There are some things we’ve got to do which, like the constant buzzing of a summer fly, annoys us so immensely that it makes us spend too much time and energy on grieving over and dwelling on it, or maybe even walk around really irritated due to it.
We lose perspective, and not only do those annoying things feel numerous, ...
Do you all too often experience that you are bothered or disturbed by your colleagues? Do you feel that you can’t go through the hallway without getting called in to someone’s office when you have the least time for it? Do you repeatedly get interrupted just when you are at a critical stage in the task you really need to focus on?
Sure, occasionally you want to tell them off for interfering, but at the same time you are after all working together to bring the business forward.
And it is hardly that ...
You can easily be led to believe that the piles on the desk primarily are an aesthetic problem; that it gives a negative impression to someone who comes to pay a visit.
Or, that it’s only a problem with order; that the piles make it difficult to find the documents you are looking for when you need them.
But, unfortunately the problem is more serious than ...
This whole business of good structure – isn’t it sometimes the case that we really feel that we would need to work more effectively in our everyday life, but we just don’t know where to start? It’s just too much right now and we can barely keep our heads above the water.
We’ve got so little time that we don’t have the time to change the way we work, even if it’s in order to get more time to work with. It’ll have to be some other time, when we’ve got time.
But, if we continue like this, will the day when we have enough time to start working more
efficiently ever come? Do we really have to wait?
Not the way I see it. Right now is the second best time to start. The best time was yesterday.
So, let us now take only one simple step in the right direction. What would that be?
One of the most valuable components of a structured, effective, personal way of working is the weekly update.
If you in your everyday life complete and add tasks to your to-do-list, creating a continuous in and out flow of tasks, it is in itself a good thing. But it often tends to result in a situation where only the tasks of immediate importance are completed, for example the most recently added tasks or those someone recently reminded you to do.
There may be tasks here and there in the to-do-list that you added a couple of months ago, which are of vital importance for your business, but which you couldn’t do anything about at the time. Now might be the right time to complete such a task and if you do not at regular intervals go through your to-do-list, it can easily get lost in the crowd.
This is where the…
An effective way to easily get the right thing done at the right time is to use a to-do-list where you write down everything you have to do and check them off the list once you have completed them.
As I see it, the greatest benefit with this is that you no longer have to keep everything in your head and instead you can relax, knowing that everything awaiting completion is on the list.
But, aren’t we quite a few who have decided to start making to-do-lists, got it going and after a while noticed that all the things we don’t have time to do are what’s on the list since we are only doing the things we are trying to remember? Where and in what format you choose to keep your list is crucial as to how well it will help you.
Here are ten, no, eleven tips to how to be successful with a to-do-list that works in the long run.
I have a penchant for always having something with me to write or record in. It can be a notebook or a stack of index cards.
At least for me, ideas are volatile. As I mull something over ...
Do you ever experience from time to time that you are just completing task after task, doing one detailed thing after another, and everything is spinning so fast that you can’t grasp what’s going on, and that you don’t even have the time to reflect on what week it is and what’s coming up next month? Join the club.
It’s one thing to be in a flow, to feel that everything is clicking and falling into place, that you move from clarity to clarity and are getting things done, but that is not the situation I am talking about.
The condition I have in mind can be recognized by that you feel a week has just begun when it suddenly is Friday, you are astonished to realize that a certain meeting was “this week already?!” or that you are always running out of time when you are close to a deadline. To use a worn, but none the less illuminating expression: “You can’t see the woods for all the trees”.
My solution to this situation is ...
We can’t do everything we need to do everywhere or anywhere. For some things we need a computer, for others access to a phone and some things can only be done in the office.
We gain concentration if we at each point in time only need to care about the tasks that are available to work on where we are at the moment.
So, how do you determine what can actually be done here and now, from all the things you need to do?
The answer is ...
Yes, sometimes I actually dream of changing path and become a bicycle messenger. There is really something alluring about the bicycle messenger trade. I mean, getting ...
When you are experiencing more chaos in your workday than you are comfortable with and you wish to improve the structure of your day, it is fully understandable if you tremble at the mere thought of the extent of the changes needed.
Perhaps you are hesitant and are even doubtful as to whether it is even possible to change, and you might even fear that your particular situation is a hopeless case.
I am convinced that no circumstances are hopeless and I am equally convinced that you can make significant changes with small means.
Do not try to make all improvements at once, but choose to work on one aspect at a time and you will experience greater success. When the first change is done, move on to the next, etc.
Nice and easy, you will end up more structured and with more time on your hands by taking it one step at a time.
Here are three ideas on different steps to begin with.
When you are arranging your system for documents, to-do-lists, referencematerial and other materials, it is normal to ask yourself how it should be done, for instance, how should I store the documents I might need some day?
Should I put the articles, brochures or whatever it might be in binders or should I use a filing system? Should I do my to-do-lists in Outlook, in my smartphone or on loose pieces of paper?
Many people that I meet in my profession, says “I really would need that!” when they hear me say that I work with making organizations and individuals more structured in their everyday life.
Often, they seem dejected when they say that, almost like they feel that creating a good personal structure is far too hard for them.
As I see it, it is just as easy to create a great structure as it is to keep a defective structure. It is just a matter of habits and simple tools.
Here are nine common mistakes that prevents good personal structure and tips on how to avoid them.
A central part of a well structured, personal work routine setup is a to-do list.
By that, I mean a list that you use over a long period of time, rather than write a new list every morning. A gathered list over all that you have to do, distinctly defined and with tasks that are adequate in size, gives you an easy and quick overview over what tasks you are responsible for.
That makes it possible for you to concentrate on your current task without meanwhile keeping several other tasks in your mind. Besides, it will give you a kick of satisfaction every time you will be able to check off something on your list.
But in what format should you keep the to-do list? Well, that is a matter of taste. Here are six suggestions:
Welcome to the Structure Blog.
I, David Stiernholm, am a ”struktör”, which means that I create good structure and efficient work procedures for organizations and their key people.
But, why structure? What is the point with good structure? Isn’t that a very square, bureaucratic and limiting concept?
As I see it, on the contrary.
