Skip to main content

Week 13 (19.01-25.01.15) Organize your life

Organize your life


Source:  http://www.portfoliopartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/time-man1-500x218.jpg


I really love to plan my day, week, year etc. I began to plan my life a few years ago with a correct description of the goals. Next I planned each day, week, month, so I could move step by step towards the implementation of these goals. Now I definitely know that it works! Every goal will be achieved, every task will be done if you start to manage time in your life. And now I want to share with you some useful tips that help me and I think they can help you to plan your life and manage your time better.

For those who don't really like to read I have some short interesting videos about time management, here they are:

1.        The first one can help you to figure out what you do wrong, why you don't have enough time to do all your tasks.


Source: http://youtu.be/VUk6LXRZMMk

2.        The second one has 24 interesting tips.


Source: http://youtu.be/c3Y1VYapaRU
Steps to manage your time:
  1. Prepare yourself first, by taking 30 minutes of your time to fix yourself something to eat and relax.
  2. Balance your effort.
  3. Focus on your most productive time of day.
  4. Manage time in increments.
  5. Take a break
  6. Keep track of your progress.
  7. Reassess the list.
  8. Leave time for fun.
  9. Sleep for 7-9 hours every night.

Here is the full version:  http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Your-Time

Source: http://www.dreamhost.com/dreamscape/files/2013/03/foundervenn.png

And if you want to start to manage your life from now on here are 12 questions to ask yourself at the start of new year:
  1. Have you defined your most important goal?
  2. Do you have a clear deadline?
  3. How will you measure your success?
  4. What is the reason you wish to achieve your goal?
  5. What benefits do you expect to gain by reaching your goal?
  6. What are the consequences of not achieving your goal?
  7. What are the obstacles to achieving your goal?
  8. What are the solutions to overcoming your obstacles?
  9. What are some possible resources to help you attain your goal?
  10. What are the clear milestones on your path to success?
  11. Who have you told about your goal?
  12. Have you visualized what your success will look like?

Comments

Unknown said…
1.Have you defined your most important goal?

The most important one is probably to pass away as a happy, old and rich man.

2.Do you have a clear deadline?

The deadline is death.

3.How will you measure your success?

By counting the time spent on living, measuring finances and tracking my happiness every day.

4.What is the reason you wish to achieve your goal?

To live a happy and constructive life.

5.What benefits do you expect to gain by reaching your goal?

Success.

6.What are the consequences of not achieving your goal?

Being poor, sad and lonely.

7.What are the obstacles to achieving your goal?

There are obstacles such as my own weaknesses, other's weknesses. Achieving this goal is very dependent on the success of other people.

8.What are the solutions to overcoming your obstacles?

Don't give up.

9.What are some possible resources to help you attain your goal?

Time, food, money.

10.What are the clear milestones on your path to success?

Having a good job. Going to gym and staying fit. Eating healthy. Be positive.

11.Who have you told about your goal?

Everyone is telling about it.

12.Have you visualized what your success will look like?

More or less, yes.
Unknown said…
Thanks for your comment!
Actually, deadline is a very important part of defining your personal goals. It's better to have such deadlines and criteria by which you will understand that the goal is achieved or not.
Unknown said…
I'm not a greatest organizer in world but I'm working on that field of my life. What I do every evening is detiled planning of next day. I found that waking up with exact plan makes me more effective and productive.

I also have my goals set for upcoming year. I even made plans for next few years. I think it's good to have plan, or at least outline of what you want your life to look like. I also think that it's good to not keep to tightly to your plans, and be open for changes.

I'm not fan of so called new year's resolutions. Insted of that I implemented few changes before year ended in order to enter new era with good attitude.
PrzemekM said…
1. Yes I define my most important goals, this is key for sure.
2. Not often, but it should be I think
3. measurement is synonym to management
4. I achieve goal for many reason, sometimes I have to, sometimes I wants to.
6. Sometimes not achieving my goal is frustrating is not good
7. Always the biggest obstacle is time
8. Time is not from rubber,unfortunately
9. If we can say that resources are our determinations, so i will say determination
10.Milestones have to be clear, otherwise we don't know we achieve them
12. years, visualization is main technique in many number of motivation techniques
Unknown said…
I'm not always organized but I like making lists and plan things like you. I find it much easier to complete tasks if I have a list and a deadline. Sometimes I feel like I have to make lists because I would just forget everything I have to do ;)

I watched the second video in the article and I don't agree with two points. I love multitasking. I'm pretty much always doing a few things at the time and I really like it this way. I always finish what I start and it doesn't distract me. I often listen or watch something while working. I also don't think that becoming an early riser is a good solution for everybody. Last week there was an article here about biological clock and I'm definitely working better at night. I can focus better and I have more energy. Of course I don't always get to choose when I can work (because sometimes I have to get up early) but I always preferred working late at night. It's a well known fact that people have different times of the day that they function best in.

To answer some of your questions. I think that I have defined my most important goals but I have clear deadlines only for my day to day tasks - like passing this semester and getting everything done for classes. I like planning important things but I also love to do things spontaneously and I wouldn't like to have my whole life planed day after day. I want to travel a lot in life, do some cool creative projects and be happy and that's the things I would like to achieve. I find it quiet interesting that I have to plan my day to day activities but I've never went on a fully planned vacation (I have never been anywhere with a travel agency). I took a lot of road trips where I didn't know where I would stay or stop (for now most of them with my parents ;)) and these were some of the coolest experiences of my life :)
Unknown said…
I really love to plan everything :) But I am rather more into the week-day planning :) I am trying to do a week plan every friday, and i set tasks for whole week :) According to more longtime planning – once a half year I am trying to set some bigger milestones that I want to do add to all of the things, that I have to do.

Sometimes I have a feeling that I spend more time on planning than on doing :D But I know that without plan I wouldn't do anything :) And it helps me systematise my work and deal with all my obligations.

The funny thing is that in the past I was totally addicted to paper calendar, I couldn't imagine life without it, but now I don't need it anymore since I moved to online one. It was unbelievable for me to leave paper way of planning but now it's even better :) What about you? Do you prefer paper way of planning or are you using software? :)
Unknown said…
Yeah, I think it's very important to have a plan for a next day/week/month/year and I also noticed that it makes me more effective and productive as you said.
Unknown said…
Yeah, that's absolutely right! Being open for changes is essentials, I think it is quite impossible to always go with a plan. When I am doing my to-do list I almost never fulfil all goals, but fulfiling even 50% is still some kind of achievement :D
Unknown said…
I know that feeling when you spend more time on planning :D
As for me paper calendar or a board with a lot of stickers are still the best ones.
Now I'm looking for a good online one, can you recommend something?
Unknown said…
I agree with you about the fact that people have different biological clocks.
Sometimes I like multitasking, but I noticed that I work better when I'm doing everything step by step, especially when it's really important thing to do.
And yes, I also love to listen to music or something like that while working.
Unknown said…
True! Even 50% is better than nothing at all :)
MartaSB said…
I think I'm a quite good planner. I usually have at least one calendar (in a form of a book) with all important events written. I keep track of progress of my tasks and make schedules for future assignments. I like to have all my stuff organized, because then I can fully enjoy my free time (and I have more of it that way).
rf. said…
At some point in my life I've said 'a lack of organization is the best organization' and that is true to some extent. Planning is essential to achieving your goals, that's true, but you need to always remember not to become a slave to your vision of future (what we can call a plan). What I prefer to do instead is having some outlines of things you want or need to achieve and then using available resources to their full extent in order to succeed. Having a busy timetable helps to maximize your productivity and makes your time pass way quicker. For some very efficient (in terms of things done) periods in my life i remember very few details. And it's the small things that counts, and makes our life happy :)
Unknown said…
I also like to keep my day organized. I can definitely achieve more, while having clear goals for each day. However, I prefer organizing my time on daily/weekly basis. Having strong goals for a whole year never really worked for me.
Unknown said…
I'm not really good at organizing my everyday life, but I try. Simply put, I sometimes manage to create a comprehensive plan and follow it to the end, and another time it doesn't work because of some personal reasons (usually). But, when I have a project to complete I try to organize as much as possible. I don't always have a clear deadline and it's usually not my fault. But personally, I really prefer to have one. It helps me to organize my work, split it into managable phases which I can complete one small step after another. In general, I believe I'm better at creating and applying a plan to achieve a specific goal (usually a long-term one), but poor at sustaining daily routines. It's better than nothing. c:
Unknown said…
I should really make use of those tips in my life, as i don't have time managment at all, so it's very hard to do stuff...
Dominika Suszek said…
I liked the videos, especially the second one. I think they are very helpful.
I have to organize everything, because I always have so many things to do during a day that it would be hard to life without a plan :) In my opinion it is so easier to wake up everyday and know exactly what are you going to do.
Anonymous said…
My most importand goal and its' details are my private thing so I will only refer to the first part of the article. I cannot organise my time in better way, the day just lacks around 8 hours so those advices are useless to me.
Unknown said…
Planning of our day is a very important aspect in our life because thanks to the organized schedule we will spend less time for stupid things and more for pleasures and relax. A book Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy helped me a lot in planning my days. It is a book which contains a lot of good advice on how to organize your time better.
I belive that organinzing all the tasks and duities in the daily routine will always improve overall effectivness of everything we do and allow for a person to have more time. That said, people are often to lazy to make a schedule and stick by it – I know I am!
Seisyll said…
Have you defined your most important goal?
Yes, my major.

Do you have a clear deadline?
Till the end of the next week.

How will you measure your success?
By getting at least B.

What is the reason you wish to achieve your goal?
So I can brag to the others, also because I will probably need it later, but I would not want to do it then.

What benefits do you expect to gain by reaching your goal?
Benefit of being able to brag about it.

What are the consequences of not achieving your goal?
I won't be able to brag about having it.

What are the obstacles to achieving your goal?
Exam, and also examiners.

What are the solutions to overcoming your obstacles?
Relearning everything I should have learned already.

What are some possible resources to help you attain your goal?
Notes and bunch of pdfs.

What are the clear milestones on your path to success?
Submit my project, so it can be checked.

Who have you told about your goal?
People I will want to brag about having a major.

Have you visualized what your success will look like?
I will be bragging about having it.
You should try method called GTD (Getting Things Done). Like all time management and productivity method it is based on noting down all goals and tasks for various period like (week, month, quarter, year etc.) I tried it myself and it helped me a lot even though I did not follow it completely.
I am really keen on organising my life but to some point. For exapmle I love making lists, writing everything down, and when I finish someting I put "checked" next to it. I even like to put down really small things because when I accomplishe them I feel good that I have done so much:P Does anyone do something like that?
I totally agree, when I have plan what I am going to do the next day, my day is so much more effective....
Nowadays there are a lot of app, which can help us stay organised but I prefer to use my pen and notebook. Especially one witch nice cover and hight quality paper...I love such stuff:P
Marcin Lyzwa said…
I loved your article! It's perfect for me today. Recently I started to have small problems with organising my time, I become more lazy and less effective. I think it's because of weather outside. I've never had before such problem, and your article, those questions are very helpful to me. I definitely need to buy a new calendar :)
Unknown said…
When it comes to calendars I don't really need to synchronise it with my computer, I keep everything on my phone. Essential for me is to have week view :) I love to think in weeks :D
I really like app called wunderlist to plan short tasks and any kanban online to track my week :)
Mateusz Frycie said…
I'm not a very well organized person but I'm doing my best to change that. I think the best way is to stop procrastinating and start planning the most important tasks and completing them on a regular basis. What's more one have to stop looking for excuses that help us postpone things to be done.
Unknown said…
I agree with you that when you have all things organized you can manage your free time.
Unknown said…
Yes, if you have clear described goals it's easier to achive them.
I can recommend a SMART method to describe your goals.
Here is an article about this method if you are interested: http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Goals
Unknown said…
You definetly should start using these tips! As for me, when you have day/week plan you are much more productive and do important things on time.
So try it
Unknown said…
I agree with both of you girls! Time management works!
Unknown said…
Of course they are your private things! As I wrote there are 12 questions to ask YOURSELF at the start of new year, you don't have to write answeres right here :)
But I'm glad that someone divide his/her thoughts!
Unknown said…
I've never heard about this book, but I will take note. Thanks!
Unknown said…
I'm glad you found this article helpful!
And I agree that weather influences our state at some point. I look forward to the sunny weather!
Unknown said…
I do! I use Google keep for those check lists :)
Unknown said…
True! For me the best are still notes or notebook and pen.
Unknown said…
And if you want to stop procrastinating you should start creating to do lists and then start planning your time.
Unknown said…
Thank you for your answers!
Unknown said…
Well, long-term goals are also very important! I started from them.
Unknown said…
I always want to have a plan, but it’s so difficult for me. I necessarily should work about management my time. I have „a little” problem with it :P Tomorrow I will do list ;) Thank you for your video and whole presentation. It’s great and very important topic. Thanks. Maybe I will record, analyze and change ;) Tomorrow of course :P
Unknown said…
"Tomorrow" is a bad word :D

Here is an interesting article about planning http://www.wikihow.com/Form-a-Plan
Julia Osiak said…
Your article was very insightful. I like to make lists and plan out my next steps, but even though I wouldn't describe myself as the most organized person. I know that I need to work on my time management and I even make a plan to do so. Making a plan to make a plan, how ironic :p Hopefully the questions and videos that you posted will help me to clarify my goals and set a clear path to achieve them :)
Unknown said…
1. My goals change with time, when I achieve one, I pass to another.
2. It depends on the job I do.
3. I frequently ask myself a question „Am I satisfied with what I’m doing?”. That’s how I measure my success. If the answer is „no”, I try to change my ways.
4. I want to be happy and live a full life.
5. Fulfilment.
6. Frustration.
7. Usually it’s a mixture of not enough time and things that distract me.
8. I guess it’s just better organisation of your time.
9. Having enough sleep, good food and determination.
10. Exercising, eating well, reading and not forgetting your ultimate goal.
11. I don’t understand the question. I share my goals with people I care about and who can give me some constructive feedback.
12. Yes I have. I have a beautiful vision fulfilled with brightness and happiness.
Interesting article but in my opinion the time management is not for everyone. Some people just lack of simple will of going through all those points :) In my experience usually its a good idea to get up in the morning with a good music and try to visualize you day before you start doing anything, and that should be quite enough for most people. I am usually trying not to think about anything else then the thing i have to do, and try to remember to award your self in the end of a day :)

Popular posts from this blog

Week 11 [03-09.06.2019] The problem with ecological cars emission in UK

The problem with ecological cars emission in UK Since the adoption of the European Emission Allowance Directive in the European Parliament, all car makers have tried to submit. Since 1992, the Euro I standard has been in force, which limited the emission of carbon monoxide to the atmosphere. The Euro VI standard currently applies, which limits the series of exhaust gases. These include: hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon oxides, and dust.   The most significant change was brought by the Euro IV standard. For the first time it introduced the limitation of nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for the harmful compounds of smog.   What is smog?   Smog consists of sulfur oxides, nitrogen and carbon. In addition, solid substances such as suspended dust (PM). Dust suspend in atmospheric aerosols may be in liquid and solid form. These can be particles of sea salt, clouds from the Sahara and artificial compounds made by people. These compounds often come fr

Week 12 (12.01-18.01.15) Are you an early bird or a night owl ?

Owls are nocturnal creatures. They’re wide awake at night and they sleep during the day. If this sounds like bliss to you, then, like about 20 percent of the population who find themselves most active at around 9 pm, you may fall into the same category as our feathered friend. Night owls often have difficulty waking up in the morning, and like to be up late at night.  Studies of animal behaviour indicate that being a night owl may actually be built into some people’s genes. This would explain why those late-to-bed, late-to-rise people find it so difficult to change their behaviour. The trouble for night owls is that they just have to be at places such as work and school far too early. This is when the alarm clock becomes the night owl’s most important survival tool. Experts say that one way for a night owl to beat their dependence on their alarm clocks is to sleep with the curtains open. The Theory is that if they do so, the morning sunlight will awaken them gently and naturally.

Week 4 [06-12.11.2017] This is what happens when you reply to spam email.

James Veitch is a British comedian. In today’s Ted Talk James with characteristic for himself a sense of humor shows how he deals with spam emails and why responding to junk messages may be sometimes dangerous. Questions: What do you think about James’s  way of dealing with spam? Why are junk messages legal, even though it sometimes may be a fraud? Dou you have a problem with spam? How do you deal with with it?