Thread by @raulpacheco

THREAD:

It's March 1st, 2021, and we are at about the 1 year mark of lockdown in Mexico (many other countries locked down earlier/later than this).

For some reason, life goes on, and in some ways, we still need to get things done: courses are under way, projects carry on.

This thread is going to be on planning and structuring our time. I know for a fact it's really hard because of everything that is weighing on us right now. But we still have to continue with a number of activities, so if you like having a plan to work with, this thread is for you

I took the weekend off, so I really didn't plan my week nor month on Sunday nights, as I normally do. It would have been nice since we are starting the week on March 1st, perfect coincidence (start of the week and of the month). raulpacheco.org/2018/10/the-su…

It can be done Mondays too

Normally, I plan my entire year using printed monthly calendars and my Everything Notebook raulpacheco.org/2016/12/my-yea…

You don't have to plan the entire year. This post raulpacheco.org/2019/04/planni… walks you through planning shorter blocks of time (one or two months, for example).

For me, having a somewhat structured daily routine helps (which is why I wake up at 4 am and do most of my work 4am-noon) raulpacheco.org/2018/11/develo…

This is (obviously, and everyone knows) really hard to do when parenting, care work and other stuff combine. But structure helps me.

As a neoinstitutional theorist, I am keen to maintain structure even within a world that resists structuring, because that's what gives stability to my life (anyone who studies institutions, rules, norms, routines, will tell you the importance of having structure!)

I am a creature of habit (and yes, I've read A TONNE of books on habits, including "Atomic Habits" and "The Power of Habit" and "Better Than Before" raulpacheco.org/2018/05/better…)

For me, spending time at the end of the previous month and/or beginning of the next, planning, helps tons

The exercise I am undertaking right now is:

1) Reviewing what I committed to do during March (I have to deliver at least 2 workshops and 2 talks, plus send revisions back to editors, plus 2 R&Rs, etc.)

2) Think IN ADVANCE for what's coming up in April (Q3 starts in May 2021)

3) Plan everything I have on deck for March, and pre-plan for April and May (will be teaching 2 courses in Q3), so I am not overwhelmed.

In the end, I still maintain that we should plan to survive and everything else is a cherry on top. raulpacheco.org/2021/01/planni…

I like cherries!

There is one intermediate step that usually overwhelms people: allocating time for each of the many, multiple tasks we have to do, and prioritizing them.

I can't tell you how to allocate your time, or how to prioritize tasks, but the way I do it, I break everything into bits.

For example, I have to work on 2 R&Rs - I apply backcasting and work out what I need to work on every day raulpacheco.org/2019/03/backca…

I also have to finish writing a grant. Same thing, I am backcasting the grant proposal and working on small bits every day raulpacheco.org/2016/12/revers…

Another strategy of mine many people like is the Granular Planning and Rule of 3s. raulpacheco.org/2016/10/granul…

1) Break projects in thirds, work on one third at a time
2) Work on 3 things a day, maximum
3) Budget 3 times the time you originally thought it was going to take you