Time-management for irrationalists

Alexander Sergeev

wrote this on Июл 17, 2015

This article is for irrationalists. The ones whose life changes constantly. Who can’t work monotonously, step by step.

Many years ago serious and consistent people have agreed on considering themselves ideals and life standards. And they consider people different from them to be abnormal. Biases and traditional ideas of upbringing indicate directly that each child should develop extreme inner order. And mood changes is a result of an irresponsible parents’ attitude towards their responsibilities.

Neither irrationalists nor their parents are to blame for irrationalism. It can’t be cured or changed.

There are plenty of time-management methods for a traditional type of people. Their essence is to teach a person to be a rationalist. Such methods contain one serious mistake: rationalists don’t need these tips and advice as they feel them intuitively. But these tips are harmful for irrationalists because they can’t apply them.

If we’re speaking about temperaments, choleric and melancholy people are irrationalists while sanguine and phlegmatic people are rationalists.

There are several basic manifestations of rationality/irrationality:

1. mood changes.
2. speed of switching.
3. work efficiency.
4. reaction to frequent and rare events.
5. thought dimension.

Rationalists have a very stable mood. I doesn’t change quickly without any reasons. It’s vice versa for irrationalists - they have frequent mood swings (totally unpredictable). They have 2 conditions: impetuous activity and apathy.

It’s easy for irrationalists to swith to another activity. They can work in such a regime for a long time. But rationalists need some time to concentrate on a new task. And it would be better for them, if they can plan it beforehand. Sometimes it takes hours or even days for rationalists to switch to another task.

Rationalists can work routinely for a long time. They don’t hurry, work many hours without breaks and loosing concentration. Irrationalists ignite the spark fast, work vigorously but lose interest very quickly.

Irrationalists react to single events, while rationalists react to the events which are repeated several times.

There’s also a difference in how they express their thoughts: reationalists use long logically connected constructions while irrationalists tend to be presice and inconsistent.

 

Risks

Rationalists are mostly unable to respond to unexpected changes.

1. Improvisation risks
   Irrationalists often rely on improvization. They are good at it. Though, it may lead to some mistakes and even a failure.
2. Quick evaluation risks
   Irrationalists tend to overrate an event meaning. There’s a possibility, that they will change their mind in several days.
3. Re-plan risks
   Constant irrational re-planning may lead to mistakes in administration.

 

Pros and cons of irrationalists as employees

Irrationalists problems:

1. No mood for work.
2. It’s difficult to finish a task.
3. Disgust for long-time, rationally-structured tasks and routine work.
4. Problems with realization of big and endless projects.
5. Attenstion runs out suddenly.
6. Initial overestimation of significance and further disappointment.
7. Difficulty in carrying out of big tasks.

 

Irrationalists’ pros

1. Strong improvization
2. Ability perform several tasks simultaneously
3. Ability to switch and adjust quickly
4. Creativity
5. Much energy in a short period of time

 

Rational and irrational types of work

Irrational:

• project work
• search for new things
• emergency jobs
• improvisation
• changes

 

Rational:

• scheduled business
• control
• monotonous work
• stable quality
• traditions

 

Professions

Irrational:

• fire fighters, rescuers
• building construction
• designing
• journalism
• IT development
• marketing
• PR
• medicine
• real-estate agencies
• jurisprudence

 

Rational:

• finance
• manufacture
• logistics and trade
• infrastrucutre
• security
• IT exploitation
• transport
• catering
• cattle breeding
• statistics

 

Time-management

Let’s start from a list of classic mistakes that irrationalists make when they try to plan things ignoring their true nature.

1. Planning things expecting maximum productivity: they should plan things taking into account the time they are the most efficient at work.
2. Trying to manage their mood: follow your mood and it will lead you to an efficient side.
3. Don’t notice the end of efficiency peak: try to notice when you start to lose interest and switch to something else.
4. Denying some activity because they try ti make themselves doing something they’vr chosen: there’s no reason for an irrationalist in doing something you don’t really won’t to.
5. Planning a consisten plan of actions: you should have enough time for maneuvering with tasks.
6. Tough work/time connection: minimize tough linkages.
7. Trying to be a rationalist: you should understand and accept yourself.
8. Trying to do reational tasks: delegate all rational tasks.

Time-management for irrationalists

Irrational time-management is very different from traditional one.

• While making a day plan, leave 80% of time free.
• It’s necessary to control your mood and change tasks in time.
• It’s essential that you make a sufficient number of successful approaches to a task before a deadline.
• Plan your day taking into account efficiency peaks.
• Don’t count on even work efficiency.
• Divide tasks: urgent/non-urgent, important/unimportant.

 

Irrational way of life

Irrational time-management and lifestyle concept is based on the following theses:

• respect your irrationality and don’t try to change it.
• single out the most important tasks and significant goals.
• plan thoroughly in an irrational way.
• track your mood and change tasks in time.
• do what you dislike during an apathy phase.
• if you have to do something rational, do it carefully

 

Methods of irrational time-management

1. Write down everything and creat numerous remindings.
2. Fix your ideas and plans.
3. Make a to-do list of things you don’t like.
4. Do unpleasant things when you’re in a bad mood.
5. Flexibl schedule.
6. Frequent plan changes.
7. A list of goals
8. Set a deadline and several early remindings.
9. Minimize tough time limitations.
10. Plan long tasks and projects taking into account efficiency peaks.
11. Draw schemes in order to remember things better.
12. Write down stages and the way they are connected in big projects.
13. Use inspiration of a final for a more quality task completion.
14. Take a break after the first enthusiasm peak in order to soberly evaluate a task before making a decision.