[ISTJ] ISTJ and Time Management Systems

[Ozz]

I am wondering what kind of system people use to manage their time (and day). I think the ideal system for a person is somewhat related to the person's MBTI type.

Since elementary school, I have been writing down assignments deadline on an agenda, and then do things that would bring that assignments to its conclusion. The system works great while I was in school, but it doesn't work very well when there aren't that many hard deadline. It's also doesn't do any longer term planning.

I have been trying to use the Getting Things Done (R) system since it has been very popular online. Well, it hasn't quite work well for me. I think part of the reason is that the system is too unstructured where the author left too much room for tinkering. It also doesn't give a lot of guidance for longer term planning and those goals are sort of out of sight, out of mind. I hate rewriting projects and left the list stale, then I stop writing down next actions from project.. enough complains.

I think I need a system with a fixed daily todo list and calendar scheduling. I think I am going to go for the Covey's 7 habit system next. Any comments on anything related to time management? Tips and tricks? Your story?

 

[Lethe]

(INTJ.)

The GTD is perhaps the best organizational system I ran across, and I've incorporated bits of it into a more personalized one for myself. I enjoy that it allows for daily flexibility, while the long-term deadlines remain fixed. In other words, so long as I meet those deadlines, how I arrive there is insignificant.

For an ISTJ, you will probably enjoy Covey's strategy as it forces you to plan the entire week and stay close to the schedule as much as possible. (And it is effective for future planning as well.) What could help with time management is calculating the amount of time you will theoretically be spending on all the activities, and then the unspent hours would be free time for any task you wish pursue.

When there's no hard deadlines, I also find myself unable to function at my best. You may want to establish those hard deadlines for yourself, and even get a friend involved to hold you to your commitments. Paying them an X amount of dollars per missed deadline can offer some motivation.

[PS: It's a pleasure reading this thread. I'm all about (time) management systems since elementary school. Planning is my field of expertise. ]