time management

pavlovs_dog

time is money as they say, and whilst im good with the pennies, im not so good with the seconds (or even the hours :eek: ), so im looking to you guys for help.

my problem is that as a virgo, i am fastidious about things being a certain way, in particular with things having to lok neat and tidy. as a typical virgo, im also supposed to be more organised than..well, the most organised thing that you can think of. and once upon a time i was, but i seem to have fallen off the wagon and i dont know how to climb back on.

my biggest problem at the mo involves my uni work. im terrible for leaing things late (although in my defence i have got out of the habit of leaving things til the last minute), then i procrastinate, which makes things worse. the main culprit i fear is my inability to keep a diary, because i can never find one with a layout that works for me.

i need the room of a page per day (so that i can space things out sufficiently to have at a least a line per hour in the day...did i mention i was anal :rotfl: ?!!!!), but need to be able to see at a glance what my commitments are for the rest of the week/fortnight/month etc.

every year, i buy myself a nice diary, with the promise that i will use it religiously...which lasts for a month or two, and is then forgotten. i've even been known to buy a diary at christmas, and then in the hope of getting me back on the wagon, an academic one come july...but still it doesnt help!

im sure if i could conquer this, i would be much better at keeping to task and getting on top of things, giving me more time to do the things i want to do. it just seems like a mamouth mountain to climb, not helped by currently being between two homes, each one 40 miles from the other. which in itself, is another reason why i nedd to be more organised.

to give you an example, i have an essay due in a week friday. im only now getting to the stage where i am sitting down and thinking about it, even though i have had the essay title, reading list and deadline since the start of feb. because i have been so disorganised, i now how to do my reading this week (fitted in around all the other things i had planned for the half term bt have also left til the last minute) and write it next week. which, in itself, although not the most preferable arrangement, is not un-do-able. the problem is i also need to complete by a friday a group project which wasnt set until the end of march, where as the only person in the group who seems prepared to make a contribution, i have my work cut out here.

so then you trinny and susannahs/kim and aggies of the time management world, is there any hope for me, or am i a lost cause?

Magentasue

Um, how is this Moneysaving Old Style related?

savvy

OMG you sound like me!!!! I remember many times hacking across town to get my essay in by 4pm!!! :rolleyes:

Re the group project, I know you are the conscientious one (as I am) BUT you know YOU'RE not going to get any MORE marks for doing it all by yourself, only more stress! Have you already decided what parts you are all going to do?? If not, decide for yourself how it's going to be broken down, then delegate those parts to the group.......................via email, then YOU st least have a record of what you were trying to achieve if there are any potential problems with the tutor or group etc.

THEN I would concentrate highly on your essay for next friday, THAT one is vital to you as it is an independent one!! But again break it down into chunks e.g. Intro/theories/positive/negative points/conclusion etc (don't need me to tell you that I guess!), and work on these little bits, then put it all together. That way the task doesn't seem so big and you'll be surprised how much you wrote for each when you put the whole lot together.

I would set my target end day as the Wednesday NOT Friday for this one. Then check in with the group to see (actually remind) how they are coming along with their bits on the Monday. Crack on with your bit, then IF you have any time left, do the rest of the group project if you feel YOUR marks will suffer if they don't do their bit.

Phew, then I would briefly revisit the essay on the Thursday to make sure completely happy with it........................then roll on Friday and hand the lot in, while others sweat!!

HTH

moggins

Now this is where Flylady comes into her own! She says the reason we procrastinate is because we believe a job will take longer than it actually does.

Buy yourself a kitchen timer and set it for 45 minutes, work for that time and take a break for 15. By the time the 45 minutes is over you will not believe how much you have done.

I used to put jobs off, thinking that I have to pick up the kids from school in half an hour, I can't do anything in that time. When I tried this I was amazed at how much I had got done in that 30 minutes.

pavlovs_dog

Magentasue wrote:

Um, how is this Moneysaving Old Style related?

forgive me if im wrong, i thought the ethos of this particular thread in the forum was about achieving a better standard of living as much as saving the pennies. this is exactly what i hope to achieve by wrestling control of my life - more time to do the things i want/need to do, but without the stress.

i was initially going to put in in the marriage/relationships forum, but if its any consolation, it doesnt fit perfectly there either, and i knew wherever i put it, it would upset someone. i thought, being challenge-minded people, the users of this forum might enjoy the prospect of helping put me on the straight and narrow.

moggins

To be honest this little section sometimes feels like a world all of it's own, there are often times I find bargains and funny things I think I must tell the girls in Old Style but then remember it's just a part of the forum and not the whole thing

jordylass

yep Flylady.net got me out of procrastinating (i'm also virgo and a bit OC).
For me it was everything house, kids, work and college, and now when I feel things starting to get on top of me my timer comes out is set for 15 minutes and I do what I can in one area in that time and it is amazing how much more you can do in 15 minutes than you think you can.
It is perfectionism that holds us back.

savvy

jordylass wrote:

It is perfectionism that holds us back.

Aaaaah that's a good'un, might use that on my students!!!

MATH

Hi Pavlos Dog - there's always a bit of everything on Ol'Style and you're quite right the ethos of this site (esp this board being home focused) is about quality of life and relationships as well as penny counting.

I must admit I don't understand people like you I have lists for every eventuality and then a MASTER LIST to co-ordinate all my lists, sub-lists, to-do memos, and in case of notes. Wars have been fought on less planning that it takes for me to gets the MATH'S away for the weekend and now I have a mobile home thingy I've got two homes to run and double the list making potential.

If I were to offer any advice it would be to write down THREE things you will complete tomorrow without fail. This is your "TO DO LIST #1" These could be things like 1. Clean out understairs cupboard. 2. Begin college project and complete x.y.z of it. 3. Take an hour out to go for a walk. Don't begin anything on the list until you have completed the task before it.
When you become an intermediate list maker you will add a suplimentary list of things you MAY complete today after you have done the To-do today list, This is your "MAY DO #2" but if you don't will be transcribed to list entitled "Tomorrow's To-Do #3" Once this system is established you may find it helpful to do an overview list highlighting major points on a weeks worth of To Do lists " Overview #1" and include all or some items from your "May do/ Do Tomorrow sub-list" Any additional items not on any of these lists may be placed on a new list "Things to consider doing next week" list. HTH

pavlovs_dog

bloody hell! knew i could rely on math!

do you have a book for these lists, or are they all flotating round on bits of paper?

i am actually a compulsive list maker...its just keeping track of them all,remembering to cross things off, prioritising, getting annoyed cos my amounts of crossed off things dont tally with how much work i've done, then getting annoyed cos it looks messy, so writing another list......

i'd always thought of myself as more anal than anything, though now jordylass mentions it, i think i am a bit OC lol. we all have our vices

Ticklemouse

God - I'm a Leo. Does that hold with me?

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I remember sitting up till all hours of the night, getting my Uni essays done. I'm also a perfectionist. I don't care if the kids make a mess, but when I clean, everything has to be done as I want it. There's a place for everything and everything in its place! (I think I'm a bit anal about this TBH) I repack the dishwasher (even tho it's Mr TM's 'job' as I've made tea) because I like certain pots in certain places. I like my cupboards packed certain ways too, yet if you catch me when I'm disorganised, then I don't care if your kids make a mess cos mine do too.

Time management hasn't always got to do with being a student. Now I'm a SAHM, I've less time than when I was childless. I have 2 kids of my own, others to pick up from school, even more to look after, after school, as well as feed. Also my mum is disabled and my dad has a terminal illness so I'm running backwards and forwards for them. My OH expects (although doesn't think he does, but who would do it otherwise) me to look after the home as well as the finances and do the DI.Y/decorating and sort out stuff like car maintenance/odd jobs we need work men for.

I love this forum. I feel people here are my friends. I pick up tips, even where I least expect to. I think it's great that people react and reply to your posts and even if stuff is not for you, I like to think it's for others amongst us.