Choosing next action in light of everything else???

[Layla]

Well, it seems to work best for me if I have a monthly list (i.e. 'needs to be done this month/fixed time/wish to do it this month'), weekly and daily lists (basically lists of priorities, everything else is a bonus). Of course these sometimes don't get done, or stuff gets transferred.. it's just easier to do things this way, for me. (Don't confuse these with Calendar, Calendar is for fixed things only, and I now realized I need to put on it Maybe Events too - i.e. things with fixed dates that I maybe want to go to!! Orelse I have found myself double-booked or with 3 things I maybe wanted to go to on one day!! And was then disappointed for not being able to go to!)

It's especially frustrating if things change, or other people's stuff or priorities change.. Sometimes it's to mutual satisfaction, and sometimes they've messed my plans up and just made me more confused..

Seems your weekdays are okay and Saturdays are confusing?
Can you set aside some times for prioritizing and/or journalling on things or making decision trees? Do you have family members that also get a say in prioritizing? (If you don't ask them in advance and take in account and into your plans their opinions and priorities, they will mess up your life and priorities later!)
I find it most helpful to do 'decision trees' - basically you write down options and likely (or unlikely) possible consequences. Then the consequences can guide you. (You can also do stuff to prevent the consequences, or something different to what you thought initially.)

You can also 'go up' and go for reasons why you want to do something, if you can't decide. And go from those reasons. Also, 'what happens if I don't do this (at this time)?' Or, 'what happens if I do this (at this time)?'

These things have been really helpful to me, google 'decision tree' if you want to learn more or see what they look like..

@family - things you need to do with your family, things to talk to them about (if it's about a sweater to knit for your daughter, it's not @family, unless you want to teach her to knit) hope this clarifies things a bit?
You can talk to them about their preferences for certain things - are they happier with activities at 8am or 10am or...?

@ home - you can only do them at home, either on your own or with family, you may want to divide into @home alone/journalling (for me, it means I need peace and time alone for this), depending on your activities.. may include home repair (but NOT shopping for supplies in real shops, that would be @errands)

@ errands - in town, shopping or such - factors: when do shops close, when do other family members/friends go to town so you can car share or meet up for coffee or..?


What action will open the way to the other ones that then become problems that have a time factor? Like, if I remove the lock to fix it will I need to go to the hardware store before it closes at 3:00?
Do you need the lock to be locked and fixed by 3:00 or can it remain unlocked for the weekend? (= Where is the lock?)

I've struggled with this sometimes too, sometimes it helped to write stuff on little pieces of paper and move them about to create a 'preferred timeline' (which can still be fixed/changed if needed).

You may also need to learn more about project management, there's lots of info online. (I'm still learning myself.) There are even university courses on project management, so know you are not the only one who struggles with these!!
There may be tips in booklets for non-profits or such too. Depends on your projects too.
For example, for novel-writing, there are some cool tools for tracking progress online...

As for routine-types of activities, depends on brainpower and peace in the surroundings. When Dad takes a power tool in his hands, I can say goodbye to peace for focused mental work. So it depends how much (uninterrupted) time you have, and what you can do in that time. (If you don't know, you can track your Saturdays and see what you come up with.)

Oh, I also recommend writing local events of interest on the Calendar right away (even if they are 'maybe' events only - more likely you and the family will get to go there if they're on the Calendar!) And they may make it easier to decide what to do.. Also, get informed about specifics, I just learnt a trip we thought was on Sunday was to be tomorrow... /sigh/