The Value of Planning

    Planning is very valuable to productivity in most cases. It is what essentially goes behind making a time budget, a detailed schedule, and as well for longer-term endeavors like goals and discovering what you really want to do. Planning is what is actually at the core of solid productivity and time management and while not everything in productivity, it plays an integral role. Here are five reasons you should plan

1. Planning will give you a guideline. Since life is not perfect and everything is going to go at least little differently than expect, having a plan puts you ahead of the game and even when off track a bit it is easier to get back on track.
2. Planning keeps you focused. When there is a plan in place, it is easier to focus on the goal because there is one. It is when there is no goal (or too many goals at the same time) when focus goes off the wall.
3. Planning increases chances of success. While there is a chance of success without a plan, it is just that, a chance. Now planning doesn’t always guarantee success; however, it does help. When a pivot is needed, this is where planning comes back in to course correct.
4. Planning strengthens other skills. Planning is a main part of executive functioning which also encompasses skills such as time management (scheduling, being on time, getting things done on time), prioritizing, goal-setting, and organizing (whether physical, electronic, or mental).
5. Planning is a skill that you improve upon. The more you plan, the better at it you become. This is a skill that is valuable in practically every profession, organization, as well in your personal life. No one will be upset at you for planning well. Only in excess is planning a problem.

    Just as anything else that is good, too much planning can be an issue. Planning in excess can lead to not actually executing on any decisions or anything just because all of the time is spent planning. Another caveat of too much planning is being to inflexible, which in pretty much anyone’s life that is not practical. Being too rigid with a schedule or plan is detrimental to productivity. Overall, life is going to happen either way, you can plan or you could not plan. Planning properly will always put you ahead. Let me know your thought on planning and ways that you plan that are effective

Related Posts

The Importance of Scheduling Everything

Make a Time Budget

The Power of Focus

Warning Signs that You are too Busy

We all get too busy sometimes. Too busy can mean different things to different people. Below are five signs that I frequently notice in myself when I am too busy.

1.    You do not have time to eat. OK, you have time to eat, but not the way you are supposed to. You are eating stuff you shouldn’t be eating just to fill you up and so you can get going after the countless tasks you have to complete. Eating is just another thing on the to-do list that is often getting in the way of what you want to complete. It is not only detrimental to your health in a hurry, but also will hurt yourself eating anything you can find (most likely cheap, highly processed, and fast food).

2.    You don’t have time to do things you enjoy. You have been so overwhelmed with your obligations that you have no time for fun. You are not getting reenergized by things that you enjoy and therefore not being fufilled. You realize that you have trouble falling asleep or going to bed at a decent hour because you have forgone pleasure the entire day and you just want to do the things you desire to do. You end up in a rut of staying up too late and then waking up late and rushing only to try to meet all of your obligations again.

3.    You only have time to do what you have to do. Obligations are all you can find time for. You have no room for anything else. A fine line develops for what you call an obligation. Therefore, it is often that important things are compromised or cut out altogether that shouldn’t be and you have a false sense that these things aren’t important.

4.    You are late frequently. This is not an excuse for you if you are habitually tardy. However, if you are someone who is typically of a punctual nature and you don’t have time to be on time, you have a problem. This circles back to not having the time to do what you want to do.

5.    You are not taking care of little things. Cleaning the bathroom, flossing, and the other 5 minute or less chores that you won’t get to. Before you know it, weeks pass and these short and easy tasks are still not done. 

Please let me know if you notice the same things when you are too busy and what else you find occuring as well from being too busy.

Why Being on Time makes you More Productive

Ever find yourself running late? Do you ever find yourself off track and not following your schedule like you are supposed to? Start the day on the wrong foot? Once you are late to one thing, you start a momentum in the wrong direction and may end up being late to the meeting or appointment, then again after that. This can sometimes be easily overcome and your day is on back on track, but at other times is not. Why take the risk?

We have all been there, except for the handful of people who told me they have never been late, or at least only late because of an extreme emergency. If that’s you, congrats and kudos to you, now for the rest of us here, please continue reading. There are ways to ensure you can be on time more often, whether you are late every day and to everything or late to a few things here and there. Personally, I fall into period of being late more often and do better at times. Typically, it depends on how busy I am. The more appointments and scheduled events as well as to dos I have, the more likely I am to be late. If I get overwhelmed and behind schedule, I am less likely to follow my schedule consistently and also more likely to be off track which therefore leads to both being late to appointments/scheduled events and also undone tasks. Here are five strategies to improve your ability to be on time

1. Make sure there is time to rest and recover, to have fun, relax, reflect, and do whatever energizes you
2. Prioritize only the most important tasks. If you have 100+ to dos in one day, shoot for the top 5 or 10 and then continue on with the next highest priorities if the top priority tasks are done
3. Build in extra time in your schedule to leave margin so there is room to go off track slightly. For example, schedule an arrival to a place 5 or 10 minutes early to ensure a better chance of being on time
4. Set your mind to being on time. If you don’t think it’s important to be on time, you won’t make it a priority to be on time. Don’t say you will try to be on time, say you will.
5. Find someone to keep you accountable to being on time. If all else fails, have someone you hold yourself to be accountable to being on time. At work, this usually takes care of itself, but not always depending on your job. For other aspects of life as well, this can be helpful, but you have to be honest with yourself and the person holding you accountable.

The ability to be on time is often a lost art, but is still very valuable. I do not have it down perfect yet, but I have made improvements over the years as I practiced the strategies that I have mentioned. If it does not come naturally to us or if we have gotten into the habit of being late, it will take practice to master. Honesty, I do believe that being on time is a skill and is very beneficial. If you are on time, that means you are following at least some kind of a schedule, even if it is not detailed. Please let me know your experiences with timeliness, what comes easy, and what is a struggle for you.

Related Posts:

1. Why Keeping a Consistent Schedule is Productive

https://www.timeisme.com/blog/2017/12/25/why-keeping-a-consistent-schedule-is-productive

The Importance of Scheduling Everything

https://www.timeisme.com/blog/2017/7/9/the-importance-of-scheduling-everything

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and has been able to get plenty of rest, able to take time to enjoy yourself, spend time with friends and family, and take time to reflect on life and plan for the year ahead. I have always enjoyed New Year's Day because of the opportunity and hope that comes with a new year. Many people are excited about starting new things and moving forward in life. As far as the best method for goals are concerned, personally having a manageable amount of goals for the year (or preferably smaller periods as things can change as time moves forward). Setting up a regular time to review your goals and evaluating your progress is very important as well. The most important aspect is the execution. Without actually taking action towards a goal, you will simply have a nice piece of paper or a document in your choice of software stating good ideas and dreams. Please let me know your thoughts on goal setting and what methods you use, I would love to hear.

I want to take some time to thank you as my reader of my blog for the past 6 months. I still have countless topics that I have in the works as well. Considering that, I would love to hear about what topics you would like to see discussed or discussed in more detail. Any feedback, suggestions, ideas, will be appreciated. I want to make this the best as possible and ensure that you are getting value out of each post. I do have plans to go beyond just a blog and am working on a podcast and eventually products and services as well. I would love your feedback on this as well. Cheers to a new year and best wishes for a wonderful and prosperous 2018!

Why Keeping a Consistent Schedule is Productive

    There are different camps of thoughts on this. Some people pursue a very rigid and steady schedule that is the same or almost exactly the same every week. Others are completely spontaneous and follow absolutely no schedule whatsoever, they do whatever comes up and have no rhyme or rhythm at all. The rest of us are somewhere in-between, and whichever one we are closer to is the question. I definitely always have and still do lean towards the first one, the scheduled person. When I was younger, I used to be very rigid and inflexible. While this can appear good and like I was solid at following a schedule, to the extent I was, it would only work in a perfect world where there were deviations to any schedule related activities. I have learned to become more flexible, that way if something does change in my schedule, it’s not the end of the world.

    Which one are you more like? You probably have figured that out after reading the first few sentences containing the descriptions. Extremes on either are problematic. The ideal way to go is to keep a consistent schedule, but of course with flexibility. A consistent schedule can best be created by having an ideal routine with room for margin and differences. Every day will have some unique differences. Personally, I have found and amazing tool to keep an ideal routine and then create a schedule around that for each day. It is called Time Tune and right now is only available on Android, but looks like other versions are hopefully in the works. This app allows me to follow a consistent schedule much more easier by ease of moving activities around and the ability to see the amount of free time there is for unplanned activities easier. 

    Reasons to follow a consistent schedule:

1. Having a consistent routine creates a pattern in your life where you don’t have to think about it. Any opportunity to automate in your life will make your life more productive
2. Save time on thinking about what you will do next. Instead of thinking about what you have to do next, it will already be determined easily
3. Save time on manually writing or typing out a schedule. Whether you use a planner, computer application, mobile app, you will save time because you already have a good template to go off of
4. Stay on track. It is easier to stay on track when you have one to follow regularly and this will allow for a productive mindset.

Personally for me, whenever I have the mindset of staying productive and I follow a schedule consistently, I feel more refreshed and fulfilled. It’s up to you to determine which one is best for you.

Time Tune - https://timetune.center/

The Importance of Sleep for Productivity

    Have you ever tried to compromise sleep and get less sleep to get more done? We probably all have done this before. It is important to understand that almost always this practice will be counterproductive, with very few exceptions. Especially if we need to function well the next day. If you normally function well on 7 hours of sleep, getting only 5 hours can potentially cost you more productivity than we would get for the extra two hours of whatever work we would get done the night before. This does vary based on person and it is up to you to know what quantity and time of sleep works best for you. You will also know how severe the consequences are on your productivity that lack of sleep will have on you. The exception to this is if you really don’t plan on doing anything the next day that requires any types of productivity. In that while still possibly bearing ill effects on your health, especially if done repeatedly, it is not harmful to your productivity if you plan to be on vacation or resting. Below you wills see five reasons on why you should take your sleep seriously

1. You are most focused when properly rested. I know that when I don’t sleep enough, I am scattered brained and constantly losing focus.
2. You are in a better mood when properly rested. Being in a bad mood can cut down on productivity, you can get caught up in what you are upset about ad end up wasting time and not focusing on what needs to get done
3. You are more easily overwhelmed when you don’t have enough rest. Sometimes things look so stressful and complicated and just a good night’s rest makes the tasks seem much more manageable
4. Your thoughts are clear when well-rested. You will waste less time clarifying your thoughts and you will be able to process thoughts and any information quicker when you are rested enough
5. You will be able to complete more tasks. Having the right amount of sleep is vital to having the optimal amount energy. While not the only factor, it is an important one.

As far as personal experience is concerned, getting enough rest is essential for me. I have rarely found it beneficial to sacrifice sleep in order to have more time. In those cases, I end up doing whatever I need to do the next day slower and not being able to focus as I should and then not end up any better. Everyone is different, so you need to know for yourself on how you function best, but it is a fair bet to say that getting the optimal amount of sleep is what you want to shoot for. Also, there are several reasons someone can't get the sleep they need outside of choice as well like sleeping disorders or other situations that prevent sleep like pain, children, pets, having to be a caregiver, etc. This post was not intended to address any of that, but rather just the mindset sleep in general.

Saving Time by Making Decisions

    Have you ever found yourself struggling to make a decision? We have all been there, despite whether you have a decisive personality or not. I am relatively quick at making decisions and I am glad for that, but I do have a weakness in decisiveness - ordering at a restaurant (I just experienced that today). For whatever reason, I find myself pondering the menu trying to find out what I am going to order and asking others for what they want to order to help me decide. This is why often I decide to get the same thing at certain restaurants so I don’t have to worry about what I am going to order. This is an example of saving time by making a decision.

    A lot of time can be saved by making a decision, especially in the case of a minor decision. Please note that major decisions should take some time to make and should be thoroughly planned out and discussed with others that you can trust for helpful feedback. Even major decisions consist of many smaller decisions. The quicker you make the smaller decisions, the quicker you can make the larger decisions and the more time, energy, and in some cases money you can save. Below are five reasons you should make decisions quicker and how they save you time.

1. Satisfaction - People gain satisfaction and relief when something is checked of their list
2. Relief - Getting something of your mind will bring you relief
3. Momentum - Making a decision can begin a momentum for making more important decisions
4. Build a Skill - Making decisions more efficiently can help you in the long run and in situations where quicker decisions are useful
5. The Opportunity for Change - You may not know the outcome of the decision but at least you know if you do make the decision, there is a chance for the desired outcome that you wouldn’t have if you didn’t make it.

    With that being said, there is also the time saved from having to further think about the decision that has to be made. Of course, this only applies to decisions that you can make. There are plenty of decisions that are made outside of our control, such as decisions made by your boss, decisions made a friend or family member, or the government, etc. Many decisions are outside of our control which is good to do the exact opposite - completely ignore any decisions we have absolute no control over. It is possible to waste time not making your own decisions and also waste time worrying about decisions you can’t make! 

How to be Busy Without Being a Jerk

    Have you ever been around someone who is quite a jerk because of being too busy?They are able to find many ways to tell you that they don’t have time at the moment. Sometimes it’s in a friendly way and other times it’s not so much. I can call this type of person out because this has been me many times. Sometimes I can get overwhelmed with tasks to do and I get impatient when people ask me to do something else or add to my list. My frustration can frequently be made evident, sometimes in a way that isn’t always friendly. I am certainly not alone with this. It is very easy to show frustration, agitation, and irritation when stressed due to being too busy. Here are ways to help us from becoming a jerk when we are too busy:

1. Only schedule what is manageable- do not put too much on your calendar or on your to do list. I have done this far too many times. Trust me-it’s not worth it. Learn what you can handle and stick to that. Even if you are not in much control of your to do list, you can still make a decision of what you can sanely accomplish and communicate that to whoever you need to.
2. Carefully pay attention to what you are saying when you are stressed and too busy - more often than not it’s not your best attitude or not really that nice. Put yourself in the shoes of the other person and evaluate if that is how you want to be talked to.
3. Communicate that you are stressed in a nice way at the beginning of any conversation when you are. Don’t drop your stress bomb on someone else who is not suspecting by acting rash, moody, irritated, etc. Give a heads up or a warning.
4. Take a break - Whether this is a break from the task you are doing or from the people you are with - it is important to do this. You can read more in a previous post “Why It’s Important to Take Breaks”.
5. Put it in proper perspective. When you are busy, it may seem like you have been or are going to be busy forever. That is how it feels to me whenever I am in a busy season. Remember that it does end and there is bound to be a break and a time where things will calm down. It is not sustainable to be busy forever. Even if it’s a small break that is coming, like an evening that is free, know that these moments will come as they always have. If you are legitimately constantly busy and really have no slow points in the foreseeable future, then it is time to udo a triage of your schedule immediately.

    It is possible to be busy without being a jerk, but remember it is a conscious decision that has to be made. If you don’t struggle with being a jerk at times when busy, then you are already making the right decision! Please let me know if there are any tactics you would like to add that would help others with this.

8 Stages of Long-Term Busyness

My prior post was about short-term busyness. The question you may have is what is the difference between long-term and short-term busyness. This is best illustrated with examples.

Short-Term Busyness

• Working an 18-hour day
• Having five activities planned the same day
• Attending an all day conference

Long-Term Busyness

• Busy season at work like year-end for accountants
• Midterms/Finals as a student
• Having a child

Longer-term busyness can be associated more with chronic stress and can be more dangerous if pro-longed too long. However, short-term busyness can bring a very high level of stress and can be just as dangerous under certain conditions. As according to the chart below, it's best to stay in or as close to stage 3 as possible.

1. Not busy and bored. Not much energy because used to being inactive. Can often be lazy in this stage.
2. A lot of energy and not worn out, satisfied, and decently productive
3. Ideal - Perfect level of busyness, consistently well balanced - very productive and a lot of energy
4. Becoming too busy and a little worn out, overwhelmed at time
5. Becoming burnt out - not much energy left, unproductive
6. Short-lived energy - usually when end of busy period is near and can be decently productive
7. Burnt out, unproductive. A long break is necessary to recover
8. Completely burnt out, completely unproductive. Cannot concentrate or complete any task (even simple ones), need rest immediately

Getting an understanding of short-term and long-term busyness is helpful when pointing out why you feel stressed. Sometimes it can be both and also may not have anything to do with how busy you are. Certain people may also function better with long-term busyness rather than short-term busyness and the other way around. Knowing which way you function better is helpful.

11 Stages of Short Term Busyness

Below you will find a list that I created in 2006 and I originally used it to measure my degree of busyness and how it affected my life and productivity in general. As you can see the earlier stages define times when there is not very much to do and which demonstrates that too much free time is not really good thing. The most ideal stage is #3. Often we get stressed and get another sweet spot of productivity in which I mention in stages 6 and 7; however, these stages are frequently very short-lived as defined below. Anything after is too much and can go all the way to the point of a nervous breakdown. The highest stage I have ever personally reached is level 8, but not too much frequently. I have seen levels 6 and 7 several times.

1. Not busy, hardly anything to do. Boredom is likely, an excess of free time
2. There is enough to do to be content, but still a lot of free time
3. Have enough to do to stay active and content. The ideal level of busyness yielding the highest level of productivity
4. A little too much to do, seems a little overwhelming. Some things need to be sacrificed or put off to achieve the highest priorities.
5. Too much to do, you are getting worn out. You need a break! Unrelaxed and worrying about completing tasks and may not be able to do them. Fatigue results from high stress and inadequate sleep
6. A burst of energy and adrenaline to complete tasks even without adequate sleep. This is a short-lived phase.
7. Very productive, yet very worn out and fatigue. This phase is also very short lived
8. Very worn out and it is impossible to do everything, a lack of sleep and cannot function as normal.
9. Too much to do for even half the sleep that you typically require, function poorly
10. No time to sleep - functionality deteriorates quickly
11. Nervous Breakdown

Since this is short-term busyness rather than long-term busyness, changing stages several times a week, or even within days should be fairly common. I will next discuss the stages of long-term busyness and the differences between both as well. You may even find it helpful to measure your levels of busyness for a defined period of time and keep a journal as well to see which stages you frequent the most and how you felt in the stages. Another helpful method is keeping a running tally of your stage of business and next to it assign a rating of your mood (could be 1 to 10) and see where you are most fulfilled and also check for the correlation between the stages as well. Also, helpful would be keeping track of the activities that are causing you to be at whatever level of busyness you are at. Ultimately whatever method you use that is helpful is good.