SoulMinder Inspiration
Here we are in November already with the holiday rush hastening all around us. It's only three weeks until we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. ... can you believe it?
If like most of us you are already crunched for time, then the fact that the holidays bring more deadlines and more to do's may bring, well, more stress. That means it's time to unschedule!
Unschedule? If you haven't heard the term, it's the name of an innovative way to schedule from Neil Fiore, author of The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination & Enjoying Guilt-Free Play. Neil's program is intended to help guarantee and protect your personal time from being overcome by the tyranny of too many work to do's.
Neil's idea is schedule in advance only these things:
- Previously committed time such as meal, sleep, and meetings
- Socializing
- Health activities/exercise
- Structured events such as commuting time, classes, and medical appointments
Fill in your Unschedule with work on projects only after you have completed at least 30 minutes of the project work. That's right - you're scheduling after rather than before you begin. Think of your Unschedule as a time clock that you use to punch in when you officially begin work and punch out when you're ready to take credit for your progress:
- Take credit only for at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted work time. That is, don't record the project time on your schedule if you did it for less than 30 non-stop minutes.
- Each time you complete a 30-minute work period, reward yourself with a break or a gear shift into something more enjoyable.
- Track the number of work hours you achieve each day and week.
- Reward yourself for what you accomplished by giving yourself more personal time.
- Leave one full day open each week for recreation and small chores. [In this way you will avoid the resentment that follows when too much work postpones or shortens holidays and rest periods.]
- Before going to a social commitment or engaging in a leisure activity, take time out for 30 minutes of work on your project.
- Think small, not big, and you will accomplish much, much more. Don't aim to achieve four continuous hours on some big project - rather, aim for just 30 minutes of high quality, focused work. Once you achieve one 30-minute block and then reward yourself with something fun, you can return to working for another 30-minute block of project time, followed by another break, and so on, thereby creating more balance throughout your work day.
- Keep starting by getting to work on a project on time and finishing the project will follow as naturally as night follows day.
- Never end on a down note. That is, never stop a work period when you feel blocked or you find yourself at the end of a section. Keep going just until you work through the block or begin that new section, then stop. This will ensure that motivation keeps you going rather than aiding and abetting your procrastination.
SoulMinder Solution
Try the Unschedule for one day to see how it fits you. Begin by jotting down all of your:
Previously committed time such as meal, sleep, and meetings
Socializing
Health activities/exercise
Structured events such as commuting time, classes, and medical appointments
Then begin working on a project or work task. When you have completed 30 minutes of uninterrupted work, reward yourself with a fun break. Afterward, return to your work task and complete another 30 minutes. Then take another break, and keep repeating this process until it's time to go home.
Try the same process in your personal life by alternating 30 minutes of chores/errands with fun breaks, and see if you don't accomplish more with less wear and tear on your spirit!
Here's to unscheduling work!
Cheryl Lynch Simpson, Inner Archaeologist
