A couple of weeks ago we talked about how to spring clean your calendar. The same sort of productivity boost can be had by cleaning your task list. Today we will look at why and how to clean your task list.

There are systems out there that insist if you touch an item, you have to do it (one-touch methods). There are systems out there that insist if something is going to take less than X minutes, you need to do it right then (2-minute rule). The idea behind these ideas is to move the action as close to the collection point as possible to minimize what will get lost in the system. Unfortunately, they can actually cause blocks in the process instead of moving things through more smoothly. Today we will look at why you want to move your action on items closer in time to when you collect them, and how to do this.

One thing people assume about me is that productivity comes naturally. After all, I spend a lot of time reading and writing about it, not to mention adjusting my own methods.Nothing could be further from the truth. I am not naturally productive.But in spite of that, I am still highly productive. Here's why:

In this episode of Thursday From the Trenches I talk about getting things done as opposed to waiting to do it "right".

Reviewing isn't just to keep you on track. Reviewing is also about seeing where you have been so you can appreciate where you have come from. The power of review lies in both looking forward and looking back. Today we will look at how looking back is essential to your direction.

When people have email lingering in their inboxes, there is generally one reason why. It's not because they aren't opening the emails, or because they're not realizing they have to do something with the email. It's because they are trying to work from their inboxes. This is a really bad idea, and today we will look at why people do it, and what should be done instead.