Despite Best Intentions

I have had several Blogs in my head I want to do next but I think it is catch up time. I probably should have called this Life Re-Org.

I can't say I have been doing nothing. My life is rich with tasks to accomplish and poor with cash but I have new goals, and new found drive to make progress to completion.

I have been reading a book called "Getting Things Done" by David Allen.

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280

This book is helping me focus on being proactive and more productive at achieving my goals. The wonderful thing about goals is it costs nothing to set them. Implementing goals can be a different story but it is wonderful getting them done.

The focus of the "Getting Things Done" is that we all have a laundry list of stuff to do constantly swirling around in our heads. This swirling list keeps us from focusing on execution. Our heads are distracted by just trying to remember stuff. The deal is to get the swirl out of your head and stored somewhere so tasks can be managed and completed. After you capture the tasks you can organize them it a way to know status. The big benefit is stress is reduced by freeing up brain time. I don’t find myself doing a task and thinking about the other 10,000 I have to do the more I off load. If I remember something working on another task I just add it to the list right then. The big key is to have the list near you and in a form so you can manage it to execution and completion.

I have spent money on software. I bought Omnifocus for the iPhone and Mac. The software is very powerfull for organizing. You can move tasks around, check them off. I have found it work really well to input in to my iPhone and edit and sort on my Mac.

https://store.omnigroup.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/OnlineStore.woa/1/wo/Q51Sv7kHefZ72DoNbzB27WuGEFT/0.0.14.1.1.1.0.0



It gives me an Inbox to put projects and tasks in so I can organize them. I tried putting a lot of stuff in there but I found my project binder works better for capturing work things. Later I set action items and put them in to Omnifocus. Omnifocus has deadlines and tracking ability so I can see where I am.

I can sync the Mac and the iPhone.






One of the things that I feel has grown out of my chanting is a new found ability to organize things in ways I was never able to do before. I have been sorting through papers and boxes I have had for years that were just piled up on other boxes of stuff I had for years. I used to joke that my condo was "The World's Most Expensive Storage space". It was true we were always on the road. We were home long enough to recover and head back out. I spent 16 months on site a few years back. Not to mention that both of us used to have 4 bedroom houses. We were crammed in to a 1 bedroom place was it was crazy. I realized a few days ago as a child I never had organized storage for my stuff. I had a big table and everything went on that. Once a month I would do a clean up on my table.

So I have been working sorting through boxes and organizing. One night I did my tool drawers. I removed all the tools from each drawer, cleaned out the drawers and re-organized. It is so easy to find tools now. I also removed all the bits of stuff floating around in my tools. I had screws, connectors, hooks, and washers everywhere. I organized all the hardware in to other boxes.






Yesterday we swapped how the sliding glass door opens. Sandi has a new home business as a seamstress. We have had a table set up in the living room in front of the TV.















We gave up having a dining table when I needed an area for chanting. Besides normally we eat either in front of our laptops or on the coffee table.















Sandi's sewing table in front of the TV reminded me of a Production Control Room. Yesterday we raised our Analog CRT TV up so it worked for the table and now it even works for the couch. Flopping the sliding glass door let us maximize the space. It was easy to do and cost really nothing. The cat is still adjusting to having her cat door moved and I have never seen so much carpet visible since we first saw the place empty.

We both feel so much better with the place clean and organized. It removes a huge level of stress. If you really want to make a difference in your life do a big purge and change your environment! Remove clutter. People that know me know I have long been a “Piler” I make piles of stuff and then ignore them. I am determined to change this bad habit. I have a plan and I am working it.






I wanted to share a few projects with you I want to take on mainly because they will be the subjects of future blogs.

Things for home:
Remodel Bathroom
Building a Medicine cabinet.
New Tub / Shower
Flooring
Cottage cheese removal.
Composting.
Deck Vegetable garden.

I find the more I have cleaned my mind of clutter, the more I can focus on real life clutter, the more I clear my mind. It's awesome.

Oh ya I am running for the Condo Board.

Cheers

April