Time management or what I call GSD is super important.
You are busy. You have multiple projects. And, you like to think you have some kind of personal life outside of work. Or, if you prioritize differently, you have a family life you like to think of as more important than work. I know. I try to think like that, too. Lol.
This is a time management post that uses the term GSD (Get Shit Done)!
The third corporate value at Learning Carton is fun.
Here are 5 things you can do to GSD and have fun doing it. So, let’s get to it.
Morning Routine
Developing a morning routine is the number one GSD (time management) value for me. As a young lad, I woke when my body (or someone) woke me. As I got older, I was woken by the alarm clock for school and then work. My morning routine in my twenties involved “have to” hygiene events. Get up, shave, shower, dress, eat, commute to school/work.
When I found myself older, life more complicated, with more self-awareness, and wanted to increase my ability to Get Shit Done, I needed a new morning routine. I read a number of books to inform my practice: Atomic Habits by James Clear is my latest recommendation. It really helped me as an entrepreneur. There are scores of morning routine books out there, and I’m not saying one is better than another. You need a morning routine if you want to GSD at a high level. Choose a book or sign up for a class. Write down your routine and then work it.
Clear’s Atomic Habits worked for me because I found his four laws easy to apply to my chaotic personal life that at times was spiraling out of control. For new behaviors to take root, you need to “(1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.”
By listening to this book and following the method, I focused my attention on GSD and ultimately created happiness in a chaotic place!
Use Project Management Software
I didn’t want to spend the money on PM software because I thought I could get it done with lists and google sheets. I was wrong. For years, I used a sophisticated spreadsheet with dropdowns and referenced lists to manage my projects. What was the problem? I could not easily share the document with my team, nor could I notify my team when updates were needed.
Enter my new PM software: Click Up. A tool like ClickUp allows my team to create tasks, assign them to individuals, set due dates, communicate right within the platform, and set notifications. Click Up’s features allow my team to manage their time efficiently and I am GSD more than I have ever could using a mere spreadsheet!
Use lists
Every Monday morning I hand-write a list of to-do tasks for the week! Hand-writing helps solidify the tasks’ permanence and importance in my brain. I edit, rewrite, and classify the list. Then, I add the list into Click Up (my project management system). I take one more step. I write high-priority tasks on post-it notes. The physical manifestation of the task gives me something to move from things I have “to do” over to a pile of “complete” tasks. I only do this to help myself, as visual and tactile reminders, that I need to accomplish these tasks. I think of my little post-it notes as Luddite notifications. ClickUp sends me emails and text messages to remind me of things. My physical desk shows me visual notifications of what needs to be done.
Destroy the list
There is nothing more satisfying than destroying a completed to-do list. I learned this the hard way. A wise professor once told me during a professional development session, declutter your desk and your mind will follow. I’m a sentimental person. I collected and cherished all kinds of things including written words. Looking back at completed to-do lists gave me a false sense of accomplishment and delusions that I was grander than reality. When I started getting rid of papers I no longer needed to do my work, clarity found its way to the center of my work.
Today, I shred or burn my completed to-do lists. There is a release of energy in the ritual of burning written words, but I don’t always have that luxury living in a high-rise condo. So, I shred most of the time and burn when it’s available.
The end result is that GSD (time management) is realized and it is fun AF to shred and burn those completed tasks. As I said before, fun is the third corporate value at Learning Carton.
Celebrate wins
Ever since I learned of the 5:1 ratio of feedback or interaction, I’ve lived my work and personal life accordingly. The theory states that we should provide 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. Since I make lists and write out tens of post-it tasks in a week, I have lots of opportunities to celebrate wins. I B.F. Skinner myself sometimes. I complete a few tasks, move my post-it notes to the completed stack and then treat myself to a piece of candy. Pavlov would be proud or maybe horrified.
Celebrating wins means we give ourselves positive feedback 5 times more than we let that critical and nasty voice in our heads show up and say, “What did you get done today? You didn’t do enough.” Forget that internal negativity.
Celebrate the GSD and praise yourself. You are getting shit done! Celebrate!
Summary
How to GSD (Get Shit Done) and having fun doing it is something you can easily accomplish if you follow these five action steps. Developing a morning routine is the number one GSD value. It all starts with a solid morning routine that sets you up for success each day. Using project management software will make your GSD routine more efficient and help your whole team GSD. Even though you use software to manage your tasks, I also suggest you use paper lists to help with physical and visual motivation. Once you have completed the items on your physical paper lists, you can destroy them to signal to yourself that you are no longer bound to those tasks. Free your desk of clutter and instantly increase your ability to focus. Finally, once you accomplish your tasks and cross them off your PM software lists and/or destroy the paper versions, it’s time to celebrate. Take the time to praise yourself. Positive feedback from you to yourself is just as important as keeping a positive growth mindset with your colleagues and clients.
Helpful Links
Five Things You Should Do in Your First Client Meeting
Five Things You Can Do to Repair Client Relationships
How to Ask for Feedback in Five Easy Steps
A Beginner’s Guide: Training Toolkit
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