Assignment 1

Intro:

In the first assignment of the minor Smart life Rhythms we have to scope on two different target groups. We also have to make a summary out of two articles and post it on this blog. The actual assignment for this week:

First Summary

We kick off with a summary. The first summary is about Laying the Ground work for an Effective Routine.

Summary article on “Laying the Groundwork for an Effective Routine” by Mark McGuinness

Drawing the line between the “world’s demands and your own ambitions”, is the way to create something  “worthwhile”. The key to successfully drawing this line is managing the “wide gray area between the have-tos and want-tos in our lives”.

Those worthwhile achievements require “time, thought, craft, and persistence”. This time and effort will not seem worthwhile when the emails and calls are backed up. So the effort and time will be redirected, and because of this, there will never time because there will never be a clear moment. The result of this will be spending time and effort on other people’s priorities.

To combat this practice the following approach is recommended.

Creative Work First, Reactive Work Second

Set aside time for creative work. Find out when you are at your best. Book that time to be at your best, that way the most important work is done before “your energy dips and your brain slows”.

Plan the reactive work (emails and phone calls) for your second wind. People will always be waiting, so decide, professionalism or potential.

The Building Blocks of A Great Daily Routine

Start with the rhythm of your energy levels

Take notice about the time you have the most energy so that you can devote that time to “important creative work”. No meetings, don’t waste this valuable time on “administrative work”.

Use creative triggers

Decide how you work best and then put reminders of this around you to motivate yourself and tell your mind when it is time to work.

Manage to-do list creep

Your to-do list is stuff you can feasibly manage in the available time. If it is too much, it will not happen and you will loose your motivation.

Capture every commitment

Record commitments to work better with yourself and others. You know what needs to be done and you can tick them off as you do them.

Establish hard edges in your days

Set a fixed start and end time to your day at work.  Assign times for meetings, administration and so on so that you waste as little time as possible.

The goal is to have your day feel like a fundamental ritual that fits with your own “talent and inclinations”.


Second Summary
We continue with the second summary. The second summary is about harnessing the power of frequensy.

               Summary article on “Harnessing the power of frequensy” by Gretchen Rubin 

Harnessing the power of frequency

Humans work slowly and consistently. we usually overestimate the amount of work we can do in a short period of time, and underestimate what might be possible over a long period.

Anthony Trollope, a nineteenth-century writer, found out for himself that writing everyday makes it possible to accomplish greater originality this has a few reasons:

-          Frequency makes starting easier, starting a project after a break is always harder compared to when you just keep on going.

-          Frequency keeps ideas fresh, because you are constantly looking for new ways you will be able to spot surprising relationships and fresh connections between ideas.

-          Frequency keeps the pressure off, because you are writing several blogs, posts, comments a day, you don’t have to worry that this is a onetime article and therefore should be darned good.

-          Frequency sparks creativity, because you are always on the go, always writing this will make it easier to get engaged with an project and create inspiration.

-          Frequency nurtures Frequency, it will all become an habit of working, therefore will contribute the “10 minute rule” writing something good in a short period of time. This will make working easier and better (faster).

-          Frequency fosters productivity, you’re likely able to accomplish to do more work daily. Moving steadily towards a big goal, step by step you will make your way forward.  

-          Frequency is a realistic approach, you will always have enough time, because it’s already been done in short phases  instead of one big go at it. No more delay, just daily frequency.

Then again the amount of work you will put in daily sometimes wants you to make another decision for example, the boot camp method, work intensely for a very short period of time. This is perfect for people whom are  creatively blocked.

The days are long, but the years are short. Day by day we build our lives, try to make it easier on yourselves by taking small steps towards that big goal!

Project Organisation

The project organisation can be found at the bottom of this blog.

Scope target group 1

The first target group we are focussing on is people who are going to work and are stuck in traffic. First of all we filled in the template for this target group:

We also made a stakeholder map for this target group:

Scope target group 2

The second target group we are focussing on is "working students with an active social life". First of all we filled in the template for this target group:

We also made a stakeholder map for this target group: