Get Everything Done

Hi Mark, great to see the discussion forum on your site. I was hoping that you would get one going eventually! I have just finished reading your latest book and loved it!! I have found however that the list of things in my "backlog" is rather daunting. I think it is going to take me months to clear them and that feeling of dread makes me want to just ignore them completely. The list includes among other things, doing accounts, email filing and finishing off projects I started a long time ago that have now lost their "flavour". Any tips for helping me to get going with all this stuff?
Thanks very much,
Nicky

Hi Mark
Yes, I see what you mean about stuff that's lost it's flavour. I suppose one thing is either to try to turn it into something "new" by taking a new slant on it/cutting it all up and starting again (recycling) or just forgetting about it completely. Unfortunately regarding the accounts the tax man won't let me forget those so I will just have to grin and bear it and then get up to date so it never happens again!

Please advise me, how do I go about clearing backlog? I'm handicapped and therefore I'm always working with a backlog....what's the best way to approach it, organize it, etc??? I do my MUSTS first which are pared down to absolute survival of me and my dog. The aughts are prioritized by the severity of penalties for not doing it on time. On those rare days of less debilitating pain, I chip into either the backlog or gasp...use the temporary escape from pain to actual enjoy something like cooking and eating! LOL! How do I work this all out? Thank you in advance for your response.

Mark,thank you so much. The article was both illuminating and brilliantly simple! Although I can't realistically handle everything everyday of my daily incoming tasks, I can certainly "guess/decide" much of what I can nix or re-categorize as simply optional.(Sometimes debilitating pain outranks even my best intentions) You are so correct in stating that I must be realistic and merciliess with deciding how to regard the inflow and to take measures to tame it. The metaphor of fencing it to make it manageable is brilliant and to PREVENT anything incoming to morph into backlog is purely genius! Even I can make these principles work at least fairly well. Thank you for the great advice and insights:most, importantly, thank you for this simple to implement "doable strategy".

This system has really been working well. I finish yesterday's tasks first thing. One was long, and I've committed to at least 15 minutes a day until it's completed along with each day's yesterday list. After that I've been doing four hours a day on the backlog Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Having this schedule and the relief of NEVER creating more backlog has really raised my sense of peace and has actually increased my tolerance for working on the backlog. Doing yesterdays list and including at least 15minutes on each project with a later deadline really seems to make me feel in control. I'll keep at it and see how this goes. I've left three days open so that my schedule will allow itself to be fluid when my pain dictates it. I'm still managing my current and backlog tasks even though pain temporarily derails me....but somehow for the first time in over five years, I actual feel like the ultimate arbitrater. Thank you so much for this blueprint.

p.s. and by the by....What helps as well is your idea of "closing the office" at a certain hour. I resrict my "office time to 8am to 5pm" This usually causes me to work more methodically and effeciantly during that time frame and needless to say, It's positively wonderful knowing that my personal life won't be "tainted" with lingering office tasks. After 5pm the only writing I'm allowed to do is strictly creative, NO TASKS !!! Fencing in the actual time was yet another brilliant idea of yours. little by little I'm learning how to implement your great ideas into an effective yet flexible system that is allowing me to be independent and take care of myself. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Hello Nicky,

Make a set day for accounts ,know you haveto do them ,do them first EVERY WEEK .This stops the work being to big for you ,chip away every week at the task it will start to work for you.
Lynda