Don’t Forget to Set a Reminder

January 23, 2018Leave a comment

Let’s face it – your mind is lousy at remembering things. Some days it seems that we can only remember one thing at a time. Try to juggle two items in your head and both fall out! Thankfully, technology has created a wide range of tools to offload the responsibility of remembering things.

Memory Message Embassy List Note Mobile Hand At the low tech end is the humble sticky note. Once something crosses your mind, immediately write it down on the note. This has to be done quickly, as the next shiny object that passes in front of your eyes can cause this thought to be forgotten. The catch with this system is in the management of the physical notes. Lose the sticky note and the thought it captured is gone. For this system to work, the note must go straight into your inbox at the first opportunity for later processing.

At the other end of the scale are the apps on your smart phone. I regularly use the iPhone’s reminder app to capture thoughts and commitments in real time. A wonderful feature of the reminder app is the ability to set an alarm for a time or place in order to resurface the note. For example, when I need to remember to bring in a document from home for work, I’ll place a reminder in the app and set an alarm to trigger that evening. Without fail I’ll notice the pop-up reminder, prompting me to place the document in my bag to bring in to work the following day.

So do yourself a favor and stop trying to remember things. Set up a simple reminder system and let the technology work for you.

(image from Maxpixel)

Efficient Librarianship: A New Path for the Profession

January 16, 2018January 16, 20181 Comment

PL-NOV-DEC-2017-cover-artRRR I am proud to announce that my second article for Public Libraries magazine was published in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue. Efficient Librarianship: A New Path for the Profession is an article that explores and expands on the ideas discussed in this blog. Below is a key except from the article:

“An Efficient Librarian is an elite knowledge worker navigating the complexity of the post Internet information world. She combines the skill sets of a librarian with the best productivity and efficiency practices to become a powerful consultant and decision maker. She masters the ability to traverse the streams of information flowing throughout our increasingly digital world and then in turn helps others learn these skills. To start on the path, an Efficient Librarian recognizes and masters three types of engagement:

Defining and organizing personal workflow systems
Developing personal knowledge management skills
Invoking the power of “next action” thinking

By mastering each type, an Efficient Librarian reduces unnecessary stress, brings focus to her work, curates her own knowledge stores, and drives sustained momentum for positive change.”

I expect the full article to be available online at the Public Libraries magazine web site later this month. In the meantime, locate a paper copy, perhaps at your local library, to read the rest of the article. Then please let me know your thoughts on the topic by submitting a comment through the blog.

The Big Secret about Goal Setting

January 5, 2018Leave a comment

DA-Small What is the value in setting a goal for yourself or your organization? Many cynics discount goals as artificial creations that don’t translate into actual results. They argue that we are going to do the work anyway, so why set up a fake expectation?

In a recent blog post David Allen discussed what he believes to be the most useful perspective on goals and why they matter.

“There is always the dilemma of trying to set targets low enough to be realistic, but high enough to be galvanizing, exciting, and challenging.

This is a topic for endless business books and motivation pundits. I just want to highlight one perspective I’ve found very useful over the years: The value of goals is not in the future they describe, but the change in perception of reality they foster, in the present.

What we focus on changes what we notice. Our brain filters information, seeing one thing in a situation instead of something else, based on what we identify with, what we have our attention on.”

Read the full post at the Getting Things Done blog.

Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution

January 3, 2018Leave a comment

new year resolution Welcome to 2018! Let me ask you a question. Did you make a New Year’s Resolution before the ball dropped in Times Square? According to a Forbes article from a few years ago, more than 40% of Americans make a resolution, but only 8% achieve it. The article provides four timeless tips for succeeding with a new resolution:

Keep It Simple – Make it short and easy (i.e. lose 10 pounds by May)
Make It Tangible – Set clear actions (i.e. attend 2 classes at the gym per week)
Make It Obvious – Chart your progress (i.e. count calories and minutes worked out)
Keep Believing You Can Do It – Don’t Give In!

When you think about it, most resolutions are about making a new habit or changing an existing habit. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, provides a free resource on his web site with helpful hints on keeping a New Year’s Resolution. You can find it here.

I wish you a productive and efficient 2018!

Interview with Tiago Forte

December 28, 2017Leave a comment

forte This past year I have been studying the work of Tiago Forte, a San Francisco based productivity consultant. Tiago has been building on the work of David Allen to find ways to enhance the ability of knowledge workers to manage projects and build productive workflows.

In an interview on the podcast, This is Product Management, Tiago presents key concepts such as the development of “meta-skills”, finding focus in any environment, and forming new habits. From the podcast web site:

“Tiago’s approach builds on Allen’s system, applying the latest tools, and accounting for the challenges modern knowledge workers face. Tiago’s approach helps busy people use their brain for thinking instead of storage, break projects into actionable next steps, implement the right tools, and build habits to get work done.”

The interview runs for 35 minutes, but the web page with the podcast provides a handy highlights section if you want to jump to a specific topic. It is well worth a listen.

Interview with David Allen

December 6, 2017Leave a comment

gtdcover Reading David Allen’s book Getting Things Done was a key professional development moment for me. It transformed my understanding of knowledge work and allowed me to bring organization to my office for the first time. I would not have achieved my current level of success without the principles outlined in the book.

So who is this man behind the GTD® logo? The web site, Early To Rise, recently interviewed David Allen to learn more about his background, how he developed the core GTD® concepts and his current personal goals for this work. Here is an excerpt from the interview where David is asked about how the Getting Things Done philosophy fit into professional training programs that were around twenty years ago.

What was your specialty exactly?

It really became how to create more space in the mind and get rid of distractions. That was just an informal approach, but an HR rep showed up to one of my workshops at one point and flat out said we need more of my methods in society. Not long after, I did a presentation for Lockheed with these methods and it hit a nerve. That’s when I knew I had something unique.

You can find the full interview on the Early To Rise web site.

Are You Overdue for a Weekly Review

December 1, 2017Leave a comment

overtop-desk-photo When did you last do a complete weekly review? Work life moves fast, so it is important to take time to reflect on what has happened and what is coming soon. The weekly review is a valuable opportunity to tidy up loose ends, assess progress, and prepare for the upcoming week and months ahead. It allows for a refocusing of attention onto the things that matter instead of the latest and loudest.

A few tips for a successful weekly review:

Schedule it for the last day of your work week in order to enter your weekend with a clear head.
Block out 1-2 hours. Close the door and ask your colleagues to honor this time of solitude.
Get clear – Process any last minute items that have found their way into your inbox and do a quick mind sweep to empty out anything found only in your head to get it into your system
Get current – Tidy up your action folders, identity outstanding waiting for items, review your calendar going two weeks back and then as far forward as necessary.
Get creative – Review your someday/maybe folder for new projects to trigger, peruse your read/review pile, and reflect on the higher horizons of focus to gain perspective on your work.

To modify an old saying, a weekly review today keeps workplace stress away. Try it and experience the difference it makes.

Work/Life Balance Myth

November 21, 2017Leave a comment

davidallen It has long been proposed that one of the secrets to a happy life is finding a work/life balance. This is a magical equation where the right mix of meaningful work offset by an exact amount of normal life activity equals contentment. However, is this really as true as it seems?

In a recent blog post, David Allen discusses this topic and comes to his own conclusions.

“There’s not really work/life balance, there’s just balance. I mean, work is anything you want to get done, right? It doesn’t have to be pejorative. Having a good vacation can be work. Just think of the affirmation: Wow, this really works! Is that a bad thing?”

Read the rest of his blog entry on the Getting Things Done web site.

Head in the Cloud

November 16, 2017Leave a comment

There is an amazing paradox happening right now. Due to the massive growth of the Internet, people have access to more information at their fingerprints than can ever be consumed in a thousand lifetimes. However, it seems as if misinformation and lack of understanding are proliferating just as quickly as new Facebook accounts are activated. In fact, people almost seem to have a worse understanding of the world than their pre-Internet grandparents had!

headinthecloud In this book, Head in the Cloud, author William Poundstone explores the question of whether all this online information is only serving to make us less informed. Online information is easier to skim, but hard to dive into deeply. Poundstone specifically highlights a phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger effect which can lead people to overestimate their own level of knowledge in a subject area.

“Those most lacking in knowledge and skills are least able to appreciate that lack. … The Dunning-Kruger effect requires a minimal degree of knowledge and experience in the area about which you are ignorant (and ignorant of your ignorance).” (p.10 & p.12)

In short, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.