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My Productivity System
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michael.p.halliday

Posted: Dec 09, 2011
Score: 2 Reference
All DiscussionsMy DiscussionsAddOptions▼.Personal Productivity System
Posted by Michael Halliday on December 9, 2011 at 2:39pm in Manly SkillsView Discussions.I am always looking for ways to increase my productivity with the least amount of wasted effort, and I have been meaning to post something about personal productivity systems, and perhaps this is the place, so here is how I run my life ;-)



I am a fan of the David Allen, Getting Things Done concepts, but I do not claim to have reached GTD perfection. I do find that unlike my old Franklin Planning days it is more accommodating to the way work is really done in today’s business world. That is for better or worse, 24/7, work anywhere, and often interrupt driven.

So every day I have 30 mins (max to think about my day, review my projects in flight and create tasks that I put in a task list. I use ToodleDo online as it allows me access to that same categorized task list on my laptop, my phone, and my HP TouchPad. I add and work off this list all day every day to ensure that when a task or idea comes to me I can capture it immediately and record it in a trusted place so that I do not have to have it cluttering my mind when I am not able to work on it. Once it is on my list I know that I will return to it when I have bandwidth.

Most of my day I use all of the 3 electronic devices mentioned above to process email and my tasks. During meetings I take my notes with my HP Touch pad in a localword doc. At my desk, I use 1 calendar appointment called “Daily Record of Events” (thanks to my Franklin Planner roots) as my notepad, I work through thoughts, Meeting notes, anything else that you used to just write in on your notepads. At the end of the day I email the word doc I have been working on all day from my touch pad and paste it into the Daily Record of Events appointment. SO now all of my notes, etc. from the day are stored electronically, on the date they were created, and available on any of my electronic devices (laptop, phone or tablet). The next morning I print my previous days calendar and notes (from outlook) and put in a binder for archival purposes. And start that days 30 min. review mentioned above.

I try to leave each day with an empty email inbox, even if this means just moving some emails to an email folder entitled @Actions. I review this folder just like my task list all day to keep in front of me commitments, open loops and action items.

One other tool I carry daily is my Levenger International Pocket Briefcase with 3x5 index cards in it, and my Lamy fountain pen, for writing things down when using the electronic devices is not convenient, or if I have to write something to give to someone else. This means that occasionally I need to transcribe some thoughts from one of these cards to my Daily Record of events at the end of the day and then dispose of the card.

Finally I TRY to do a deeper, longer view, review of my “stuff” each week. Often this is on my tablet, at barnes and nobles with a coffee on Monday morning (and I just arrive at the office a bit late that day)

Wow, when I re read this , it sounds like a lot of overhead, but it is not really, in the end it is very little work and ensures that I always have all my data with me where ever I am so that I can work on what makes sense at any free moment.

I am finding this works pretty well for me. I welcome any thoughts or refinements from any of you all.
Folke X

Posted: Dec 10, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
So how do you actually use Toodledo?
michael.p.halliday

Posted: Dec 12, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I use ToodleDo as my main task list cause I can get access on all my devices. I ahve contexts

Actions
errands
Agendas
calls
@Computer
Email
@Home

Projects HIgh Level
Projects
Projects - Delegated
SomdayMaybe
Reading List
Reference


Projects High Level are really my overarching areas of cous in life (*i.e. marriage, health, Career growth, etc) that I review each week to trigger any direct actions I can do that week to advance those high level goals.

I think the rest are pretty self explanatory to any GTD'er out there.

Ultimatly any action or commitment finds its way into ToodleDo, no matter how or when it was origianlly captured. But teh ubiquitousness of ToodleDO reduces greatly the amount I have to transfer later.
samgnar

Posted: Jan 10, 2012
Score: 0 Reference
Wow....didn't knew that Toodledo eases work so efficiently....especially when it comes to time management.
jlrenshaw_1330002221

Posted: Feb 25, 2012
Score: 0 Reference
All of these systems your using seems to have a strangle hold on you. What do you do, and what kind of projects do you manage.
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