Lecture LESSON FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 23RD, 2017

[Sunny Irene Roth]

Hi all,

Here is your lesson for this week. Can you please work on completing the previous lessons and then complete this one?

In order to have the best chance of a good year, it is important to reflect on your previous year, even if it was less than satisfactory. By knowing what happened last year for you not to write, you can change your mindset for this year. Otherwise, you will probably repeat your previous habits that were not very productive.

So, please take the time to reflect on the previous year. And have fun with it-even if you didn't do as much as you wanted. I didn't get as much as I wanted last either because of my surgery. But I did learn a few important things in the process--such as writing even a small amount every day can lead to success.

Have a good week all!

Irene

 

[Lisa Creane]

I use a Getting Things Done journal, though I've had to make some adjustments to it over the past year. This is the general system I use here: Tac Anderson. But I've had to move from daily lists to multi-day lists because what I like to put down for today's list will very likely take me several days, which is discouraging.

If I put it down for a three-day list, I get it pretty much all done.

Also, a daily schedule by hour is not a good use of my time. A lot of the slots are flexible, which means a lot of re-arranging, also not a good use of time.

But a three-or four-day sketch of what time is taken up by what activities and where I can put in the essentials for me (writing time, exercise, and free time) is key.

In my journal, I have 4 boxes for ongoing goals and underling tasks: Work, Family, Travel and Me.

I put relationships under Family, along with anything to do with my home.
I put spirituality under Me, and writing under Work.
A lot of the travel planning I do for other people for fun, so I block off each trip there with what needs to be done in what timeline.

What I don't do is always match the tasks to the goal, which I think would be good for my mindset. I don't think of tasks so much as "mini-goals" and they could be.

My GTD journal is also my writing journal, I just turn a page and spell out ideas, then mark it with another color tab. Last year I started a separate writing journal but I get more self-conscious of what I write there. It's a nicer journal, and I try to polish the writing and ideas rather than just letting them spill out. So they're back in the daily journal where if they're not worth pursuing I don't worry about them. I also always have this journal with me so I have no excuses for not writing down thoughts I want to.

But I also write my major goals down on index cards, which I staple together and pull off when they're done. I carry them in a clear pencil zipper pocket in my purse, pull them out to add, doodle, and absorb a few times a week. I did this during an August stretch of writer's block when I needed to write in a new kind of place, and they're deeper and more epic than I'd probably write in my much more practical daily journal.

Currently they are:

• Respond with kindness and compassion first
• Write what comes to mind
• Be clear about passions and priorities
• Focus on cause, effect and solution

I know these aren't goals, but they're more like mantras that help with the rest.

My other goals are still in motion for 2017 but I'm working on them, revising lists from last year takes a while.

But you're right, Irene. Very worthwhile Lisa