Personal Productivity
In an interesting twist of fate, I spent some of my productive time today... researching personal productivity systems. I don't mean drugs, though Coffee figures greatly in my day. I mean the techniques that various people -- particularly accomplished people -- use to stay on track, and strike a useful balance between what's important (e.g. having a full sales pipeline) and what's urgent (that three-hour task due in four hours).
Here's what I do these days, in approximate order of importance.
What do you do?
Here's what I do these days, in approximate order of importance.
- I keep my todo list in a single system that I trust. In my case, I use a customized version of a bug database that I pirated from my days working at Be, Inc. on the BeOS. It lets me segment my work by clients, personal, house maintenance, and entrepreneurial efforts.
- In the morning, I don't read the newspaper, blogs, or even email. I just yank something off my todo list and do it. Preferably two things.
- I keep email runs at the beginning of the day, middle of the day, and end of the day. It helps me avoid priority inversion. I happen to use gmail as my mail reader, so this mainly means being careful when I sign in. When I used a desktop mail client, I turned off automatic mail retrieval. My clients have learned to pick up the phone when something truly disastrous is afoot.
- I keep my inbox empty. For each email I hit in an email run, I ask a) is it junk? throw it out, b) can I deal with or reply to it in less than 5 minutes? do it. c) else, file it into my bug tracking system or long-term idea file.
- When I open my todo list, I relax my eyeballs and do the first thing that jumps out that suits my mood, energy, and available time.
- I throw things off my todo list when they've been lingering there for 6 months.
- When I'm really bored and don't have the energy to do something on my todo list, I paw through my idea file (someday.txt on my desktop) and see if I can turn anything on there into todo's.
What do you do?
2 Comments on "Personal Productivity":
Interesting...
I keep a list constantly in my mind at all times. I review it every morning and add to it as necessary.
I am a little bit obsessive compulsive about it. If an item has been left on the list too long, I may lay awake at night thinking about it.
Steve - I also use a system that I call "Just get it done". Tasks sort themselves with help from me and others into priorities rather naturally. If I care a lot about the task, or if it would refresh me even with a lower priority, I do it first. If someone else cares a lot about it, I do it second. I believe in ensuring I'm enjoying myself, that I have the energy and resolve to do those things that are less fun or envigorating.
Because I'm both dyslexic and forgetful though, I don't use any one task list manager. Whenever I set one up, I forget to look at it. So all task management is done with two tools:
My inbox: If it is important, someone will email me about it (including me).
Short term memory: If it is important, I'll simply care enough to hold onto the task. This is the method that all systems try to talk us out of. And yet, I've found it quite effective for me, given my strengths and weaknesses.
One trick I use, similar to YP's, though intentionally done, is to 'drop' a task into my thoughts before going to sleep. Usually the task is one requiring some insight. For instance, last night I slept on how to best name a fund raising campaign for the SIAI. I wanted something deeper and catchy that we're planning so far. And my thoughts this morning are more intersting this morning.
Items hanging out on my list too long become forgotten or discarded. Nobody cared about them enough. Poor things.
And this is my view on effective government: only issues that we care about ever make it into legislation. And only those laws we care to enforce get enforced.
What an oddly interesting subject.
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