Category: Efficiency & Productivity

Email and Your Job

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davidallenIt seems like every year the email beast gets larger and hungrier.   According to the the web site Templafy, the average person receives 121 emails a day.  This sheer volume of electronic correspondence lead to a fascinating question that was posted to the Getting Things Done web site:  At what point did answering e-mail become my job? 

The answer from David Allen is very insightful:

“Well, at what point did answering anything—your mail, having conversations in your hallway—become your job? It’s all your job. You just have to decide what your work is. As the late, great Peter Drucker said, that’s your biggest job, to define what your work is.”

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

The Weekly Review

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Quick question: According to David Allen, what is the “critical success factor” in making your GTD practice stick?

Answer: The Weekly Review

In our fast moving times, it is very important to step away from the daily grind to get perspective on your work, goals, and mission.  The Weekly Review is that opportunity. The Review is typically done on the last day of the gtd-logowork week in order to reflect on your calendar, tie up loose ends, and make sure the everything that has your attention is captured for processing.  I know from my own personal experience that whenever I miss a Weekly Review, there is a feeling of incompleteness.  The Weekly Review is an excellent way to move into a stress free weekend.

Check out this free podcast and guide available on the GTD web site.

 

Acceptable Interruptions

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Have you ever been interrupted at work?  The truth is that we are interrupted constantly throughout the day.  In fact, it is one of the top concerns that my workshop participants raise in the seminar pre-survey.  The mental cost to get back on track after an interruption is very high. So much so that most people would like to close their door, put on their earphones, and have a full day without anyone interrupting them.

man in brown long sleeved button up shirt standing while using gray laptop computer on brown wooden table beside woman in gray long sleeved shirt sitting

However, are all interruptions bad? I believe there are at least three acceptable types of interruptions.  They are:

  • Emergency Interruptions – If the building is in fire or someone is hurt, please interrupt me.
  • Major Organizational Deadline Interruptions – When a big gala is happening tomorrow, budget deadlines are here, or key strategic projects are in their final stage, these items may override all normal work. Best to help your teammates out cheerfully here.
  • Customer Service Interruptions – When scheduled to be the point person for customer affairs, or if a major customer needs attention, you are committed to set other work aside to focus on them.

What else do you think is an acceptable interruption?

GTD For Teens

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gtdteensMany people say, “I wish I had known GTD when I was in school.”  The problem was that Getting Things Done and other productivity books are encountered after they start their career, mostly because these books are primarily aimed at the business community.  However, this has changed with the release of the new book GTD for Teens. As noted on the GTD web site:

“The most interconnected generation in history is navigating unimaginable amounts of social pressure, both in personal and online interactions. Very little time, focus, or education is being spent teaching and coaching this generation how to navigate this unprecedented amount of “stuff” entering their lives each day. How do we help the overloaded and distracted next generation deal with increasing complexity and help them not only survive, but thrive?”

GTD for Teens take the system and explains it using language and situations common to teens.  Learn more about the book on the GTD for Teens web site.

 

The Productivityist Podcast

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I recently came across an engaging podcast from a company called the Productivityist.  According to their web site, they are:

“A company built with the quest to help people stop “doing” productive and start “being” productive through developing practical and tactical approaches to their work and lives.”

productivityistThe host is Mike Vardy, the President of the company.  So, what exactly is a productivityist?  Mike offers us this description:

“A productivityist is a productivity enthusiast. They are someone who studies productivity, be it the tools or habits. They dive deeper into the realm than most people. Just like a comedian looks at the world differently, so does the productivityist. Productivityists, like other enthusiasts, like to go further in their craft and push boundaries. They like to explore new processes, new ideas, new ways to get things done.”

The podcast is worth a listen and it can be found on the Productivityist web site or through the Apple Podcast app.  In future blog posts, I’ll explore the thoughts and ideas of some of the podcast’s unique guests.

 

The Weekly Review – A Time for Perspective

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Weekly Review

For most people the world of work is fast paced.  Between meetings, deadlines, email, interruptions and more meetings, it seems like everything and everyone is vying for our attention.  It is like a roller coaster that never stops – leaving its riders dizzy and sick to their stomachs.  Thankfully, there is an antidote to this fast pace; one that is within anybody’s grasp.  It is called the Weekly Review.

In GTD, the Weekly Review a fundamental practice.  It is dedicated time to gain perspective.  In order for a knowledge worker to take advantage of the review, they must shut out the world for a few hours.  For many of us, this may seem like a tall order.  However, there are natural ebbs and flows to the week.  Typically, Friday afternoon is when most workplaces slow down and presents an opportunity to claim quiet time.

If you don’t think the Weekly Review is important, here is what David Allen himself says about the practice:  “Honestly, this is what I do to keep myself sane and in control. … It is the one factor upon which your success with Mind Like Water technology hinges.”

For the complete steps to the Weekly Review simply download this handy guide.

 

Why does Inbox Zero Matter?

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inbox-zero“Why should I go to all the trouble to empty my email inbox?”

This is a question that I am sometimes asked during the Efficient Librarian seminars.  On the surface, all this fussing about with the “action” and “waiting for” folders seem like extra work, especially when the inbox is overflowing.  Participants want assurances that working towards Inbox Zero is not a futile endeavor.

I believe that the labor needed to reach Inbox Zero, as popularized by Merlin Mann, is exceeded by the rewards.  Off the top of my head, here are three reasons to live at Inbox Zero:

  1. An empty inbox clears the mind from reprocessing older messages to determine their value every time the inbox is viewed. The functional folders like “action” provide clarity and ease to workflow.
  2. Achieving Inbox Zero means that you are caught up on new input. This signals to the mind that it can move from processing to acting without worry that something important was missed.
  3. Emptying the inbox is a well-earned and clearly defined win. In the game of knowledge work we need to craft all the wins we can find.  Inbox Zero is a win that renews constantly!

If you have never seen your email inbox at zero, I challenge you to dig down and empty it out.  I expect it will be a victory you will savoir.  If you don’t believe me, listen to librarian Patrick Hoecherl of the Salt Lake City Library.  Upon reaching Inbox Zero last week he wrote to report that, “It feels even better than I thought it would!”  So go ahead, take the Inbox Zero challenge!

The Resistance to To-Do Lists

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The to-do list has been a knowledge worker staple for ages.  Almost everyone has a version of one in their smart phone or paper planner.  Despite their usefulness, many people have a strong aversion to using their to-do list to its fullest capacity.  These people often seem to live in a limbo state between maintaining some items on the list while also trying to remember other items only in their head.

David Allen understands the challenges of doing the to-do list right.  He had a lot to say on this topic in a recent blog post.

DA-Small“I understand the resistance to to-do lists, and the complaints about keeping them. I’ve noticed a couple of reasons for this. The main one is that most to-do lists are incomplete lists of still un-clarified “stuff.” Looking at them creates as much stress as they might have relieved in the first place. Typically, what people have on their lists (if they have them at all) are things like “Mom,” and “bank,” and “marketing VP.” It’s great that they have captured something that has their attention, but there are still critical decisions to make with some critical thinking about that content.”

Read the rest of the blog post at the Getting Things Done web site.

Cleaning vs Tidying

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cleandeskFor most people cleaning and tidying mean the same thing.  Both are about bringing order to a space.  However, there is a subtle but important difference between the words that can be transformational.  In fact, it is not possible to clean successfully without tidying first!

Let’s break it down.  Cleaning in one context simply means to remove dirt, dust, and other grime.  The other definition is that cleaning means to put objects back into drawers, closets, or other designated areas when we are done using them.  Unfortunately, if the objects do not have a designated storage space they will be placed in the first available space.  This can create an ongoing underlying tension as the items are never truly cleaned up, only constantly rearranged.

Tidying happens when a space is cleared of clutter and the remaining objects are assigned a designated place.  Once a place is assigned for each item the act of cleaning simply returns them to their proper home.   This understanding is important to the secret of successful implementation of any organization system, whether it be GTD in the office or Konmari at home.  The act of tidying is a conscious and deliberate effort to set up a space and everything in it.  After that is done, all that remains is to maintain it at that standard.

So, remember this simple formula to success in organization: tidy once – clean regularly.