Things To Put on a New Calendar
You have a beautiful blank calendar before you. What should you put on it to ensure you get the most use out of it? This article addresses the basics. In spite of my dedication to electronic calendars (because of their portability and shareability), I still maintain a paper calendar in my kitchen. This is simply for the visibility without extra steps. But both types of calendars have benefited from my adding the following types of items.
Things To Do For A Better New Year
January 1 is when all the calendars recognize the start of the New Year. And as we have just passed that date, I thought I would talk about some things you can do to make your New Year get off to a great start. I have discovered that when I take time to acknowledge the new year and its potential, I get off on a productive beginning that will carry me through the doldrums of January. I do certain things every new year that I’ve learned by experimentation, but that really help me get some direction.
Deliberate Task Management: Responsibility
One of the things about living a more deliberate life is that it means I have to take full responsibility for my decisions. It has been brought home to me that what I do is a choice, which requires a decision, and this has led me to consider more of what I am doing - and not doing - at any time. I see too many instances of blame and excuses every day. What do blame and excuses do to help me live a more deliberate and productive life? Nothing. So how can you remove blame and excuses from your life? Read on. SM Excerpt One of the things about living a more deliberate life is that it means I have to take full responsibility for my decisions. It has been brought home to me that what I do is a choice, which requires a decision, and…
Deliberate Social Media
Many people that I talk with are surprised to know that outside of the blog, I don’t use Facebook or Twitter. Some react with disdain (“How can you possibly know what’s going on?”) or frustration (“How can I reach you if you don’t read Facebook?”). It’s a deliberate choice, and the result of a long journey. I’ve had a rough journey in popular culture over the past few years. First I decided not to read/watch/listen to news. I made this decision after realizing I was angry every morning when I got to work - a direct result of listening to the news. Then, during my year of insanity teaching high school, I took a social media sabbatical because the principal monitored our personal feeds and reprimanded teachers if they wrote something he deemed inappropriate. While I resented this at the time, it gave me a break from…
The Deliberate Task List: Controlling What I Do
One of the things from Getting Things Done that doesn’t work for me is the long lists of tasks split into contexts. It encourages me to take on too much for a current day. If I put my tasks on my calendar, I would see that there aren’t enough hours, but this requires an accuracy in estimating tasks that even after years of practice I don’t posses. The end result of putting too much on myself is that I get overwhelmed by what I want to do, and shut down; or I overextend myself and go past my energy limits, which in turn leads to long periods of not doing anything. Neither one is productive. Over the past few weeks I have been experiencing what I call “planner blindness”. I’ve been using a modified bullet journal system with time blocking on my iPad for months. It’s flexible…
Finally, An Approachable Version of GTD
Finally, an approachable version of Getting Things Done - written for teens, but applicable to the rest of us. Here's my review of the book.
Essential Productivity Habits
Productivity isn't about cute tricks nor flashy tools. [Insert Link] It's a matter of buckling down and getting your work done. But that doesn't mean that there aren't things that help. This is my list of essential productivity habits (and yes, they are automatic) that make me hit peak productivity week in and out.
Productivity Hacks Are Distractions, Not Helps
True productivity isn't about shaving off time. It's not about the notebooks, the software, the pens or the stickers. But people, including myself, are always looking for a better way. The problem is that productivity hacks are distractions. They keep you from doing the real work as you look for that better way.
