3 steps to getting things done and staying sane

Yup, I used to be a bad planner and learned the hard way that to avoid insanity (and stress), I really needed to plan my work well.

The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. While I haven’t conquered this demon completely, at least I stay sane (most of the time).

If you’re continually running late on projects and can’t seem to dig your way out of your to-do list, it’s time to make some changes!

Here are the 3 steps to getting things done I learned on the way to sanity.

1. First, plan like a pro – break things down into small, tangible tasks with realistic (not idealistic) time estimates
2. Make the planning visual – schedule your tasks as appointments in your calendar
3. Get to work – what to do when your motivation is low

Scribing scholarly scrolls with Scrivener

I recently started using Scrivener to scribe scholarly scrolls – er, write journal papers – and fell in love with it 15 minutes into the tutorial (thanks for the tip Thesis Whisperer!). In fact, I might be getting addicted to it…

Scribing back in the day
(Jean Le Tavernier via Wikimedia Commons)

This post talks about why Scrivener is so awesome*.

Read the next post for information on configuring Scrivener to work with LaTeX.

* I realize that this post sounds suspiciously like an infomercial (since a Scrivener license costs $40 at the moment). It’s just a really, really great tool for writing. You should definitely try the 30-day trial to see it in action yourself. I’m not affiliated with them and I don’t make any money from this post.

#resolution #2015: less Perfectionism?

I’m jumping on the bandwagon this year and making a New Year’s #resolution, even though I think they’re kind of silly.

Change isn’t easy. Often when we try to change, we just end up not changing, and instead feel guilty. Not fun. Not productive.

Then again, bad habits can be unproductive too.

So this year, I’m gonna resolve to be a little less perfectionist.