Reflection Time:
How do you schedule things, keep track of appointments, etc.?
Do you use a calendar? Do you actually USE a calendar or do you just have one available?
How do you keep your to-do tasks organized?
How do you regularly sort mail? Do you let it stack up?
Can you find pens, note paper, stamps, etc. when you need them?
Do your current processes work for you?
Scheduling and Task Management for Hunter-Gatherers
I'm starting with scheduling and task management because I tend to get anxiety when I do not know what I have going on and what needs to be done. If our minds are busy trying to remember our schedules and to-do tasks, we will not be able to focus on other things. We need to externalize these reminders so that we can alleviate this anxiety and save our working memory for important and urgent tasks.
Schedules and to-do lists are necessary for achieving goals in our modern world -- especially for people, like myself, who have no concept of how time works. We ALL need daily routines to keep us on track -- even if we are adverse to following them and we don't always stick to them. However, we need to be aware that some calendars, planners, etc. will not work for hunter-gatherers. Hunter-gatherers need simple calendars and to-do lists that the will be able to use consistently. Complicated planners that have to-do lists and weekly, monthly, and yearly goal lists are too complex and inefficient to maintain. Phone apps are not visual enough for us. I've used several types of calendars, planners, and to-do lists in the past with mixed success. For the last couple of years, I've been trying to manage my schedule and tasks to be completed mostly in my head-- not a great idea.
Using a simple, monthly at-a-glance calendar is ideal. Using one calendar for home and work will eliminate the need to transfer things over. For families, a calendar should be kept in a visible location where everyone in the family can look at it and see what's going on. To decrease the amount of information you're writing on the calendar, a "matrix" can be used and posted beside the calendar for reoccurring events (e.g. baseball games, wrestling practice). The matrix lists the days of the week and the times/location of reoccurring events that occur on those days. This may need to be updated seasonally as activities change. Use shorthand on the calendar (e.g. "baseball") and then refer to the matrix and/or a printed activity schedule for details. Using a calendar is a visual reminder not to overschedule yourself, as hunter-gatherer types may be prone to do because we don't understand time well.
A to-do list should be used everyday. This can be updated at night before going to bed or first thing in the morning, however you are more likely to do it. Keep a paper pad or spiral notebook next to your calendar and write down the date and any reminders (e.g. errands, calls to make, groceries to buy). Tear off the page and stash it in your pocket or purse to refer to throughout the day. Keep only ONE to-do list at a time and rip up old lists daily. At the end of the day or the next morning, transfer any remaining items on your to-do list to the next day's list and discard the old list.
Place pencil holders, paper pads, and sticky notes systematically throughout the house so you can quickly catch your thoughts and stick them to your calendar or to-do list.
For larger projects that cannot be completed in a single day or things that require more decision making, you can use the index card system. Use a separate index card for each project. Write the name of the project/goal on the index card. Refer to the index card on a weekly basis or as needed and make small goals that will further the progress of these projects, even if it is only gathering information.
My "Launchpad" and Electronics Charging/Active Paperwork Station
This is my "launchpad"-- my calendar/to-do list station. I found a simple, monthly at-a-glance calendar with a magnet on Etsy and marked it up through 2022. The notepad is for my daily to-do list and the index cards are for my longer projects. There are slots for mail supplies -- stamps, envelopes, address stickers-- and outgoing mail. Keep all of these items in one visible location so you're not hunting around for them. By putting the mail supplies next to the outgoing mail, it will be easier to remember where they're at. Labeling everything helps to reduce the anxiety that you may forget where something is at. The baskets on the wall are intended for school papers when the kids come home... although they remained stuffed full of papers throughout all of last year, so we will need to do some tweaking with that process.
Fun fact: these are types of "Giffordian Affordances," elements in the physical environment that tell you what action to take-- e.g. there is a hook by the door, you can easily see that you hang your keys/purse by the door when you come in the house and you will remember to grab them before you leave because you see them there. Anything else you need to remember to take with you when you leave, you put in that area by the door, thus decreasing the need to remember these things and freeing up your brain for other things. Hunter-gatherers, especially, need to externalize these types of reminders/tasks/etc. so that we do not need to try to remember them... because we won't.
This is my other station-- not super pretty, but functional. It's where we end up putting all the electronics and charging cables anyway, so I just put a couple of nesting baskets there for storage. I also purchased color coded velcro cable ties to wrangle all the cords and identify who's is who's.
The basket next to it is for "active paperwork," bills to pay, mail you want your spouse to see, things you're waiting to hear back about, bulletins, newsletters, to-do list papers, your project index cards, etc. Once again, this is where papers tend to accumulate anyway, so we might as well keep this location as their designated home. Sometimes the "ideal location" for such things are not practical for hunter-gatherers because they are not visual enough or easy enough to access, so we need to work with our natural tendencies. The trash can is right below this countertop, so it's a good place to sort through mail and paperwork. It's not far from the garage door, so I can usually manage to remember to sort the mail immediately when I come home for the day. You want your active papers standing-up somewhat so they don't end up being another pile of papers that you never go through. These baskets should also be open containers without lids. We need to keep things visual and easy! I have pens, notepads, and sticky notes on this counter as well as on my nightstand by my bed for when I need to jot my thoughts down quickly.
Recommended Action Steps for Hunter-Gatherers:
- Get a simple, monthly at-a-glace calendar and put it in a visible location
- Put any activity schedules next to the calendar
- Put a notepad and/or index cards for your to-do list items next to your calendar
- Place pens, notepads, and sticky notes systematically throughout your house
- Get a small basket/container for your "active paperwork" (place this near a trash can or put a trash can in that location)
- Designate a location for mail supplies and outgoing mail
- Designate a location for your car keys, wallet/purse, etc. -- anything you need to take with you when you leave your home
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