Working the Weird Windows of Time

Probably the next to last thing I want to see when I'm doing massive amounts or computer related work is the "Automatic upgrades ready to be loaded; your computer will shut down in five minutes and counting" notice (The last thing would be the blue screen of death one minute before the automatic save kicks in).

You guessed it. So, while I'm waiting for the computer to reboot, I shift to my "At Phone" list and start handling/returning calls. About forty-five minutes later, I was done with the calls I needed to make for the day - a full half-hour earlier than I expected. And the computer still hadn't rebooted!

I was able to get things back online, but that's not the point I want to share with you. The point I want to make is this:

I hate making phone calls. I am very much a face-to-face person. Yet, I not only made calls regarding about six of what I call "frog matters" calls (you know the saying, "Eat a frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse can happen to you for the rest of the day"?) , but with a whole lot less pain than before. How?

I knew that making calls was the only thing I could do, so I concentrated on them and put my full effort on them. And suddenly, they weren't so painful after all. I think I've got a ways to go before I reach "enjoy maing calls", but I'm getting there.

Concentrated focus and decisive action combined with persistence will get you over. Having a time-management system (one you devise yourself, or a "store-bought" one such as David Allen's Getting Things Done - Fast!!) that keeps you on course when life hands up one of those unexpected periods of soentime - what David calls "a weird window of time" - keeps you productive. Combine all three and you'll soon be known as a miracle worker.

Even if your computer doesn't reboot.

'Til next time -