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Life's funny that way.
I gave this method a try and it's been great. It helps me stay on task, have goals, and feel good about what I've accomplished. It helps me minimize the "swamped" feeling because I'm actively prioritizing and then knocking those things off the list.
I'm currently trying to do a weekly snippet e-mail to myself, and additionally every morning I make a mini, unofficial snippets of what I'd like to accomplish for the day (generally taking items from the weekly snippets).
Similar comments from a University of Texas, Austin commencement speech by Adm. McRaven [1]: "Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket…
I think while taking the approach of 'finish something today', one should consciously avoid falling into the trap of avoiding consequential tasks.
Similar comments from a University of Texas, Austin commencement speech by Adm. McRaven [1]: "Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket…
Personally, a method like this works for me. On days where I make the effort to wake up earlier and get in some exercise/a workout, I find I'm more prepared and motivated to handle the day. Of course, there is the tangible physical benefit, but there's also a psychological one as well - having accomplished Just One Thing, the momentum builds and you can feel more confident to handle the day - it's like a multiplier effect. (Now of course, there is a limit, a happy medium; if one were to wake up and run an ultra in the morning, one might not be so prepared for the rest of the day)
These are just my personal anecdotes, but I imagine there is some commonality across individuals. Find what works for you. Whether it's making your bed or a workout, it doesn't matter: The experience of breaking down jobs into manageable tasks will be extremely useful in any future situations.
Similar comments from a University of Texas, Austin commencement speech by Adm. McRaven [1]: "Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket…
Welp, I finished one thing today.. My first paid-for application commissioned by a client. I even drummed up a small manual for them, before sending out the "It's ready." email with the manual attached and a link to the installer download. Not bad for a Monday morning! It wasn't a big application, and did one specific thing. But it'll improve their (business) life dramatically. Bonus: I get to send them a juicy invoi…
Welp, I finished one thing today.. My first paid-for application commissioned by a client. I even drummed up a small manual for them, before sending out the "It's ready." email with the manual attached and a link to the installer download. Not bad for a Monday morning! It wasn't a big application, and did one specific thing. But it'll improve their (business) life dramatically. Bonus: I get to send them a juicy invoi…
Similar comments from a University of Texas, Austin commencement speech by Adm. McRaven [1]: "Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket…
I think the flip side of this approach is that one may get bogged down in doing tasks which give you short term satisfaction but don't do much in helping you progress on real projects. I faced this problem often as a graduate student. On certain days, I would get immense satisfaction in discovering new Latex tricks and packages, tweaking research codes to the point of diminishing returns, organizing bibliography, etc…