How to get things done & The Konmari Method Andrew Hill Livestream

Summary

In this live stream, the host discusses life-changing strategies for productivity and decluttering. He shares personal experiences with procrastination and the impact of health conditions like Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis on his ability to get things done. The host recommends David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' for stress-free productivity and Marie Kondo's method for sparking joy through decluttering. He emphasizes the importance of simple, trusted systems and the psychological benefits of a tidy space, aiming to inspire viewers to streamline their lives and find joy in simplicity.

Takeaways

• 🗓 The speaker plans to do daily live streams on various topics from Monday to Sunday.
• 🔄 The speaker used to procrastinate heavily due to health issues like Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis, which caused constant fatigue.
• 🏠 The speaker's dislike for clutter influenced his lifestyle choices, including living in a townhome to avoid maintenance work.
• 📚 Past business ventures led to a hoarding situation, with the speaker's home filled with unsold items.
• 🛍️ The speaker sold the business and is still recovering from the accumulated clutter and the hoarding mindset.
• 📈 The speaker emphasizes the importance of decluttering both physically and mentally for a more productive life.
• 📚 Two influential books mentioned are 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen and 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Marie Kondo.
• 💡 David Allen's system focuses on creating a trusted system to manage tasks and clear mental clutter.
• 🌟 Marie Kondo's method involves assessing items for their ability to bring joy and serve a purpose, promoting a decluttered environment.
• 🧘 The concept of 'Swing' from the book 'Mind Over Water' by Craig Lambert is used as a metaphor for a frictionless, efficient state of being.
• ⚖️ Albert Einstein's quote on simplicity is highlighted, emphasizing the balance between simplicity and functionality in life organization.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the live stream?

The main theme of the live stream is about how two perspectives and strategies have significantly changed the speaker's life, focusing on getting things done and decluttering.

What health conditions does the speaker mention affecting their productivity?

The speaker mentions having Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis, two conditions that cause constant fatigue and affected their ability to be productive.

What is the 'Getting Things Done' strategy mentioned by the speaker?

The 'Getting Things Done' strategy is a productivity method by David Allen that helps create a system to manage tasks effectively, ensuring a clear and uncluttered mind.

What is the book by Marie Kondo that the speaker discusses?

The speaker discusses 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing' by Marie Kondo, which focuses on decluttering physical items that bring joy.

How does the speaker describe their experience with owning an art gallery?

The speaker describes the experience as challenging due to the economic downturn, which led them to a business that didn't suit their personality and resulted in becoming a hoarder.

What is the quote from Albert Einstein that the speaker finds relevant to their discussion?

The quote is 'Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler,' emphasizing the importance of simplicity without losing essential elements.

How does the speaker's mindset towards clutter and productivity changed after applying the philosophies from the books?

The speaker's mindset changed to prioritize simplicity and trust in their systems, leading to a more organized and less cluttered life, which in turn increased their productivity.

What is the significance of the 'Swing' concept mentioned by the speaker?

The 'Swing' concept signifies a frictionless state where one works with natural momentum rather than forcing actions, which can be counterproductive.

How does the speaker address the issue of not returning phone calls or emails due to disorganization?

The speaker acknowledges that disorganization led to subconscious resistance to undertaking projects and goals, which affected their responsiveness to communications.

What is the speaker's advice for maintaining a clear mind and being ready for tasks at hand?

The speaker advises having trust in a consistent system for organization, simplifying life, and applying the philosophies of 'Getting Things Done' and Marie Kondo's decluttering method.

What is the speaker's recommendation for those working from home with kids to maintain focus?

The speaker recommends using noise-canceling headphones to maintain focus and reduce distractions when working from home, especially with children around.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Starting a Daily Live Stream Series

The speaker introduces a daily live stream series that will cover various topics, much like a vlog. Today’s focus is on how two key perspectives have changed the speaker's life, including overcoming procrastination and decluttering. The speaker shares past struggles with procrastination, largely due to health issues like Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis, which caused chronic fatigue. This led to a habit of waiting until the last minute to complete tasks, driven by the adrenaline of looming deadlines.

05:03

📚 Overcoming Procrastination and Clutter

The speaker discusses how a business venture into auctioning salvage freight exacerbated a tendency towards hoarding, filling their home with clutter. After selling the business, they began the process of decluttering, influenced by two books: 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen and Marie Kondo's 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.' The speaker emphasizes the importance of these methods in overcoming procrastination and clearing both physical and mental clutter. They note that a trusted system is essential for staying organized and reducing stress.

10:04

🌟 The Power of Decluttering and Simplifying

Building on the previous points, the speaker delves into the importance of decluttering projects and simplifying life. They highlight the psychological benefits of a clean, organized space, using Marie Kondo’s method of assessing each item for its ability to bring joy. The speaker contrasts this with the overwhelming nature of having too many projects, which can lead to paralysis rather than productivity. They continue to apply these principles in their life, still recovering from the clutter accumulated during their previous business.

15:06

🚀 Achieving Focus and Efficiency

The speaker ties together the themes of the previous paragraphs by discussing the importance of being in a state of focus and readiness. Drawing from the teachings of David Allen and a rowing analogy by Craig Lambert, they explain how simplifying tasks and decluttering life leads to greater efficiency and peace of mind. The speaker mentions using tools like noise-canceling headphones to maintain focus and reiterates that streamlining life allows one to be fully present in the moment. They close the live stream by encouraging viewers to subscribe for more daily content on a variety of topics.

Keywords

💡Live Stream

A live stream refers to content broadcast in real-time over the internet. In the context of the video, the host is planning to do daily live streams from Monday to Sunday, covering various topics based on their day's events. The script mentions the live stream's date and time, indicating the immediacy and interactive nature of the format.

💡Vlog

A vlog, short for video blog, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. The host mentions that the live stream will be structured like a vlog, suggesting a personal and casual style of content where they share their daily experiences and thoughts, much like the script describes.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions. The script discusses the host's past tendencies to procrastinate, attributing it to health conditions like Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis, which caused fatigue. This keyword is central to the theme of productivity and life organization.

💡Decluttering

Decluttering is the process of removing unnecessary items from one's living or working space to create a more organized and less chaotic environment. The script emphasizes the importance of decluttering in improving the host's life, both physically and mentally.

💡Hashimoto's

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder that causes hypothyroidism. The host mentions having Hashimoto's as one of the conditions that made them tired all the time, which contributed to their procrastination and difficulty in getting things done.

💡Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is a condition where the body absorbs and stores too much iron, potentially leading to health problems. The script uses this term to explain another health issue that affected the host's energy levels and productivity.

💡Getting Things Done (GTD)

Getting Things Done is a time management method developed by David Allen. The script references GTD as a strategy to create a system for productivity, allowing the mind to be uncluttered and stress-free. This concept is integral to the host's discussion on improving life organization.

💡Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant and author, known for her KonMari method of organizing and tidying up. The script mentions her as a source of inspiration for decluttering and the 'life-changing magic of tidying up,' highlighting her impact on the host's approach to life organization.

💡Joy

In the context of the script, 'joy' is used to describe the emotional response one should have when interacting with their possessions. The host discusses the KonMari method's focus on keeping only items that 'spark joy,' which is a central concept in decluttering and simplifying one's life.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency of an individual's work or the rate at which tasks are completed. The script explores the host's journey to improve their productivity through overcoming procrastination and adopting organization systems like GTD and the KonMari method.

💡Simplicity

Simplicity in this context refers to the idea of making one's life as uncomplicated as possible without losing essential elements. The script quotes Einstein to illustrate the balance between oversimplification and unnecessary complexity, emphasizing the importance of streamlined systems for effective living.

Highlights

Introduction of the live stream series with daily topics from Monday to Sunday.

Personal struggle with health issues like Hashimoto's and hemochromatosis affecting productivity.

The impact of procrastination due to health conditions and its effect on life and work.

The speaker's experience with owning an art gallery and how it led to a hoarding mindset.

Transition from art gallery to an auction business and its consequences on personal life.

The process of selling the business and the ongoing recovery from accumulated clutter.

Introduction of David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' methodology for productivity.

Importance of a trusted system for productivity and its role in stress-free living.

Personal preference for non-digital systems due to distrust in app reliability.

Albert Einstein's quote on simplicity and its application to life organization.

Introduction of Marie Kondo's method for decluttering and its psychological impact.

The KonMari method's focus on joy and purpose in deciding what to keep or discard.

The speaker's ongoing application of the KonMari method to recover from past clutter.

The connection between personal organization and the ability to undertake larger projects.

The concept of 'swing' from rowing as a metaphor for natural productivity and flow.

The importance of being in a state of readiness and awareness for effective functioning.

The psychological benefits of decluttering and the joy of entering a purposeful space.

Conclusion of the live stream with a call to action for viewer engagement and subscription.

Transcripts

okay we are live welcome this is uh

let's see it's March 29th 10 p.m so I'm

planning on doing these live streams

every day

um Monday through Sunday

and uh different topics whatever's

happening my day it's going to be like a

vlog but today I wanted to talk about

how two perspectives and two things have

significantly changed my life

and yesterday I spoke about some health

things that really impeded my life and

made certain things a struggle

but today I want to talk about how to

get things done

and decluttering uh my life your life

and so

in doing so I hope I can outline some

things that maybe will help you

but there's certainly things that have

helped me

now I used to be the kind of person that

would procrastinate

like crazy

I always waited for the last minute to

do anything

a lot of that had to do I believe with

the fact that I had Hashimoto's and

hemochromatosis two two conditions that

make you tired all the time so the only

time I would do something

is when it became absolutely necessary

and that the deadline was looming so

that the adrenaline would kick in and I

could finish

whatever it was that I was working on

whatever I had to um

whatever I had to do so that I mean I

can remember as a kid

in school waiting for for deadlines on

reports that were due waiting till

the last day

um my Eagle Scout Boy Scout project I

was cementing in volleyball posts on my

18th birthday which is the last day you

have to complete your Eagle project

and so

um yeah I have a lot of experience in

putting things off

along with not having energy uh and

putting things off is

messes and clutter and I hate I've

always hated clutter and I would

intentionally when I

had a room to myself as a child it was

always I always kept as much stuff out

or as clean as I possibly could I hated

taking things out

because it would create a mess and then

I wouldn't have the energy to deal with

it

um and so those types of things affected

everything I did

even down to owning a town home rather

than a regular home

so that someone else would do the work

for me

uh fast forward after I I used to own an

art gallery we opened it in the uh

Christmas season

when the economy tanked I had to find a

different type of business and I got

into the worst type of business

for my personality of not having energy

to deal with things and it turned me

kind of into a hoarder we would buy

pallets and pallets of

salvaged Freight on auction at one point

we bought an entire semi truck load

although several points we did that

um

well one was I guess it was a moving van

the other times

it was a semi-truck load

but my house was full of those Costco

racks with bins and just tons of stuff

and it turned me into a hoarder because

I would look at something with value and

say no I can sell that

it was it was terrible it was a terrible

state to be in it was a terrible home to

be in my garage was full of stuff that

needed to be sold my basement was full

of racks of things that were being sold

on online on different stores

and uh eventually I was able to sell the

business I was contacted by somebody

who's interested in buying an auction

type business they could run from home

I told them everything about it how it

works how much it was hard work

um

you know I want it to be totally honest

but we were taking our company in a

different direction

then so I it's that was like five

possibly five years ago maybe even six

years ago now

and I'm still recovering from all of the

stuff that I have

and from the mindset that it kind of

imprinted into me of oh no you hold on

to this you could sell this but I've

gotten to the point now where it's like

if I'm not making a hundred dollars or

50 bucks

or I can't get rid of it very quickly if

I sold it I just get rid of it

now there's two books that have helped

me immensely and by the way there's a

chat window if those of you watching

want to comment or ask questions uh

during the live stream and then after

this is a live stream it will be posted

as a regular video

um let me adjust the camera maybe just a

bit here

I don't know if that's better

um

so you can ask questions and I will

answer them either now or in a text

response later

so

um

that business created in me a mindset

that that I didn't like I was holding on

to things too much so there's two things

that have really helped me

one with the procrastination and two

with the Clutter the first one that

crossed my path was this book and

lectures by this guy named David Allen

and he has a strategy that he calls

getting things done

I won't go through the whole thing but

it's the art of stress-free productivity

basically what he outlines for you

is how to create a system

that allows you to get everything that

you need to done

in a way that your mind can be totally

empty totally uncluttered

and I have a link in the description

below of where you can pick up that book

um

so how to get things done in a way that

your mind is not carrying the burden

and some of the important things that he

points out is whatever the system it is

that you use

be it uh like a to-do list software or

written down

um it has to be something that you trust

it has to be something that is

consistent so if you have a a bunch of

emails if like I was I'm getting

hundreds and hundreds of emails a day

and so I have systems in place that

organize them all

and then I have like this bin of I don't

know I gotta go through that once in a

while

um but it's a system that you have to be

able to trust if you don't trust it 100

you're not going to use it and it is

you're not going to get things done your

mind is going to still have to feel the

pressure of I have to remember this up

here

and so I actually don't use a lot of

um iPhone apps because I file I found

that I don't trust them

half the time I'll get an update half

the time I'll get a uh reminder and so

none of them help me and so I don't use

reminders I don't use any of that stuff

through this now it's gotten better than

than the way it was when I first started

using it so maybe I'll go back to it but

there's a quote from Albert Einstein

and it applies both to the getting

things done principle and the konmari

Marie condo decluttering your life that

I'll get to in a minute

so this quote from Albert Einstein

let me see if I can pull it up here I

just had it and I believe I put it in

the description

video Let's see if I can

find it

so I see there's a few people watching

would you mind letting me know because

this is this is the first time uh one of

the first live chats that I've done are

live streams so would you mind letting

me know if this live stream is

functioning in the chat window if it

looks good if you can hear me okay

so here's what the quote is from Albert

Einstein

everything should be made as simple as

possible but no simpler

or make things as simple as possible but

not simpler so our lifestyles need to be

as simple as possible

if we go too simple we start losing and

missing out on things if we go obviously

too complicated it becomes a massive

burden and you get to a point where you

can't function you either don't have

enough time or you have too much stuff

and you can't maneuver

and so I am getting rid of a lot of

things in my life

um a lot of

um

projects that I thought that I would

have time to do if I take too many

projects on

I don't have any time and I have too

much in my head

so I can't I'm paralyzed it becomes a

paralyzation rather than opportunities

so Marie condo I put a link to her

um her book as well in the description

what she does is she goes through and

says

she helps people declutter with physical

tangible things

in a process that is very helpful

and I've I've applied it

um

in a lot of ways to a lot of things and

I'm still going through like I said I'm

still recovering from that business that

just consumed

so much of my time and so much of the

space in this house and it turned me

into a hoarder

to an extent not

not like what you see on the show

Hoarders

so um

basically what she does so I'll take

this this book for example right here

this book

what you do is you go through your

things

and one by one you assess them and you

assess all of your books at one time you

assess all of your tools all of your

clothes at one time hold it in your

hands you look at it and you ask does it

bring me joy

does this thing bring me joy does it

have a purpose and if the answer is no

and if the answer is I kind of like it

kind of like it is not Joy

so if it does not bring you Joy and it

does not have a vital purpose in your

life get rid of it

and

just the

um psychological impact that that has is

so significant

it frees your mind it is so nice to walk

into a room that's not full of junk it

really is

and so I've been applying both the David

Allen getting things done principles

and the Marie konmari and it's she's got

a long title to what she calls it the

life-changing magic of tidying up the

Japanese art of decluttering and

organizing by Marie condo both of these

are listed in the description below

if you're interested so um they work

they really work and they're full of

very helpful points

in getting things done and streamlining

your life so there's a quote a couple

parts that I'll read through here I

don't like to read too much in a live

stream it just kind of changes

everything

um

so here's one of the things that I'll

address in my business I have a printing

business and I would get requests well

this was really in every aspect of the

business even before I had the printing

business where I wouldn't return phone

calls I wouldn't even answer the phone

half the time or emails of potential

sales would just fall flat because I

wasn't organized

so he addresses ineffective personal

organization systems

or if they'll lack entirely thereof

create huge subconscious resistance to

undertaking even bigger bigger projects

and goals that will likely not be

managed well and that will in turn

cause even more distraction and stress

that's why probably I didn't answer

phone calls and I didn't reply to most

emails during those times I'm a lot

better now

so

um he talks about being

in a ready State like

martial artists are trained to be always

ready and always have a clear mind

and so he asked a question what if you

could dedicate fully 100 percent

of your attention to whatever is at hand

at your own choosing with no distraction

I have

see they're right here I have these I

need to do a review on these These are

life-changing

these are Bose noise canceling

headphones

and it helps me keep in that type of

state with no distractions

but you can be in that without the noise

canceling headphones I work at home and

I've got kids so that's that's if if you

work at home and you have kids get those

headphones it will change your life

um I'll put a link to those as well

anything I address or talk about I will

put a link to

so he talks about

moving with the natural force and he

uses an example

um

in from Craig Lambert who is a

world-class rower

this comes from his book mind over water

rowers have a word for this frictionless

state

swing

recall the picture

of joyriding on a backyard swing an easy

cycle of motion the momentum coming from

the swing itself

the swing carries us we do not force it

we pump our legs to drive our Arc higher

but gravity does most of the work we are

not so much swinging as being swung

the boat swings you now he's talking

about rowing

the shell wants to move fast speed sings

in its lines and nature our job is

simply to work with the shell of the

boat

to stop holding it back with our

thrashing struggles to go faster

trying too hard sabotages boat speed

that's that's fascinating and we'll talk

about trying versus actually

just being in the right State of Mind

um trying too hard sabotages boat speed

trying becomes striving and striving

undoes itself

social climbers strive to be aristocrats

but their efforts proved them no such

thing

Aristocrats do not strive

they have already arrived swing is a

state of arrival

so

decluttering our lives and having

systems in place that we trust and

having things as simple as possible

but not simpler and and no more complex

than they need to be

um allow us to be in the state that LE

that lets us function in the present and

we'll talk about that more in a future

I was going to say podcast this is

almost like a podcast and a future

episode of being in a state of of

awareness

so those things are

um

those two books these two philosophies

if you will have really uh added Great

Value to my life

I do I have been getting a lot more done

and as I get rid of as I declutter the

things in my life that don't bring me

joy

I have found immense

pleasure in just walking into a room

it's very uh it brings me joy to walk

into rooms that are not cluttered and

that serve a purpose and that bring me

joy

so those are that was one of the things

that I wanted to address in my vlog

okay well that uh sums up the live

stream for today let me know what you

think in the comment section about this

or if you have any thoughts to add and

also if you want more videos like this I

will be addressing a very broad range of

topics be sure to click the Subscribe

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notifications this live stream occurs

every day Monday through Sunday at 10 pm

mountain time so that's Colorado Utah

time

and until next time thanks for watching

and have a good night bye