Comments on: Now that I have time to fritter away, I do. http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/355 Crunky! This is a blog about an English teacher living in South Korea. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:57:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Whitey http://blog.torgodevil.com/archives/355#comment-2440 Whitey Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:12:50 +0000 http://www.torgodevil.com/archives/355#comment-2440 "The list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter how much free time I have, but I never manage to accomplish many of my goals. Did I study my Chinese characters? Did I study Korean? Did I work on my writing? Did I find a new band to listen to, website to read, or game to play? It’s always the last three, never the first three." I can relate. Here's a method that I use to get me started on days that threaten to be non-productive: I get up and make a quick list of 10 things that need to be done: e.g., do Korean listening practice, sweep, do laundry, etc. Then I work hard to finish those 10 things. Once I'm done (2 or 3pm) I take the rest of the day off, and find that I can do it guilt free. Try it. See if it works. Possible hangups: 1. You'll think of other things that you think you need to do. However, if you add more to the list, you'll just paralyze yourself with a long list that you will never finish -- so limit the list to 10 things. You can trust that you are working on the important things as they naturally came to you when you drafted your list. 2. This method does not work for me on days that I teach classes or private lessons. It has to be a day that I'm alone at home and have complete control over my time. Sounds like that's not the case for you, though -- what with those in-laws calls coming at 8:00a.m. Don't you and your wife turn your phones off? I bet you do and she doesn't. “The list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter how much free time I have, but I never manage to accomplish many of my goals. Did I study my Chinese characters? Did I study Korean? Did I work on my writing? Did I find a new band to listen to, website to read, or game to play? It’s always the last three, never the first three.”

I can relate. Here’s a method that I use to get me started on days that threaten to be non-productive:

I get up and make a quick list of 10 things that need to be done: e.g., do Korean listening practice, sweep, do laundry, etc.

Then I work hard to finish those 10 things. Once I’m done (2 or 3pm) I take the rest of the day off, and find that I can do it guilt free.

Try it. See if it works.

Possible hangups:

1. You’ll think of other things that you think you need to do. However, if you add more to the list, you’ll just paralyze yourself with a long list that you will never finish — so limit the list to 10 things. You can trust that you are working on the important things as they naturally came to you when you drafted your list.

2. This method does not work for me on days that I teach classes or private lessons. It has to be a day that I’m alone at home and have complete control over my time. Sounds like that’s not the case for you, though — what with those in-laws calls coming at 8:00a.m. Don’t you and your wife turn your phones off? I bet you do and she doesn’t.

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