MINDFUL LIFE TOOLBOX

A 30-Day Intensive Program

Time Thief: Interruptions

The Difference Between Interruptions & Distractions

What Kinds Of Interruptions & Distractions Happen

At Work? At Home?

[GROUP WORK]

Workload Surprise Responses Here is what I have on my plate right now. Please help me prioritize this new task. Is there something you can take off my plate so this will not disrupt other deadlines? May I delegate parts of this assignment? Which parts? What is the final ship/delivery date? I have to complete project x and project y before I can begin working on this. Am I the best person to complete this task? When I have finished this, may we talk about ways to avoid having this happening again at the last minute?  

To Do Lists & Planning Change expectations.Lists grow, they don’t go away.

Be thorough.Write everything down once—empty your head.

Be singular.Do not have multiple lists on the same topic.

Be specific.Rate items by priority (123, ABC, RYG).

Be strategic.Review today’s accomplishments when planning tomorrow.

To-Do List Bucketsq  Work & Productivity

q  Friends & Family

q  Self-Care

q  Self-Development

q  Giving Back/Volunteering

q  Spiritual Practices

q  Creative Expression

q  Home Repair/Improvement

q  Life Maintenance/Errands

q  Financial

q  Medical

q  Organizing & Simplifying

Does this have to be done today? Is it in alignment with my values? Does this get me closer to a goal? Can I clearly define the outcome of this task? Is there something more important to do first? Do I have everything I need to finish this task today?

Will email help or hinder my progress? Could I delegate this task?

8 Questions To Help You Prioritize Tasks

Prioritization

1) Important/Urgent

2) Value: 1, 2, 3

  Urgent

Not Urgent

Important

Crisis Immediate Problem Deadline

  

Prevention Maintenance Planning & Strategy Relationship Building Thinking and Research

Not Important Interruptions Some Meetings Some Phone Calls Whims and Tantrums Popular Activities

 

Trivial Requests Mindless Television Watching Mindless Internet Surfing Games Busywork Irrelevant Mail & E-mail Gossip

Prioritization #1

1) Important and urgent

2) Urgent and not important—delegate

3) Important and not urgent—schedule

4) Not important and not urgent—ignore

Important and Urgent Crises Pressing problems Deadline-driven projects, meetings, preparation

Important and Not Urgent Values clarification Preparation Prevention Planning Relationship building True recreation Empowerment and self development Exercise Intimacy—time for people you love

Urgent and Not Important

Interruptions

Some phone calls

Some meetings

Some emails

Many pressing matters

Many popular activities

Not Urgent and Not Important

Trivia, busy work

Gossip

Junk mail

Some phone calls

Social media

Time wasters

Escape activities

Covey Matrix: 1 Bucket

[INDIVIDUAL WORK]

Prioritization #2: Assign Value

[INDIVIDUAL WORK]

Which To-Dos Have Multiple Steps?

e.g. Reupholster Chairs

SMART Goals  

Specific Measurable

Actionable/Attainable

Realistic

Timed

“Not–so–smart” goal:

Complete third quarter report.

SMART goal: Begin gathering resources to prepare third quarter report. Friday, 2 Hrs. Make appts. for Saturday to continue working. Friday, 10 Mins. Review notes, begin 1st draft of report. Saturday, 2 Hrs. Share draft with colleague, then review & get notes. Saturday, 30-45 Mins. Revise report. Saturday, 1-2 Hrs. Review report, add graphics & complete report. Saturday, 1-2 Hrs. Submit report electronically. Saturday, 10 Mins.

SMART vs. Not-So-Smart

“Not–so–smart” goal:

I want to organize my photos.

SMART goal: Gather all photos and bring to one location. Friday, 1.5 Hrs. Begin sorting Like With Like according to subject or event. Saturday, 2 Hrs. Continue sorting Like With Like. Sunday, 1.5 Hrs. Label photos according to subject or event. Monday, 2.5 Hrs. Curate “greatest hits” for digital frame & scan images. Tuesday, 2 Hrs. Purchase containers that match quantities of photos. Wednesday, 1.5 Hrs. Begin containerizing photos according to subject or event. Thursday, 2 Hrs. Load digital images onto digital frame. Friday, 1 Hr.

SMART vs. Not-So-Smart

To Do Lists: Compilation,

Consolidation,Prioritization

[INDIVIDUAL WORK]

Task & Project Mgmt Apps Asana – Task Mgmt https://app.asana.com Basecamp – PM https://basecamp.com/ Breeze – PM http://www.breeze.pm/ Celoxis – PM http://www.celoxis.com/

Comindware – PM http://www.comindware.com/project/ Evernote – Productivity App https://evernote.com/ Trello – Task Mgmt https://trello.com/ Wrike – PM http://www.wrike.com/ Comparisons/Reviews

http://online-project-management-review.toptenreviews.com/ http://project-management-software.findthebest.com/ Alternatives http://alternativeto.net/

To Do Lists: Migration To App

[HOMEWORK]

1) To Do Lists: Compilation, Consolidation, Prioritization & Migration2) Which To-Dos Have Multiple Steps?

[INDIVIDUAL WORK]