Sometimes I’m a scatterbrain.
My thoughts are all over the place, like this:
When thoughts are scattered it’s unproductive, stressful, and there’s no room for more thoughts!
But someone taught me a trick once to organize all the thoughts…
It’s called compartmentalization. Basically, you divide all your thoughts into similar categories, and put them in little compartments (or rooms)
Picture thoughts like this:
Try this:
- Write down all your thoughts in a big messy list.
- Cherry pick the top 5-6 that are the most important and will have the most impact on your work/life.
- Put those each in their own special “room” in your brain.
- All the rest go in the “other stuff bag”
- Only focus on the rooms.
- Inside each room is a whiteboard, with problems to solve on it. You can stay in the room as long as you need to work on or solve that problem.
- When you feel you’ve made progress on Room 1, exit that room, close the door, and enter another room.
- It’s important to only work inside one room at a time.
I know, it’s kind of weird. But this is how I handle multiple big projects at a time.
Rooms. Give it a try.
Happy Tuesday!
– Joel