How do you know when you are on your right path? Well, the synchronicity can get downright scary when you are. Here's my LEAST scary example of synchronicity in the last 24 hours...
David Allen’s book on getting organized, “Getting Things Done”, came up in an on-line forum today. I was curious (and definitely feeling overwhelmed lately) so I did some reading on the book.
The premise sounds promising. It’s like the process I mentioned in another thread, about writing tasks down (so as to not carry them in your head) and writing down the specific next step needed to carry out the task. This method worked flawlessly the first few years in my art business. It got me so far in achieving goals, I foolishly thought I didn’t need to use it anymore.
The idea is that our brain’s short term memory can only carry around seven or eight items at a time. Trying to hold onto your day’s or week’s to-do list in your mind is like trying to do long division in your head. Write it down!
Then break each task into specific steps. Some tasks are just too general. Our brain gets stuck because we can’t handle a generic task like “clean studio.” It’s too abstract. Something more specific like “empty all trash” is more manageable.
You might then need an extra step, like “get large trash bag to collect all trash”. That’s when you realize, for the fourth time in a week, that you are actually out of large trash bags.
Since our brains also have a tendency to remember our tasks when we are not in a position to act on them, it doesn’t do us any good to think about trash bags at 4 a.m. when we wake up, or while we’re in the middle of cleaning the studio. So grouping next steps with specific activities (like “running errands” or “trip to hardware store”) makes sense. “Buy large trash bags” gets grouped with the “trip to hardware store” activity. A separate list of activities is made, with all the appropriate “next steps” listed on each “activity” list.
One example given was “buy light bulbs”. The person would remember to buy them at the store, but couldn’t remember what size or style she needed. The pre-step was “Check out each fixture and note what size/style/wattage of bulb is needed.” Next was to put that information on the “trip to hardware store” list or the “shopping” list or wherever it would be most useful.
Sometimes coming up with the next step is hard, especially if you have a new goal (“Win Pulitzer Prize”) you’ve never done before. Work backwards if you get stuck at this part—name the end result and ask yourself, “Exactly what has to have happened before THIS can occur?” Then write that pre-step down. For example, in order to win the Pulitzer Prize, you have to actually write a book or article. Don’t laugh, you’d be amazed at the number of people who try to skip that part….
What was new to me in Allen's approach was the notion of grouping activities to accomplish the little steps. Making a list of all the "next steps" for different projects that could be done together, like the next time you're on-line. I hadn't really thought of that....
So I grabbed a notebook, listed various tasks I've been carrying around in my head, and broke them down into steps. Then I tried grouping the steps into common activities.
What was the thing that had been nagging at me the most lately? I can’t find my box of business cards. I’d just ordered them this summer. But I’d put them away somewhere “safe” during my open studio in October and now I can’t find them. I’ve searched the studio twice thoroughly, but no luck. My usual approach would be “Clean Studio” and hope they would eventually turn up. The thought of cleaning my studio was too overwhelming, so I instead I'd usually get side-tracked quickly.
So I thought I’d try the process with “Get business cards for next show.”
“Get business cards for next show” turned into exploring three options: “Search again” because I already have new business cards. OY!! But searching again was an option. I put it down. Or I could “Order more of the same cards”, go to my on-line printing source and simply order more of the same design. Or “Redesign new cards, with new image, and reorder.” I decided I wasn’t sure which option I really wanted right now, and I still have time to think about it. So letting that go for now, I turned the page to list another task.
“Clean and De-Clutter” was my big abstract task. I turned it into “Pick one small surface daily and clear for 15 minutes”. Well! I could do that right now.
Which surface? There are so many…. I decided to start with the obvious. I picked an easy surface, one that really shouldn’t even be here—a display area set up for that same open studio in October that I hadn’t dismantled yet.
I cleared the display case’s top, put away the materials and put the artwork back into inventory storage. I moved the display case aside so one of my kids could take it back up into my barn attic later.
And there, behind the display case where they'd fallen, carefully hidden all these months, were….my lost business cards.
Well, I may just have to break down and buy the book, because David Allen just saved me $72 right there.
