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Category: Life
i had a lot of stuff i was trying to accomplish at once in March and April. I was teaching several days a week, gigging, editing 2 CDs, and taking a standup comedy class.So I came up with some time-saving techniques:
-check e mail only once a day
-keep a master to do list and use a highlighter to select the stuff that just can't wait
-have different tote bags for different places: guitar teaching, gym, comedy class. then you can just grab and go.
-every night before going to bed, prep for the next day with packing lists (if you're going somewhere), set lists, directions printed out, and a short to-do list of the 2-4 things that MUST get done that day. it's important to keep that list short. then anything else that gets done is a bonus.
-i have a system of post-it notes by my bathroom mirror. i have one for wed. that says "teach at 330 leave by 240" thurs says "teach at 2 leave by 115" one that just says "GIG" one that says "comedy class 6pm" one that says "teach guitar class at 7". Sometimes there are 2 or 3 post-its for one day.
-i have a box of index cards on my desk where i jot down ideas for essays, blogs, songs. i put them in the front, pull the blanks for the back.
-re: getting the cd done fast, i spent a lot of time in prep before going in to the studio. i transcribed the entire thing, every "um" and every single word i said, with the time next to it. (as in "35:02 into the recording, somebody coughed"). we plowed through the editing really fast, and the engineer was impressed with how much homework i did. and it saved me both money, and my presently scarcest commodity, time. it's the old
"measure twice, cut once" adage at work.
-and lastly i think multitasking sucks, and i'm getting more into single-tasking when i can. isn't it messed up that i had to invent a word for doing one thing at a time? i like to work on a project for 2 solid days, or 2 solid months if i can. it's been proven that interruptions cost you far more time than just the interruption- you lose your momentum and have to back up and start over on whatever you were doing. so i'm all for plowing through and focusing on one thing whenever possible. gets rid of that "where was i?" cloud of confusion.
then i went into extreme time management mode, which i really don't recommend: -combine errands into one trip -postpone errands trip -stop socializing -forget how to relax -cut back on sleep -stop going to the gym - take really fast showers -wash hair once a week, max -on second thought, shave head -eat nothing but meal replacement bars -ignore all phone calls -talk to spouse once a week -make to-do lists -ignore to-do lists
you, too, can lose your sense of humor (and friends) in this easy to follow 14-step program.
5:50 AM
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