Friday, July 25, 2014

Day 354 of 365: The Power of Lists

There are some days where I am just on top of my shit, getting shit done, making shit work. And then there are days when I don't do shit.


The difference between the days where shit gets done and days where I don't do shit all boils down to one thing: lists. Did I make a list of things to do that day?


Certain things are given: if I'm teaching a class, I already know the time frames that I need to have open in order to do my job. But, given that a solid chunk of what I do these days is in the freelance or student department (which doesn't exactly create a set schedule for you), I am given a lot of weird open time to do with as I please. And -- like I've said before -- I'm not exactly an intrinsically motivated person; I just really like getting results and am willing to kick my own ass to get them.


Without lists, I can get pretty directionless. I know there are some things I gotta get done, and I might halfass a few of those things, but that's about it. Because, again, I'm not inherently motivated. With a list, I know exactly what shit I should be doing today and I know the steps I need to take to get those jobs done.


Maybe you can blame my obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Maybe you can blame my ADD. Maybe you can blame the fact that I am so pro-results that I tend to scatter myself, which leaves me with a lot of half-finished projects and no gains. Either way, making a list can really make a difference.


And you know what's been on every list? "Write blog post." The frightening thing is, is that, in about ten or so days, I won't have that as part of my list. Frightening.

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