Fresh Focus On Productivity!™

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Seems like a strange combination of two words, doesn’t it? But it means exactly what it says!

Every day, our brain processes petabytes of information. In all that intake, the brain can only retain so much of it. When we are younger, the storage space seems unlimited. But as we grow older, the hard disk of our mind becomes overloaded: the folders are no longer in order, some folders are laying scattered across the floor, and some folders we just can’t find anymore. So every now and again it’s a good thing to do a mind dump: it will help to keep your hard disk (brain) spinning smoothly and indexing information as it should.

A mind dump is just what it says: dumping your mind. While there are several ways to do it, you’ll have to find what works best for you and also when is the best time to do it. Some people do it on Mondays and some do it before their weekly reviews I do it all throughout the week. If I think of something, I have to write it down immediately, or that proverbial folder will get lost. So my Mind Dump happens every single day. I have work dumps and home dumps.

My work dumps are kept in Evernote or my Circa Junior. My home dumps are in the personal composition emails in GTDInbox. Both are accessible to me from work and I can add to either on the fly.

To do a Mind Dump, you’ll need something that resembles the following:

• Time: 20 minutes to a half hour should suffice. If it’s your first dump. it may take a bit longer
• Your preferred method of notation: digital or paper. A Word Document or the Journal in Outlook. A piece of paper or some index cards. A writing utensil.
• A quiet place. See the introduction post in the Time Management series on place to grab bits of time.
• The help of a trigger list is invaluable! It can jog your memory and take it to places that you didn’t even know existed.

That’s all the tools that you need!

Next, sit down, in a quiet place, and write down every single thing on your mind. Write until you can think of nothing else: until no more thoughts come to you. Include everything that you need to do, everything that is bothering you, everything that worries you, anything you regret, wishes, hopes, etc. Put it all down. Refer to the trigger list for an extra in-depth scrub.

There…..do you feel a bit better now? I hope so! Once you have all the information dumped outta your head, you are ready to start placing it on your lists. Ready, set, GO!

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You've read the series, now get the E-Book! Special EXTRA material not included in the blog series, plus three FREE templates!! Templates included are Time Management Matrix, Goal worksheet, and The Completion Journal. Only $24.99 for the book!


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I met Rick Black on Twitter and also through the FFOP blog. I liked his style and his readiness to talk about what he likes and dislikes, so I asked him to guest post for us. Rick is the first guest poster that we’ve had that doesn’t have a blog, so if you’d like to guest post for FFOP, don’t think that you have to have a blog. Email me and we’ll set you up!
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About a year and a half ago I started looking for someone or something to help me get better organized. I didn’t feel like I was totally out of control and couldn’t get anything done, but I had the desire to come up with a method where no matter what someone threw at me I could just plop it into my “system” and know and trust that I would get it done. The goal being a more stress free life, a more successful work environment, and since I would be getting much more done, over all a more successful career.

As the search progressed I read articles and skimmed through books on “getting organized” and most of them revolved around filing properly and controlling procrastination. Both extremely important topics. Which I concluded procrastination as the most common source and cause of “piling.” Though I made some improvements in my organizing processes and procrastinated less, I still never got a firm “system” in place until I started seeing GTD all over on the web. My first thought was.. what the hell is GTD? Like, I’m sure all of us into or getting into GTD, I bought David Allen’s book that day. After reading his book, and have since also listened to his audio book twice on my iPhone, I felt ready to begin this quest of lists, labels, and ticklers..officially on-the-wagon.

Now about a year and a half has gone by and I can say that I’m still not where I want to be in the GTD philosophy. It is funny when I talk about GTD to others. It is almost like talking about a drug addiction or drug recovery. “Yeah I’ve been on GTD for a year but then something happened and I just lost it. I went back to my old ways and couldn’t get back on the wagon.” “My name is Rick and I’ve been on GTD now for 1.5 years. Last week I had a relapse of not performing my weekly review and I didn’t get a couple things done because I didn’t see them on my list because I didn’t review it! Help me please!” All kidding aside I take implementing GTD into my life very seriously.

First, here is what I have been able to successfully implement from GTD.

• Buying a brother labeler both at home and at work. This has been, by far, the best one thing that I have gotten out of the Getting Things Done book. David stated to go buy a labeler and get it on your desk. He said never should it take longer than one minute to label a folder. This along with dumping hanging file folders for plain old manila folders has created the environment for me, both at home and at work, to quickly grab a folder and slap a professional looking label on it and get it filed. Now feeling comfortable that I’ll later know where to look to find what is inside that folder.. well that is one of my biggest struggles. Back to that topic shortly.
• Utilizing a shared grocery list with my wife. When my wife and I each purchased the iPhone earlier this year and I saw a program called Zenbe which would allow us to share and sync a list, we immediately used it for errands and groceries. I searched and wanted this because of GTD. This has had a huge impact for both my wife and I on simply getting groceries on the way home or while we’re out. We both know we can rely on the fact that this list is updated and if either of us are at the store we know where to look. Heck even if we are both at he store as we check off items and sync them we can double team on the list and get out of there quicker! Huge impact on our lives. We also use it when going on trips as a list of things to bring or a list of things to buy. I’m actually looking for another app better than Zenbe that has more features for our iPhone but must be able to sync. That alone also made the investment in two iPhones well worth the price.
• MindMaps. When I read that term in the GTD book I immediately investigated what it was. Ever since I’ve been hooked on mind maps and use them constantly both for personal and professional use. I introduced the concept at work and installed the free open source app called FreeMind on our executive team PCs. It has had a large impact on meetings for brainstorming as well. Mind mapping is awesome. I bought an app called iBlueSky for my iPhone that I can use to create a mindmap on the fly and even email it in a .mm format to open up with FreeMind.
• Managing my inbox. Though I am still struggling here this has also had a huge impact for me. I’m not 100% on board but my inbox management has improved tremendously. Especially with email. I use Gmail for personal email and an Exchange Server for work email. I learned from Google a feature called All Mail and besides the many emails that I need to archive and place into specific folders, I also created a folder called All Mail for those emails that I want to keep but really don’t have a need to file in a specific area. I rely on the search feature within Outlook and Gmail anyhow to do my email lookups for most things if not obvious in a specific folder.
• Long-term Lists. I have some long term lists that I have for myself that I find helpful for keeping focus on where I’m going. It is one of the lists that I feel really good about up in the 30,000 foot elevation.

Here are some areas that I continue to struggle with each and every day that I want to improve.

• Filing. Though I am now a master at the quick-draw grab-a-folder-and-slap-a-label-on-it, damn if I am any good at knowing what to put on the label and how to file the folder! The whole purpose of filing is to be able to rely on the fact that at a later time I will be able to easily find that file. What I may think is obvious to file something under Topology today, tomorrow I might start looking for Network Infrastructure, and just not think of the term Topology that I filed it under. So what do I do? I don’t know! I get stuck here all the time! What I have started to do is create folders that have say the letter N on it. Within that folder I put a sheet in there called Network Infrastructure. So if my crazy head is thinking of Network Infrastructure instead of Topology, I’ll have a note on there saying “Go look under Topology idiot.” That method has helped with a few items. Basically if I have a hard time knowing what to file something under, anything I’m thinking I might file it under I throw a note in that lettered folder referring to where I actually filed it. Fortunately with email it is searchable. One thing I do with email though, before filing, is add to the Subject pertinent searchable information. That way the subject makes sense. For example I get quotes from Dell which has some lame quote number in the subject. I add to the subject the actual items they quoted so I know what that email is actually about.
• Piling. Sorry but this is still something I struggle with. The kicker is when I have a pristine folder with a beautiful label on it then piled with other folders on my desk! But again I get stuck afraid I won’t find the file in my filing cabinet! Gaining confidence in labeling and filing properly knowing I’ll find it later will overcome this hurdle. I will get it! I need to utilize my tickler file more for those items date specific.
• Lists. This is the big one. Of course this is also what GTD is really all about. My biggest struggle is finding an electronic method I can utilize for both home, work, and phone. I just got an app on my phone called KeyTasks that syncs up with my Outlook at work so I can get my tasks both on my phone and through Outlook. It is an “ok” app. Still not what I’m looking for. I’m open for ideas here people. Here is what I want. An application that will work on my iPhone and with Outlook or a web-based version that I can get on my phone and can drag emails to from Outlook. I have so many tasks email related that I need to be able to either drag an email to the task list or somehow connect it to a list. I’ve looked at web based lists but I’m still fragmented with my email tasks. I’m open for concepts and ideas. I’m thinking I’m going to need to keep my work lists separate from my home/personal list ultimately. Which I do now. For home I’m using Gmail for my lists. It isn’t working as well as I would like so I’m still searching for THE app. Any suggestions?
• Weekly Review. Whatever method I am using or will be using, I am still struggling with getting myself disciplined to do the weekly review . I think it does fall back to the fact that I still don’t have a list management system I feel good about. But regardless, I need to get THE system in place ASAP and get into this routine. This is my key to taking my GTD quest to the next level.

I hope sharing some of my successes and challenges may help you with your own GTD quest. I welcome your comments and any feedback that you may have on helping me with my own GTD challenges.
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Rick Black is the VP of IT & Purchasing at a wholesale distributor. Recently received his Microsoft MCSA certification and currently working towards an MCPD. He is passionately involved in utilizing Microsoft Sharepoint and Office technologies within his organization. He is huge fan of the iPhone and continually working on his quest to master GTD.

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You've read the series, now get the E-Book! Special EXTRA material not included in the blog series, plus three FREE templates!! Templates included are Time Management Matrix, Goal worksheet, and The Completion Journal. Only $24.99 for the book!


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by John Kendrick

I have been both a student and teacher of time management and daily planning strategies for the last two decades. My journey began when I read a book by Hyrum W. Smith, creator of the Franklin Day Planner, entitled, The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management. That book was such an eye opener for me that I have read it several times, shared it with others, and taught several courses with the information I learned from that book. Of course, like most others alive during the last two decades, I have also studied Steven Covey’s Seven Habits and other books, listened to many tapes and attended seminars on time management. And I have used Daytimers and Covey planners for nearly two decades. With this background I am fastidious, if not fanatical, about the use of my planner and am rarely (read never) seen at work without my planner at my side, as anyone with whom I work will attest. And while I have used my email and notes applications on my desktop and iPhone to contribute to my task tracking, I have always preferred a paper-based planner to its electronic competition. So it was with a great deal of surprise that earlier this year I discovered and read the 2001 national best selling book entitled, Getting Things Done by David Allen. It was so different, yet so simple, that in a very short time it has revolutionized my daily task and project tracking. Yes, I was a bit late in finding David’s treasure, but I’m so glad I did. Here are a few of the most important life changing ideas that have made such a profound difference in my business and personal productivity.

1. We are so busy, and such a multitasking lot these days that we cannot possibly remember everything that we receive, are told about, and especially think about; and if we do not immediately enter that information into a trusted system, we are doomed to think about it over and over again as our mind tries to keep us from losing it. This is a major contributor to daily worry and stress, and plays a major role in keeping us "thinking about work" even when we’re not at work.
2. Some of us (this was me before GTD) spend way too much time planning, prioritizing and writing everything down in our planners, knowing that we cannot possibly accomplish everything we have spent time planning at the beginning of every week. And then we spend more time carrying the unfinished tasks over day after day – which is in itself a de-motivating, if not truly demoralizing and time wasting exercise.
3. Most of the stuff we have to do, consists of more than one action, and looking at the entire elephant (project) can keep us from doing anything at all. The only thing that is important to the project is that we take the next action (small bite of the elephant) in furtherance of its completion.
4. In order to work efficiently with our time, we need to learn to work in "context" instead of priority order. If we are sitting in a cafe with only a cell phone, our context is the cell phone. If we are in a meeting with someone, they are the context, or sitting at our computer, it becomes our context. If our tasks are organized by context, it is simply a matter of selecting the context we’re currently in, to see the actions (tasks) that can be completed at that time. It is a waste of time to look at our entire task list, regardless of priority, since the other tasks require a tool, person or other context that is not available at that time.
5. While tracking daily tasks in a planner can be done with success, we are sometimes tripped up by the longer term tasks, the "maybe someday" lists and reference information that we don’t need at the moment, but which needs to be stored and reviewed on a periodic basis.

For me, GTD has solved these five major issues. 1) Having one system in which to enter and retrieve all of my actionable tasks, keeps me from forgetting, and dramatically reduces my stress level. 2) I now spend less time planning and more time doing. 3) Concentrating on the Next Action, instead of everything I have to do, makes it easy to move my projects forward without feeling overwhelmed. 4) Working in context allows me to multitask like never before. 5) I finally have a place to store the wish lists and reference information that I collect where they can be reviewed on a regular basis. There you have it, my why for GTD. Thanks for reading, John
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John retired from the Washington D.C. Police Department in 1997 after 24 years of service, and has been working in the IT industry since 1985, primarily as a corporate and government software trainer. He currently manages a computer training center for a large local government maintaining five training labs with 70 Windows workstations, and is responsible for the technology training of approximately 10,000 active and retired employees. Visit John Kendrick’s blog at http://johnkendrickonline.com

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You've read the series, now get the E-Book! Special EXTRA material not included in the blog series, plus three FREE templates!! Templates included are Time Management Matrix, Goal worksheet, and The Completion Journal. Only $24.99 for the book!


__________________________________________________________

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “what is a trigger list”? If you’ve read “Getting Things Done“, you know what a trigger list is. Click on the link below to expand and show the triggers list:

Incompletion Trigger List

Professional * Projects started, not completed * Projects that need to be started * Commitments/promises to others o Boss/partners o Colleagues o Subordinates o Other people in organization o “Outside” people + Customers + Other organizations + Professionals * Communications to make/get o Internal/External + Initiate or respond to: # Phone calls # Voice-mail # E-mail # Pages # Faxes # Letters # Memos * Other writing to finish/submit o Reports o Evaluations/reviews o Proposals o Articles o Promotional materials o Manuals/instructions o Rewrites and edits * Meetings that need to be set/requested * Who needs to know about what decisions? * Significant read/review * Financial o Cash flow o Statistics o Budgets o Forecasts/projections o P&Ls o Balance sheet o Credit line * Planning/organizing o Formal planning (goals, targets, objectives) o Current projects (next stages) o Upcoming projects o Business/marketing plans o Organizational initiatives o Upcoming events o Meetings o Presentations o Organizational structuring o Changes in facilities o Installation of new systems/equipment o Travel * Banks o Receivables o Payables o Petty cash * Administration o Legal issues o Insurance o Personnel o Policies/procedures * Customers o Internal o External * Marketing * Promotion * Sales o Customer service * Systems o Phones o Computers o Office equipment o Other equipment o Utilities o Filing o Storage + Inventories * Supplies * Office/site o Office organization o Furniture o Decorations * Waiting for… o Information o Delegated tasks/projects o Completions critical to projects o Replies to: + Letters + Memos + Calls + Proposals + Requistions + Reimbursements + Petty cash + Insurance + Ordered items + Items being repaired + Tickets + Decisions of others * Professional development o Training/seminars o Things to learn o Things to look up o Skills to practice/learn especially re:computers o Tape/video training o Resumes * Outside education * Research–need to find out about… * Professional wardrobe Personal * Projects started, not completed * Projects that need to be started * Commitments/promises to others o Spouse o Children o Family o Friends o Professionals o Borrowed items * Projects: other organizations o Service o Civic o Volunteer * Communications to make/get o Family o Friends o Professional o Initiate or respond to: + Phone calls + Letters + Cards * Upcoming events o Special occasions o Birthdays o Anniversaries o Weddings o Graduations o Holidays o Travel o Weekend trips o Vacations o Social events o Cultural events o Sporting events * R&D–things to do o Places to go o People to meet/invite o Local attractions * Administration o Financial + Bills + Banks + Investments + Loans + Taxes o Insurance o Legal affairs o Filing * Waiting for… o Mail order o Repair o Reimbursements o Loaned items o Medical data o RSVPs * Home/household o Landlords o Property ownership + Legal + Real estate + Zoning + Taxes + Builders/contractors o Heating/air-conditioning o Plumbing o Electricity o Roofing o Landscape o Driveway o Walls/floors/ceilings o Decoration o Furniture o Utilities o Appliances o Lightbulbs/wiring o Kitchen things o Washer/dryer/vacuum o Areas to organize/clean o TV o VCR/DVD o Music/CDs/tapes o Cameras/film o Phones o Answering machine o Sports equipment o Closets/clothes o Garage/storage o Vehicle repair/maintenance o Tools o Luggage o Pets * Computers o Software o Hardware o Connections o CD-ROM o E-mail/Internet * Health care o Doctors o Dentists o Specialists * Hobbies o Books/records/tapes/disks * Errands o Hardware store o Drugstore o Market o Bank o Cleaner o Stationer * Community o Neighborhood o Schools o Local government * Civic issues

Trigger lists can be an invaluable tool to clear the head and begin fresh. The one that I’ve posted here is QUITE extensive, however, I’ve found one that is much more extensive online. I won’t be featuring this here: it will be for newsletter subscribers ONLY! It is a FULL eight pages single spaced. Register for the newsletter over in the sidebar: one is published at least once a week. This trigger list will completely get everything out of your head.

How can the trigger list be beneficial? That’s an easy question to answer. It clears your head completley of everything. It will “trigger” those thoughts that flash quickly through your mind during the course of the day that you can’t quite get down quicl enough. I don’t know about you, but for me I get some of my best thoughts when I am driving. I have a 40 minute commute in the mornings, and there are days that I cannot remember the drive at all due to the fact that I have been thinking with so much concentration that the time has just flown by and I’m already at my destination. I know that I shouldn’t do that, but it is really strange how someone can drive, and be completely cognizant of traffic and cars around them, and when they arrive at their destination they have no recall of trip. I can’t say that it’s the safest way to drive, but it happens to me more times than I care to admit. But I’m wondering off the topic………

Obviously when you are drving, there isn’t much opportunity for you to write things down when they come into your head. Your best bet in the car is to use your cell phone recorder, or a personal recorder like you’ve seen on infomercials. They now have small digital ones that do not take cassettes, so that’s a very convenient feature.

When using the trigger list, it’s up to you how frequently you use it. I can see use for it on a monthly basis, and then a fresh review sleighted towards the new year with the new projects in mind that you want to get accomplished for the new year. I think it would be very draining to do a trigger list every week: it’s a time consuming process that completely “drains your brain”.

It’s best used on a monthly basis and again at the new year. Take a look at the list under the link above: how often would YOU use the trigger list? We want to know, so please share in the comments! OH, and don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter to get the trigger list to end all lists!

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You've read the series, now get the E-Book! Special EXTRA material not included in the blog series, plus three FREE templates!! Templates included are Time Management Matrix, Goal worksheet, and The Completion Journal. Only $24.99 for the book!


__________________________________________________________

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