Here’s How I Get It Done ... A Follow-up To “Am I Crazy to Volunteer?”

I’m in the middle of a bunch of big life-changing things: building a new house, selling my existing home, working full time plus some, raising a teenage daughter, about to become a grandmother for the first time, leading art and Vision Card workshops, in a local art show, serving on the Board of Directors for Art in Action, and trying to squeeze in doing my own art and a little time for a new relationship here and there too.

My friends constantly comment that they don’t know how I get it all done. I recently sent my sister this list of ”things I did this week,” because I was seriously remiss in calling her back. I felt I owed her some context (aka, an excuse).

When I read the list, it exhausted me:

• Ordered storage POD
• Picked up storage boxes in Palo Alto
• Totally cleaned garage and moved 12x8x8 worth of stuff from house and yard (including packing the boxes and moving large stuff) into the POD
• Bad Art Night Friday night
• Bought a new tree for front yard
• Had gardener plant tree
• Worked with cabinet shop to design kitchen so they could quote the cabinet order, plus the bathrooms
• Met with Art in Action to be chair for next March fundraiser
• Designed electrical layout (lights and outlets) for new house
• Confirmed everyone for the upcoming Vision Card workshop
• Picked out garage door for new house
• Sent kitchen design to two more cabinet makers
• Worked 40+ hours
• Dump run today
• Free yard "sale" today
• Went to the house several times to see progress
• Wrote a blog post for Patch

Somewhere in there, I also spent time with my daughter, cooked or went out for meals, watched some television, showered, slept, and cuddled with my two little dogs.

I didn’t feel exhausted in the moment. Maybe a bit pooped out the days I was moving things into the storage POD - the sheer physical exertion can get to me as I get older. Instead, I felt energized. The more I get done, the better I feel about the progress I’m making in my life. I for sure can’t keep up this pace 52 weeks a year, nor would I want to. But the key to my success, and personal happiness, is in accomplishing my goals.

How do I do it? Here are my three secret weapons for getting things done and enjoying the process.

1. Get ‘r Done. The first and most important secret to getting things done is to get things done! By that I mean I don’t dwell on making things perfect, and I don’t procrastinate, generally speaking. 

   
   Yes - I procrastinate with the best of you on getting my taxes done and submitting my timesheet. But other than that, I seem to have found a good stride in embracing the motto “just do it.” When something comes up - if I can’t do it in that moment, I put it on a list and start chipping away. I have one piece of paper. I put work related things on one side, and personal stuff on the other. Sometimes, if things get really busy, I’ll put things into categories of “Do,” “Call,” and “Future/Long Term.”
   
   
2. My iPhone is my friend. I keep up with emails, calls and text messages, and I answer them right away.
   
   If I’m wondering about something like where to buy that chair I saw or where an artist I like is showing her work, I look it up and email myself the results. Some say I respond to emails too quickly. My friends think I’m on email 24x7. I don’t feel like I am, though I will admit to keeping my iPhone close by. And I  can be overwhelmed if I start getting a lot of calls, emails, and texts at the same time. I do turn off my phone when I’m in meetings or on vacation. But, I don’t save emails to respond to later because the thought of 300 unread emails makes me short of breath and tight-chested. 


   
   How I choose to deal with email comes from a time-management class I took years ago. The instructor told us several tips for managing paper. You have three choices of how to deal with each piece of paper you encounter: toss it, file it, or act on it. That’s what I do with email - mostly act on it. I delete junk right away - don’t even open it. Same with snail mail - though I did once throw away my tax return check using this principle!  Emails that need my attention I send a quick and responsive reply right away. If it is something I need to spend more time on, I will outline my thoughts quickly and forward myself the email. Then, when I get home and have more time, but always before bedtime, I will finish it up and send it.
   
   
3. Use a calendaring program. I am religious about calendaring meetings, vacations, calls, and events. I would miss things if I wasn’t. And sometimes, I miss things even when I do have them on calendar.
   
   I use iCal (Apple Mobile Me) and I love how it gives me a 15 minute reminder, lets me put notes in and links to maps for directions. If the meeting/event is something I have to travel to, I include my travel time in the meeting maker, and note the actual start time in the subject line as a reminder.
   
   I’m working on being early this year, and this built in travel time trick has really helped. 

I have a separate work calendar for my consulting job (not my choice) so when I calendar something from work, I add myself on iCal and vice versa. That way, my calendars stay in sync and I don’t tend to get double booked. I block out time to work on projects and vacations, including preparing for and recovering from jet lag.

Other little tips for staying relaxed and refreshed? Take a micro-nap (5-10 minutes). Get a massage and go to the chiropractor every now and then. Stop and just sit on the couch and  look out the window at the clouds going by. Use my Vision Cards. Make a Vision Card. Paint or do some art every few days. Get a good night’s sleep in clean jammies and line-dried sheets. Take a trip - for the weekend or to Europe.

Do art for a whole weekend with the music playing really loud. A weekend of art-making always feels like the equivalent of two weeks of vacation to me. Never miss Bad Art Night - even when I am tired and cranky - Bad Art Night energizes me. Laughing with my kids is one of the best antidotes I know of to feeling tired and depleted.

And sometimes, I go to the movies, even if I have to do it alone. Being transported to a different time and place helps me feel rested and refreshed, ready for the next set of accomplishments.

I’d love to hear about how you support yourself to get done what you need and want to do.