Space to Think

Endlessly Tweaking

Merlin over at 43 Folders has highlighted an affliction that plagues many who are endlessly searching for the "holy grail" of time management. Whether it's a new software program, a new book, a new workshop, etc., there's always some new solution just waiting out there to FINALLY get us organized. We spend so much time fiddling, tweaking, and implementing new systems and solutions, that we fail to ever really get anything done. (Which was the point after all, wasn't it?)
This one cuts a bit too close to the bone. 43 Folders: Because buying new running shoes is more fun than actually running.

I once worked with someone whose office and desk were a disaster area. Paper went into his office and died there.
One day he decided that what he really needed was a Palm handheld. He began researching which model would best suit his needs and would come into the office each day and tell me (and everyone else) how organized he was going to be once he laid his hands on his new toy.
One day I asked him, "What do you expect this thing will do for you anyway? Are you intending to lob it into your office, like a grenade, then go off for coffee and come back to a fully organized office?" The look on his face told me he didn't share my sense of humor on this point.
He eventually did get his Palm, and to be fair, he did at least appear to be more organized for a while, but it didn't last long.

Unplugged!

I was speaking to a client the other day who was bemoaning the fact that he couldn't seem to "break free" of the technology in his life. He could be reached "anywhere, anytime" and had no time to himself (as evidenced by the fact he checked his "crack-berry" at least 3 times while he was talking to me).

Here is an article about this I wrote back in 1999. How little things have changed!

Unplugged!

Two recent occurrences have spurred my thinking about technology and the increasing role it plays in our busy lives. The first was a MAJOR meltdown of my computer and the resultant anxiety and helplessness that followed until I was back on-line. The other was a recent radio interview I listened to in the car one day. A technology correspondent for a major Canadian publication had agreed to play guinea pig in an experiment. He turned in all his hi-tech gadgetry and attempted to live "techno-free" for 30 days. Out went his palm, his cell phone, his answering machine at home, his 500 channels of TV, his pager, his computer and his fax machine.

He even turned in his automatic teller banking card. The interview I caught on the radio was the day he completed the experiment and was reporting on his experience. Among his observations:

• He began to hear birds outside his window that he SWEARS were never there before.
• His food began to taste better.
• While many of his friends initially resented the fact that they could not leave him a message on his phone at home, he LOVED the fact that when he came home he could actually do nothing!
• He felt his senses were heightened and more acute.
• On the bad side, carrying cash and lining up to get cash was a major drag! He missed the bank by 5 minutes on New Year's weekend and went all weekend with 45 cents in his pocket.
• Because he had to write all his correspondence freehand, he came to the frightening realization that he had forgotten how to write. All his letters had begun to resemble "graffiti"! (The handwriting form used to enter data into a Palm PDA)

Going into the experiment, the reporter thought he would emerge after 30 days feeling that this was an incredibly liberating, positive experience. In the end he came to the realization that it really all comes down to intelligent choice. While some of the technology he had accumulated over recent years had in fact overly complicated his life, others had earned their rightful place by enhancing his quality of life.

And so our intrepid hero has had his PDA "surgically re-attached", he gratefully took back possession of his banking card and computer but has decided he can do without 500 channels of TV and will, at least for now go without an answering machine at home (unless his friends revolt).

After considering this man's experience and my recent computer woes, I decided to take stock of my own technology usage and am currently in week three of my own "experiment" in weaning myself off of technology dependency.

1. One day a week (Sunday) has been designated "technology - free day." Specifically this means no computer, answering machine or cell phone. The TV stays because watching movies on Sunday is a family favorite.
   
2. I have decided that I will not boot up my computer before 8:30 am to check my email.

Now, depending on your particular relationship with technology, these may seem like either relatively minor or overly harsh measures. The point is, for me they represent a break from my usual habits. I can report that I have spent two of the most relaxing and re-energizing Sundays in recent memory with my family. And when I happily did "plug back in" on Monday it was with a new relaxed perspective. I think I'm on to something...

As with all things, balance is the key. Take advantage of technology to free up your time to focus on what's truly most important.

Entrenching the Weekly Review

As a longtime fan of David Allen's "Getting Things Done", I've come to recognise the power of the Weekly Review. So much so, that whenever I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it’s usually because I neglected or skimped on my review.

If my focus, effectiveness and peace of mind are so clearly tied to one activity, you’d think it would be easy to make it a priority. But then again, there are many things I know are good for me, will make me happier, healthier and wiser, and yet I struggle to get myself to do them consistently. Habits, it seems are not only hard to break, but can be hard to start (at least consciously).

Sunday is Weekly Review Day for me, and to encourage myself to do it regularly, I have created a few rituals. My wife and I trade off childcare duty on Sunday and so I’m able to duck out to my favorite neighborhood coffeeshop, don my Ipod headphones and zone out to some Baroque Music. I do my Review directly on my Palm. After about an hour, I emerge lighter and more focused. I’m ready and able to enjoy the rest of my Sunday with my family, knowing I’ve increased the chances the coming week will be manageable and free from a sense of overwhelm.

And because I've made it into a ritual I enjoy, I'm more likely to repeat it next week. (And the week after that...)