Getting the right tools, removing obstacles

Our brains are in many ways the most brilliant creations in this world. They are highly versatile information processing units capable of discerning patterns on levels far too deep and too abstract for any machine. They are capable of combining and cross referencing vast amounts of very different kinds data and in them find reason, meaning and conclusions. They are also capable of "making stuff up" i.e. of producing intricate systems of data based on real input but having no real counterpart. They are able to feel enjoyment, try getting a computer to do that!
Finally they are excellent crisis managing systems. Able to think in several directions at once and combining instincts and experience and then add some "made up stuff" to find a solution to any given problem.

So how is it that while we all walk around with these miracle machines in our heads (we all got one at birth, free of charge!) we end up making all the huge mistakes we do? How do we end up overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do or the information we take in? Why do we forget things that are important and remember things that are trivial? The answer is that while our brains are brilliant they are also really dumb. Our brains absolutely suck at advance planning, prioritizing and reminding. To our brains every decision has the same amount of importance, whether it is to read the news paper or to take out a bank loan, to buy a bike or invade a country. Our brains don't see the difference in priority. It also has the worst sense of timing.
If our brains could think properly they would remind us of the letter we need to mail before we walk out the door. They would realise that its not a big deal that you forgot to get a package of milk at the store because at least you got all the food needed for tonight's dinner party. If it could really think it would have reminded you of the milk while you were in the store. Thus saving you the trouble of forgetting it in the first place.
Some part of our brain is stuck in the present. So if you tell your brain that you need to do something it'll think that you have to do it NOW. It assumes that you need to do that thing ALWAYS. And if you tell your brain to remember two things you need to do it'll get really frustrated, because it wants you to do both NOW but it knows that thats impossible, so it thinks you are failing.

The third truth to know about our brains is that they never forget. They might not remind you when you most need it. But they will remember. They remember every broken agreement, even if you don't. They remember the thing you promised that you would do today and will hold you accountable for not doing it. Even if they never remind you.

So how do we get past this then? We need external tools to help our brains with its weaknesses. The brain is happy to give away the tasks its not good at ONLY if it trusts the replacing tool. So a well kept calender can relieve the brain of the burden of having to remind you of planned events. But if your brain suspects you are not keeping the calender up to date it will take back that task and start worrying over your planned appointments. likewise other tools can replace other functions. I have mentioned the lists I've been keeping. They are tools that take over the task of prioritizing and reminding of the small tasks that need to be done. They also enable you to think only once about each task instead of having to go over the bigger plan every single time you have some time to work on it. there are many different tools out there to help us. There is not one universal tool that will solve everything and do the work for us. Instead we all have to work out a system that helps us the most.

There are however some good general pointers in this direction. Any tool we use has to be fun and quick. Any tool we don't like we don't use. The same if we think the tool is good but is complicated to use. So don't fall for the "more functions is better" approach to getting organized. In the end it comes down to if you use it or not. If you find that you don't use a tool because its too complicated, boring, unreliable, etc. then find a tool better suited to your personal style.
I myself for example use filing cards to capture all the thoughts I have. On them I write my lists, ideas and general good information I need. I then process what's on the cards to turn it into actions, things I can do. If I cant do anything about it there is really no use occupying my brain with it. I use a combination of google calendar and a wall calendar on a whiteboard to get an overview of the "hard landscape" in my future.
I won't talk more about tools now but will point you to a book that has helped me a lot in this struggle of mine. Its called "Getting things Done" and is written by David Allen (Isbn 0-14-200028-0) and cost me about 120 SEK at www.adlibris.se. I highly recommend it. The things he speaks of are basically common sense but as we all know common sense is not really all that common.

I would also like to mention something about removing obstacles. We have a way of placing obstacles in our paths to bettering ourselves. It usually consists of behaviour, hobbies and pastimes that we know are bad for us and actually promote the kind of bad lifestyle we are trying to get away from but that we feel attached to and don't willingly leave behind. They are usually things we do to escape the reality around us. A lot of the entertainment we consume function this way. For a moment we "escape" our bad situation. But we resurface afterwards, having by this time added guilt to our feelings of failure, prompting us to once again escape and so it goes on.

If we are to truly change we have to break with these habits. I have finally been able to break with one particularly time consuming and utterly pointless habit only recently. And I can already feel the liberation of all the time I suddenly have on my hands (time to use wisely and get stuff done) and the decrease of guilty feelings that came with it. So if you are clinging on to a time-consuming "escapistic" habit or hobby then man up and break with it. It might seem harch and yes it forces you to confront reality, but the rewards are great and come faster then you think.