DISQUS

guest · 11 months ago

Why isn't he toilet trained at two years???

Steve · 11 months ago

He's toilet trained - I was talking about the time his sister was born, just as he turned 2. We hadn't started toilet training when Bubelah got pregnant and then decided not to introduce it at the same time his sister was born - but he was already going on his own by the time he was 2, and by 2.5 was completely diaper-free.

If that's the most important thing from the post...

Four Pillars · 11 months ago

I have a proper comment to make but first - my son is almost 2.5 and isn't toilet trained at all. Admittedly we haven't tried very hard but we will soon.

Part of the problem is all the horror stories I hear about how hard it is... :)

Frugal Dad · 11 months ago

Same here...I'm often most productive when crunched for time. Perhaps it is because I am the ultimate procrastinator, or just because I work better under pressure. Either way, if the deadline is a long way out, and I have ample time to work on other stuff, there the project sits.

Now, I'm off to "close the door" and work on tomorrow's blog post!

Silicon Prairie · 11 months ago

The problem isn't just closing the door, it's learning to create your own structure. Things like LeechBlock may actually be making this harder. If you compare what you want to do with what you actually did every day, you'll eventually learn to manage your time on your own.

guinness416 · 11 months ago

Retired Syd had a really good post yesterday about the fact that certain things she "thought" she'd want to to when retired just aren't happening - because guess what, with the excuse of work commitments out of the way, she wasn't that interested after all. Maybe you're just not all that committed to the things you think you should be doing right now?

I've been on vacation with absolutely no family commitments and abundant time for almost three weeks now, and made a to-do list before finishing up work. It's been instructive what I've chosen to do - work out at least a couple of hours a day, read a lot, start a new blog, get all my citizenship stuff together - and what got ignored - signing up for a particular college class, buying certain stuff for the house, cooking, driving lessons. I think Syd's well on to something!

guinness416 · 11 months ago

Could I have used the word commit more often in that comment? Sorry ....

plonkee · 11 months ago

This, I think is true. And sort of ok, except you probably still need to do certain things whether you *really* want to do them or not.

Also it looks like more free time is like earning more money. Earning more is not by itself a solution to overspending, and free time is not, by itself, a solution to getting things done.

Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet · 11 months ago

I know exactly what you are talking about. I've been a stay at home mom for 3 years and I would say in the last six months or so have finally been productive. It's really hard to stay on task when you know in the back of your mind you can do it any time. And then you waste time, and stuff doesn't get done. But there isn't a real consequence for it, and therefore no motivation to change it.

I try to set up rules... like no computer time after 3:00 and no TV til after dinner. I also try to have enough projects going so that I always have something engaging to do. It's really hard though.

Craig · 11 months ago

When you have to do something, you are more likely to get it done. You will be more organized and focus at the job at hand. That's why so many people procrastinate at work, because they have all day to sit there. Same thing in college, when you have 2 weeks before the test to study, you only seem to cram the last 3 days. Same mentality.

Also people generally enjoy downtime. I know I do. I love being active, sports, reading, movies, but nothing beats just hanging around.

Sam · 11 months ago

I couldn't agree more. It is very hard to stay productive when you have free time. I find myself being most productive when I have a lot on my plate.

The best solution I have found is to schedule out your day and make plans for what you want to get done.

F · 11 months ago

Great post, BripBlap! I made the same discovery you did [i.e. productivity tanks in the absence of structure]. My conclusion is that this is a truth that applies to anyone. A truth that remains hidden as long as you have a job to fill your day and household chores to fill your evenings. But when free time is left over at the end of the day, most of us will admit we do a great job wasting it (e.g. TV, newspaper). It was a surprise discovery for me, but when you think about it, all of our lives we have been guided and given structure by parents, teachers, employers. Creating our own structure is something new we never got to learn - so far. A useful tip in this regard comes from Philip Greenspun (a retired entrepreneur, undoubtedly facing the same challenge of (un)productivity). He suggests to build into your day as much structure as you can (appointments, lessons, meetings,...). The time that remains between them is better manageable than an unending sea of time.

bubelah · 11 months ago

F: I was just about to leave a comment and saw your reply. You are absolutely right about the fact that we are so used to the structured lives, schedules, regimes from the time we are born that we don't know any different. We all think we want the "other" kind of life but when presented with an opportunity we are floating around not knowing what to do.

Jayme · 11 months ago

I never truley thought about this till i read your article, but i complteley agree with your observations. All through my educational career i have found that the more classes and activities i have loaded on the better i do.

i like to think of it as part of newtons laws (cause i am super obsessed with science) where an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. so i think when you have a lot of stuff to get done and are working you just continue to do work, where when you are being a couch potato you will continue to be a couch potato unless something forces you to change.

Patrick · 11 months ago

I agree with this article 100%. I am at my most productive when I have structure in my schedule. I'm not always disciplined enough to set and keep an efficient schedule. But this is something I am working on.

Writer's Coin · 11 months ago

"Close the door." Great line from a great book. This actually reminds me of my post, The Key to Getting More Things Done: Less Time. My image is actually kind of similar to yours, which is a little creepy.

But I think the core of this whole idea is time management. When you have a set amount of time you waste less time and you focus more. When I was in grad school and not working I had so much time that I didn't get anything done. Now I have no time at all and get plenty done.

Such is life.

Four Pillars · 11 months ago

1) This reminds me of a quote someone told me "If you want something done - give it to a busy person". :)

2) I read a post by Leo Babauta on ProBlogger yesterday (link below) which talks about time management. He had some great suggestions which I was able to do last night and tonight - basically it was to limit your time working on something. The idea is that it will force you to not do the unimportant stuff (ie checking stats).

Here is the link for anyone who wants to check it out - it's more related to blogging but the principle applies to anyone - http://tinyurl.com/85ve7f

Mike

LA · 11 months ago

Dude, if you need the "whip" on you to be productive it means that your motivation and organization skills are not what they should be.
If you waste the time youy have now with e-mail and reading sports illustrated then that means you don't take your time seriously and don't see it as what it is ; your most valuable resource!

Terri · 11 months ago

Frequently, I am also at my most productive when I am facing a strict deadline and am under pressure to complete a task, but I think the key to being productive under pressure is the same as it is for being productive when you are not under pressure... it is engagement. I am productive under pressure because I am aware of the consequences of not getting a task done - poor review at work, letting someone down, etc. My desire to prevent these things from happening engages me. It stimulates me. But, when I am not under pressure, as I am not at this very moment... I can still be engaged. But, whether or not I am under pressure, if I am not stimulated or engaged.... the task won't get done. So, in my down time I look for things that most stimulate me. Unfortunately, many times that may be a simple as watching TV or surfing the net. Meaningful down time... not always a waste of time. But at other times, when I am not under pressure, I can stimulate myself by making a mental list of the things I want to accomplish in an evening and engage myself to get them done. I can get a buzz from actually having gotten them done that evening... and that motivates me for the next time. Sometimes, its as simple as making an ity bity list of things to do and making the list to include some downtime. That is stimulating! Thanks for the post!

Shadox · 11 months ago

Very, very true. They say that work expands to occupy all available time and resources and that's right on the money. It is amazing how much you can get accomplished when you have very little time and how little gets done when you have as much time on your hands as you want.

Although as an executive I can set my own schedule and work from home whenever I want, I pretty much never work from home. I like going to the office, talking to folks face to face and being in an environment which is work oriented. This greatly improves my ability to get things done.

TStrump · 11 months ago

I'm self-employed and I found that after a while, I really didn't enjoy working at home - I surprisingly like leaving the house and having to go somewhere ... as long as the commute is less than half an hour.
I now have a virtual office at a business centre and someday plan on getting an office there.
I could do work at home, but I like the social contact of the office and there are too many distractions at home.

Eden · 11 months ago

Very interesting. I think the only thing I can conclude from this for certain is that everyone is different and no productivity guide will work for everyone...which I guess we should have already known, but it's nice to see the real life examples and remember that the answer to our problems won't be found in a book with a catchy meme. Ultimately, we just have to sit down and get some work done.

Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas · 11 months ago

I love the simplistic brillance of Stephen King's notion to just close the door in order to write.

Anyway, great article -- there is much truth to your thoughts... I'm glad I'm not the only one who works most efficiently with a full plate.

Jacqueline · 9 months ago

Great post! I came here by way of RetiredSyd's blog.

I've been self-employed at home - unproductively, eventually moved to an office because I hated the isolation of working at home.

My favorite environment is in an open cubicle with lots of people coming up and asking me questions constantly - go figure!

I'm planning on retiring at the end of this year (I'm only 43 - what will I do with all that time!) - maybe I'll renovate houses - if I'm not afraid to enter the market - who knows?

I think it's easier to become more self-disciplined as you get older and learn more about yourself and what works for you.

I do have to recommend an absolutely fantastic time management system that's making it's rounds around the net now - and I've tried them all - it's called Autofocus and was developed by Mark Forster (he wrote 2 great books: "Get Everything Done, But Still Have Time to Play" and "Do It Tomorrow". ) Trent at The Simple Dollar reviewed one of his books and loved it. You can check it out at www.markforster.net - the forum has a lot of self employed people on it as well as desk jockeys, so there's a good mix of people.

I think it's valuable when self employed to make your own structure to the day. Most people have this experience on weekends occasionally when you literally want to just sit on the couch and watch TV all day or surf the net. I think it's key to take at least one day completely off each week and a couple of evenings too - and because you're not employed, you can do this when everyone else is at work which makes going to the zoo or museums etc. a much more pleasant experience.

Keep up the good work, you have a great blog!