Mike does a great job discussing how to make your Blackberry work for you rather than against you.
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March 22, 2008
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January 29, 2008
What's Wrong With Annual Reviews And What To Do Instead (GTD Tuesday)
Recently I heard a podcast that offered a great alternative to annual performance reviews. It seems that most companies do annual reviews but most people agree that they aren't very effective.
The podcast was an episode of The Cranky Middle Manager featuring David Maister, author of Strategy and the Fat Smoker; Doing What's Obvious But Not Easy. At around 13 ½ minutes into the show, Maister addresses the issue of performance reviews. To summarize his thoughts:
Continue reading "What's Wrong With Annual Reviews And What To Do Instead (GTD Tuesday)" »
January 22, 2008
I’ve Gotta Do A Weekly Review! (GTD Tuesday)
Those were the words I silently shouted on a Friday morning about two weeks ago. After I made that decision, I immediately felt a deep sense of relief. I scheduled the review for the following morning. I spent over two hours doing my review but when I was done it felt great! You see, this review was only for my life outside of "work". Like many GTDers my "work" life tends to be more organized than my "home" life.
Continue reading "I’ve Gotta Do A Weekly Review! (GTD Tuesday)" »
January 15, 2008
Updated: Introducing Jason Womack - A Great GTD Thinker (GTD Tuesday)
Jason Womack is the founder of his own Workplace Performance firm. In addition, he writes a great blog, Your Best Just Got Better.
Recently I listened to a great interview of him on The Productivity Podcast.
What I like best and why you should check him out.
He has a busy life. He is a triathlete, a consultant, and a husband.
He seems to keep it all in balance.
His ideas come from years of experience with clients from all walks of life.
I would really encourage you to check out his work. He shares some really good tips and principles about GTD.
See also
January 08, 2008
Rest Is A Weapon (GTD Tuesday)
One of the most powerful productivity weapons at your disposal is rest. If you want to be super productive you must also be super disciplined about scheduling and taking time off. Today, I want to talk about taking time off from two things: emails and RSS feeds.
Email. I've now made it two weeks in a row of not checking email for one day a week. After hearing my friend Kyle McFarlin mention this on a podcast on The Productivity Show, I thought I'd give it a try. I figured if it worked for Kyle, it could work for me.
December 18, 2007
You Can’t Stop The Music (GTD Tuesday)
My family and I recently saw the movie Hairspray . I think the plot of the movie is a good one but I'm not much for musicals. On the other hand, a couple of days later a lyric from one of the songs really encouraged me.
The lyric was "You Can't Stop The Music". In the movie, (spoiler warning) an overweight girl, has a dream of being on a dance show and she makes it! Also, she dreams of breaking down the color barrier on the show. And this happens too!
I was having a discouraging couple of days when I kept hearing "You Can't Stop the Music" over and over in my head. And then it hit me: no outside force can stop me from doing what I was born to do. The only one that can stop that is me. No "You" can stop me!
Is someone or some circumstance holding you back? "They" can't keep you down forever. Take one significant step toward fulfilling your dreams today. I double-dog dare you!
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
December 11, 2007
Finding The Sweet Spot For Your Lists (GTD Tuesday)
When a task or project list gets too long, you go numb to it. You look at it and the very thought of trying to tackle it makes you turn away from it. On the other hand, when you have too many lists, you may just give up and fall off the GTD wagon. How can you find the sweet spot for your lists?
Stick with a specific number. Since reading a post by Scott H Young entitled The Six Keys for Writing a Kick-ass To-Do List, I've been thinking about this idea a lot. He suggests that you keep your lists at no more than seven items. Once you get to more than seven items, find a way to sub-divide the list. I agree with the idea but find that for me "10" seems to be the magic number. 10 or less, the list feels doable for me. More than 10 and I start to go numb to it. Experiment with this and let me know what number seems to work for you. Since implementing this technique, I'm feeling more in control of my lists and consequently my days.
Date everything buy only look at today. My one significant departure from standard GTD methodology is that I don't believe in Someday/Maybe lists (see The End Of Someday/Maybe ). I give every task a due date. That date might be 6 months out but I give it a date. However, that leads to a very long list. If I look at all my tasks, it's about 300 items. However, I have set up my system so that I only see what's due today when I'm working my list. I want to focus on what needs to be done today and not be distracted by future tasks. I use Microsoft Outlook to manage my tasks. For more info on the best way to set up Outlook to manage your tasks, see Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook: The Eight Best Practices of Task and E-Mail Management
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
December 04, 2007
How to avoid being overwhelmed (GTD Tuesday)
When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? For me it was the Sunday night after Thanksgiving.
Who learns more, the blogger or the reader? I think one of my underlying reasons for writing this blog is my desire to get enough rest to fulfill my own destiny. I firmly believe that if you don't get enough rest, you won't fulfill your destiny.
Since that Sunday night I have been evaluating things and have made some short term changes. I resigned (effective in December) a volunteer board position. I decided to postpone teaching a church class and I decided to delay pursuing another web-related opportunity.
One of the wonderful things about Getting Things Done is that it helps you see how much you are really doing and have to do. In addition, it helps you keep your life in balance. Recently I read a great post over at Zen Habits that suggested that you limit yourself to no more than three projects. This is wisdom.
Lately I have been following this only three projects idea. I've set up three daily recurring tasks in Outlook that lists my Next Actions for each project. This has really been helping me stay on track.
In addition to the three projects idea, I recommend:
Re-evaluate. Ask yourself the deep questions? What was I born for? How do these things I'm doing fit with my purpose and values? What are my current limits in terms of time, energy and, money? One quick reality check for seeing how much "available time" for a project is to take 168 hours in a week and subtract all the hours that are already spoken for. In terms of energy, take a realistic look at how often you feel stressed or have trouble sleeping. Money is the easy one to evaluate: do you have the money you need to do what you are planning?
Re-view. Look for things that you don't have the desire for that you once had and see if you can eliminate them. Look for different ways to do the things you want. When I do get a chance to teach the church class, I may facilitate the class using someone else's material rather than writing the class myself. Look for ways to increase you capacity. Maybe you can outsource some of your life (see The 4 Hour Workweek). Maybe you can "batch" some things. I was working out 6 days per week. Now I work out the same amount of time but do it in 3 days per week. This frees up time for me to write when I'm at my best (in the mornings).
Re-adjust. Realize that this kind of evaluation is something that you need to do often (maybe once per quarter). A mini version can take place in your weekly review but I think most people need some dedicated time to do this. As things around you change make the changes you need to keep you in the center of your destiny.
Good is the enemy of best. There are enough good things you could do to fill twelve life times but you only have one. Take some time today and ask if you are really doing "the best".
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
November 27, 2007
Boring Is Beautiful (GTD Tuesday)
A little boredom can be a big stress reliever. In other words, finding a system that you like and sticking with it has big benefits.
Get bored with your software. I love new things but sometimes it's better to stick with the old. The longer you use a particular version of software the more efficient you become (assuming you make a reasonable effort to learn the shortcuts. Also, the more time you spend using an application the less stressful it becomes. I have found that by using Outlook both at home and at work, I am more relaxed when working with my Email, Calendar, and Tasks. Why? Because I don't have to think about it as much! My brain says "delete that message" and my fingers respond with CTRL+D. It's a beautiful thing. Are there times that it's worth upgrading or switching to a different system: absolutely. On the other hand, consider if you really need the new features in the new version before paying the cost (in time, energy, and money) of making the switch. In addition, try to use software from the same vendor if at all possible. In other words, it's better to use Microsoft Word and Excel than Microsoft Word and Google Spreadsheets.
Get bored with your email. Every email I receive goes into one of five buckets: delete, forward, reference, calendar, or tasks. That's it. It doesn't matter whether it's personal or business, important or not, I manage it all the same boring way. And I love it! It's so much more efficient.
Get bored with your routines. I go to bed and get up at about the same time nearly every day. There are huge benefits to this (more about this in an upcoming post). In addition, I have routines for getting up and going to bed that vary very little. It is awesome to be able to relax even when I'm sleepy knowing that I'm not going to forget anything I need to take to work. It helps me get to sleep and sleep well because of my routine.
I've heard "variety is the spice of life". The problem is that when that was written they got in one year the information we get in one day. I've got enough variety in my RSS feeds to keep me going.
A little boredom is a beautiful thing.
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
November 20, 2007
Thanksgiving For GTD (GTD Tuesday)
The most radical change in my life in the past three years is the result of following the GTD method. It has truly made a difference for me.
GTD has given me more confidence. After about a year I really began to trust my system. I knew that I wouldn't miss important things because I just "forgot". It also helped me take a close look at the activities I was doing and make sure that they matched up with my goals.
GTD has caused me to think more creatively. It hasn't been something I've cultivated but rather has been a natural part of following GTD. When I got all my todos out of my head and into my system, I just began to think more strategically and creatively.
GTD has enabled me to get more rest. It's so hard to rest when your brain won't let you. David Allen talks about the concept of having a "mind like water". That means that we start from a place of peace and respond to situations throughout the day with just the right amount of energy. It's a good definition of "rest".
So how do you get started? If you're in a hurry, I suggest you start with Linenberger's Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook: The Eight Best Practices of Task and E-Mail Management
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
November 13, 2007
GTD Cafe: David Allen & Bruce Lee (GTD Tuesday)
This is a guest post by Mike St. Pierre. He blogs at The Daily Saint .
Let's face it- deep down we all like a good martial arts movie. Good guys take on 10-12 bad guys who stand around in a circle and wait to jump right into the mix. Punches are thrown, powerful kicks send the attackers flying and we keep watching and watching. It's no wonder that David Allen's martial arts references strike a cord with many readers.
The great Bruce Lee once said "Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves." It's no wonder that Lee became an icon of the martial arts, inspiring millions to sign up for classes in Kung Fu and Karate, just to name a few.
What Lee and David Allen had in common was an uncanny ability to adapt to their surroundings. For Lee, it was through the martial arts. For Allen, it's a "work thing". To the ability that I can respond (not react) to the interruptions in my day without losing my focus, I achieve what Allen calls a "mind like water". Here are some practical apps:
- Start the day with a list: when you know what needs to be done, it's easier to avoid sidetracking events during the day.
- Start the day with focus: asking, 'what absolutely needs to get done today?' is a crucial question.
- Start the day with drive: let's face it, we feel better when we are productive so why not aim for the 5 o'clock feel goods and get stuff done in a timely fashion?
- Start the day with a flexible attitude: things may not turn out exactly as we would like so that famous saying comes in handy, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
To be productive is to prepare, adapt, focus, respond, return and do again. If we do this, we will gradually get "into the zone" and achieve, with more frequency, a mind like water. As Bruce Lee said, "The more complicated and restricted the method, the less the opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom."
October 30, 2007
A Time To Procrastinate (GTD Tuesday)
People inside and outside the practice of Getting Things Done (GTD) often mistake the system for a way to cram more into every moment. This couldn't be further from the truth. GTD is a way to get all your todos out of your head and into a place where you can see them so that you can decide what to do with your time.
Recently I had a situation where a family member needed me. The great thing about GTD was that since I had everything in my system it was easy to move everything forward a few days (procrastinate) and know that when those things became a priority again, I would work on them.
I have been most grateful for GTD in times of crisis. When you are under stress the last thing you need to be dealing with is "did I remember to buy bananas". During a crisis it's so wonderful to be able to say "all those other things can wait" and then be able to truly let them go.
GTD also really helps when you get back to work. When I returned to work after being off for 3 days, I had more than a few emails I needed to deal with. Because of the habits I have learned, I was able to process all my email in under 10 minutes. Wonderful!
How about you? When has GTD been the most valuable for you?
By the way if you haven't read the book, order a copy of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
October 23, 2007
The Easiest Way To Success
Many years ago I heard a motivational speaker talk about value of OPE (other people's experiences). His point was that although "experience is the best teacher", it takes too long to learn and it's too painful to learn solely from our own experiences. The easiest way to succeed is to harness the power of OPE.
Pride stops many of us. I was listening to a podcast by Merlin Mann and he was talking about why some people don't write things down. It's simple: pride. They think they can carry all their to-dos abound in their head and consider it an insult to have to stoop to writing them down or typing them in. Rather than having the embarrassment of forgetting something or the stress of carrying all those things in your head, why not use OPE. OPE says that if you get all your to-dos out of your head, you free up your awesome mind to have more creative thoughts.
So . . . when you are struggling in familiar territory or venturing out into new territory: find someone who has been there, listen to their advice, get over your pride, save yourself some time and energy, and just try what they tell you.
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
October 19, 2007
A Couple Of Good Personal Productivity Books
I recently read a couple of books by Julie Morgenstern. The two books were Never Check E-Mail In the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work
I was drawn in by the catchy title "Never Check E-mail in the Morning". However, I definitely gained some insights from Julie.
Tie everything you do to a why. For instance, the reason you don't check email in the morning is to give yourself some uninterrupted time. And you need uninterrupted time to do well on your job. And you need to do well on your job to provide for the family you love. And you provide for the family you love so that you can have the feeling of knowing you are doing part of what you were put on this earth to do. She also applies this idea to fitness. You work on so you can have the energy to do the things that are important to you.
Understand that time and energy are finite quantities. She compares your planner to your checkbook. You only have so much money to spend. In the same vain, you only have so much time and energy to give on any given day.
Associate time estimates with your tasks. I have heard this idea before but with her encouragement I am starting to do it. I look at my task list in the morning and drag items to my calendar. Then I expand the items to fill the time I think they will take. Also, I took a task I was procrastinating and did time estimates for each step. When I saw the task was not going to take all that long, I began to work on it.
Her books have some great ideas in them. Worth checking out.
See also
October 12, 2007
Do What You Love And Get Paid For It
Some people call it pursuing your destiny. Others talk about purpose. Whatever you call it, I believe that there is a God-given desire in each person to do what they are uniquely wired to do. As I think about my own desires, its best summed up in the words of Curtis (a talented Bass player who is a friend of mine), "I just want to do what I love and get paid for it". I think that is the cool thing about getting older: if you play your cards right, you get to do more and more of what you love and less and less of what you don't love.
So what do you love? If your answer is not as simple as Curtis', you may need to do some research and some soul searching. I highly recommend books by Marcus Buckingham to help you define what you really enjoy and are really good at. His latest work is Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
So how can you do more of it? Maybe you are in a job that you love. If so that's great. If not, think about how you can transition into a job that is a better fit for you. DON'T think short term. You may think that it's too much to go back to school or start a business while maintaining a full time job but it's not. It will be worth it and you owe it to the rest of the world to do what you were born to do.
What to do while you are waiting. I know of few people who are really getting to do what they are born to do all the time. The only ones I can think of either own their own business or are the head of someone else's. The best advice I can give you is to cherish the moments you have and be thankful for everything. Let the frustrations of the moment drive you to make the sacrifices it can take to change your future.
See also
October 08, 2007
Apocalypse Maybe: The End of Someday / Maybe
I think I may have had an original thought about GTD (Getting Things Done).
In the beginning. When I first started GTD about 2 years ago one of the things I loved about it was the concept of the Someday / Maybe list. It's a great place to park ideas and projects that you are not quite ready to devote time, energy, and money to. What worked best for me was to use a legal pad and put one idea per page on the legal pad and store them all in a folder. Then I would look through them all during my weekly review.
In the middle. At about the 1 year mark with GTD, things starting falling apart for me on the Someday / Maybe list. I had collected well over 100 pages and reviewing them every week was a pain. Also, it was frustrating because of the range of my Someday / Maybe's: some I really cared about and some I didn't. So what began to happen was that I just quit checking the list.
Now. Now I think I have found the solution: I don't have a Someday / Maybe list! Don't brand me a GTD heretic just yet. I think this idea fits perfectly with GTD; it's just a different way to close some open loops. When something comes to mind that previously would have been a Someday / Maybe, I add it to my Task list and give it a due date. Obeying the two minute rule, I decide when I want to revisit that idea. In could be 6 days, 6 weeks, or 6 months but I give it a date. That closes the loop and at the right time assures me that I will revisit the idea. This has made me more able to have a "Mind Like Water" with regards to what used to be Someday / Maybes.
A tip to speed this up. If you decide to try this process and you keep your tasks in Outlook, I have written a post that really speeds up the process of entering dates: see Speed Soothes Stress.
So GTDers, what do you do about your Someday / Maybes? Do you love this idea? Hate it? Let me know.
September 20, 2007
The Beauty of Emptiness
This is an old-school idea that really works! I use it every day.
I wake up at five, throw some work-out clothes on and head to work. I used to forget things like my badge that gives me access to my building and the elevators. At 5:30 AM, dressed in running shorts, without a shower, it's pretty hard to explain to the security guard that you really work in the building.
Not anymore. Now I put everything I need to take to work in one space. When that space is empty, I know with one glance that I've got everything I need.
I love emptiness- empty Inboxes, empty action lists, empty spaces. Beautiful!
How about you? Have any old school GTD ideas you would like to share? Post a comment and I'll feature the best ones in a future post.
This post also appears on CE On Time .
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