In my inbox this morning was an email from Mark Forster with the details of his latest time management system, called Final Version (because it is the last one he is developing). I’ve been a fan of Mark’s since reading his first book Get Everything Done and still have time to play and I am currently using the SuperFocus system. I like Mark’s focus on simplicity, and how you can use different aspects at different Continue Reading …
Looking forward or backwards?
Why do you keep a task list? Have you really thought about why? At work it is fairly obvious, I’m expected to accomplish certain things as part of my job; therefore I need to be aware of my tasks and ensure I complete them. But what about at home, why do I have a task list there as well? For some of the tasks it is because something needs doing and my husband and I Continue Reading …
How I plan my day – update April 2011
My personality means I like to learn and make improvements, this means I usually have an interest in new things (although I consider if they offer worthwhile improvements to my current methods or items before investing time or money in them). This has resulted in changes to how I plan my day since I last wrote about it in June 2007. It has actually been a gradual process for me, but compared to four years Continue Reading …
My new favourite productivity tool – paper clip bookmarks
Sometimes you stumble across an item or idea that increases your productivity. Recently for me, it was a gift I was given for Christmas that I understood would be useful, but did not appreciate how it would help my productivity until the last week. The official name is Multi-Reference Bookmarks, but they are essentially small bookmarks that work like paper-clips, holding the edge of the page. Originally, I had two plans; bookmarks and reference points Continue Reading …
Dealing with short term urgent tasks
There are times when you feel overwhelmed with tasks; everything is urgent. So what do you do? How do you choose what task to work on? You could choose the task with the nearest deadline, the one you like the best or the one you are being nagged to complete the most. I’ve just finished a busy time at work and I’ve frequently felt overwhelmed with my urgent tasks as we approached the end of Continue Reading …
Review of my daily log
Over a year ago I asked for advice on how to keep a daily log and I used a lot of the suggestions when I started my own log. I kept my log from August to October 2008, a few days before I left work on maternity leave. I also started a log at home while I was on maternity leave (yes, it seems particularly odd to me that I did this with a new Continue Reading …
Losing technology and losing my way
I’ve had a few problems recently. The most noticeable being the loss of my computer. The battery stopped charging and only occasionally registered the power supply. One theory is this may have been due to my daughter’s fascination with laptops; she had a tendency to pull out of the charging cable and chew on it. I now have a new 17″ latoptop, but have had to reinstall programmes and transfer files which has taken a Continue Reading …
Little and often (getting big things done)
There are some tasks that you really want to do, but are so big that you don’t know how you’ll find the time to complete it, or even where to start. There are two solutions: put aside a day (or longer) and work on it until the task is finished work on the task a little bit regularly over a longer period of time I’m a big fan of the little and often approach and Continue Reading …
My AutoFocus set up
AutoFocus is such a simple system that I think some people find are finding it difficult to get started. When I wrote my review of the system I thought about including some pictures of my set up, but decided against it because after all it is just a list. However after several requests, here is a description of my AutoFocus set up, which is pretty close to following Mark Forster’s instructions. The book My book Continue Reading …
Progress in the last month? (April 2009)
April has been a better month and I feel I’m starting to make progress in many areas. I’m currently thinking about ways of tracking and reporting on this progress, so until I’ve decided this is another combined blog and personal progress update. Blog – Using AutoFocus and focusing on one post a week my rate is approaching that of last summer, I assume this is also the reason for the slow increase in the number Continue Reading …