Archive for February, 2009
My Current Daily Routine
Posted by: | CommentsMorning
- Wake up at 5 AM- I formed this habit by focusing on it for 30 days in January. Ask me how!
- Usually I post to Twitter- just a trigger for my early wake up ( I try not to check email, but it’s tough).
- 5:15 AM- I break open God’s word- usually I focus on reading assignments from my discipleship class.
- 5:45 AM- I read another book (currently I’m finishing Tony Dungy’s 1st book and a church history book).
- 6:00 AM- I take a shower and get dressed (two days a week I shave my big bald head).
- 6:30 AM- I have a quick meeting with a man about a mule and have my calls held. I also stretch for 20 min.
- I usually turn off the radio and enjoy some quiet prayer time and listening time on the way to Java Brewing Co.
- 7:15 AM- I have old fashioned oatmeal with raisins, water, vibe-and I start into the dark roast no/c-no/s.
- I typically read another quick devotional or pamphlet or a snip of the paper while I eat.
- 7:30 AM- I start through my daily GTD review session. This is a scaled down version of the weekly review.
- 8:30 AM- People start rolling into the coffee shop and I usually begin to write or do marketing for an hour.
- 9:30 AM- I pack it up and head home or to clients or to another favorite cafe. Tasks vary widely at this point.
Afternoon
- I eat a light lunch- either left overs from our dinner the night before, hummus and pita bread or soup/salad.
- Sometimes after lunch my wife and I debrief about the kids, scheduling, company tasks or her resale business.
Evening
- 6:00 PM- Dinner with the family nearly every night- it’s rare that I miss this.
- 6:30 PM- The whole family hangs out and then cleans up after dinner. Daddy is the pickup organizing guy.
- 7:30 PM- Bath time for kiddos and then story, family prayer time and bedtime at 8:15 PM.
- 8:15 – 11:00 PM- Ashley and I spend time together, or we work. Usually I write, develop word press sites, manage online marketing efforts for customers or do creative projects like videos. On the weekends we watch movies, play games or do hobbies. I only plan on doing this nightly work routine until I don’t have to any longer.
I would love to know what works for you. If you would like, you can fill out this Google form. If your daily routine is interesting or amazingly productive or unique; I’ll publish it. Of course I reserve the right not to. I would love to see what other people do for a daily routine. You never know how a little tip or idea here or there can benefit someone else.
Organization-What’s the point?
Posted by: | Comments- What is the point of organization?
- Who cares if my stuff is neat and my stars are aligned?
- What does it matter if I use a system to accomplish my work?
- Who cares?
It is no secret that I have a passion for organization, but lately I’ve become aware of my true passion for creativity and productivity. I battle an obsessive compulsive spirit and have a tendency to get distracted easily and lose focus. I’ve never been diagnosed with anything and don’t plan on walking around with a meaningless label or excuse. Instead, I work my butt off trying to control my environment, my habits and my focus.
So that still brings us back to why- doesn’t it? Everyone likes to talk about productivity and organization, but many fail to say why. Just do it won’t convince people. Just do it won’t encourage people. Just do it won’t empower people. I want to explain in this post why I’m passionate about productivity and organization.
What’s keeping you from writing a book, painting a picture, taking amazing photos, learning a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, becoming a better golfer, studying history, volunteering at a local nursing home, being a grassroots political activist, taking a mission trip, starting a blog, producing a podcast, writing a screenplay, making someone laugh, organizing a fundraiser, having a family over for dinner, hosting a community group, being there for the kids games, being there for your spouse in a time of need, taking your spouse on a date, teaching and investing in your children, visiting shut ins, taking care of widows and orphans, reading a novel and solving big problems.
Time and your lack of efficient/effective productivity would be the answer. You see nothing on the list above has to do with money. A homeless man could do most of the things above without much if any money.
- How about another question?
What’s keeping you from supporting a ministry, missionary or non profit, from taking a nice family vacation, from cutting checks to those in need during tough times, from taking time away from work to minister to those in need, to invest in your family’s future, for Christians- to fund the gospel, to capitalize great new business ideas, to invest in your continued education, to travel and enjoy the world, to travel and do mission work, to have more children or adopt children without a home?
Money and your lack of it. Trust me this is a big struggle for the Raley Family just like it might be for your family. Most of my business life has been spent looking for and developing a muse for making money efficiently. After all what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul. I don’t want to do it while sacrificing family either.
So you ask why get organized? I want more time to spend on the first list above.
So you ask why get more productive? I want to be the steward of more money and resources for the second list above. Thus I focus on organization for time and productivity for money. There you have it.
The road to wealth lies in augmenting our means or diminishing our wants, either will do but the quickest is to do both- Ben Franklin
