Wednesday, January 27, 2021

The Color of Success



What is the color of success? It's kind of a trick question, because for many people, the answer is multicolor. Color coding can be a huge boon to organization, which, we all hope, leads to a successful outcome. Teachers have known this for years. That's why every kid needs a green folder for math, say, and an orange one for reading. Then a teacher can tell at a glance whether little Timmy is literally on the right page. 

And how did Timmy become the name we all use in these hypotheticals? Is it from the old TV show Lassie, wherein Timmy found himself in all kinds of predicaments but never actually fell in a well? But I digress...



In my last post, I mentioned that I have fine-point markers for color coding, and I have been using them regularly. Each day, I mark out the time I spend on work (my actual job), exercise, down time/self-care, food prep/eating, errands, writing, chores, TV, and miscellaneous. 

I know this is such basic stuff, but it has really helped me me track where my time goes. That in turn makes me more aware of what I'm doing from moment to moment. This is really important because I tend to get lost in my head for extended intervals. Sometimes I think I have one of those Star Trek portals in my brain, where I jump in and jump back out, and two days have passed.


Anyway, I'm on board this color-coding train now and hoping to keep on rolling. Tips for color coding? Leave a comment. Also, check out this short article for inspiration.


4 comments:

  1. I use an Excel spreadsheet for important tasks and appointments now because I seem to be lost somewhere (maybe in my head?) most of the time. Color-coding works for the text and the background, highlighting the important vs the "do-it-tomorrow" stuff. I can see at a glance what the priorities are and whether they're personal chores or writing-related activities.

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    1. Agreed, Pat, colors are so helpful in Excel. I tend to not use spreadsheets for home, just work. But that might change one of these days!

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  2. I used to have to account for every minute of my time for a job, because every minute had to be billable. So if a colleague stopped by your desk to ask a question on a different project, that 2 minutes had to be recorded as 2 mins on that project. Needless to say, I now have an abject horror of recording my time spent on tasks, lol. I think it would be hugely beneficial, but just can't bring myself to actually do it.

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    1. I also had a job like that once upon a time. I've always wished a little bit of that discipline had stuck with me, which I suppose is why I'm trying to recapture it. But sadly without the billable part, haha!

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