Discussion Forum > The gap between best practice and good habits.
Hi Dave
I too have experienced this and I think perhaps I am just not disciplined enough but also, bad habits take a considerable time to be broken so keep trying? For me, writing it down is the key.
I wonder what Mark thinks about this?
I too have experienced this and I think perhaps I am just not disciplined enough but also, bad habits take a considerable time to be broken so keep trying? For me, writing it down is the key.
I wonder what Mark thinks about this?
January 25, 2007 at 23:07 |
Debbie
Debbie
Well, here I am looking at the blog when I could be getting ahead with my will do list.
I find that the days I get things done correlate closely with the days I open up the list early and start working through it. This really motivates.
Obvious really, but when I've got early meetings dropped on me it can be genuinely challenging. (As opposed to today, which is just Shocking Indiscipline!)
I also began playing the "predict some tasks" game competitively with my daughter (who lives in Barcelona - it gives us soemthing to talk about). I'm shovelling down huge helpings of humble pie daily. The wonder of Google Spreadsheets... Looking at my daily results, I see that there is a pattern: I have been worst on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays - something is clearly getting lost over the weekend.
Incidentally, the number of mails I write has dropped dramatically (60-80%) since I started slipping incomming mail into my next day's will do list rather than answering immediately. I am certain that this is a good thing.
Regards,
Will
I find that the days I get things done correlate closely with the days I open up the list early and start working through it. This really motivates.
Obvious really, but when I've got early meetings dropped on me it can be genuinely challenging. (As opposed to today, which is just Shocking Indiscipline!)
I also began playing the "predict some tasks" game competitively with my daughter (who lives in Barcelona - it gives us soemthing to talk about). I'm shovelling down huge helpings of humble pie daily. The wonder of Google Spreadsheets... Looking at my daily results, I see that there is a pattern: I have been worst on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays - something is clearly getting lost over the weekend.
Incidentally, the number of mails I write has dropped dramatically (60-80%) since I started slipping incomming mail into my next day's will do list rather than answering immediately. I am certain that this is a good thing.
Regards,
Will
January 26, 2007 at 8:19 |
Will Ross
Will Ross
It takes time to break the bad work habits of years and put better habits in their place. One wouldn't expect to learn to ride a bicycle in one session. So these methods need practice.
The things one needs to pay particular attention to are, as Will suggests, making sure that the list is ready at the beginning of the day (best done at the close of the previous day) and you get to work on it immediately.
And, very important, keep pushing the diagnosis if you are not getting through your work ok. Is it because a) you have too much work b) you are working inefficiently c) you are not leaving enough time?
Concentrating on these points should keep you on target.
The things one needs to pay particular attention to are, as Will suggests, making sure that the list is ready at the beginning of the day (best done at the close of the previous day) and you get to work on it immediately.
And, very important, keep pushing the diagnosis if you are not getting through your work ok. Is it because a) you have too much work b) you are working inefficiently c) you are not leaving enough time?
Concentrating on these points should keep you on target.
January 26, 2007 at 12:25 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
For me, there seems to be a gap between knowledge and execution. That is, I know that the DIT activities / routines work well, but there still seems to be frequent resistance to actually doing it at my my workplace.
Has anyone else encountered this?
D