Getting Things Done
Have you ever had so much going on in your head, the constant lists of everything you need to get done, all the appointments you have to make/take people to, all while balancing your kids needs, the house responsibilities, and everything else going on that things start slipping through the cracks? After spending so much time at home this past year, I really noticed my to do list getting longer by the day. I found myself feeling overwhelmed trying to keep all my responsibilities straight. From keeping up with the house, managing my kids, making something to eat every couple of hours (how are they always hungry?), and remembering everything that needed to get done I spent more time making lists of everything I needed to accomplish than actually checking anything off. My mom introduced me to a new method that has helped me organize my thoughts in a way where I’m not spending my time trying to remember everything and instead am able to focus on getting things done.
It’s a book by David Allen called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. In this book his main point is that if we free up our brain from the responsibility of remembering everything we will free up the space to process and create at a higher level. I started implementing this method in September and found my day to day tasks and monthly plans under control, even long term goals are getting chipped away at step by step.
So before we capture what has our attention, we need to set up our workspace. Make sure you have a) a space set aside to use as an inbox (a place where you will keep all the items you need to process) b) paper and pens c) a calendar and d) a trash can. I have my inbox set up in my kitchen because it’s the center of my house and where I am 90% of the time I think of something I need to do/remember.
