So many organizing efforts are focused on containing items out of sight and out of mind.  There are, however, things that we need to make a point of acting on, that should NOT be hidden.  Quite the opposite.  We need things to stick out like a sore thumb to compel us to action.  Those are the compelements.   Here are some examples.

To do list
The old stand by.  Crossing stuff off the list makes us feel like we are getting a lot done, but we tend to cross off the easiest stuff first and the bigger, more important goals keep getting rewritten on subsequent to-do lists. Under the cover of a notebook, however, the to-do list is about as compelling as folded clothes in a drawer.
Smart phone
Setting  an alarm on your smart phone can be a great way to alert you to certain fixed events.   If you depend on this for everything, however, it’s hard to get a sense of what’s coming and many alerts may take you by surprise.  It may happen so often that you are not able to act on all the actions you are alerted to.
Computer  monitor
It’s all very well to collect your compelements as to-do’s on your computer monitor, but do they still feel compelling when you open another program or that screen saver pops up? Of course not.
Bulletin board
A classic compelement collector.  Problem is, if there a large collection of compelements all over the board, then NONE of them may have a compelling effect.  There is no focus with a bulletin board.
Post-It’s on monitor.
OK, I often see these compelements in my line of work.  In fact, I see them a lot.  The problem with these is they always take a secondary role to what’s on the monitor and often tend take up residence there for days and weeks, sometimes longer.
Task collector
This is my choice, one that I shared last week in The Weekly Round Up.  The task collector stands out, so you MUST notice it.  Tasks can be simply re-prioritized by moving simple Post-It notes around.  Long term projects can be broken up and worked into your weekly schedule so that they are remembered and realistic.  The task collector is a compelement that is as compelling as you need it to be.

What compelements work well for you?

I would add notepads to this list and exclude binders, which can be useful for reference material.  The problem I have with notebooks is that they tend to trap information in and there it stays.  There is no plan for retrieval and no way to organize ideas in a useful way.

The idea behind notebooks tends to be to capture ideas as they come to us.  A single notebook can include to-do lists, doodles, calculations, poems, phone numbers, brainstorms, quotes, floor plans, websites, and so much more.  Creative projects, accessible information, and action items all belong in quite separate places.  If they are all bound together, hidden inside that notebook, they will probably go no further.  You can kiss your creativity, accessibility, and activity good bye.

The notebook problem gets worse.  There is rarely just one notebook with current information.  Many notebooks leads to much confusion.  This confusion is compounded by the fact that there are often multiple categories represented on a single page.  It can be very easy to forget that you had written down the number for the electrician on that page of calculations and doodles.

I recommend collecting bits of information in an envelope labeled “information to enter.”  Then it becomes an action.  This action may involve entering the information from the business cards, scraps of paper, and Starbucks napkins into a database or an address book.  It’s also a task that is so straight forward that it can be delegated.

For action items I’m a big fan of little post-its arranged on your day’s schedule by priority.  I like the adjustability of them.  They are moveable,  visible, and useable, not locked  in a book.

Creative projects may make sense in a notebook, but it is much easier to organize the project if you use a loose leaf notebook.

Odds are, if your notebook is bound up, your ideas, information, and productivity will be too.

Am I wrong? Do you stay beautifully organized with notebooks?

So what does choosing headlines from a newspaper have to do with getting your pile of to-do’s to done? Actually quite a lot. Unlike a table of contents in a book, which gives you an idea of what’s coming, but assumes you will follow it in order, the front page of a newspaper allow you to prioritize, based on what headlines are grabbing you at the moment. I believe the most effective to-do list works like the front page of a newspaper. Here’s how:

1. Headlines Are Short

Headlines are designed to say just enough to get you to read the article. Nothing more. They are not a summary, let alone the full story. If you rely on that pile of competing projects on your desk to compel you to action, it’s like looking at several different newspaper stories at once. The natural choice is to get overwhelmed and choose NONE of them. If, however, you can summarize that intimidating pile into a few well-worded actions, it is much easier to see where you stand and prioritize.

2. Headlines Grab Your Attention

A good headline cannot be ignored. If you want to compel yourself to act on something, choose the words that will get your attention, not just any boring description. For example, instead of writing “update website” write “outline 5 FAQs [10](minutes).” “Update website” may well be a very important to-do item, but it is way too general to expect action. On the other hand, “outline” is a limited starting action, “FAQs” represents a specific menu, and “10” represents a limited time commitment. Specific goals get specific results.

3. Headlines Connect You To The Full story

At the end of each headline snippet there is a section and page number reference that connects you to the full story. As noted, your to-do list headlines should be limited to just enough to connect you to the larger project. Let’s say that headline is “review Acme research project.” That headline can fit on a 1-3/8 x 1-7/8 Post-It note on a single page of other daily to-do’s, but it can connect to a one inch stack of paper, which may be the actual Acme research project. This one inch stack simply represents an item you need to be able to find reliably, but it doesn’t need to waste valuable real estate on your work surface. You just need a reliable headline and a user-friendly filing system.

The front page of a newspaper gives you a single focus zone. It provides a forum to quickly choose your shifting priorities and connect to a fuller story based on your urgencies of the moment. When you finish with the full story you want that singular front page to return to for the next story. An effective to-do list needs to work in the same way. If everything is important then nothing is important.

Do you sometimes find that you have so much on your plate that you don’t feel like you can start on ANY of it?

When you give your team clearly defined goals and instructions, it is more likely that you will get the results you seek. This is less obvious when we are a team of one.   This could be for a goal that’s as important as “create website for Acme” or as mundane as “organize home”. What both of these goals have in common is that they are too big to put on a to-do list.  I’ll choose the latter example to demonstrate, since it’s what I know best.

A to-do list is a collection of tasks you are essentially delegating to yourself. For this to-do list to be effective the tasks must be like good set ups in volleyball, except that is YOU who will be doing the spike. So don’t set something that is too far over your head. Subdividing by room is a start, but it’s even more effective to break it down further. The home office, for example may go like this:

Set 1. “clear desk surface”

Set 2. sort the contents into simple categories, including “items to file.”

Spike! file items from desk.

You will be much more likely to spike your task if the set is focused like “clear desk surface”than if it is overwhelming like “organize home office.”

Where the volleyball analogy may fall short is the fact that in real life, your goals often get interrupted. That’s OK. In this example, if the spike has to wait until tomorrow it will still be easier to file a sorted pile of “items to file” than if it was mixed in with yesterday’s mess on the desk.  You have advanced forward on your bigger goal because you have given yourself a series of smaller more manageable sets and that has put you in a better position to deliver a spike in the right place.

TODAY’S KEY TO UNLOCKING CLUTTER: Break down your big goals into a manageable series of sets and spikes.

The Weekend Myth.

It’s Monday morning again and you’ve blown another “golden opportunity” to assemble your photo album from your trip to Europe and to read that great novel all your friends are talking about. Forgive yourself. This is an example of the weekend myth we tell ourselves. The myth is that a weekend is an open-ended stretch of time to catch up on things. In reality it’s only two unscheduled mornings and two afternoons, which tend to evaporate into activities like doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, sleeping in, and going to the beach, the movies, or the ball game. The key to finding peace with yourself Monday is not to be overly ambitious Friday. You need this opportunity to do house chores, enjoy friends and family, and recharge your batteries. Maybe you schedule an hour Sunday afternoon to start that photo album.

Know Your Natural Rythms.

Some people’s energy levels peak first thing in the morning, others really get going after dinner.  Don’t fight these natural rhythms.  Make adjustments to work WITH them.  For example, if you are required to be in at work at nine and you are not a morning person, see if you can take the train into work instead of your car, so you can some extra winks on the commute.

The “Rainy Day” Plan.

The “Rainy Day” plan is fundamentally flawed.   I have seen no evidence that anyone is ever more acclimated to organizing their old playbills during bad weather than during fair weather.  Furthermore, MOST projects need to be done indoors anyway.  In fact, given the weather this year, it would make sense to plan for “sunny day” projects! The “rainy day” plan is simply false energy relief.

Sharpen Your Saw.

Exercise, rest, and proper nutrition are more than just nice ideas.   They are essential tools to fuel your productivity.  If you’re working from home and you’re in a daze, a 10 minute nap can do wonders to your energy levels.  Always running 10 minutes late to work?  Take a 15 minute brisk walk first thing in the morning.  This seems counterintuitive, but it gives you enough energy to make up for the 15 minute walk PLUS the 10 minutes you are late.  Invest in energy, YOUR energy, and it pays major dividends.

Allow Flexibility in Schedule.

An overwhelming schedule is one of the surest ways to drain your energy.   The problems with schedules and to do lists is that they are unrealistic.  Why? Because they don’t factor in flexibility and perspective, both essential to working with time, not against it.   Solution:  I use a computerized system to print out a daily schedule, but it is ONLY for fixed appointments, not to-dos.  Those I put on little post its, some of which I get to and cross off, the rest I move to the following day or days.  This helps manage your priorities and leaves openings for crucial moments to stand back and reflect.

Live in the Moment.

If you are spending all your energy cataloging your past and sacrificing for the future, it’s hard to enjoy the here and now and this drains your energy further.  Living in the moment is not only essential to staying organized, but is essential to finding happiness.  You can get some great advice on finding happiness at Zen Habits.

TODAY’S KEY TO UNLOCKING CLUTTER:  Don’t set out for an ambitious destination before factoring in the size of your gas tank.

REACHING GOALS

January is the month we like to make a fresh start.  Getting organized is a very popular New Year’s resolution and this month I would like talk specifically about how to stick to the goals we set.  These goals can be as small as focusing on “simple” errands or as large as creating a website.

Shop and awe.  So you’ve got your shopping list, you know exactly what you want, then you step into the store and KERPLUNK, your focus is sunk!  Sound familiar?  Well, I’m delighted to say I’ve discovered that the same system for restoring my focus in the home office works in the store. If you are serious about getting things done, your approach must be active, not passive.  The multitude of distractions that attack your senses and compete for your attention in a store will overwhelm a passive approach, every time.  Since the distractions are many, your focus must be singular.  Obviously you don’t have that luxury if you are shopping with young children, but the point is to have just one compelling place to return your focus, so you can get out of the store as fast as possible.  So what kind of “compelling place” do I recommend? What works for me is a two pocket clear folder available at jampaper.com. It has enough structure to stand up in the front basket of a shopping cart.  In the front I put a page of the day’s plan.  There will be fixed events like “4:00 meeting” and flexible goals like “buy Post-its and Sharpies”.  I like to write down these flexible goals on little Post-it notes with something bold say, oh I don’t know, a Sharpie.  I use the pockets for coupons and gift certificates I want to make a point of using and receipts I need to collect.  It’s critical to empty these pockets daily.

 Getting closer by stepping back.  Sometimes the best thing to do when you feel like you’re not getting any closer to your goals is to step back from them.  That may sound like a contradiction, but refreshing your perspective may be just the thing you need to get more focus.  If you trying to get a project done at work, refreshing your perspective might be as simple as stepping outside and taking that lunch break you typically deny yourself in the interest of getting more done.  It’s the equivalent of taking the time to sharpen the saw.  When you are sharper, you will cut through more.  OK, so you’ve cut through all the To-Dos on your work list AND your personal list and you STILL feel like you’ve gotten nowhere.  It may be time to reevaluate your priorities.  If everything is important then nothing’s important.  This reevaluation can happen on the train home while the thoughts are still fresh in your head, or during that half hour between your two favorite TV shows, or while you’re unwinding before bed.  Struggling to get a lot of things done can feel like getting tied up in an elaborate knot.  To untie a knot, sometimes it’s helpful to work it from both ends.  To get perspective it’s helpful to not only to list your top priorities, but also recognize the time wasters that compete with them.  For help with this, I highly recommend looking at Dr. Stephen Covey’s approach with the Time Management Matrix.  Back in the trenches you will feel better about doing the boring tasks that bring you closer to your dreams and find it easier to say “no” to the urgent but unimportant tasks that get in the way.

Divide and Conquer.  Traditional to-do lists tend not to work because of the natural temptation to take care of the quickest goals first.  The more we cross off the list, the more we feel like we are getting things done.   We don’t feel satisfied, however, because we don’t see ourselves any closer to those big important goals.  So how exactly do you stay on top of daily projects & errands and accomplish big important goals at the same time? The short answer is divide and conquer.  I offer a more complete description in my July newsletter under the final tip, “To Do List.”  Let’s say that one of your big goals for the year is to update your website.  Obviously this big goal consists of LOTS of little goals.  What is necessary to manage all these little goals are two separate elements that are missing in the traditional To-Do list:  a place to collect little goals and an plan to prioritize them.  The Project Corral allows for both.  Collect the goals as you think of them on little post its in a clear envelope and distribute them on your daily to-do lists every week. 

This brings us full circle to the first tip, where I talk about using the To Do list in a store.

DROPS IN A BUCKET

Getting the most out of your time requires many of the same principles as getting the most out of your space, including benefiting from a series of small gains rather than expecting one big one.

Creating space is my central promise.  One of the things I like to tell people is that creating space does not happen by finding a hidden door that leads to an empty room.  It happens by making a series of small space gains that add up like drops in a bucket.  That’s why small victories are so important.  Rather than thinking of them as ONLY drops in a bucket, think of them as steps in a journey.  To ensure that these drops accumulate, not evaporate, it is necessary to make a habit of rethinking WHY you are keeping items every day.  The same principles that apply to creating physical space also apply to creating schedule space.  Here are some times saving drops of advice that can turn into a bucket full of time.

1. Make friends with your trashcan.  Make a habit of tossing.  Toss often.  Tossing will set you free.  As I stated in my last two newsletters, every usable item you keep ultimately requires that you do one of two things:  ACT on it or FIND it.  The less you keep, the less time you spend worrying about acting or worrying about finding.  Don’t look forward to the daily mail for new and exciting opportunities.  Look at the daily mail only as an opportunity to set yourself free.  Sure, we are all bound by the bills for services that serve us, but the rest is all an opportunity for you to exercise your control.  Question EVERYTHING you keep by asking “is this REALLY going to make my life easier or better?”  Space obstacles create time obstacles.  Finally, if you have issues with contributing to landfills, then make efforts to stop the excess at the source.  I’ll be happy to tell you how, but no one benefits by holding on to more stuff than they need.

2. When paper beats digital.  I’m no Luddite.  I am connected to my Blackberry, desktop, and laptop almost every waking minute, but it is important to remember that those devices are just tools and, like all tools, they serve us best when we use them for the purposes they are best suited.   What a timesaver it is to type a new clients information in to my computer and sync it to my handheld.  And what a timesaver it is to enter an appointment on my handheld and sync it to my computer.  But when it comes to daily tasks, I draw the line.  In the course of a day, circumstances and priorities change so fast, that I just haven’t found a digital system flexible enough to keep up with those changes.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to challenge anyone who HAS found a digital system that works for them, I’m simply saying if you haven’t, it’s OK.  I like using small Post-It notes on my daily print-out so I don’t have to rewrite what I don’t get to.   I just move the Post-Its to the afternoon or the next day.  Sometimes I don’t even write the reminder ONCE.  If there’s a small note from someone else or an ad I want to respond to, I just tape it to my To-Do list.  Bottom line, digital systems are great, but it’s good to be aware of how much time can be wasted with things like entry, reentry, printing, reprinting, or inaccessibility.

3. Sort tasks.  When putting your To-Do list together, sort tasks just as you would sort your clutter:  like with like.   Nothing new here.  It’s the same thinking that was behind Henry Ford’s innovation of the assembly line.  When you do the same kind of tasks repeatedly, you move much faster than if you are jumping from one type of task to another.  This can be as small as slitting open your daily mail all at once or as important as doing your sales calls all at once.   Of course you can’t always do this, but it is well worth trying to organize your tasks by like activities whenever possible.

4.  Frequency trumps importance.  In previous newsletters I have talked about how clear priorities are essential to effective time management and I stand by that here.  However, important goals do not necessarily manifest themselves in important possessions and important possessions should not get in the way of the mundane tasks that need to happen OFTEN and EASILY.  For example, let’s say you have a passion for cooking and you love your collection of cookbooks.  Let’s also say you HATE recycling because it’s nothing but wasting valuable time processing garbage.  You’ve got your cookbook collection filling your pantry and your empty bottles and cans are lined up on the counter, waiting to go to the garage.  As much as you love to cook, you access those cookbooks no more than once a week.  On the other hand your family produces recyclable material 20 times a day.  Perhaps those cookbooks can go on that empty shelf in the dining room and you can put two small recycling containers in your pantry, freeing up your counter space for cooking.   You can hate recycling, but unfortunately it’s here to stay and it’s the law, so you might as well have an easy system that gets you through it as quickly as possible.

5. R.A.M. for your schedule.  A computer cannot function with every megabyte filled up with data, yet somehow we believe it is possible for us to function well by stuffing planned activity into every hour of the day.  To make the most of your time, it is important to create some Random Access Memory in your day.  Perhaps the idea of sacrificing some time to create time sounds contradictory, but think of it this way.  If you allow some time to step back, get perspective, catch your breath, (maybe even rest!), you are, in effect, sharpening the saw, so that you can cut far more trees than you could with a dull saw.   Just as the computer requires open memory to process information, you require open time to process tasks.

You may earn $20 thousand or you may earn $20 million, but either way you only have 24 hours a day. You don’t have to make a million dollars to make sense of how you spend your time.  Whether we’re talking water drops, cents, or minutes, they all add up to significant gains, if you know how to keep them from slipping though your fingers!