Getting Organized: Box yourself in and get the job done!

The other day, feeling overwhelmed, I sat down for a chat with my mom for some advice. Her words of wisdom? “You’re just doing too much, Maria!” Jeeze, mom, I KNOW that! Come on!

Of course my mother is right. “Your generation does too much.” Yeah, I know it, but I gotta do what I gotta do, you know? After some further debate, my mom, giving up her campaign to erase half of my schedule, told me that I have too many balls in the air at once. She reminded me to focus on one thing at a time. I am a creative at heart and LOVE to have lots of things going at once. It stimulates me. But, mom has a point.
So, I decided to get back to using a great organizational tool, one I have used when in a pinch. The box. Not a cardboard box, but a TIME box. Because most of us have so many different balls in the air, we can fall into the habit, as I most recently did, of trying to focus on too much at once. Where that left me was feeling overwhelmed, fatigued and with a feeling of not being able to finish anything.

The trick? Box your tasks, right on your calendar. As a creative at heart, I don’t like to be boxed in. I want the freedom to go with the flow and follow my creative juices. But the problem? Sometimes you just need a little structure. So, now I have boxed myself in. How did I do it? Simple. Take a look.

1. I made a list of all the categories I have to deal with. For example: Paperwork/ filing, my website, the college courses I teach, chores around the house, work related to my therapy and coaching practice, etc.

2. I listed the tasks I have to do for each of these. (This gave me a better idea of the time commitment I need for them).

3. I found the time in my calendar and inserted each of the categories IN A BLOCK OF TIME based on the time needed.

The end result? Pretty good. I’d rather have more freedom, but organizing this gives me more time. By focusing on one thing at a time, I keep my focus and my momentum flowing, instead of the stop and start I had fallen into. Plus, I have less slippage. Keeping track of my schedule a little more aggressively allows me to get more done during the day. I have less “dead” time. So, I get more done in less time. And you know what? That gives me the freedom of more time, which is worth boxing things in a bit. So, here’s to the wisdom of mamma!


Another good tip: The Organizer's 30 Second Rule