Could you use a reset?

Or a restorative medically-induced coma?

How’s it going?

Yeah, me too.

I gotta stop looking at my phone in bed. Or in the morning. Or ever.

Okay.

My cuckoo clock is right again! It’s been an hour off for the past 6 months.

Daylight savings is dumb, but it’s a good time to check in on things. Extra daylight and milder weather is a nice reminder that life isn’t always a frozen, meaningless void. Sometimes the meaningless void only requires a light jacket.

Your head is full of bees.

Time Blobbing reset.

Here’s a quick recap of the fundamentals of Time Blobbing so you can reset, get back on track and feel less overwhelmed. About work anyway.

Time Blobbing puts you in control of your day and control of anything sounds pretty good right now.

All the bees in the bucket.

First things first.

Capture the bees.

You remember this one.

Put all the stuff buzzing around in your head on paper. All of it. Appointments, meetings and projects and tasks. Everything.

Why it helps.

Your brain can’t juggle everything at once. Things can’t fall through the cracks if they’re stuck in a bucket.

Be careful.

Don’t confuse writing tasks down with doing tasks. My brain confuses wriing something down with finishing. My brain is dumb.

Sort the bee buckets into bins.

Rough out your week.

Split each weekday into morning and afternoon and assign tasks to each slot.

Is this a draconian taskmaster that determines every hour of the day for the entire week leaving no room for spontaneity? Are you relinquishing autonomy for the promise of productivity?

Nope.

Why it helps.

It’s a visual reminder that your week is full.

Now you’re less likely to take on anything new. Even if it sounds cool.

This isn’t a strict map, it’s a trail head. Wow, I just made that up. Let’s see if this metaphor has legs.

You don’t wander around wondering where to start.

Man, that’s good. I’m gonna be milking this hiking analogy a lot.

Oh, and if this all sounds like common sense, pre-adderall Bob would respectfully disagree.

The yellow bits are blobs.

Map out your day.

This is where the hiking boots meet the trail. (Nice!)

Make a list of everything you want to get done that day. Guess how long each task will take.

Block out times for meetings, appointments or otherwise can’t do project work.The remaining times are your blobs. Do the most important work during the blob you have the most energy. Remember your ice cube?

Break your blobs into 30 minute chunks and use the timer to stay on task.

Timer with baby duck.

Compare your estimate with how long it actually took. This is huge. It’s like sunscreen, a big water bottle and trail mix. Okay, that one fell apart. The idea is solid though.

Why it helps.

Awareness. There, I said it.

It makes you a better guesser.

Awareness of how long things take makes for more accurate future estimates. You’ll understand what’s possible in a day.

You’ll see what you accomplished. By loosely tracking your time, you won’t wonder where the day went.

You stay on task. You see time as 30 minute blobs, not, “all morning.”

You’ll feel better about things.

Okay, what else?

What’s up with the paid subscribers?

I’ve been trying out my method for working on no-deadline projects. It’s going really well. Long term planning has always been a bugbear of mine. I’ve never used that word before.

The way Time Blobbing keeps me aware of the day, the 10 week sprint keeps me aware of the passage of weeks and months. It turns someday into now. Wow, that’s also good. I’m on fire today.

So if you have a someday project you’ve never found time for, sign up and follow along.

Here’s the shirt that will one day save your life.

Buy a shirt.

This is the part where I try and sell you a shirt.

Weather is warming up. What if you’re hiking and run into a hungry bear? If you wear this he’ll choose to eat your friend instead. You’re welcome.

Link to woodland insurance policy.