Building Bart Gottschalk Building Bart Gottschalk

Running My Day, Part 4: What Happens to Today at the End of Today

The question: What do I do with everything on today's list when today is over?

My answer is that every line on the day gets a decision, and then I delete the day itself. A line I finished is done, and I delete it. A line I didn't get to is deferred, and I move it to the day I'll do it. A line I've decided not to do at all is denied, and I delete that too. A line someone else can carry is delegated, and it stays on my list, because I'm still the one accountable for it. I only delete the day once nothing is left under it. That way I can be present and focused on the day I'm in.

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Building Bart Gottschalk Building Bart Gottschalk

Running My Day, Part 3: Write It So Future-Me Can Act

The question: When I reach a day, how do I make sure I can act on what's written without having to hunt for additional details?

My answer is that I write every line in Dailys for the person who will read it: me, on that day, after I've forgotten the context I had when I wrote it. The line says what to do. Whatever I'll need in order to do it is nested under the line or linked inside it: the recipe, the workout, the page where the real thing lives. So when I reach the day, I read the line and start. I don't open anything else to work out what I meant, and I can trust a line I wrote months ago as much as one I wrote last night.

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Building Bart Gottschalk Building Bart Gottschalk

Running My Day, Part 2: A Wednesday in 2027, Already on My List

The question: How does something I need in November reach me in November?

My answer is that my Dailys list reminds me, but not with a notification. I write the thing nested under the day I want to meet it, and when I reach that day, it's there. Dailys is a stack of days, one line per day, and only the days with something written on them exist. Today sits at the top. Every other day is nested under a line called Future, in order, out as far as I've written. The list never pushes anything at me. I go and read the day and start on what's there. In between, I don't have to hold it in my head. Writing it down in Dailys is what allows me to let it go and trust that I'll meet it on the day I chose.

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Building Bart Gottschalk Building Bart Gottschalk

Running My Day, Part 1: Two Views of the Same Sunday

The question: How do I turn an overwhelming day into one I can actually execute while staying present and relaxed?

My answer is that I keep a list in BartBot called Dailys, and under each day it holds only what's mine. The timed lines aren't the day's events. They're the things I have to do around them. Anything without a time is something I'll get to if the day opens up. When the day arrives I'm working from five time-stamped lines in Dailys instead of reading sixteen overlapping blocks on the calendar. This simplicity is what allows me to execute my day while remaining relaxed. Remaining relaxed is what allows me to be present where I am rather than being pulled into a stressful future that isn't here yet.

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