Several years ago I realized I had more on my plate than I could possibly accomplish. I wrote down a list of everything I was doing with the intention of crossing a bunch off. The only thing I wanted to ditch was the housework; but given my lack of enthusiasm for that, it only saved 1 or 2 hours a week.
So what did that leave me for choices?
I decided I would become more efficient and so began my quest.
I started with TQ which stands for Time Quotient = Results / Time. It wasn’t just the equation that caught my attention, but there are a ton of great resources (free and paid) that help you focus on increasing your results while decreasing the time it takes to accomplish them. http://www.thinktq.com/training/todaystq/index.cfm?sa=109316 (affiliate link)
Next I found Simpleology, the simple science of getting what you want. Again, a ton of free and paid resources. http://www.simpleology.com/ (not an affiliate link)
The real break through for me came when I read Tim Ferris’s The 4 Hour Work Week. I read it one weekend while making 2 machine quilts out of old 60’s pillowcases for 2 of my sons. It worked so well, I found myself over the next few weeks, wondering what to do next. The big take-home for me was the idea of eliminating busy work. The hard part is in recognizing what that is. I like to reread this periodically. It has gone a long way to helping me fit more important things in my life.
For the final polish, I like to read Leo Babauta’s blog Zen Habits. He has just posted a roundup of some of his favourite pieces. I also like his The Power of Less book.
This is a continual work in progress, and I can see that I have made progress.