A good technique for avoiding "lost time" (you know, that time you use and don’t have much to show for)- is to get into the habit of checking in with yourself every couple of hours and asking, "Am I spending my time in the most useful way to meet my current goal?" Taking the time to do this can help lift you out of the myopia which sometimes occurs during extensive note-taking, editing, or planning- and it can help re-orient you to the task at hand. It is seductively easy to work on low-value tasks (such as typing out pages and pages of notes) because you don’t have to think, and you feel that you’re accomplishing something. However, your stress rises when you notice that you’ve worked for five hours (typing notes) and don’t have any new writing to show for it. To avoid this, get in the regular practice of re-orienting yourself as you go along. Keep asking, "Am I using my time in the best way possible to meet my current goal?" And if not, adjust appropriately.
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