Lenten Challenge 2020
LESS THAN A DAY TO GO!
Challenge ends 11.59 pm 9 April. Don’t fall out within sight of the finish!
But please let us know if you do fall out (Comment Section on this thread is no longer closed)
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We intend to run our traditional Lenten Challenge this year.
The idea is to commit yourself to using the same time management method every day for the whole of Lent without changing to a different method.
This year Lent runs from Wednesday 26 February to Thursday 9 April (both inclusive).
If you wish, you may leave out non-working days if you do not normally use a time management method at home. You should be consistent about this though.
This is not intended to imply any religious affiliation or purpose whatsoever.
Last year a good proportion of people completed the challenge. Let’s make it 100% this year. I myself intend to use Reverse AF2, which is basically the same as Simple Scanning except that you scan from the beginning of the list each time.
You can sign in for the Challenge any time before the start of Lent (your local time) in the comments to this post (or email me). All you need to give is your screen name and the system you intend to use. You can use your own system if you like. You can change the system you’re going to use right up to the start of the Challenge. If you change it after the start of the Challenge you’ve failed!
ADDITIONAL NOTE:
The whole point of the Challenge is that it is an exercise in consistency, i.e. sticking to the same thing for a set period of time. So to play fairly you should get your system in as good shape as possible before the start of the Challenge, but then keep further modifications until the Challenge is over (or you’ve pulled out, whichever is first).
ENTRIES SO FAR:
1. vegheadjones - sorted list with 3T timeboxing
2. avrum - own system
3. Mike Brown - Simple Scanning
4. foleymeister - Simple Scanning
5. Taran - FFVP (modified)
6. Athaban - 5T
7. Ian - Simple Scanning
8. Seraphim - DIT with TOC Thinking Processes
9. MrDone - Real Autofocus
10. Myself - No system (which means I lose if I use any TM system at all)
11. Will - Simple Scanning
12. tomcal - Serial No-List with MS To Do
13. Ville - Reverse AF2 + Simple Scanning
14. Colin - DIT
15. Sathya - Dreams/ Self dialogue in the morning; Trello - for task management
16. Jens - ‘Entry by Doing’ No-List
17. Laby - Reverse AF2 (last 3 pages only)
18. Brenda - AF4
19. diweon - GTD + AF + 2T (with timer)
20. Alan Baljeu - Own system (Well Structured Day)
21. Nia - ASEM
22. Sitkeys - Ultimate Time Management System
23. darth pinata - Own system (LL-WL-DL)
24. Lauren - Simple Scanning
25. Cricket - Own system
26. Caibre65 - FV
27. Lisa F - ASEM
28. Shamil - Halving and AF2
29. Cameron - Simple Scanning + SWEETs
30. Tesshu - DIT + Dreams
31. Fintan - DIT
32. Adam T - Simple Scanning
33. Erin - Spinning Plates
34. Carmen - UTMS
35. Ian O - One-day FVP
36. Christopher - Simple Scanning (digital)
37. Eugenia - Simple Scanning
Reader Comments (85)
I'll be doing Simple Scanning
I'll work with the Ultimate Time Management System.
Tomorrow will be the first day with this method and I'm already excited!
Thanks for hosting this challenge!
I´ll be doing Simple Scanning.
Best regards!
So which one is correct?
(that's plenty to be getting on with, and not taking such a systematic approach at home)
<< Myself - No system (which means I lose if I use any TM system at all) >>
Could you say more about this?
I'm trying to understand how it's even possible. :-) It's always seemed to me that everyone does follow some system, even if only implicitly, and even if it's a dysfunctional system such as "react to the crisis of the moment, otherwise surf aimlessly".
<< It's always seemed to me that everyone does follow some system, even if only implicitly, and even if it's a dysfunctional system such as "react to the crisis of the moment, otherwise surf aimlessly". >>
That reminds me of the passage in "Brideshead Revisited":
“Suppose the pope says that it’s going to rain tomorrow. Does that mean it will rain?”
“Oh yes Father.”
“But supposing it doesn’t rain, what then?”
“Well … Uh … I guess it would be, ah, spiritually raining. Only … We were too sinful to see it!”
I guess I must be spiritually using a system, even if I'm so sinful that I think I'm just surfing aimlessly.
Back to the surfing.
<< there seems to be an odd formating for the first entry in the list of participants. the "1." is a bit off. >>
Thanks for pointing this out. An extra space had crept in. Corrected.
<< That reminds me of the passage in "Brideshead Revisited" >>
LOL!!
OK, then I suppose by "system" you mean something more like a defined set of rules or methods -- not just the emergent system implicit in your habits and behaviors.
So as long as you don't use any specific rules or methods for your overall time management, you are good? But I guess you can still use rules and methods for things like email?
It sounds like a fun experiment, but I doubt I could keep it up for 40 days! :-)
<< Mark, what happened to no’s 23 to 31? >>
Aliens!
Thanks again Mark!
Haven't worked my system in weeks. I'm out.
It's turned out that the projects I choose to focus on are well suited to being home.
What has made work for me is using a timer and not adding any more plates, just a list of "littles" that I need to attend to.
Thanks all for being here.
Hard to believe that when we started this challenge, I was driving in to an office every day. Now, I've been working from home for about 3 weeks.
I shifted to Simple Scanning, starting from March 8.
I just started my 22nd page with list of to-dos, with last 3 active pages.
So, officially I am out of Lenten challenge as per my committment.
But I have been using SS, in tandem with a morning round of future visioning & self-dialogue as per Dreams book. Not sure if this counts.
Thinking about this could be longest streak ever in a productivity system.
In the meantime, found this wonderful article
https://www.nateliason.com/blog/procrustean-bed-productivity
Importantly, I liked almost all aphorisms by Nassim in his book 'Bed of Procrustean' - many relates to productivity, and following a more intuitive way of living... Didn't realize that there is so much similarity :)
I didn't last the course. But it certainly made me think about what I want from a time management method.