#70 Be Organised

Back in the stone age the next task was often predetermined by bare necessity. When people had not much choice but to go hunting when hungry or rebuild the roof of their huts immediately after the storm, there was little need for formal systems to bring order and organisation to the task of daily life. But our times are different, we have secured our immediate needs and hence over-ridden immediate necessity as an organising force. On most days we have choice what to do and when to do it. You know the days when you sit in front of your computer to start working and you’re not exactly sure what to do first? On these days I usually end up checking my email and distracting myself with all sorts of minuscule tasks – reading blog posts, checking the wave forecast, and entertaining my mind with random facts and pieces of information. Doing all this creates the illusion of productivity. I spend two hours on the internet without really getting things done – I start feeling unproductive and crave a coffee as I feel my energy level decreasing. But really, how could I feel productive when I have not clearly specified what it is I wanted to get done and in which order. I am not organised, therefore I am not feeling I am doing the things I should be doing. Being organised is not only making you more productive, you also feel more productive which makes your work or whatever you’re doing a whole lot more satisfying. Initially it may seem like a whole lot of administrative effort to fill every half hour slot of your Google...