / LifeHacks / Variation

Steal ideas. Use systems and methods that work for others. Maybe the GTD folder system works for you. Maybe there's a better way.

Don't sit ... but don't stand in one place either.

Change it up. Freshen it. But keep the structure that reaffirms the discipline.

Try things like fasting.