Get Everything Done

Reading DIT, It strikes me that it requires a very methodical, disciplined person to put it into practice. Which is the reason most people struggle with Time Management in the first place. The things that keep me from being productive in general also keep me from using DIT effectively. Is this the case for most people?

Mark......read about the reptilian brain and Mark's tricks to get STARTED!!!! Even if I'm in Donkey Mode, I can keep starting and let it add up! We all have sticking points. His book and this website offer MANY great ways to get around it. The Commitment aspect of it grows as you feel the relief and pride of being able to both guage your list and complete it. Mastering the process is incremental but initiating it is instant. Start small and build up to an actual closed list. My secret: create my closed list to be doable even assuming it will be a hard day. If it's not a hard as you think (once you hurdle the starting), then you can build on your success. I think it's a brilliant system even with tweaking, it still works! LOL! December 05 will be my anniversary for no backlogs. Mark covers just about every aspect of working the system. He even offers alternatives to test run. Give it a go.....Starting is half the battle.....some days, it's most of the battle....but it's always DOABLE if you follow both his plan and his exercises and work arounds. Good luck.....I'm sure you'll do better than you're predicting!
learning as I go

Hi Mark
Me, again. If you can't initiate your work with a list of actions, timebox your efforts with a timer. My time is a gift from Flylady. Emblazened on the top reads....You can do anything for 15 minutes.
Reading that always *shames* me into setting it, and start ticking off my closed list or my checklist. After the 15 minutes has passed, you can either continue or STOP. Hint: I write > or = 15 minutes so that I have the option to GUILTLESSLY stop or GUILTLESSLY continue without raising the bar on what I expect from myself! LOL! That is a key point. You need to learn how to TRUST yourself to be both reasonable in your expectations but also trust that you can make yourself accountable to your presumedly reasonable expectations! LOL! Start with a shorter list and a reasonable checklist with some flexibility but allow NO DONKEY MODE rationalizations. Use the timer as your personal coach. In time, you'll build up to a decent day's work by YOUR REASONABLE STANDARDS, not that of either a perfectionistic taskmaster or a slacking rationalizing fool! LOL!
Mark will teach you how to find your own Middle Ground or Aristotle's Golden Mean.
If I can do it, ANYBODY can do it! LOL!
Now, give it a go....and set that timer! Hey, even 5 minutes is better than an empty LATER promise! LOL!
learning as I go

You need some self-discipline to do anything in this world. You need to get up in the morning, get dressed etc.

While DIT simply cannot completely eliminate the need for self-discipline, I have found it to reduce the need for it. As "learning as I go" told it is tricking us to get going. It is all about finding ways to reduce our resistance for those things we need to do.

The first step is to start planning and reviewing your days. You make a closed list of what you are going to do the day either at the evening the day before or in the morning. After the day you are reviewing how you did and plan the next day. No matter what you should do this. Even if it's the only thing you do. Only on special occasions you are allowed not to do this and you must decide it beforehand you are going to make an exception.

Then you put things you are going to do the day you are planning on your list. Do not put things you would like to do. When I started using DIT I put always too much there and could not complete my list. Be realistic, you are not going to change your habits overnight. Start slowly and when you find you can actually complete the lists you can add more things on it.

A to-do list or an unrealistic closed list (which are in essence the same thing) is the real resitance increaser. As you are not going to complete the list anyway, what is the point trying to complete any item on the list? You are still stuck with huge amount of things. And as you add everything on that list (or wrongly add things on your closed list during a day) it never gets any shorter. You are never finished.

Before I used to worry about unfinished business all the day. I was always stressed with things I had not done. Even if I was resting, I was not truely resting because these unfinished issues were in the back of my mind.

One of the best feelings I have found is the liberation when I find I have done everything I had decided to do. The closed list is fantastic as you can see you have done enough for the day and the rest of the day you can do whatever you want and not worry about work or lists or unfinished things.

Getting going in the morning is usually the hard part for me. That is why I usually do the easiest things on my list first. Just to get going. Previously I tried to do the hardest issues but it prevented me from starting to do anything productive at all. When you have done all the easy things, you actually find that there are only a little left to be done to complete your list. As you have experienced and learned the great feeling that comes from completing your daily list, it gives you extra strength to get those difficult ones done.

If you have many difficult high-resistance task to be done, then I think you have to simply leave some of these out. If you have not got round doing these before, then you are not going to miraculously get all those done at once.

Self-discipline is like a muscle. You need to train it slowly but systematically. If you try to make an abrupt change to your life, it is not going to work. The "muscle" will get fatigued and you will be put back.

So the thing really is to keep planning and reviewing no matter what. This is the systematic part of the training and the slow part comes from building realistic, even somewhat pessimistic, closed lists at first.

Don't be too hard on yourself on the days you fail. At the moment (I am in early stages still) I only succeed in about third of my days to completely do my list. But analyse why you failed and keep planning forward. Try to find the tricks to get round of the most serious obstacles.

Thanks to all for the thoughtful, helpful responses.

I should say that I do appreciate the DIT approach. Too many "Time Management" systems [I know, its really about Work Management] just seem to add overwhelm to the existing overwhelm. What I like about DIT is that it actually offers one the opportunity to play a game you can actually win.

I poked around for the "How to Make Your Dreams Come True" book but its a bit scarce in these parts. Why do they never have the books I'm looking for at Barnes & Noble? I've struck out on the last 6 or so attempts!

Anyway, thanks again everyone.

Well, I've taken your advice and picked up your second book, "How To Make Your Dreams Come True".
While I have must compliment you on a very novel approach, I must also admit that I'm having a tough time following it the concepts. Perhaps because its so counterintuitive to the way I think now. Take the "Whats better?' list. I havent tried it yet, but it seems I have many days when I'd be hard pressed to think of something for that list.
Anyway, I'm giving it a go.

hello all.. i'm new. I've read all three books as well as probably almost every other book on time/self management.

I ain't got no self-discipline!!!

but, if there is a big why/or some emotional component to what i'm supposed to do - it's easier to do it ... sometimes

your question was, how does DIT work for undisciplined people - well it's one of the best .... IF you can somehow control 'randomness' and you use the 'what is the minimum i can do towards this project' for over-coming resistance.

thanks.

Dear all...

Self-discipline means doing what you committed to do regardless of how you feel. This is a big deal because a lot of people can be counted on to do the great things in life if they feel like it.
Oftentimes, when you wake up, it's as if you want to go straight back to bed. Sometimes, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or you have a bad hair day.

How Do You Build Discipline?

The best way to build self-discipline regardless of where you come from, regardless of your experience, regardless of your expectations is to adopt a three-pronged approach. These are based on three fundamental facts. If you approach building discipline from these three avenues, you increase your likelihood of success.
You have to adopt all three. You can't just cherry pick or treat this like some sort of cafeteria. You pick a couple and then you leave the rest behind. That' won't work. You have to adopt all three. That's part of building discipline.

Fundamental Fact #1: Discipline is Like a Muscle
Just like building muscles, discipline needs to be challenged. You need to put a lot of pressure on it. You need to put yourself in situations where you need to exercise it.

Fundamental Fact #2: Discipline Requires Willpower
Willpower is like a block of ice that's given to you.When you work to make sure that you have an adequate starting supply of willpower, and you commit to using it efficiently to maximize discipline, you get optimal results.

Fundamental Fact #3: Mindfulness Helps You Boost Discipline
If you adopt some sort of mindfulness or meditation practice, you can train your mind to work in such a way that you are able to become more disciplined.

'Self-discipline. Get yourslef motivated and learn how to achieve your goals.' by Maxine Hay
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077CWY7TS

All the best