Am I the only one having trouble discerning between doing all that can be done today without doing tomorrow's work today? This is mentioned in other places as well but it just hit me today that I still think to be able to do all I can today almost certainly can remove things from tomorrow.

I know it sounds like semantics but even when I set out to plan what is to be done today I have a tendency to look too far ahead.

Would it be a better idea after I make my weekly plans to decided definitely all that I am going to do each day before commencing and sticking to it?

Really good question. Can't wait to see what people think about this.

I got a little befuddled myself. What I decided it meant for me was -

I wasn't quit so literal. I decided it just meant "don't worry about tomorrows work", or even this afternoon's work. I decided it meant, stay focused on what I am doing now. Give it my full attention.

The other part of that for me was - as I contemplate my CMI, I think about it AS IF it is here now, or on it's way to me now. And then my actions towards receiving my CMI - are all in the present moment AS IF my CMI coming to me right now. Again, I am not doing tomorrows work. I am doing only what there is to do right now.

I get a little squirrelly if I think about it too much. Sort of reminds me of a sign in an Irish bar that reads "Free drinks tomorrow"...

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Originally posted by gronesy:
Am I the only one having trouble discerning between doing all that can be done today without doing tomorrow's work today? This is mentioned in other places as well but it just hit me today that I still think to be able to do all I can today almost certainly can remove things from tomorrow.

I agree with Leslie. I think it's important to prioritize your to do list. Do the most important things each day -- and do them with calm focus -- unworried about tomorrow.

Sometimes I think that we do our tasks with a sense of fear. We create stress around the terrifying thought that we may leave some crucial thing undone.

When I first discovered the SOGR, I tried an experiment. I stopped doing almost all of my habitual "work." I wanted to see what would happen if I left things undone. I had accumulated long daily to do lists -- paperwork, meetings, phone calls, reading, writing -- all things that seemed necessary to run a successful business. The lists kept getting longer and so did my days. My stress kept getting worse, too. So one day I just... stopped.

Guess what happened? Very little. Turned out most of the work I had been doing was completely unnecessary. Even those things that did turn out to be important were not quite as earth shattering as I had previously thought.

So I rebuilt my daily system to do only those things that seemed to be immediately important OR exciting and fun. All those "shoulds" got thrown out the window in favor of things that made me feel better.

It's actually worked out pretty well. I feel much more rested and those around me can feel the difference, too. I now spend a lot of time nurturing my sense of well being. According to Law of Attraction, that's more important that any tasks I could think of anyway.

Love and blessings,
Rachel

Leslie/Rachel,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.

I've tried to adopt the "not be terrified" mindset as well. I start out every week with a short list of things I really WANT to accomplish and back burner the WOULD LIKE issues time allowing. Each day, I look at what I want to accomplish and decide if it's important and practical. If not, I eliminate the WOULD LIKE from that day and the week. I try not to be regimented or rigid about it. I have pared down my weekly/daily list considerably and it seems to be working.

My initial post was more about looking at each day and thinking "which of these things qualifies as strictly today's work and which is not?" It helps to adopt an Eckhart Tolle-like belief that there is no today or tomorrow, only THIS moment. And this moment needs to be the primary focus. The rest can take care of itself.

The problem is when I find myself completing things I start thinking about cheating and borrowing from tomorrow which is what creates undue stress.

Jeff

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Originally posted by gronesy:
I've tried to adopt the "not be terrified" mindset as well.

Maybe replace "not be terrified" with "I am so relaxed and happy" and see what happens?

I can definitely identify with what you are saying. And one thing I am learning is just keep reading and re-reading the book, and keep practicing what I am learning. My thinking and my life has gotten so much better since I started here. And I know it will continue.

Perhaps some of the "to do" activities are not really good investments of your time and energy. Are you familiar with Covey's "four quadrants?"

I'm not a big fan of so-called "time management" systems (because we can't "manage"time, we can only "manage" our own thinking and actions), but perhaps a look at this chart would offer some perspective and insight.

(Maybe not, but worth a shot!)

I tried that system several years ago and found it was not much help because many of the quadrants would overlap anyway. It came down to defining them and it made my head hurt. I found I spent more time doing the weekly goals than I did accomplishing them.

I'm certain that some of the the to dos are not the best use of time. Which brings us back to definitions which is what we all struggle with.

I'm going to try to do what makes me feel I'm moving towards my ultimate CMI and let the rest fall away.

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quote:

I'm going to try to do what makes me feel I'm moving towards my ultimate CMI and let the rest fall away.

Sounds like the only reason to use ANY "time management" system to me!

I like Covey's quadrants not because I use a system, but because the first time I saw those divisions, I realized the HUGE difference between what is IMPORTANT and what is merely URGENT.

As for goal-setting, you won't find anything about that in the PG course because I personally think goal-setting is counter-productive (at least the way most people approach it).

Rebecca,

I totally agree that Covey's quadrants are of value for getting us to look at activities and help to realize what's important and what's merely a to-do.

I believe PG 25 is about your approach to goal-setting or not goal-setting.

I also agree with you that pure goal-setting can be counter-productive in regards to people filling their days. Too often, being busy is seen as productive and focused which is not the case most times at all.

Jeff