I’ve got a confession to make: time management has never really been my forte.
I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator and when I start ramping up on one project, many of the others often fall to the wayside.
Well, this has been amplified by about 50 times since I’ve moved across the world. Now not only am I trying to keep up with my blog and online engagements, I’ve been working full time with the Tropical MBA and trying to see as much of Bangkok as possible. It’s been totally exciting, but somewhere in there one of those projects has fallen to the wayside. Can you guess which one?
Yeah, I’ve not been spending NEARLY the amount of time that I’d like to on Location 180. I’ve been pretty good about getting posts written on time, or close to it, but I’m rarely responding to comments, emails are being delayed, and I’m not really making the forward progress that I’d like to be making. In a word, I’m maintaining.
That’s an ugly word, maintaining. Because no matter where you apply it in life, whether it be your work, your relationships, your hobbies etc. it means you’re being stagnant. Right now the growth on this site has been relatively stable, but the leaps and bounds are not being made, when they probably should be.
The streets of Victory Monument, Bangkok. My new home.
It’s interesting to find my site in that situation considering how much I’ve been advocating personal growth over the past 6 months! I think when it comes down to it, in order to be successful with multiple things at one time, you need to constantly be reviewing your goals. At the beginning of the year, I set weekly, monthly and annual goals for the site, some of which I’ve been pretty good about and others I haven’t
You know what, that’s crap. I’m not going to go there. You guys all know about setting goals and how reviewing them is important blah blah blah. So I’m not going to rehash the same blog post that’s been done a million times already.
Bottom line, during the days I’ve been working on the Tropical MBA, at night I’ve been going out with friends and seeing the city. Simple as that, no excuses. I also won’t argue that doing so is the wrong thing to do, and I doubt any of you will either. While yes, over the coming weeks I’d like to, and plan on, reengaging with the goals of this site and making it better than ever. However, when you have one month to live in a place like Bangkok and only so much time to spend in front of your computer, sacrifices have to be made!
In the end, time management really comes down to priorities. You do the things that have the highest priority. For me, #1 priority in Thailand has been work. If I screw up the opportunity that has been given to me, I’ll never live it down. Then #2 comes seeing the sights and meeting people, followed by the blog at #3. I feel like I’m not supposed to admit that to you guys…I should probably be saying this blog is my life and everything I do revolves around it.
I’m just not there. Yet.
One day I hope for it to be a bigger part of my life and my livelihood, but right now I’m just enjoying the new experiences laid before me. If it takes another 5 years to get the blog to that point so be it, but at least I can admit that, and commit to the fact it is priority #3!
The point of this is not to force yourself into thinking that everything is a top priority. You will kill yourself from over-exertion if you do that. My goal is to work hard to ensure that my top three priorities stay out of “maintain” mode, and are constantly growing. Yet at the same time, I’m not going to stress too much about the fact that my manifesto isn’t completed or that my site isn’t redesigned. It will come, it just isn’t a top priority right now. At this point I simply want to keep Location 180 entertaining and interesting for you guys! And be much better about commenting and responding to emails. If I do that, then the growth will continue.
Where are your priorities? Are you trying to make something more important than it really is? I’ve got some emails from people recently who have been having a hard time making changes in their lives. I’d say that rather than setting goals (although that is certainly important too), setting priorities is much more valuable.
Figure out what is most important and focus on it. Tackle the goals relating to that first.
—-
Wow. This post has been all over the place. I’m sorry. Really sorry, but I’m posting it anyway because I feel like it kind of sums up some of the dilemmas going through my head on a daily basis. But if there is one thing to take from all this, here it is:
Prioritize. Stop maintaining on top priorities. Don’t beat yourself up over the things you aren’t doing, you’ll get them done eventually.
If you enjoyed this post be sure to sign up for my email updates and RSS Feed. If you felt like this post sucked, feel free to direct any criticism to sean@seanogle.com
Join The Discussion
Hey Sean,
Completey agree with you. For the same reasons I haven’t been updating my blog as often or leaving as many comments on other people’s blogs. In fact this is the first blog post I’ve read in a month.
At the end of the day it’s better to go out there and live your life than spend time writing about it.
Sean,
I know how you feel. In fact, just yesterday I published a post where I committed to focusing on my priorities:
Are Your Priorities Really a Priority?
http://www.markcancellieri.com/blog/2010/02/03/are-your-priorities-really-a-priority/
As I wrote about in my post, I’m making a conscious effort to complete 100% of my “Most Important Tasks” for the day.
Sean: some good advice and good lessons. You can’t have it all (sigh). But so long as you understand what your choices are and make your choices/priorities according to your values and the way you want to live your life, you’re ahead of the game.
One thought – you don’t need to write your long posts. Perhaps a picture or 2 with a smart headline (but no text) will keep your readers engaged w/o requiring the amount of time that a full post requires?
Fairly common dilemma, if you ask me. I screwed up what felt like a thousand times because I gave promising stuff up way too early because of my inability to prioritize.
And I absolutely agree that prioritizing is more important than setting goals.
Good luck!
Sean,
Congrats on living your dream life one day at a time. I agree with ami above, on short posts and continuum.
Also, I learned a long time ago, you can’t manage time, you can only manage yourself.
Rasheed
I totally agree. I haven’t posted on my blog in weeks, and it’s because I’ve been prioritizing tasks that are directly related to me creating an income. I LOVE my blog, but it’s not going to make me any money. I’d still love to make it wildly successful, but some things need to happen first. The proof that this prioritizing works is that I’ve created a product, I’m about 90% done the sales page, and I have made 3 niche websites that I can build up for some passive income. It’s all about priorities. Really good post.
Sean, it’s posts like these that make your blog so real.
It’s not all rainbows and kittens out there, and I’m glad you aren’t trying to tell us that it is. Part of this is why I have blog posts scheduled up almost through April. 
(My blog will run on auto-mode if I get crazy, and it’s easier to have content scheduled that far in advance, always have the freedom to change it and then if I’m in a time crunch I only have to check up on how it’s doing really quick.)
But…. You *can* have it all. Just not all at once.
Priorities, for ya!
As Neil suggested, what good is writing about a life you’re not living? Rock on, Sean. Give yourself permission to slack here and there on the blog, this is the fun promo stuff. Let it be an outlet rather than a ‘must have.’
Glad to hear the other side of the world is still treating you so well!
Sean—
Highly agree. I am falling into the same trap yet not anywhere near the exciting life you are “maintaining”.
It’s a balance I, like you, am still learning.
Well wishes…
David
LifeExcursion
So true! I’ve realized in the past month that I’ve been neglecting a pretty important priority: myself. I don’t mean that in a conceited way, but in the sense that until the past month, I hadn’t been exercising regularly or eating healthy like I used to. I hadn’t been reading for fun or going out with friends. I wasn’t doing the things that truly make me happy. Instead I was worrying – another thing I think people should try to avoid, like maintaining. So, I totally agree with you that priorities are key! The difficulty is defining them
I tend to take on way too much at once and prioritizing has definitely been one of those things that has helped me tremendously.
Sounds like you are having a lot of fun Sean. Just have fun! This blog doesn’t look like it’s making you any money, and it’s just a hobby! Don’t feel bad never replying to my comments or others anymore.
It’s all good!
Hey Sean,
That’s wonderful that you are able to admit to yourself and your readers what are your priorities and what aren’t. You’re in Thailand for christ’s sake! Enjoy it!
Screw time management. I feel that time management is another way of saying that you’re are trying to do too many things at once and haven’t decided what’s most important yet. And I agree with the above comments, live your life first and then get to your blog when you can. Enjoy life!
Peace,
Ben
p.s. thanks again for the advice on starting a blog. I really appreciated it!
Sam Spurlin tweet: “Clutter is a physical manifestation of an undisciplined mind.”
I am an A-list procrastinator with an undisciplined mind to the nth degree.
“Stop Maintaining and start writing incoherent blogs.” Thanks so much for hands giving one of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard in a long time.
since David Damon suggested i write a blog,
Since David Damron suggested I write a blog, I’ve been stuck for some reason, and have not been able to bring myself to post a new blog in over two weeks. Sure, I’ve written five draft posts since then, yet I have had great difficulty completing the articles because the critic in me thinks: “It’s incoherent. No one will want to read this.”
The strange thing about it all is that I have no problem posting a lengthy comment to someone else’s blog. The thoughts just flow … and I care not one iota whether the comments are incoherent or not. I’m just having a conversation with you, Sean.
To be very honest, I’ve never been much of a linear thinker, and disciplining my mine to follow one train of thought to a successful conclusion is quite difficult for me, especially when it comes to writing a blog. (That’s why I’m a clutter-er in the first place). I’ll start on one train of thought when I begin the blog, and by the time I’ve reached the end, I’m totally and completely someplace else.
Your suggestion to write an incoherent blog is a great idea. Shucks! I can write an incoherent blog in my sleep … in fact, I’ll make the fact that I’m a rambling blogger my signature style … as I’m sure there are many people out there, ramblers like me, who may find my blog just as useful as someone who writes in a more linear fashion.
Moreover, the fact that I THINK I am a rambler, does not necessarily mean that I am that … I’ve often found that what we think about ourselves and how the world perceives us may be miles apart.
The problem is not that what I write may be incoherent. The problem is my subjective perception that incoherent writing is a bad thing, when it fact it really isn’t. I’m sure there are millions of people out there who may find my rambling blog style quite useful, as they are just as rambling in their thinking as I am. And because some people are ramblers by nature, they may have a very difficult time following a linear thinker’s blog and may lose interest because the content is way too boring for them (like watching paint dry) … they want excitement, frequent changes in content, twists and turns in exposition, lively tell-it-like-it-is prose, and deep-down genuine sharing of the blogger’s life in the hopes that it will help the reader on their journey is this complex phenomenon we call life. I firmly believe that as long as what I say represents my genuine feelings moment by moment (no matter how imperfect my musings may be written), the fact that I ramble won’t matter at all. Besides, the readers may not even notice that I ramble.
Sean … if you rambled in this post, I truly did not notice. Your writing resonated with honesty and heart, both of which have placed a mirror on my own difficulties in writing blogs. Just knowing that I am not alone in my struggles makes facing the challenge that much easier.
From this day forward I shall post incoherent blogs and be proud!
Thanks so much for sharing, Sean.
Vita Reid
The One Minute Minimalist
@Vita Man thank you for such a detailed comment! I think next time you end up with a comment like this you need to just go post it on your blog as a post
Start with comments, and then when you feel inspired to write something as heartfelt as this, just add it as a post on your own site 
@Ben No problem with the advice, let me know how else I can help!
@FS It is all good, and I’m definitely appreciating your continued support! I thought about you a few times while I was on Phi Phi watching tennis everyday. I was able to watch more of the Aus. Open this year, than probably all of the slams combined last year, it was great! Tennis was always on!
@Kala I find myself quite often actually forgetting to make myself a priority. Especially when it comes to eating healthy and exercising. Those are two things that should be on everyone’s priority list, and so often they get neglected. Hopefully you are able to define some things that will allow you to make some positive changes!
@Adrienne There is nothing wrong with taking on a lot of stuff, you just have to make sure you are prepared to deal with it when things get crazy. I’m just now getting into the groove and figuring out how to balance it all.
@Dave I read your post the other day and it sounds like you’ve definitely been struggling with some of the things I’ve mentioned, let me know if I can help in anyway! And just trust that you will get back on the right track soon enough!
@Kristin I have to thank you and Carlos for one of the most enlightening and entertaining conversations I’ve had in a long long time. Seriously, thank you! haha
@Meg I think as soon as I stop being real, thats when the blog is going to fall apart. I can only write about what I know, and what I know is my real life! I just try and present things how I see them, while always keeping a positive perspective. Its worked for me so far…
@Nate Thats awesome man. I can’t wait to see where you are in a few more months of working on the income streams. The blog posts will come eventually, right now you need to keep doing whats really important to you, which is crafting the lifestyle!
@Rasheed Thank you for the continual inspired words! You’ve been around since the beginning and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. Looking forward to the day our paths cross.
@Lex We have all been there at one point or another. Now its all about just taking the things you’ve learned from those mistakes and applying them to the future.
@Ami You bring up a really good point, and I’ve been thinking about doing some shorter photo/video posts. I’ve got some pretty entertaining videos, and as I try and work on my photography skills, this could be a great outlet to get some feedback!
@Mark By lining up your priorities for the day you are already ahead of the game. I find myself being much more productive on the days that I have done that. Thanks for the comment!
@Neil Well I feel honored that you chose this one to read! We all go in phases where we are busier or have other things that get priority. This will always be a priority, it just may not always be the most important. I’m still very much committed to the growth of the site, so we’ll see where things go.
Hi Sean,
This is one of my favorite posts of yours. It is real and not preachy like so many sites now.
Getting rich quick is pretty over-rated. Of course, it would be nice to have shit-loads of money in the bank. But at what cost? Life is ultimately about living.
If you are enjoying your days and enriching your relationships then screw the blog.
Time management, lifehacks and productivity in general are far over-rated. Spend your time doing what you love and ignore the rest.
I hope you are still in Thailand when I go back. It looks like it will be next February though.
Great post Sean. I think you have just helped a lot of people take a huge sigh of relief!
I completely agree with what you said, and I think it’s great that you stopped to think about your priorities. Sometimes the hardest thing is just to admit what’s really the most important to you. Knowing this is essential. Thanks for the post!
Hi Sean,
Thanks to you, I’ve written another incoherent blog. Thanks for the push!
Hope you are well in Thailand Land!
Vita Reid
The One Minute Minimalist
Sean,
My blog had it’s busiest day ever … and both your post and mine were quoted in alifereinvented.com.
Thanks again for the push … my baby blog had a great day.
And you enjoy your night.
vita reid
Can’t agree more with your overriding point.
Those that prioritise, realise.
Ok, that was crap but I just made it up on the spare of the moment.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Join The Discussion