Issue Eleven – Continuous Effort, Improvement, and Progress
Planning and Processes: Processing
I am constantly looking at and considering how I spend my time. I list out all the functions and non-negotiables of my day and block the common themes together and then strategize how to fit everything else in.
I’ve used a multitude of tools and practices for looking at my time:
- Time Blocking
- Categorizing
- Scheduling
- ToDo Lists
- Apps
I’ve found that it really helps me to go deep, time everything out, figure out what is optional, can be modified, needs to be prioritized, focused on = everything from going potty, bathing and brushing teeth to ideal times to check email and eat meals.
Time blocking (or chunking) the overall segments of my day helps frame the focus for the time period of my day: Work Out, Get Ready, Commute, Open Shop, Work: Manager (Administrative) / Maker (Production), Commute Home, End of Day Wrap Up, Dinner/Family Time, Bedtime, Sleep.
Typically, the fist item accounted for is sleep. Set ideal wakeup time (5:30am), count back 8 hours and set ideal bedtime (9:30pm).
Next, the commute times, which are typically based on the times the girls need to go to or be picked up from school.
Then are the best operable shop hours, which tend to range from 9:00am to 6:00pm based on the season. While school is in session, the current shop hours are Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:00pm (6.5 hours x 5 days per week). However, my actual working hours tend to be a little more continuous/on an adjusted as necessary/business demands basis.
The remaining time slots are then placed accordingly with the most accurate availability of time.
The Current Focus: HEALTH
Lately, I’ve been placing a big priority on my health.
It has been pretty self-fulfilling to see and feel the difference in all areas of my being and daily life.
I feel healthier/lighter, happier, more energetic throughout the day, a heightened sense of determination, and (with the co-support of my wife) can officially (but without needing to) say that my health has shifted paths for the improved.
I’ve also once again reclaimed my realization that I thoroughly enjoy working out. I love the way I feel after a good workout and I crave the zone I get into while I’m doing my resistance weights and cardio routines.
The current ideal is:
- Sunday @ 9:30am: CycleBar followed by walk to achieve remaining step goal
- Monday @ 6:00am: Walk 2 miles of intervals; After work, walk to fulfill remaining step count goal
- Tuesday @ 5:30am: Workout = Resistance Machine Rotation and Elliptical HIIT; After work, walk to fulfill remaining step count goal
- Wednesday @ 6:00am: Walk 2 miles of intervals; After work, walk to fulfill remaining step count goal
- Thursday @ 5:30am: Workout = Resistance Machine Rotation and Elliptical HIIT; After work, walk to fulfill remaining step count goal
- Friday @ 6:00am: Walk 2 miles of intervals; After work, walk to fulfill remaining step count goal
*What tends to happen, based on the needs/events of the previous day, is that I end up sleeping in until 7:00am on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and pushing my walks to after work. Tuesday/Thursday I sleep until 6:00am, cramp my workout and walk more after work.
Keeping Up With Productivity: Sticking to the Plan
At the shop and with work, I am finetuning my time dedicated to production vs. the other items that keep orders filling the production schedule.
My greatest struggle tends to be my own ability to stay on task instead of bouncing from one “need to do item to another”. I blame my desire to think.
I set myself up to start doing one thing and then the thoughts of other things start coming into my mind and I end up taking actions on my thoughts instead of capturing them to address after my current task is complete.
This is where the use of the “Working Memory” is handy. I have a Google Doc that I can open on whatever computers I am working on, when I get a thought, I make a note to refer to later.
Another tactic, I’m employing is to schedule out my days/week. Estimating how long a production order is going to take, plotting it out on my planner and then filling in the other ToDos as they come along. Currently, this is a daily goal, but I am working on condensing the bulk of the planning to the first hour on Monday and do maintenance as the week progresses.
Items I’m Working On Scheduling
- Blogging
- Podcast Recording
- Bookkeeping
- Business Structure Defining
- Personal Planning
- At home ToDos
Miscellany Items of Note
- After reviewing the outcome of my last post, I’m not keen on the formatting that resulted and my ignorance to be able to change it to match the other posts. While still a useful tool in a pinch, I prefer posting from my computer browser than from a phone app.
- Apps tend to lead to more clutter and loss for me than just sticking to what is simple and still serves the purpose.
- While I have been continuing to capture some of my thoughts on X/Twitter, I increasingly consider only using my website as a platform of universal sharing. I understand that the traffic isn’t as captured as the popular social platforms, but if I keep it all here, I’m not feeding content to someone else’s purpose/benefit (ie: Zuckerberg and Musk).
And here we are at 9:15pm, with bedtime quickly approaching.
Until the Next Post….Continuous Positive Momentum….
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