Efficient Runnings

MAC-XIMUM EFFICIENCY

Technology is great. Personal computers have opened up the opportunities for getting more information, better communications and giving us tools for being super innovative & creative. The technology is so mobile and accessible that I'm even able to use my portable mini computer right now - namely my iPhone. 

Computers can be great for saving us time. They can also consume our lives if we allow them. When they work seamlessly, they are a joy, but when things go wrong, it's very frustrating. Everything else can get left behind as we try and prioritise fixing the technology issues before dealing with anything else. 

I see a lot of problems with friend's computers and phones, with a lot of the blame placed on the software/hardware, when in actual fact, these friends just don't understand how to use the tech properly. I believe this is a massive issue that currently affects millions of people around the world. Owning the latest and greatest bits of tech but having no idea how to get the best out of any of it, or worse, how to get any of it working at all....is totally pointless.

It's essential to keep the tech organised and optimised, yet people rarely pay attention to the simple fact that they need memory, including hard disk space (about 30%) in order to be able to function well. And just failing to understand this fundamental fact about how a computer operates, is something I encounter time and again. Yet, when trying to relay this helpful IT management information, the friend's reaction is usually to switch/brush this chat off. Their eyes glaze over as they move on to other trivial matters. The next time I hear from them, they've often upgraded to a 'better and faster' model. A temp fix to the major problem, the one being with themselves and an un-willingness to learn/understand some simple basics about their technology.

For those willing to learn a bit more about how best to manage their computers, there's always a google search with top tips and helpful videos with step by step instructions, so, here's just a few simple tips and tricks to keep things running smoothly. Keeping folders tidy, checking on backing-up important documents and photos etc. both doubling up on a remote drive and on cloud storage. With just a few minutes a day invested in tech house-keeping, it's really easy to keep that beautiful bit of kit running efficiently to keep the rest of our digital lives in order and free up time for taking care of other other priorities too. 

Flexible Time Management

MAKING TIME WORK FOR YOU

Being punctual is something I've talked about before. Definite timings are key for being better in control of our decisions and reliable with work, friends and sticking to important deadlines. It can help us to manage our lives better and means we have to really think about what we are doing and saying if we are to be seen as solid, reliable and dependable types.

Freelance Flexi-Time
Being a multi-job, flexible worker, it really does need a tight time keeping routine for us to be able to fit everything in and plan out the enjoyment times in between the working ones. This is an area where we have to be really definite and firm with others that we share the time with if we are to make it work. Something I've experienced today, is that most people have a completely different take on time and unless we are up-front and clear at the beginning to mutually agree terms, we will bend our timings to fit them and miss out on the things that we wish to do, or compromise others who are organised and punctual, just to please the others that are not.

Doing something

MAKING THE MOST OF PRODUCTIVE TIME

So yesterday was a mostly productive day - quite intense but with a bit of R&R. So I've set aside today as my first chance to do nothing. Doing 'nothing', as I've now realised, just isn't entirely possible. There's always a bit of 'I'll just do that first' and then after that I'll relax.... That's why planning on doing not very much today didn't work out too well...because the 'just do that' got in the way again and again. However, I'm ok with it today as I was being so efficiently productive, that I managed to get a lot done in a relatively short space of time.

That being said, It's a beautiful sunny, warm day here in London and yet I've spent the most part of it in front of a computer in a darkened room. Thing is, there'll be another sunny day but it's not often that I'll get such clarity on my thinking like today and you have to take those opportunities when they come along. I managed to get so much done this morning that I'm now in the sun with the knowledge that tomorrow will be another day of doing something with more breaks factored in rather than spending the whole day in front of a computer screen.

It's all down to balance - which can be said about everything in life. Finding a place of balance in our lives is always subjective and ever changing. Accepting that balance is merely a concept that should be monitored from a place of harmony within our mind body and environment, will help us to stay in tune more. That's the place I want (and need to get to) - where I'm less frantic trying to fit so much in to a day and not feeling so run ragged. If I'm in a more relaxed state, the working moments will be the most productive and rewarding too.

Overstimulation

BRAIN BURNOUT

Do you sometimes feel you're brain is like a TV set with a stuck channel switching button? I do. I think the years of cramming as much in to my day all at the same time, have taken a toll - I'm getting brain burnout.

I posted earlier in the year about Inspiration Overload and the need for better time management to do all the things we want in our lifetimes. Since then, I've thought more about this modern-day phenomena of having so many information channels open to us and what it could mean trying to digest everything all at the same time. Learning is fun and work is rewarding too. I get a kick out of both and like the feeling of delivering under pressure and the rewards of completing a set of tasks for myself - often before most people have got out of bed these days. It's like a game and feels like you're creating time when you manage everything so efficiently - juggling responsibilities and learning new stuff in that limited window of time. It's been my key motivator for getting up so early every day. However, I'm starting to feel a little like a pinball machine and not sure it's doing me as much good as doing less and focussing more on one thing at a time.

My mornings start with a glance at the calendar & to do-list, then I'll have a series of windows open on my computer that will contain the inspiration and reference materials ready to ingest, learn and write about. As I only have a limited time-frame to work within, I'll often be 'multitasking' in order to get everything done and there's many reasons to suggest why juggling multiple tasks is best avoided.

Multitasking is a myth
Research confirms that what we are in fact doing, is flicking back and forwards between each task - as our brains can only manage one set of instructions at a time. In doing so, we are losing valuable time in the switch - which, over a period, shows a decrease in productivity and can actually do us harm. Each time we complete a little task like answering an email/text or completing a to-do, there's a release of dopamine in our brains that gives us that 'rewarding' feeling.

It's been shown in studies on rats that we can become addicted to these reward 'hits' in the same way a drug addict will be addicted to a cocaine buzz. Repeated and sustained periods of information bombardment can tax our brains in a way to cause exhaustion, anxiety and in some recently shown cases with gamers, even death.

Get organised
Having so much digital house-keeping to do can cause a lot of stress. This means over time, an increase in levels of cortisone. In the good old days before always-on technology, there were times spent away from computers and now smart phones, when you could focus on just the one task - and quietly use your brain. It is great having a mini-computer in our pockets but we have to keep on top of everything that this technology brings us. We need to get organised and this book by Daniel Levtin should help - The Organised Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload.

Creating folders for keeping your email in-box clutter-free is just one of the fixes you can make, but understanding how our brains have evolved and work will help us to understand our limitations more. My digital content/connectivity has gotten to the point where I'm now getting sick of my phone buzzing away with notifications and I fear burnout if I don't switch off more from having this level of connectivity.

I'd like to remove myself completely from the digital world at some point like this guy did, but for now it's all about managing the time I'm exposed to it. I've stripped back on subscribed newsletters, switched my email app to manual checking for new mail and removed most of the notifications from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and any of the other non-important apps on my iPhone. I've added a sign-off to my email which states the times I will be checking mail and my working hours. Arguably, the best thing to do, is ditch the mobile all together and switch back to a regular phone, but that's difficult to reverse unless everyone does it.

We can certainly take some time out to be mindful as we see from the teachings contained in this post - watch the video under the heading: An Ancient Practice, A Modern Need. But if we still wish to stay connected, it should only be in moderation. Maybe there's an app out there that restricts the phone's functionality, in essence, only allowing short periods of time throughout the day via a stop watch, with pre-determined minutes for using the phone for anything other than calls. If there isn't - someone make it please!