The basis of all organization and productivity [Hack Your Day]
I think that there is one part of organization and management which is either not stressed enough, or people sort of “voluntarily” forget about it, because it’s probably one of the hardest, and least fun of all.
I am of course talking about our friend persistence. The ability to keep at it, even if you feel it’s no fun, and even if you feel it’s a bother. I am exactly the type of guy who finds this the hardest, because I like to work in different environments. I will start using Remember the Milk, then one day get bored of it and use Todoist, then go to my Moleskine and so on. In essence I don’t think it really matters which one you use, as long as you use something.
What you should do, and what I’m trying to force myself to do, is to use just one method. It could be that the method is not for me, but the fact that I become bored with it doesn’t mean it’s ineffective, or unproductive for me. The benefits of organization will only in the long run anyway, so you can’t really base your decision on something like “this is boring me”. You need to accept that with anything in life there are the ups and the downs.
I believe that you can sort of put a graph to how people like me manage themselves. They start using an application and because of the initial “new smell” they are very motivated. The graph increases exponentially in this case, but then it starts slowing down in growth, becoming shallower, this is the part when the boredom kicks in. The reason is that you have put in place a sturdy system, but the rewards can not yet be seen, so you start doubting it, ultimately thinking that something new will help. If you can get past this “ditch” in your organization application usage graph (I need to trademark that), you should be ok.
Always try and remember that the reward of having an organizational system is not the fact that you have an organization system. The reward is the productivity and the clarity of your actions that achieve through the system. It’s just a tool to get things done, so even if you feel a bit bummed out about it, try and stick with it, maybe you’re onto something.
Original post here: Daniel
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