Quite some years now it has been on my agenda to make and find time to do what needs to get done. And I have improved this using the right organizational tools, using an approach to project management that works, and by simply .. doing it. While not always perfect. Workflow and productivity have improved by at least 40%. That’s not 50% and this is where 2010 comes in. The next step: Going offline to do more online.
Starting this year (after testing last year) I will be forcing myself to take at least 24 hours / week out of my online schedule by going offline. By doing so I force myself to not only do more offline stuff, such as be more social, clean up the apartment more regularly, go shopping for new things that I never get around to, etc. But also to force myself to use the online time that I can use, to be more productive.
Let me explain what I think the situation is: If you have an hour to complete a task but the full hour to do so. You might get started, you might think about it a bit. You might take a break to clear your mind. And then you realize the hour is in the past and you haven’t really gotten around to just sit down and complete the task. If you take out 30 minutes, you are left with sitting down, thinking about it, get started, and you finish the task. And you have 30 minutes left for a nice lunch and perhaps call a friend. Maybe this is not the best example, but I hope it comes across.
So by going offline a bit more, I create more time for myself to visit family and friends. Get some other offline stuff done such as paying bills and administration. And also have more time for myself to just relax and play some guitar or something. But also, I will use my time online a bit more efficient. Focus on ongoing projects, complete tasks that need to get done. And spend less time thinking at nightly hours “sigh I am bored, and there is nobody online” and then realizing I only got 50% of my tasks done offline and online, because I wasted the time I had.
I could probably do a weekend, but I don’t want to just jump in and hit a wall. Let’s start with 24 hours, and get used to that.
I know, it sounds like I spend 24 hours a day on a computer, and no, that’s not the case. But the computer is always on, always around, and it’s easy to do things and then sit down and forget about life by clicking on links and browsing stupid sites and chatting with friends into the nightly hours.
And by turning off the computers that I don’t use for a full day or even more, might help me save a bit of money on the electrical bill too at the end of the year. I mean, this should be at least 52 days of less power consumption right?
Anyway, you can expect me to disappear to the offline-world for a day (or so) before the 7th of january.
And if you have any tips for me, or want to share your point of view on this. Register or sign in and leave a comment!