Lenten Challenge 2024

This year’s Lenten Challenge starts on Wednesday 14th February and ends on Thursday 28 March, both dates inclusive.

The challenge is to keep to the same time management system for the whole period. You can enter the challenge by nominating which system you are going to follow in the Comments below. The system does not have to be one of mine. You can change your entry up until the start date (your local time).

This is not intended to imply, include or exclude any religious belief whatever.

Entries:

Voluntas: Dreams

Vegheadjones: The Bounce

Paul MacNeil: Autofocus 1

Ryan Freckleton: Resistance Zero

Topher Jake: SMEMA

avrum: Touchstone System

Brenda: DWM2

Sev: 5T

Brent: DIT with index cards

Mike Brown: Simple Scanning

Will: FVP

Pablo: Simple Scanning/Bullet Journal

Alan Baljeu: RTM/Lapse

Caibre 62: Anchored AF2

Aaron Hsu: Time Surfing

Austin: Do More Better

Fintan: DIT (Work & Personal)

Mark Forster: FV

Will: FVP

Adam T: FVP

Brandon: Dreams

Bence: Anchored AF2

Margaret1: RTM

Cameron: Dan Charnas’ Work Clean

Arneo K: FVP-NQ-FVP with New Question

Tobba: Seraphim’s RTM System

David: Dreams

Comments

[Voluntas]

Shoot, I slipped up yesterday, so I'm out!

[Austin]

out

[Alan Baljeu]

I set my aim for the period of Lent to be consistent with applying my system. Thus far, I have not been totally consistent, but I'm holding to my aim for the rest of this period.

[Scott Moehring]

I'm late to the party, but still able to participate because I started a new system on Sunday 21st January, and have been using it daily since.

Personal Kanban, by Jim Benson

It's been terrific for me, and if I make to the end of the challenge, I will post about my unique and very simple implementation using plain vanilla Mac folders.

[Adam T]

I failed yesterday, so I'm out :(

[Mike Brown]

Still using the simple scanning notebook, with project pages in the back for more detailed notes.

I'm relaxed about using it, though. When I'm under the gun and I can mentally track the multiple pieces of a monthly report I have to do via years of experience, I use the notebook to track stray things I will get to later.

Now, with the monthly report done, I have 2 weeks of largely unscheduled time and at that point, I clean up the notebook, prune tasks, flag items to return to later, and start using a bit of time-blocking to tackle specific bits of work. It's when I have no urgent work to perform or a schedule that I find myself drifting, so creating a schedule and referring to the notebook are necessary anchors.

[Ryan Freckleton]

Failed last day 😔

[TopherJake]

The desire to switch to a new system is strong when I feel either overwhelmed or I lack focus. However, I made it all the way with SMEMA but it was touch and go at times.

[Margaret1]

How did everyone get on with their Lenten Challenge? I chose RTM. I didn't report it at the time, but I failed the challenge after about a week. However, I still think it's a very good system, but I wasn't prepared to put in the effort to make it work for me. It highlighted the fact that a lot of my tasks that I thought were one-offs are actually recurring ones and that was useful. I found I got bogged down in the Unfinished section because it had to be processed in order. However, I got a lot from the system, in that it's given me some new ideas to use.

[Margaret1]

PS, just to add to my earlier post, I'm thinking of how I can combine elements of RTM (Results That Matter) with SNL (Serial No List) - thank you, Seraphim, for both of these systems.

[Brenda]

I was out early on.

[Aaron Hsu]

This is the first time that I've easily stayed with a system and didn't feel any need to change.

[Alan Issac M]

Aaron Hsu that's good to hear! I'm a little too late on this challenge but I got the book today and going to give it a go for a couple months