Discussion Forum > Morsels of Time (MoT)
PART II - A TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The proposed system combines the ideas of DIT, HotList, Pomodoro, little-and-often, calendar scheduling, checklist processing, journaling, and SMEMA. The breakthrough idea behind this MoT system is that everything you do happens during some slot of time during the day. Having a list of many tasks to do, without some notion of when to do them, leaves you without a realistic plan of how to get everything done.
There are two essential ingredients to implementing MoT: a subtle chime alert, and a rewriteable list. But first. . .
Next: Part III - fixed-duration morsels.
The proposed system combines the ideas of DIT, HotList, Pomodoro, little-and-often, calendar scheduling, checklist processing, journaling, and SMEMA. The breakthrough idea behind this MoT system is that everything you do happens during some slot of time during the day. Having a list of many tasks to do, without some notion of when to do them, leaves you without a realistic plan of how to get everything done.
There are two essential ingredients to implementing MoT: a subtle chime alert, and a rewriteable list. But first. . .
Next: Part III - fixed-duration morsels.
March 21, 2014 at 22:28 |
ubi
ubi
PART III - FIXED-DURATION MORSELS
Consider what the duration of one slot, or Morsel, of time should be. It should be a reasonable amount of time that allows you to make significant progress on a task. I'm using 15 minutes. Pomodoro people might want to use 30 minutes (25 + 5). People with ADD might want a much shorter duration. So if you quantize the time in your day into these fixed-duration morsels, you can count their number. Subtracting the morsels consumed by appointments and routine activies (including eating, sleeping, commuting, etc.) reduces the number of morsels that are discretionary. A similar concept is the Unschedule -
http://lifehacker.com/314545/unschedule-your-workweek-and-enjoy-your-free-time
Next: Part IV - chime.
Consider what the duration of one slot, or Morsel, of time should be. It should be a reasonable amount of time that allows you to make significant progress on a task. I'm using 15 minutes. Pomodoro people might want to use 30 minutes (25 + 5). People with ADD might want a much shorter duration. So if you quantize the time in your day into these fixed-duration morsels, you can count their number. Subtracting the morsels consumed by appointments and routine activies (including eating, sleeping, commuting, etc.) reduces the number of morsels that are discretionary. A similar concept is the Unschedule -
http://lifehacker.com/314545/unschedule-your-workweek-and-enjoy-your-free-time
Next: Part IV - chime.
March 21, 2014 at 22:32 |
ubi
ubi
PART IV - CHIME
To make this MoT system work, one must have a way to be alerted that the current morsel has ended. In my case this is every 15 minutes. I found a great (and free) iPhone app called Chime that does this almost perfectly. It works exclusively in the background and beeps a very short tone at :15, :30, and :45, and a slightly longer sequence of "roman numotones" at the top of the hour. For example, at 12:00 it chimes Low-High-High (XII). At 4:00 it chimes High-Medium (IV). Currently it doesn't distinguish a.m. from p.m. or encode 24-hr tones. 24-hr mode would make it perfect. The tones it uses are so short and soft that they are not disturbing to others around me, and don't confuse me with message alerts that my phone sometimes emits.
Next: Part V - list.
To make this MoT system work, one must have a way to be alerted that the current morsel has ended. In my case this is every 15 minutes. I found a great (and free) iPhone app called Chime that does this almost perfectly. It works exclusively in the background and beeps a very short tone at :15, :30, and :45, and a slightly longer sequence of "roman numotones" at the top of the hour. For example, at 12:00 it chimes Low-High-High (XII). At 4:00 it chimes High-Medium (IV). Currently it doesn't distinguish a.m. from p.m. or encode 24-hr tones. 24-hr mode would make it perfect. The tones it uses are so short and soft that they are not disturbing to others around me, and don't confuse me with message alerts that my phone sometimes emits.
Next: Part V - list.
March 21, 2014 at 22:42 |
ubi
ubi
PART V - LIST
The list is initially a set of blank lines with time prefixes marking the start of each morsel, e.g.
0600.
0615.
0630.
...
1800.
The idea is to specify only one task per line, i.e. use a full morsel of time for any task action. If it only takes 5 minutes, resist the urge to go onto the next task. Relax and breathe and wait for the next chime. I'm using Clear.app (on iPhone and Mac with iCloud sync), which doesn't enter the times for me automatically. One could also use paper and pencil (and eraser), or a calendar app.
Next: Part VI - how I do it.
The list is initially a set of blank lines with time prefixes marking the start of each morsel, e.g.
0600.
0615.
0630.
...
1800.
The idea is to specify only one task per line, i.e. use a full morsel of time for any task action. If it only takes 5 minutes, resist the urge to go onto the next task. Relax and breathe and wait for the next chime. I'm using Clear.app (on iPhone and Mac with iCloud sync), which doesn't enter the times for me automatically. One could also use paper and pencil (and eraser), or a calendar app.
Next: Part VI - how I do it.
March 21, 2014 at 22:44 |
ubi
ubi
PART VI - HOW I DO IT
Following are some tips from how I run this system, for those who are interested. It would work differently if I used different tools.
1. Either first thing in the morning, or the night before, I decide what part of the day I will be working the list. Typical weekday is from 06:00 to 18:00; if I want to keep working it until bedtime, perhaps it goes from 06:00 to 22:00. I set the Chime program correspondingly, and start the list with at least three morsels listed, e.g.
0600. Wake
0615.
0630.
2200. Sleep
(Noncontiguous morsels separated by blank line in Clear).
2. If only the present morsel is defined, fill in the next two (SMEMA rule):
0615. Make espresso
0630. Process a.m. checklist
3. Consult calendar and tickler to start filling other morsels (this is part of my a.m. checklist). Identify the Big Three tasks for today by appending [1], [2], and [3] to the corresponding entries.
4. If a task takes more than one morsel, decide whether to continue it -
0630. Process a.m. checklist
0645. "
- or switch tasks
0645. Eat breakfast
0700. "
0715. Complete a.m. checklist
5. At every chime, I swipe-right (mark as complete) on the previous morsel. If I didn't complete what I expected in the last morsel, I can re-enter the same task at a later slot. Or just trust the SMEMA rule that, if it's important, it will come to mind.
6. At every chime, I give myself permission to reorganize the rest of the day. For example, if it's clear that I won't be able to action everything remaining, I can move some tasks to my tickler for tomorrow or another future date. I might also start a MoT list for tomorrow and just transfer some tasks over directly.
7. If things are getting hectic mid-day, I enter all morsel times for the rest of the day (i.e. all the time prefixes, with several still empty of any task description). In Clear, this helps visualize the length of the day.
8. At the end of the day (or next morning), I "cut" the whole list out of Clear for Mac, then paste it into a text file. This becomes my journal entry for the day.
Carpe buccellam!
Following are some tips from how I run this system, for those who are interested. It would work differently if I used different tools.
1. Either first thing in the morning, or the night before, I decide what part of the day I will be working the list. Typical weekday is from 06:00 to 18:00; if I want to keep working it until bedtime, perhaps it goes from 06:00 to 22:00. I set the Chime program correspondingly, and start the list with at least three morsels listed, e.g.
0600. Wake
0615.
0630.
2200. Sleep
(Noncontiguous morsels separated by blank line in Clear).
2. If only the present morsel is defined, fill in the next two (SMEMA rule):
0615. Make espresso
0630. Process a.m. checklist
3. Consult calendar and tickler to start filling other morsels (this is part of my a.m. checklist). Identify the Big Three tasks for today by appending [1], [2], and [3] to the corresponding entries.
4. If a task takes more than one morsel, decide whether to continue it -
0630. Process a.m. checklist
0645. "
- or switch tasks
0645. Eat breakfast
0700. "
0715. Complete a.m. checklist
5. At every chime, I swipe-right (mark as complete) on the previous morsel. If I didn't complete what I expected in the last morsel, I can re-enter the same task at a later slot. Or just trust the SMEMA rule that, if it's important, it will come to mind.
6. At every chime, I give myself permission to reorganize the rest of the day. For example, if it's clear that I won't be able to action everything remaining, I can move some tasks to my tickler for tomorrow or another future date. I might also start a MoT list for tomorrow and just transfer some tasks over directly.
7. If things are getting hectic mid-day, I enter all morsel times for the rest of the day (i.e. all the time prefixes, with several still empty of any task description). In Clear, this helps visualize the length of the day.
8. At the end of the day (or next morning), I "cut" the whole list out of Clear for Mac, then paste it into a text file. This becomes my journal entry for the day.
Carpe buccellam!
March 21, 2014 at 22:51 |
ubi
ubi
Neat. I like how it budgets your time, keeps the pressure on the Big Three, and allows you to change things as the day progresses. It also encourages us to value our time.
The full Westminster Chimes would also work. It has four bars. On 15 it plays the first bar. On the hour, it plays all 4 bars and them a chime for the hour. (I slept in the living room when we visited my grandparents.) Several meditation chime apps also have something similar.
The full Westminster Chimes would also work. It has four bars. On 15 it plays the first bar. On the hour, it plays all 4 bars and them a chime for the hour. (I slept in the living room when we visited my grandparents.) Several meditation chime apps also have something similar.
March 24, 2014 at 15:58 |
Cricket
Cricket
I don't know about listening to bars of the full Westminster Chimes every quarter-hour. Might be fun for a few hours. Previous to my discovery of Chime.app, I was using Cuckoo.app, which made a single cuckoo on the half-hours and repeat-cuckooed the number of the hour. Like a real cuckoo clock, it soon drove my wife crazy and was just too silly to leave on at work. Chime is much less obtrusive. And unlike most countdown & meditation timers, it doesn't require any foreground futzing.
March 24, 2014 at 22:22 |
ubi
ubi
March 27, 2014 at 22:07 |
michael
michael
UPDATE
After 3.5 weeks I'm still going strong with MoT. I've learned a few things along the way:
1. An easy way to clear a checklist is to transfer whichever item is 'stuck' into a slot later in the day (as an individual task).
2. I need to keep some slots empty, as some tasks naturally extend into the next morsel. It's easier to rearrange the day's activities if about 25% of the slots are empty when the list is fleshed out mid-morning.
3. The day seldom goes as planned. Many afternoons involve deferring a few tasks to later. Very DIT-like.
Has anyone else tried MoT yet? Volunteers? You will like it, but no pressure!
After 3.5 weeks I'm still going strong with MoT. I've learned a few things along the way:
1. An easy way to clear a checklist is to transfer whichever item is 'stuck' into a slot later in the day (as an individual task).
2. I need to keep some slots empty, as some tasks naturally extend into the next morsel. It's easier to rearrange the day's activities if about 25% of the slots are empty when the list is fleshed out mid-morning.
3. The day seldom goes as planned. Many afternoons involve deferring a few tasks to later. Very DIT-like.
Has anyone else tried MoT yet? Volunteers? You will like it, but no pressure!
April 16, 2014 at 1:08 |
ubi
ubi
I'm doing something similar but with pomodoros.
April 18, 2014 at 7:13 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
When I consider testing a system, two of the questions I ask myself are:
1) Could I see myself using this for longer than a month without driving myself nuts?
2) When I envision my ideal, relaxed, super-productive day, can I picture myself using this method or system in it?
I have a hard time answering yes to these questions when I think of breaking my entire work day into 15 minute segments and scheduling/re-scheduling them.
But I've been wrong before - When I first read about Mark's random system, I laughed, thinking, "This is what it's come to now? Random selection of tasks." A couple days later I tried it...and realized I was dead wrong. It DID work.
So I'm interested to hear you out, ubi. Do you really not get tired of breaking your whole day into 15 minute "morsels"? Are you really able to have a relaxed, productive day consistently using this method?
1) Could I see myself using this for longer than a month without driving myself nuts?
2) When I envision my ideal, relaxed, super-productive day, can I picture myself using this method or system in it?
I have a hard time answering yes to these questions when I think of breaking my entire work day into 15 minute segments and scheduling/re-scheduling them.
But I've been wrong before - When I first read about Mark's random system, I laughed, thinking, "This is what it's come to now? Random selection of tasks." A couple days later I tried it...and realized I was dead wrong. It DID work.
So I'm interested to hear you out, ubi. Do you really not get tired of breaking your whole day into 15 minute "morsels"? Are you really able to have a relaxed, productive day consistently using this method?
April 18, 2014 at 17:24 |
Austin
Austin
Austin,
You asked: 'Do you really not get tired of breaking your whole day into 15 minute "morsels"?'
I'm not tired of it yet.
You also asked: 'Are you really able to have a relaxed, productive day consistently using this method?'
Actually, yes. If I don't have a lot of appointments or need to accomplish a lot of specific things on a given day, I can just continually plan the next 30-45 minutes SMEMA style. Most work days, I begin to experience a bit of overwhelm mid-day, regardless of what system I'm using. With MoT being tied to the clock and my including all the normal routine activities (like commuting home), I can flesh out the rest of the work day and decide ahead of time that something important that just came in is better to put off to tomorrow morning, for example. In the past I would try to tackle it late in the afternoon, stay too late at work, and still not handle other urgent or important things that I should've done today.
I'm not sure I would like MoT if I used different tools. Chime.app (iPhone) & Clear.app (iPhone & Mac with iCloud sync) make it fun to do, and only a little tedious. I might try it using just a watch and pencil&paper one day.
You asked: 'Do you really not get tired of breaking your whole day into 15 minute "morsels"?'
I'm not tired of it yet.
You also asked: 'Are you really able to have a relaxed, productive day consistently using this method?'
Actually, yes. If I don't have a lot of appointments or need to accomplish a lot of specific things on a given day, I can just continually plan the next 30-45 minutes SMEMA style. Most work days, I begin to experience a bit of overwhelm mid-day, regardless of what system I'm using. With MoT being tied to the clock and my including all the normal routine activities (like commuting home), I can flesh out the rest of the work day and decide ahead of time that something important that just came in is better to put off to tomorrow morning, for example. In the past I would try to tackle it late in the afternoon, stay too late at work, and still not handle other urgent or important things that I should've done today.
I'm not sure I would like MoT if I used different tools. Chime.app (iPhone) & Clear.app (iPhone & Mac with iCloud sync) make it fun to do, and only a little tedious. I might try it using just a watch and pencil&paper one day.
April 18, 2014 at 19:09 |
ubi
ubi
Thanks for answering my questions. I'll continue thinking about it for a while before inquiring further. If nothing else, it's a good sign that you've stuck with it and you feel good about it.
April 18, 2014 at 20:04 |
Austin
Austin
I experimented with 30-minute morsels yesterday. (Wednesdays are my work-from-home days.) It worked well and was a bit more relaxing than my standard 15-minute intervals. I did combine short tasks so that some entries contained two or three tasks within the 30-minute periods.
I might try 1-hour morsels on a weekend day; I often go off-system completely on a Saturday or Sunday.
I might try 1-hour morsels on a weekend day; I often go off-system completely on a Saturday or Sunday.
May 15, 2014 at 19:33 |
ubi
ubi
I tried this one today, with 15-minute segments. Just the planning and checking the clock between tasks, not the chimes. Overall, not sure. It was great when I was ahead or only marginally behind. Not so great once I fell too far behind. I'll finish everything I wanted to, and I even worked ahead on a project (unplanned). Even when I was behind, seeing that there was still a chance to finish on time helped get me back on task.
Planning like this will help me be more pessimistic when planning, and make mid-day corrections sooner. I'm trying to limit my list each day so I actually finish it, rather than make it a wish list. Leaving a few hours at the end of each day for a project I'm excited about makes a good carrot.
Planning like this will help me be more pessimistic when planning, and make mid-day corrections sooner. I'm trying to limit my list each day so I actually finish it, rather than make it a wish list. Leaving a few hours at the end of each day for a project I'm excited about makes a good carrot.
May 16, 2014 at 22:08 |
Cricket
Cricket
ubi, found this from the other thread of "For System Users & Experimenters: What are you working with or on?" I'll try. Also goes somewhat with this (below) that I just read. I'd been waffling with, as goes more towards schedule everything, all day, full week. And that seemed too much. Yet I did get the need to schedule. You seem to get this in a new way.
article and excerpt/summary
http://theweek.com/article/index/266737/how-to-be-the-most-productive-person-in-your-office-mdash-and-still-get-home-by-530-pm
-----
1) To-do lists are evil. Schedule everything.
To-do lists by themselves are useless. They're just the first step. You have to assign them time on your schedule. Why?
It makes you be realistic about what you can get done. It allows you to do tasks when it's efficient, not just because it's #4.
Until it's on your calendar and assigned an hour, it's just a list of wishful thinking.
-----
article and excerpt/summary
http://theweek.com/article/index/266737/how-to-be-the-most-productive-person-in-your-office-mdash-and-still-get-home-by-530-pm
-----
1) To-do lists are evil. Schedule everything.
To-do lists by themselves are useless. They're just the first step. You have to assign them time on your schedule. Why?
It makes you be realistic about what you can get done. It allows you to do tasks when it's efficient, not just because it's #4.
Until it's on your calendar and assigned an hour, it's just a list of wishful thinking.
-----
December 27, 2014 at 21:27 |
matthewS
matthewS
This thread is about a new way of thinking about the available time in your day. Consider each bite-sized chunk of available time as a gift, or Morsel, that you are free to choose how to use and enjoy. The metaphor of a delicious sample of food - perhaps presented on a tray by a roving waiter at a party - has two purposes. First, it's a positive term, unlike the neutral Slot or Chunk or Window, or the negative Block of time. Second, if you don't seize it, it will disappear - "eaten" by someone else at the party.
I'll write more in five subsequent postings.
Next: Part II - a time for everything.