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Author Topic: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT  (Read 29124 times)

mouser

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GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« on: October 17, 2006, 07:42 AM »

GOE: THE GREAT DONATIONCODER.COM 2006
GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT
- WEEK SEVEN -


FLYLADY'S TECHNIQUES

Text and Assignment Written by DALLEE

The deadline for this assignment is October 24.



Introduction to the Getting Organized Experiment (GOE)
If you will recall, the objective of this three month project is to take a whirlwind tour of various Time Management systems and techniques, and find out which techniques work best for each of us.  We start with the belief that there is no one single best system that for all people - but rather that different people respond best to different strategies.

It is your job, should you choose to participate in this experiment, to ensure that at the end of the 3 month period, you have formulated a system of habits and techniques that works for you, and transforms you into a more relaxed and more efficient person. By the end of this experiment, you *will* have a working system in place, either by adopting one of the existing frameworks completely, or by creating your own hybrid set of strategies based on what you learn from existing systems.  That is the commitment we want you to make to yourself.  There is no room for excuses about "this system is a gimmick and it didn't work for me!" - because if it doesn't work it's YOUR responsibility to invent a system that does.



Week SEVEN Assignment: Learn About the Techniques of FlyLady

Text and assignment written by DALLEE

NOTE: This week’s assignments appear at the end of this post.



As you develop lists of next actions and goals for someday or what you will do tomorrow, do you have thoughts of getting yourself, your health or your home in better shape?  Or, equally significant, do you think only about work and ignore quality of life issues?

We now introduce a world class expert on the subject of “getting everyday things better”: FlyLady a/k/a Marla Cillian.

1.  FlyLady’s Context

The strength and reach of FlyLady’s message is readily documented.  Over 348,000 people have joined her daily e-mail reminder program (FlyLady Mentors), there are almost 630 Yahoo groups devoted to FlyLady, and her website www.flylady.net – considering only web pages counted by Alexa – daily is seen by an impressive number of people.  There is a smaller affiliated website devoted to men called www.HeyTom.net and there are several Yahoo groups are devoted to men, including two groups for gay men.

FlyLady’s subject covers no smaller territory than helping her audience better meet the basic human needs for safety, self-maintenance, security, and self-esteem, as well as a sense of belonging to a family or group.  These are the root life issues identified in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and it is well accepted that self actualization and self transcendence can follow only after these basic human needs are addressed.  As one expert has said, “Any self-help plan that you create [must] take this hierarchy into account or it will be very likely to fail ....  Only after your basic needs have been attended to will you have extra attention to give to [other self-improvement issues].”
   
These everyday areas of life are the foundation of your life.  The oft quoted statement of  Fr. Alfred D’Souza captures this truth:  "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin –– real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid, then life would begin.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

2.  Why the Name “FlyLady”?

As a fly fishing fan, Marla Cilley first used “FlyLady” on the internet as her “nom du web.”  Later, FLY began to stand for “Finally Loving Yourself,” which a fan survey produced as a summary of her philosophy that taking concrete life improvement efforts honors one’s self, family and community, and builds confidence and self-esteem.

“Flying” is the verb used by those describing the positive impact of FlyLady’s program and their increased sense of ease and comfort in everyday life.

Equally apt is a quote from 1993 Nobel Prize winner creative writer Toni Morrison, although FlyLady would never put it this way: “Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weights you down.”

3.  A Quick Summary of FlyLady’s Program

Karen Kohlhaas’ website, www.monologueaudition.com, gives a description of the  lessons learned from her FlyLady experience.   Karen is recognized theater director and acting coach, as well as the author of The Monologue Audition: A Practical Guide for Actors (five stars at Amazon.com) and writer/producer of  the Monologue Audition Video.

In her web article, “Why FlyLady is Great for Actors”, Karen reports that she signed up to receive daily emails at FlyLady Mentors, a Yahoo group.  Summarizing here that report, Karen wrote:


I surely did need some tips about keeping my home and life more orderly, so I signed up for the free membership.  I immediately began to receive many e:mails from Flylady.net per day (if you think this would put you off, keep reading), most of them reminders to do various things like put on my shoes, locate my laundry, and shine my sink (!).  There was usually a daily essay from Flylady and several testimonials by Flylady members.

I was directing a show at the time, so at first I didn’t do any of the system consciously.  As the introductory e:mail instructed, I just deleted the mails I couldn’t get to (the reminders mails are not even meant to be opened, you just read the subject line and then delete).  I grew to look forward to the essays and testimonials because they were so positive and helped me to de-stress.  It was often very moving to read about people transforming their home lives from absolute chaos to never-before-experienced peacefulness and order. A little of the Flylady frame of mind took over and for the first time EVER my apartment was quite orderly.  I didn’t even feel it happening.

Flylady’s principles can work brilliantly for artists of all kinds because they are about handling unstructured time.   Here are some:

  • Have simple (SIMPLE!) morning and evening routines (to care for your home life, your body, your finances, your career) that you do every day
  • Take BABYSTEPS in building routines.  Read Flylady’s essays on the site about how important this is.  When she was building her routines, she only took on one new thing a month so it would have time to become an automatic habit
  • Break up tasks into 15-minute increments USING A TIMER.  This works so incredibly well you won’t believe it .  * * * *  When the timer rings you MUST switch to something else.  * * * *   This is so powerful for stopping the tendency to burn out, or to get sucked into spending hours on things that don’t really matter.  And it is REMARKABLE what can get done in 15 minutes.  * * * *
  • Take frequent breaks
  • Declutter your life a bit at a time
  • Get enough rest
  • Be good to yourself and put yourself first so that you can be of some use to others and no whining allowed.

Underlying her brilliant system is Flylady’s [rejection of] Perfectionism.
Flylady short-circuits perfectionism with the routines (which get so automatic that you do them without thinking, and magically, you are set up for the next day); with awareness (her own personal essays often talk about the monster of perfectionism and how it is constantly trying to creep in and spoil our fun); and with the welcome and soothing phrases:  you’re not behind, you can jump in where you are, and housework imperfectly done still blesses your family.

So if you’re interested in trying Flylady’s system for yourself, go to Flylady.net and try signing up (they make it easy to sign up or unsubscribe).  The best thing about the system is that it is completely adaptable to any lifestyle whatsoever.
With some thought and experimentation you can custom-design routines to fit your own daily life and the pursuit of your career.  Don’t be overwhelmed by the emails they are sent by someone who cares and who wants you to be peaceful, productive and happy.”

Karen has also written about the application of FlyLady’s principles to mastering a craft or profession, comparing them to career tips from David Mamet and the work method of actor Anthony Hopkins. 
         
4.  The Mechanical and Attitudinal Basics of FlyLady
      
FlyLady’s program rests upon identifying, implementing and making habitual self selected routines of daily living.   Routines are generally short, from a few seconds to 15 minutes. Use a timer and 15 minute chunks of time, to break any project down into a manageable time commitment. 

Work on only one new routine at a time, think “babysteps” and dump perfectionism.  Respect the thought that only “practice makes perfect” and acknowledge that you are a novice in relation to developing that routine.  The Dreyfus Model of skill acquisition underscores that, for  a novice, following simple rules for action is the learning method of choice to achieve a successful outcome. 
 
Start with something basic and “keep it super simple.”  If you have a messy home, FlyLady suggests starting with a new routine of cleaning the kitchen sink every evening, which will give you something nice to look at in the morning – the very reason her book is entitled Sink Reflections (Amazon gives 4.5 stars and has more than 270 user reviews).  The same approach is taken to health and weight issues in Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself, which is not yet available on Amazon.com, but can be purchased at the FlyLady website.  FlyLady’s philosophy about a clearly defined starting point is consistent with "The Art of The Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide For Anyone Starting Anything" by Guy Kawasaki (alternatively, see the easily accessible and downloadable Kawasaki Manifesto and workbook, or the Blue Flavored Blog for a summary and Kawasaki links).

Track your progress in a “control journal” and use it on your newly launched habits, as well as the habits you already have in place.  If you have any doubts about the need to track habits to keep them in place, consider that Benjamin Franklin monitored his 13 Virtues daily from age 20 to at least age 79.  Ben Franklin generally tracked one virtue a week, putting a dot in the relevant box for each non virtuous act.  As an aside, one could suspect that FlyLady would not encourage following Franklin’s skipping attending to habits 12 weeks out of 13, but somewhere a wag humorously noted that Franklin might have found it handy to worry about the virtue of Chastity roughly only one week every three months.  DYI Planner’s Hipster PDA and PocketMod (under “miscellaneous”) have downloadable forms for Franklin’s 13 Virtues.  Flylady’s instructions for assembling a comprehensive FlyLady Control Journal appear on her website.

FlyLady also encourages you to schedule rewards for yourself for following your plan, which serves as positive reinforcement of your self mastery efforts.





5.  Assignment

Planning and analysis are a part of the FlyLady system.  The assignment takes into account that the lists you have developed probably include several GETB or “getting everyday life better” items.  Take your list(s) and do  the following:

  • 1. Identify several “everyday life” issues you could address, referencing any lists you maintain.
  • 2. Think about an action “babystep” on each (a “next action” in David Allen’s GTD terminology). 
  • 3. You might not need an actual action routine if better equipment or tools might resolve an issue.  For example, a well-selected 7-day pill box could help you take medication consistently.  Look for “work arounds” and simple solutions, treating yourself and your everyday life issues with the same respect and seriousness you might bring to finding the perfect, elegant software to solve a computer need.
  • 4. You might not need to develop an actual action routine on an issue if monitoring might be the first best step.  For example, if you are sedentary, get and wear a pedometer to track your daily activity level – and, without engaging in a “project” – you are likely to find yourself starting to walk more by drawing awareness to your activity level.  If you are already on the start of a habit – such as daily meditation – note the days you take the desired action.  If you wonder if you are getting enough sleep, you could start a sleep log.
  • 5. Where you decide that you must develop an action routine, pick the most basic one, ponder it, decide on a desired routine, and commit to bringing that activity into your life by practicing it for 28 days and until it is an actual habitual routine.  Only one at a time!  Monitor implementation in your control journal, both during habit formation and thereafter.
  • 6.  Repeat step 5 on your next desired routine and any others thereafter, a process which is indefinitely because there is no “perfection” and some new issue will always arise.
  • 7. Take a look at www.flylady.net and consider signing up for emails from FlyLady Mentors or another FlyLady related Yahoo group.
  • 8. Post on this week’s thread what everyday issues you have decided to address and the actions you are taking.

If you find use in the FlyLady system for “Getting Everyday Things Better,” reflect on any suggestions you could make to help her extend her information to minority communities and groups outside the United States, and send any constructive thought to [email protected].

Because you are at the “babystep” stage, do not embark upon FlyLady’s system of weekly home maintenance steps which address one part of your home each week.  That program is described on www.flylady.net and many versions of that list are on the web, one of which appears at DYI Planner.

6.  Next Week

We will continue with FlyLady assignment next week and will post a DonationCoder interview of FlyLady and Karen Kohlhaas.

Post on this week’s thread any questions and requests for information you would like to see addressed in that interview.

HAPPY FLYING!
-Dallee


« Last Edit: October 30, 2006, 07:53 AM by mouser »

mouser

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2006, 07:43 AM »
Thanks to Dalle, who took charge of this week's assignment completely.
Looks great by the way  :up:

nudone

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2006, 10:52 AM »
thanks, Dallee.

i'll investigate further - if i don't do much towards the assignment i'll certainly sign up for the FlyLady newsletters.

tomos

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2006, 06:04 AM »
thanks Dallee
am now reading ...
Tom

mouser

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2006, 06:21 AM »
this aspect (regular daily normal-life activity maintenance) of my time management is seriously lacking, so i'm definitely going to embrace this assignment starting today  :up:

app103

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2006, 08:43 AM »
This is just the area of my life that is the most mess and I have been trying to apply all the GOE stuff presented thus far, to it, with no success....as a matter of fact it made a bigger mess out of me.

This might be just what I need.

Now excuse me...I have a sudden urge to go wash dishes*.   :o



*That is very out of character for me. I HATE doing dishes!


tomos

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2006, 05:27 PM »
Like this:

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin –– real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid, then life would begin.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

and this:

helping ... meet the basic human needs for safety, self-maintenance, security, and self-esteem, as well as a sense of belonging to a family or group
off to look at a couple of those sites ..
Tom

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2006, 09:22 PM »
Thanks for bringing in the flylady! It caused me to think of how I use Mark Forster's Will-Do list (which I have printed out and sitting up in a document holder on my desk -- I can always see it).

I found I have a different mindset at home than I do at work, and that I wasn't really implementing the Do It Tomorrow steps as well when it came to personal stuff.

But the Flylady's idea of "keep your sink clean" made me think that my home office equivalent would be "keep my desk clean." Alternatively, "keep my inbox clean."

So the first two items on my Will-Do list are:
* Is my desk clean?
* Is my inbox empty?

If I answer NO to these questions, then I need to do the minimum to get them clean/processed. For me, this is mainly putting away papers from work, books I've piled on the desk that should be on the shelf, etc. Little stuff, but little stuff that just nags at me when it accumulates.

One of my gnarly issues is that stuff lingers in the inbox, so just asking myself these questions kicks off a really quite brief clean-up spree. With the desk and inbox stuff managed, I move on to the rest of my Will-do list, which for the record is:

* Current initiative
* Task diary
* Review PBWiki projects list (aka David Allen's Projects list)
* What's happening tomorrow?

Sometimes I only work on one thing if I feel that's the thing I need to focus on. Other nights, I say "screw it" and putter on the web. Other times, I use a timer to help me process a stack of myriad items. I go with my intuition based on what's going on with my life.

But for me, the desk and the inbox have to be clean and it's a painless routine.

tomos

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2006, 10:03 AM »
        Ha,
        Brownstudy got there before me -

        I have a similar story:
        I have found the "clean you sink" - or whatever - the
reminder-emails, well, i find they remind me to think -
what am I doing ?
should i be doing something else ?  :)  etc.

Then the baby steps idea i find very helpful - including the caring tone -
much better than me thinking- god, i should have that done by now & what about the other, god, i'll never get this all done (Tom's Conversations with God  :) )

With the help of Flylady I've also so far:
  • started keeping a daily journal (re GOE but including anything i want to write about)
  • got a clean sink - not polished but clean is good too!
  • & yeah, started working a bit better again

Also think not implementing too much at any one time is a good idea.

Re an action routine that you try to implement for 28 days, I'm still a bit fuzzy.
I want to implement that I do the "boring" aspect of my work say X number of hours per day, or (X by 5) hours per week.
I think it wasnt intended for this use but I'll try it anyways ...

One entertaining thing i find about the Flylady mails is that the reminder to go to bed arrives here (GMT+1) after 5 in the morning  ;D 
off surfing tonight


Cant get rid of these list thingies ->[/list][/list][/list]
Tom
« Last Edit: October 25, 2006, 10:05 AM by tomos »

app103

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2006, 05:04 PM »
ok...it has been 8 days...

My sink still isn't completely empty, but it's getting there.

The email reminders do make you think about what you could be doing, instead of the time wasting you are currently doing, when the little email popups appear on the screen when another of the FlyLady mails comes in.

My microwave counter is clean...and so is the microwave, inside & out.

Cleaned the outside of the fridge too...and my daughter had a burst of nervous energy the other night because her friend who is having a baby went into labor (or so she thought...turned out to be a false alarm). She ended up partially cleaning the inside.

There is a problem though...

I am falling behind with keeping up with the forum...and my email...and projects @pc are not going anywhere.

I know I am definitely not super woman, but I can't figure out wtf I am doing wrong.

I am happy about the accomplishments in the kitchen, but not at the expense of everything else...and it can't be the time I spend in the kitchen that is causing me to fall behind in everything else, because I am not in the kitchen all that much.

That's what I don't understand about myself. I seem to be lacking the ability to focus....or even care...almost like I am starting to lose interest in everything.


nudone

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2006, 02:39 AM »
That's what I don't understand about myself. I seem to be lacking the ability to focus....or even care...almost like I am starting to lose interest in everything.

that's probably being a bit worn out or tired.

i'd just wait for your energy levels to get back up - that could be mental energy or it could be physical energy. i get it every few days - seeing or hearing about something that is inspiring usually gives me a sudden boost of energy and off i go again. in the meantime i just potter around getting things done that don't require a great effort - that could be watching a dvd, reading a book or even something physically taxing - as long as i'm not sat sitting, worrying about what i should be doing, i consider it all positive action.

mouser

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #11 on: October 30, 2006, 05:07 AM »
It's hard for the brain to keep so many different kinds of tasks in mind at the same time - so it might just be a case of two many different kinds of activities and the costs associated with trying to keep switching your context between them.

I'm guessing that as behaviors get more automated this might become less of a problem, or give yourself permission to fall behind in the pc stuff for a while and not be dissapointed in yourself when you do.

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Re: GETTING ORGANIZED EXPERIMENT - WEEK SEVEN ASSIGNMENT
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2006, 01:11 AM »
With about 950 unread non-spam emails and about 7 pages of unread posts here, and a ton of stuff that needs to be done b4 this weekend, I am going nuts.

And I can't shine my sink because now it's clogged!  ;D
I have been trying to unclog both sinks for about 3 days...they are connected...bathroom & kitchen. When one gets clogged they both do.

Anybody got a number for a good murphy's lawyer?

Yes, I can still laugh at myself, so it can't be all that bad...there is still some of the old me left here somewhere.

It's not a matter of so many tasks in mind and trying to switch between them...it's more like avoiding it all because it's not any fun any more....it's all starting to bore me.