A simple system for organizing complex modern life

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Today we want to tell you about a system that will help you structure all your work projects, tasks and affairs. With it, you will learn how to set goals correctly and develop plans to achieve them.

In the modern world, a person has to multitask. Projects, meetings, affairs, tasks, the deadline of which is inexorably approaching … Often it is difficult for us to organize our life in such a way that we have time to cope with work matters.

Today we want to introduce you to a system that will help you organize all your goals, affairs and tasks. This system was developed by Chris Winfield, a New York City entrepreneur.

Life is difficult.

We enjoy working 40+ hours a week, we are proud of it and love to tell everyone and everyone how busy we are, because it makes us feel important and irreplaceable. Well, or otherwise, we just think that it should be so.

So it was with me. Until I decided to change everything.

It couldn't go on like this, I had to start over and change everything. I wanted to live life to the fullest and did not want to miss a single moment.

But there was one problem. I didn't know how to do this. I was wasting too much time and working ineffectively. So I started looking for ways that could help me solve the problem.

I read a lot of books and blogs about productivity and eventually came up with a four-piece system.

This simple system, which will be discussed later, helped me to improve my productivity, with its help I was able to organize days, weeks, months, and even just hours. Thanks to her, I can do more in less time.

I would really like to say that I easily and quickly came to this system, but this is not so: I spent hundreds of hours experimenting, I had to go through many failures, mistakes and disappointments.

Today I am able to do more in 17 hours than in the past in 40 hours. Not even that. I am able to achieve more in one week than in the past several months.

I am able to simultaneously work with several projects, clients, companies and at the same time maintain a balance between work and personal life.

I work, I spend time with my family, I walk, I communicate with people, I teach others what I know myself, and I do a lot more. Every day. And all this is only due to the fact that I have developed a system that suits me, which I constantly adhere to. This system is pretty simple, but you should never forget that:

Just doesn't always mean easy.

One of the main things that I realized is that if you take the time to plan your day and have a clear idea of what you want to achieve (create a certain picture of your days), then everything will go easier. You will work less and succeed more, because you will work with passion, you will see a goal in front of you.

My system has four main elements:

1. Dream and set goals. What do you really want out of life? What are your dreams, goals, ambitions? If you don't know the answers to these questions, then the rest of the ingredients on this list will not do you any good.
2. Unload your brain. Transfer the thoughts from your head to paper. You don't have to think about extraneous details if you really want to be productive.
3. Make mental maps. They will help you find loopholes to your main goals. In other words, you will understand how to quickly get or get what you want.
4. Manage your time and break down complex tasks into their constituent elements. This will help you achieve your main goals in the shortest possible time.

No one will ever dispute the obvious fact that all people have 24 hours a day. Successful people have two qualities:

• They know exactly what they want.
• They make an effort to get what they want.

Are you ready to take the risk and put in the effort to become successful? Then read on.

1. Dream. Set goals. Take action

Start by imagining the ultimate goal.

Stephen Covey

The first step is to form a big picture of your life. You must understand what you want to achieve, what kind of person you want to become, in other words, think about what your ideal life should look like.

When I first did this, I wanted to change a lot in my life. Perhaps, like me then, it will seem to you that many things cannot be changed, but do not despair and do not give up, because this feeling is completely normal.

Following Mark Allen's advice, I set aside one page for each of my goals. Such a limitation of space is necessary so that you have the opportunity to paint each goal in detail, break it down into basic elements, create a detailed plan for achieving this goal, but the specification of the goal should be without water.

There is something important to remember: you are not holding your plan in blood, your goals can change at any time. We cannot say with certainty what will happen to us in an hour, and even more so no one can say that his goals and life plans will not change in the next month or next year.

But such planning is advantageous in that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, what kind of person you dream of becoming.

Also, do not worry if you have not managed to draw up an achievement plan for every goal. This is normal, the main thing is that you have a goal, and when its time comes, you will find ways to help you achieve it.

2. Unload your brain

May your mind always be bright and clear, like the vast sky, the great ocean and the highest mountain peak.

Morihei Ueshiba

Our memory is in many ways a survival tool. We most easily remember things that are important and necessary to us. Memory is an amazing thing: in a force majeure situation, for example, we can remember the school life lessons and provide a person with first aid.

You have hundreds of thoughts in your mind, minor details, unnecessary details. For example, you try to remember all the nuances, even the smallest details of the project you are doing. While such awareness is respectable, it is also often anxiety and stressful. Conclusion: get rid of this rubbish, unload your brain.

Do not keep all these details in your head - write them down in your diary, let it all be contained on your computer's hard drive, or somewhere else. This will allow you to better focus on what is important at the moment, while not forgetting about the current affairs.

Organize, Divide and Conquer

Now that you have saved yourself from a huge number of unnecessary or not-so-important thoughts, it's time to start organizing your affairs. Look at your own plan. Perhaps you were not lazy and made a plan not only for the coming weeks and months, but also for entire years.

You have to structure everything you have to do. Try to plan all your projects, tasks and other affairs in such a way that they do not interfere with each other: take a separate time for each task, do not chase two birds with one stone, but divide and conquer.

Don't worry if you don’t have a concrete plan to accomplish what you’ve planned. The main thing is that you have goals, and your subconscious mind will help you in the rest.

In this case, your subconscious mind can be compared to a GPS navigator. You set your destination and find out how to get there.

3. Create a mind map

All you need is a plan, a roadmap, and courage to get to your destination.

Earl Nightingale

A mind map is a diagram that helps you visualize and organize information. Mind maps can be used for almost everything from taking notes to developing a serious strategy. They will help you decompose a complex object into its component parts.

With the help of a mind map, you can build a hierarchy of projects, results and tasks. Use font size and color to highlight what's important or urgent. You can also include links to important Internet resources or documents on your computer.

This map will help you see at a glance which project is taking the most time from you or requiring more attention (tasks and deadlines highlighted in red will scream their urgency and importance).

By reviewing your mind map weekly, you will notice which projects are close to completion, and this will motivate you to move on. Delete completed projects and fill them with new ones.

4. Manage your time and break down difficult tasks into basic elements

Decide today that you will become an expert in managing your time and your own performance.

Brian Tracy

Now that you have a plan, you need to be sure that you can handle all the tasks ahead on time. There are various techniques and systems designed to help you with this. For example:

• Kanban is a system that will help you deal with tasks efficiently. There is a handy online tool, KanbanFlow, which is designed not only for solo but also for team work.
• The familiar GTD personal effectiveness technique that will help you get things done to the end.

Don't forget about today

Mind maps, GTD, Kanban are all great and indisputably necessary in order for you to achieve your goals. But don't forget that this is strategic planning. Sometimes you need a simple, practical plan for the day. Not for tomorrow. Not for a month or a year. For today.

A dream becomes a goal when action is taken to achieve it.

Bo bennet

There is a Pomodoro technique that can help you plan your time efficiently. You can find out more about it here.

Always reaching your goals, completing tasks on time, achieving success - this is what everyone should strive for. But never forget Stephen Covey's seventh skill - sharpening the saw.

Imagine a man who has been sawing a tree for five hours, but when you tell him to stop for a couple of minutes to sharpen the saw, he replies, “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw! I need to cut!"

Remember to take time for your health, your family and friends, and always try to rest when you feel you need it.