Structured freedom

A tool for creative rebels to help them go from "to do" to "done!"

Hi! Welcome!

This project management system I’m about to teach you is what I teach my clients to keep track of all their to-dos without feeling imprisoned by a to-do list.

I call it “Structured Freedom” and it's for anyone who has a lot of projects they're working on--creative projects, work projects, home projects, life to-dos--and spends a lot of mental energy figuring out what to do when.

It's also great for perfectionists, rebels, and what I call scanners (people who are interested in doing work in a lot of different fields--from Barbara Sher's book Refuse to Choose). You know, lone wolves and feral cats. 

a) It needed to keep track of every little thing taking up space in my brain, to help save me some mental energy. (This the structure part.)

b) It needed to give me the freedom to decide what I do on a day-to-day basis, so I would be less likely to rebel against it and scrap the whole thing. (Sweet freedom!)

These two main principles at work here, structure and freedom, put in practice look like this:

a) A master list of incredibly discrete, do-able tasks that can (mostly) be done in 15 minutes or less

b) written on modular, move-able pieces of paper that allow you to pick and choose what you will do each day.

In a nutshell, that's it.

So, onto how to make it.

If at any point, you have any questions, shoot me an email down there at "I have a question." Also, I always love hearing the various ways people use this system, so if you use it and love it, let me know!

XO,

Lauren Dearing Russo

Part I: How do I make it?

You have two options: the physical hard-copy way (1) or the electronic way (1a). It's up to you! I like my stuff where I can see it--but I also use my phone because I travel a lot. It's up to you. When in doubt, use what feels easiest. 

2. Create a master list of things you want/need to do.

(I hate the term "brain dump" and I refuse to use it.)

These can be organized by categories (like, “Money”) or specific goals (like, “Book 10 clients for the next 3 months”), but for those of you who are overwhelmed, I would advise you just start writing all the shit that has been in your head, driving you crazy, down.

I usually take about an hour or two to do this because it feels good knocking it out all at once. If you want to spread it out over time instead of doing it all at once, go for it.

I have a big roll of paper that I got at Ikea that for this step, so I feel I have plenty of room to put everything down, link it together, cross it out, and generally go wild. Well, as wild as one gets making a master to-do list.

If you are using your phone, I still find it helpful to do this bit on paper, but if you want to use the app and it's easy, go for it.

This part is really important, so I am going to go into detail here.

Let's take a common example: "clean the kitchen."

What does cleaning the kitchen entail? Do you mean wash the dishes, mop the floor and wipe down the counter, or do you mean pull every single one of your tupperware items out of their drawers and organize them into oblivion?

Do not tax your brain with unnecessary decision making--it saps your willpower, discipline, and creative problem-solving reserves, which you need for your actual creative work.

Break it down—things that can be done in 15-minute increments or less. These are called milestones and the point of a milestone is that it is tangible--you know exactly when you have done it and when you haven't.

Note: When you get to things that you don’t know the details of, that’s okay, you can write “figure out smaller steps to [big thing]??,” which tells you to figure it out when the time comes. Or you can write something like "write website copy for 15 minutes x6" (the "x6" means you will do that 6 times) Don’t get hung up on getting it perfect, just get it usable right now.

There are plenty of things you know all the steps for: put all of these down first and let it be enough.

4. Transfer the milestones 

Write down your milestones onto tiny little post-its.

(Or, write them into your app.)

This is the part where you find out if you made your milestones small enough—those page marker post-its only fit a couple of words and that's why I use them. 

Do what you need to do to make this enjoyable--light your favorite candle, play some music, put on your most creative and inspired outfit.

Part II: How do I use it?

You've made it! Now you get to use it! Here's how:

1. Pick Whatever [milestone] You Want

Choose whatever your heart/mind/soul/gut is pulling you toward.

Every day, pick 3-5 things from your master list of post-it milestones.

Pick what feels good, what feels inspiring, what you're drawn to that given day.

You get to choose, which is the whole point: that you don't feel trapped by your to-dos.

You’ll notice I didn’t say 10 things. That’s because you have tons of things you’re already doing every day. Start with 3-5 things and work your way up if you want to. I find that 3-5 things is a perfect place to start and some days I am able to do more, and some days 3 things is what I get done, and it's more than I would get done without the system.

You can do this in the morning or the night before/end of the day. You can also spend a bit of time (say 5 minutes) each Friday or Sunday afternoon to set aside the post-its that you definitely want to get done in that coming week.

Then, actually do it.

If you use the Pomodoro technique of time management (FocusKeeper and Be Focused Pro are both apps for this), this is really compatible with it—set your timer and do each post-it for 15 minutes (or whatever your chosen increment is).

2. Build Momentum

Acknowledge, celebrate, and keep track of your completed milestones.

This is where you give yourself the gift of completion (a term I learned from the brilliant Anna Kunnecke).

Move your milestone post-it from your to-do list area/poster to a "Done!" area/poster. Do a little dance in celebration!

There a couple reasons for doing this:

1. Moving the post-it is a way to give yourself the gift of completion. It serves as a capstone to whatever it was your were doing and gives you a moment of separation before you start the next thing. It's the breathing space between go-go-go.

2. Keeping a running tally of everything you have accomplished will remind you, in your darker "I never get anything done moments" that you actually have gotten a lot of things done, dammit. It encourages you and builds momentum through the power of small wins: small, consistent effort over time equals big results.

This is why you don't throw the post-its away, or keep your milestones on a list, cross them off, and then throw the list away--you want evidence of everything you have been doing so that you can counter whatever "I am so lazy and unproductive" story pops up. Seeing your progress makes a huge difference.

3. If you happened to color code your milestones, you will get a really good idea of what categories and goals you are drawn to do and which ones you resist. You might think you have a pretty good idea of this already, but this will give an even clearer sense of your patterns.

Want more?

If you’d like to learn more about how to get support for getting your plans off of the ground and into the world, here are your options!

I HAVE A QUESTION/FEEDBACK/WANT TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS I AM DOING WITH THIS SYSTEM!

Great! I love feedback!! You can use this system for your whole life, just your business, or just one project in your business. I would love to hear about how you made it work for your life and work—so, if you loved it, used it, improved it, have questions about it, let me know.