You know, in psychology there is a rule, especially within the NLP circles that I work in and the literature that I read, it is quite a famous rule; 7 plus or minus 2 ? this is the notion that the conscious mind can only keep track of between 5 and 9 discrete pieces of information at one time. Your unconscious can literally keep track of billions and billions of things at the same time aparently (clever thing that it is!), while your conscious mind is more one step at a time and it has a fairly narrow focus. WHatever the truth of this, it is a useful way to expereince your own thinking.
Here are a couple of things that you can do to test the extent of your conscious mind: Without writing them down, blurt out now, straight away without thought;
- As many brands of cars as you can.
- As many film titles as you can.
- As many pop groups as you can.
Many people run out of steam when they get to ten, usuallly because of the 7+-2 rule. The bottom line is, when the conscious mind is presented with more than 9 pieces of information, it gets overloaded. So before you send me a very clever email telling me off for pointing out the limits of the conscious mind, would you like to know how you can use this to your advantage? Of course you would.
When you bear the 7+-2 rule in mind, you can start to organise things so that you work with your conscious mind, playing to its strengths. For instance, if you have a to-do list.
Many people that I have encountered have a daily to-do list with 20 or more items on it. This is a recipe for total overwhelm (at which point they often resort to looking for the easiest or funnest thing on the list to do.) The following ideas can help you get a handle on your to-do list really fast, especially if that list has things that are important for your goals and achievements and sense of well-being.
Firstly, scan through the list, looking for items that can be grouped together into categories.
For example, here is a load of the stuff on my list for this week:
Write Adam Up.
Bank cheques.
Finish writing chapter for new book
Prepare for client therapy sessions.
Finish project on public speaking.
Finish marketing material for new courses.
FInish listening to current educational Audio set.
Read through solicitors material regarding other business project.
Write up script for new audio title.
Send out follow-up letters for last weeks clients.
Prepare for photo shoot for new Bio.
Write up blurb for my new Audio release.
Write new web-page copy.
Review new CD covers
Meet PR people
Do proposal for new book for Publishers.
Read e-book
New course blurb
Meet with prospective business artner for new project.
Clear inbox.
Have a life. Have fun......
The first thing on the list is 'Write Adam Up' ? for me, "Adam Up" is one of my products, so I write 'Product' beside it. Next is 'Bank Cheques' ? that's part of our cashflow system, so I write 'Systems' beside it. Pretty soon, every item on my list is in a category:
Write Adam Up.
Bank cheques.
Finish writing chapter for new book
Prepare for client therapy sessions.
Finish project on public speaking.
Finish marketing material for new courses.
Finish listening to current educational Audio set.
Read through solicitors material regarding other business project.
Write up script for new audio title: Products.
Send out follow-up letters for last weeks clients: Systems.
Prepare for photo shoot for new Bio: Marketing.
Write up blurb for my new Audio release: Marketing.
Write new web-page copy: Marketing.
Review new CD covers: Systems
Meet PR people: People.
Do proposal for new book for Publishers: People.
Read e-book: Personal.
New course blurb: Marketing.
Meet with prospective business artner for new project: People.
Clear inbox: Personal.
Have a life. Have fun: Personal.
This is better! I have now gone from a list of 20 or so items (instant overwhelm) to a list of 6 categories which is well within even my 7+-2 limit.
- Products
- Systems
- Training
- Marketing
- People
- Personal
This is what we refer to as chunking in my professional field, and is one of the most effective ways of dealing with any large or complex set of tasks (or set of anything else). You may say "Great, but I've got 200 things on my to-do list". It doesn't matter ? the same principles apply. If you go through your to-do list or your goals lists; just get it whittled down from 200 items to 20 categories, that is better, it is getting it more manageable ? go through the 20 categories and see where they group together. Group together goals for your own development; being a non-smoker, growing in confidence, creating wealth, reducing weight etc. The key is to have no more than 9 categories at each level ? this way your conscious mind can keep track of it.
Secondly, start to manage your to-do list by the high-level categories: You can use this in all sorts of areas to make things more manageable, for example:
- To-do lists.
- Goals you are working toward.
- The filing system on your computer.
- Your filing cabinet.
- Any project you're doing.
One of the things this allows you to do is notice very quickly if there's a specific area where you have not been taking much action lately ? very useful for helping focus on what needs attention.
Copyright 2005 Adam Eason. All Rights Reserved.
Adam Eason is an author, consultant, trainer and motivational speaker in the fields of hypnosis, NLP, personal development and human potential. his website is filled with information, stimulating articles, resources and uniques products.
Visit to also receive a free, unique his website, instantly downloadable, to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
family-safe home cleaners Morton Grove ..The Law of the 1st StepA good first step in... Read More
Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day... Read More
Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic... Read More
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More
In your quest to get 'up and running' so to... Read More
Working for one of the top Marketers online (David Ledoux)... Read More
Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More
There are 3 kinds of clutter: Inner (between our ears);... Read More
* Cupboards and drawers should contain items that are grouped... Read More
1) It's easy to have a good clear out: Not... Read More
EVERY HOME NEEDS AN OFFICEYes, it is true that every... Read More
Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant... Read More
What method do you currently use to organize your family?... Read More
Finish each day and be done with it. You have... Read More
Getting Things Done (GTD), is a productivity methodology designed by... Read More
Light, Work, and YouWinter is here-and with it, short days,... Read More
Sometimes major life lessons come from the most unlikely of... Read More
'A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view... Read More
It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend... Read More
Remember when you charged into the office that first day,... Read More
Recently, in an online group, we talked about "balance" and... Read More
You start each week with great intentions. You are determined... Read More
Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried... Read More
I'm cheap and proud of it.I use and re-use things... Read More
Do you feel like you just get too much e-mail?... Read More
home cleaning services Wilmette ..Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More
Remember when you charged into the office that first day,... Read More
What method do you currently use to organize your family?... Read More
Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make... Read More
Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have... Read More
I gathered some things you can do this spring while... Read More
Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More
Color-There Is No SubstituteIn anatomical illustrations you see the brain's... Read More
What do you gain if you SIMPLIFY?Dictionary* says:to reduce to... Read More
1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much." I'm going... Read More
I have a huge white board in my home office,... Read More
How many of us have enough time to do everything... Read More
Whether you are in your own business or an employee... Read More
1. Divide big jobs into smaller jobs. Make a list... Read More
Buried under mountains of paperwork from your company? Do the... Read More
I talk about the mail a lot in my newsletter,... Read More
The true definition of an organization is one that is... Read More
How to do keep track of all you have to... Read More
(This is the second in a series of three articles... Read More
The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More
Last year I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and... Read More
Here's a little lesson I experienced while packing boxes for... Read More
1. The Law of the 1st StepA good first step... Read More
What does "quality of life" mean to you? If you... Read More
Have you ever felt so discouraged, your life so out-of-control,... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |