Get Everything Done

Erik/anyone who's interested:
I said I'd get back to this in my last post here. I'm awake now!
When I knew I was going to sell my house and move me and my store from the east coast to the west coast of the US, I started making lists of things I had to do. Lots of lists, many pages, and never got a thing done except feel overwhelmed. The housing market was in the pits and I was under a deadline. Finally, I realized I had better do what had always worked for me in the past: get it visual and colorful.
I had a townhouse with a basement (craft room, laundry room/bathroom, and storeroom), a main floor (living room, kitchen, dining room), and an upstairs (with 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and hallway). I took three 36" x 45" pieces of matboard and quickly drew each floor's floorplan on it. I then hung each one on the appropriate floor where I would see it each time I was in the area.
Then I took post-its and stood in each room and wrote down everything I needed to do in that room --one post-it for each task. I stuck them on the matboard (in the appropriate room). I just used a variety of colorful post-its, but didn't assign colors to particular tasks. That would have created too many decisions to make and besides I might run out of a particular color, etc. I just made it colorful and inviting. There were a LOT of stickies.
I continued to add post-its as I thought of things. Each time I went by the matboards, I looked to see what I could do. I pulled the post-its off as I did the tasks or put them in a little calendar that I carried around with me or took with me when I did errands and bought things I needed for the move. I never rewrote the tasks on another list. I was truly the "stickie queen". I did the same thing at my store. Each floor's matboard was a little Kanban of sorts, I see now. When the agent came to list the house, the matboards were empty. I hid them under the bed. When the house sold, I brought them out and started putting post-its on again, but these were related to the packing and actual move.
It was amazing how easily I kept up with everything I needed to get done. I was able to do all the little repairs, decluttering, staging, etc. by myself, and sold the house in 17 days for the full asking price. I had several offers because it looked really good: no clutter, neat cupboards and spotless.
We loaded the UHaul up and drove across country and reopened the store here.
Everyone's mind works a little differently. The trick is to find out, as Erik says, how OUR mind works. No one system fits all. I appreciate Mark's ways of presenting lots of different systems, some intuitive, some more black and white. For some reason, I identify with what Erik is trying to say. I may have to watch the videos several times and think about what he is saying, but it's worth it. It's so good to have so many ideas and viewpoints expressed.

@White Swan

Thanks! It's a very good example of visualizing your work and what I'll cover a little later in the videos about dispersing your triggers. And yes, theres nothing like engaging your world...


@Mike
re: Kanban

Why:
Just in time manufacturing solves the problem of flow in a system, using it on a manageable value (blocs of energy) helps it flow better. Furthermore, there is no real process apart from to do, doing and done here so it is not as linked to manufacturing as one might think. "Just in Time" has been dropped recently for "Lean manufacturing" when people understood more of the consequences of using this system rather then the intended goals. And when you think of lean, it's not a stretch to see that it is very close to the minimalist mentality (simplify your life).

The just in time aspect is to act on your energy right now but fill it with things you really have to do. It also helps keep those hard triggers (habits) that are mainly of maintenance origin to be triggered over and over through a soft trigger mechanism like a list. When it comes time to clean my house, I'll do it but doing it before that is a waste of time. It helps retrain your mind to your habits by "showing" you your regular intervals.

And, doing it like that makes you re-evaluate "when" you have to start taking care of the problem because it will take some time before it is processed so you notice it before it becomes a problem... It moves it from the "Important, Urgent" quadrant to the "Important, not urgent" one.

In personal time management, you are right, there is no inventory to be stocked, but in Life Management, I believe there is.

Time can be seen in 3 ways, Slots, you flow in it or it flows around you. Some people see it differently and that is why no system is good for everybody because it identifies with one way of seeing time. I have 20 slots to fill during the day, not 5 but 6 different kinds of energy uses. Doing only 30 minutes of email and keeping the rest for the next day answers the problems about your emails at the source: your involvement with it. If you notice that it takes you more time to do it but you don't give yourself permission to do it, then you'll ACTUALLY start to change your habit and way of thinking to match the reality you chose instead of the reality imposed on you. You actively start for better ways to do those things and eliminate the useless in it.

But actually USING the kanban (where the rubber hits the road) is where a lot of by-products come fore. You have a radiator of information helping you to plan and also review what you have done. So you are able to base your future actions on your past ones. Building your day becomes a thing you can actually see. Budgeting it makes sure that you prioritize only the things that are most important to you (if you have only 3 blocs in creativity, then you'll naturally choose the ones with the highest return). Limiting you makes you creative.

But most of all, the backlog is not the focus anymore! The focus is what you do and what you have done. It's a much more positive feedback than an endless list of things you haven't got around to do yet. The kanban says to you, good job, you really done progress today! You have to actually use it to go from knowing to understanding it...

Hi Erik,

>>>Why:
Just in time manufacturing solves the problem of flow in a system, using it on a manageable value (blocs of energy) helps it flow better. <<<

See, this is where precision comes into play, I believe. What is a "block of energy"? That is metaphorical at best and confusing and misleading at worst. "Energy" is a term with precise meaning. It is electrical, magnetic, heat, light, etc. It is measured and quantified. The whole "physic energy" is total nonsense. If you can't define it and measure it then you don't know what it is you are seeing. Assigning it a name without having a reason to do so stops thinking. The energy you describe seems to "flow". In what way does it flow? Along wires? I'm not being a pest here ... I think one really needs to be precise when dealing with concepts.

>>> Furthermore, there is no real process apart from to do, doing and done here so it is not as linked to manufacturing as one might think. <<<

Well, that is my point. There is NO link to manufacturing. It is a cool sounding idea that someone read about and has popularized, so far as I can tell. As to processing tasks ... there are things you do with them that should be considered in any good system ... plan, schedule, do, archive, file, etc. I'm not sure how many of those really needed to be encoded into a time management system, but they ARE there and might possibly

>>> "Just in Time" has been dropped recently for "Lean manufacturing" when people understood more of the consequences of using this system rather then the intended goals. And when you think of lean, it's not a stretch to see that it is very close to the minimalist mentality (simplify your life). <<<

Perhaps, but in what way does that tell me that this is the best way to manage my list of things to do?

>>> The just in time aspect is to act on your energy right now but fill it with things you really have to do. <<<

Which gets us back to the importance of defining energy. The closest thing to "energy" I can identify that seems to correspond to what you are describing is "alertness" and that is more or less irrelevant. I mean, if I have something to do I have it to do, and how much I feel like working is not important. Self-discipline and self-respect demand self-control not blowing things off because I don't "feel like it".

>>> It also helps keep those hard triggers (habits) that are mainly of maintenance origin to be triggered over and over through a soft trigger mechanism like a list. <<<

That was another thing I did not get, though it did not seem too important because I think most people understand habits. Habits don't need triggering ... that is the whole point of them. I brush my teeth in the morning when I get up ... and that is a habit and not "triggered" by anything. It might seem as if it is triggered by time, but I don't experience it as triggering at all. It is just what I do. But I will grant that some habits can be triggered. I'm not sure what that knowledge does for me though. What I'm saying here is that this seems obvious and therefore not of much real value to consider in a time management system.

>>> When it comes time to clean my house, I'll do it but doing it before that is a waste of time. It helps retrain your mind to your habits by "showing" you your regular intervals. <<<

I agree that there is little value to clean the house before it "needs to be cleaned" and so that is exactly WHY I don't do it on regular intervals and it is not a "habit". When my feet stick to the floor it is time to mop the kitchen ;-) I don't need a schedule. I used to do it that way, on schedule, but I found that I was cleaning more than living. So now I clean when I SEE that it needs it ... or perhaps if I'm having guests over.

Secondly, I know my "intervals". That is what a calendar is for.

>>> And, doing it like that makes you re-evaluate "when" you have to start taking care of the problem because it will take some time before it is processed so you notice it before it becomes a problem... It moves it from the "Important, Urgent" quadrant to the "Important, not urgent" one. <<<

Yes, but so does my To Do list. I prioritize it by quadrant (loosely). I know how long things take and when I need to start. That is why this seems a solution searching for a problem. I can't imagine that anyone does not know now long it takes them to mop the kitchen without using colored Post-It flags to keep track.

>>> In personal time management, you are right, there is no inventory to be stocked, but in Life Management, I believe there is. <<<

??? Firstly, "life" management IS "time" management. It is just switching around buzz words to sound cool. I've seen that happening a lot lately. Some people are betting that if they change the name they can repackage the old concepts and sell new books. Secondly, what inventory? I completely get why one would want to look at it one way as opposed to another. But the THING is the same and that is what needs to be managed. We have things to do and limited time to do them so we need to prioritize. Nothing changes that fact.

>>> Time can be seen in 3 ways, Slots, you flow in it or it flows around you. Some people see it differently and that is why no system is good for everybody because it identifies with one way of seeing time. <<<

Yes, that makes perfect sense. HOWEVER, time is what it is. No matter how you want to think about it, holidays and critical tasks are due periodically. Calling it one thing vs another does not change that.

>>> I have 20 slots to fill during the day, not 5 but 6 different kinds of energy uses. Doing only 30 minutes of email and keeping the rest for the next day answers the problems about your emails at the source: your involvement with it. If you notice that it takes you more time to do it but you don't give yourself permission to do it, then you'll ACTUALLY start to change your habit and way of thinking to match the reality you chose instead of the reality imposed on you. You actively start for better ways to do those things and eliminate the useless in it. <<<

That is true enough, but let's look at it with more precision. You have 20 slots (I misremembered the number from your video). Why 20? Why not 1, or 100? Why not infinite? Time IS continuous, after all. (Well, on the macro level we humans exist on.) I don't have to do email for 30 minutes, I can do it for 29 or31 if I so choose. "Slots" seem such an artificial construct. Even those fans of working timed bursts (a la Pomadoro) chose different values. And just because email takes a slot size of 30 minutes, why should that impose the same (or an integral multiple) on the next thing I need to do? Eating a sandwich for lunch might take only 10 minutes and that leaves me with what? A "semi-slot" of 20 minutes left over?

And I agree that doing things differently for a while will change one's thinking about it ... but why does that imply slots or any particular WAY of doing them?

Finally, I still don't get the "energy" thing. In an general way I'm sharper in the morning and less sharp in the afternoon. But other than those general guidelines, what has to be done has to be done and I need to do it regardless of my "energy", whatever that is.

>>> But actually USING the kanban (where the rubber hits the road) is where a lot of by-products come fore. You have a radiator of information helping you to plan and also review what you have done. So you are able to base your future actions on your past ones. Building your day becomes a thing you can actually see. <<<

I can SEE the items on my To Do list. Post-it Flags don't add anything but complexity to it so far as I can see.

>>> Budgeting it makes sure that you prioritize only the things that are most important to you (if you have only 3 blocs in creativity, then you'll naturally choose the ones with the highest return). Limiting you makes you creative. <<<

Again, why do I need THAT system to budget my time. I've been doing time blocking (scheduling) for as long as I've been managing my time. Estimate how long a task will take and clear space for it in my day. Drawing "slots" and using Post-It flags does not change that.

>>> But most of all, the backlog is not the focus anymore! <<<

What is it about this system that takes the focus from the backlog any more than my To Do list? I choose what I put on my list as much as you do and I can choose to put backlog items on it or current ones ... my choice.

>>> The focus is what you do and what you have done. <<<

Why in this system and not in any other?

>>> It's a much more positive feedback than an endless list of things you haven't got around to do yet. <<<

The list is only endless if you manage it that way. My list tends to have about 1/2 dozen or so items on it ... no more. My AF list had hundreds and I fixed that when it drove me nuts. ;-)

>>> The kanban says to you, good job, you really done progress today! <<<

So does a To Do list with all items scratched off!

>>> You have to actually use it to go from knowing to understanding it... <<<

Yes, I get that. But before you can ask someone to undertake a new system you need to give them a reason to think it will be worth it. That is what my posts here have been about. You have a new system that works for you. You are trying to explain why it will work for others. In order to be successful you need to deal with this kind of objection. I watched your videos and agreed with much of what you had to say, but the ESSENCE of the system has not been justified. Putting aside Post-it Flags for a moment, you have not shown why the basic idea of "slots" or "energy" makes sense. To me, fixed time slots are a way of doing things but there is no justification to get me to adopt it. My decades old time boxing works well. I'm never going to use it so that I can understand it because I can't see any reason to try it in the first place.

We have people here presenting ideas like OPA, GtD, ZtD, AF 1-4, DWM, etc. ANY of these systems will work. Why would I be convinced to try them? Any of those presenting a new system can say: "If you don't try it you'll never know." But that implies that I have nothing better to do than try time management systems.

Remember, the most successful time management system of all time was the simple prioritized To Do list. It can be done on the back of an envelop with anything that can make a mark on paper. It requires no special expensive book or pen or ... well anything special. There has to be a good reason, I mean something that stands cost/benefit analysis, to change to something more complex.

Perhaps you have found the ULTIMATE system. So far I've not seen anything to convince me.

<That was another thing I did not get, though it did not seem too important because I think most people understand habits. Habits don't need triggering ... that is the whole point of them.>

Habits are things we do without thinking and so without procrastination, our brain is 'hard wired' to do them, hence 'hard triggers'.

Tasks are things we think about, use our 'mental software' before doing, so are called 'soft triggers', as we're not hard wired to do them.

It seems you're missing some important points from the videos. Maybe watch the videos, make notes as you go, then review and rewrite the notes to get an overview of all the concepts.

cheers,
Pete.

Look Mike, I actually resent a lot of stuff in you recent replies...

Let me first say that I'm not here to convince you.
You can think what you want, but you are giving your opinion about something you haven't actually tried. I respect your advice as long as it stands for someone new to it and sees it from the outside but I cannot take it seriously as someone that understands what's happening. So most of my writing time is spent to debunk what you say so that new people don't take your opinion at face value and dismiss my efforts outright.

Now let me tell you why I use this system because I really, really resent this. I'm not a procrastinator. I'm not a whinner and if you knew me personally, you'd soon discover that I'm a workaholic. I have never made excuses for the work I HAD to do and always put my discomfort aside.

Six months ago I got sick, actually really sick; went to the hospital for 20 days, lost 7 kilos and my family thought I would die (no jokes here)... I clearly was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I was a pure working machine productive to the core and it got me the hospital and a foot in the grave. At that point I was faced with what my life meaning was and what I was leaving behind and I was very disappointed to say that the way I was living was noy something that you care much about on your deathbed. I HAVE to check myself from working too much otherwise I actually get sick again so that is why I started to rephrase how I worked and engaged with life.

Take it from someone that has actually had this life experience when I say that there IS such a thing as those kinds of energy. My system is not about being productive, it's about managing your life and do something creative in the process.

When my systems says to me: Erik, stop working, you should be having fun now, I don't want to listen to it and I want to continue working on my site and all but from experience, I can tell you it's much to my advantage to listen to it. But if I had my amount of fun for the day, it's time for my chores and the system tells you that also so now dodging around.

Anyways, my system tells me that quite a lot of my productive time as been eaten up by these conversations and I find I don't serve myself and those that actually want to know more about it doing so. Therefore, I hope you won't take it personally if my replies to your messages become less frequent.

@ Ilse
Sorry for the late reply...
Just saw your post in between 2 others.
I'm really glad it makes sense to you and lets hope it continues to do so :)

@ Will
I think you are right that the material might be somewhat important. At least the size relations...
I find that my book is just perfect for me :)

Thank you, Eric. Your system does have the "ring of experience" to it and that's why I am paying attention. Keep on going!

I re-added the first introduction video that talks about me and the website.
It's on the "IVideoBlog" page. Also, I made it possible to leave comments!!!
Anyone can but it will be moderated as I say in the video.
So for those that like the project and want to support it, leave a note :)
The only drawback is that you cannot know if someone replied under you unless you go see that page again later (i.e.: it's not like this forum).

Hi Pete,

<<< Habits are things we do without thinking and so without procrastination, our brain is 'hard wired' to do them, hence 'hard triggers'. <<<

But that begs the question. We do them without thinking, to be sure ... that is the very nature of them. But you've not demonstrated that they are "triggered". I mean, it is fine to insist that they are, but insisting and demonstrating it or proving it are different things.

And I'd also take issue with the idea that our "brain is hardwired". There is a lot of work going on in the study of neurology but nothing yet clearly demonstrates any kind of hard wiring. Some think so, others think not. It might be more like a change in "firmware" if you are conversant with computer science. Something between hardware and software. Something that is one way "hard wired" but in another way "soft" so that it can be modified. An "eprom", IOW. But enough of metaphor. We don't know for sure what habits are or how they really work.

>>> Tasks are things we think about, use our 'mental software' before doing, so are called 'soft triggers', as we're not hard wired to do them. <<<

Firstly, it is not the "tasks" that are triggers but the tasks ARE triggered, in this construct. But I also disagree with the construct on the basis of it not making clear distinctions. Habits are also "tasks" or strings of "tasks". And I also see no justification for making up a term like "soft trigger" when the term needed is "chosen".

>>> It seems you're missing some important points from the videos. Maybe watch the videos, make notes as you go, then review and rewrite the notes to get an overview of all the concepts. <<<

ROTFLMAO ;-) You know me better than that, Pete. The old argument that "if you don't agree it is because you don't understand because if you understood you'd have to agree that It's right" is so tired! No, I did not miss anything beyond what I said I missed. I'm at least sharp enough to know what I missed when I miss it! That is exactly why I went looking for more information from people who had taken the trouble to present the whole story of Kanban.

No, I am arguing that the concepts are ill defined, contradictory, redundant, and simply don't apply in many, if not most cases. This is not a product of lack of understanding .. but of CLEARLY understanding the concepts presented and finding them wanting.

Now that is not to say that there are concepts which have not yet been presented. That is one of the downsides of putting ideas out in a video blog. No matter how well executed (and it IS well executed) the concepts are dribbled out over time and so one never knows when one has them all. The statement that "I'll cover that later" does not wash.

<We don't know for sure what habits are or how they really work.>

Maybe, but we can understand them enough to make use of them.

<No, I did not miss anything beyond what I said I missed. I'm at least sharp enough to know what I missed when I miss it!>

Nobody can do that 100% of the time ;) I actually think you're very intelligent.

Hi Erik,

Where to begin?

>>> Look Mike, I actually resent a lot of stuff in you recent replies... <<<

Well, you'd not be the first, and certainly won't be the last to resent something I've said. OTOH, I can only note that resenting the messenger rather than carefully considering the feedback is a sure sign that you are not convinced of those ideas yourself. If you had a real handle on them, you'd have no trouble defending them from any criticism. (And trust me, there will be much more from others.)

>>> Let me first say that I'm not here to convince you. <<<

Well, you clearly are, else why would you put up a website with a video blog to ... errrr ... convince people of the value of your new system? If you had nothing to prove, you'd not have gone through what must have been a considerable effort to put up that website.

>>> You can think what you want, but you are giving your opinion about something you haven't actually tried. <<<

That old chestnut? You can't know suicide is bad until you've tried it? ROTF ;-) Clearly you presented your ideas to get people to TRY your system. To that end you've given REASONS why yous system is good. I'm telling you why those reasons are not sufficient to get me to try it. IOW, I've seen it all before so I don't need to try it.

>>> I respect your advice as long as it stands for someone new to it and sees it from the outside but I cannot take it seriously as someone that understands what's happening. So most of my writing time is spent to debunk what you say so that new people don't take your opinion at face value and dismiss my efforts outright. <<<

I would expect nothing less. My observations are critical of your system as you've presented it. You need to present it better, or more completely, or demonstrate that what I've pointed out is just plain wrong. Any of those ought to do it for you.

>>> Now let me tell you why I use this system because I really, really resent this. <<<

Well, life is like that sometimes. You can resent things or understand what is being said. Your choice.

>>> I'm not a procrastinator. I'm not a whinner and if you knew me personally, you'd soon discover that I'm a workaholic. I have never made excuses for the work I HAD to do and always put my discomfort aside. <<<

Actually, I did not attribute any of those things to you. That you put that out front, suggesting that I have, is puzzling. In fact, somewhere in my comments I remarked that I was sure the system was working for you because you conveyed a sense of integrity about your use of the system.

>>> Six months ago I got sick, actually really sick; went to the hospital for 20 days, lost 7 kilos and my family thought I would die (no jokes here)

DAMN, but you are sensitive! Do you always put stuff out there like that and dare people to comment on it? incredible.

>>> ... I clearly was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I was a pure working machine productive to the core and it got me the hospital and a foot in the grave. At that point I was faced with what my life meaning was and what I was leaving behind and I was very disappointed to say that the way I was living was noy something that you care much about on your deathbed. I HAVE to check myself from working too much otherwise I actually get sick again so that is why I started to rephrase how I worked and engaged with life. <<<

O.K. In short, a life changing experience. Got it.

>>> Take it from someone that has actually had this life experience when I say that there IS such a thing as those kinds of energy. My system is not about being productive, it's about managing your life and do something creative in the process. <<<

So your proof of those concepts is that you believe them. Right. Not good enough. I might believe in the Easter Bunny but that is not going to convince anyone else.

>>> When my systems says to me: Erik, stop working, you should be having fun now, I don't want to listen to it and I want to continue working on my site and all but from experience, I can tell you it's much to my advantage to listen to it. But if I had my amount of fun for the day, it's time for my chores and the system tells you that also so now dodging around. <<<

Yes, that part of things makes sense. We all get feedback on ourselves. You get it from your system, others get it in other ways. Your getting feedback does not prove anything about your system. Other systems provide it as well.

>>> Anyways, my system tells me that quite a lot of my productive time as been eaten up by these conversations and I find I don't serve myself and those that actually want to know more about it doing so. Therefore, I hope you won't take it personally if my replies to your messages become less frequent. <<<

Of course I don't take it personally. Why should I take your resentment of me personally? ROTF ;-) Look, I provided feedback to you ... deal with it or avoid it ... no skin off of my nose. I've seen systems come and go for decades. This system is no different than many others I've seen ... just the same concepts remixed and repackaged. David Allen had some NEW ideas to offer. Mark and some NEW ideas to offer. I can't think of anyone else in the last 4 or 5 decades who did other than repackage the ideas of others.

And there is nothing wrong with it. What IS wrong is thinking that there IS something new when it is the same old stuff. I GET your Post-it Flags. I think it is a creative use of material. Your cool notebook is perfectly fine ... if you like that format and are willing to pay $3 for 100 pages of blank paper. I think a exposition like: "Here is how I use the Kanban idea with my stationary." is what you should have titled it, because that is what you are doing.

I GET that you had a life changing experience and this system is of a very high value to you. Others of us have had life changing experiences and have our own systems that are of high value to us. I have integrated various time management ideas over several decades and LOVED my system. I though there was nothing better. I had customized sheets for this and that, all punched to fit into various binders for various purposes. It was the ONLY system and it worked perfectly and I could not image any other. Until I changed my life style. I left the computer industry. I took on other projects. I no longer lived on planes and in hotels. I lived out of my pocket with a cell phone and a laptop near by. So my "perfect" system was no longer perfect and I had to search for something better. Within the last year I've changed the format of my notebooks several times. I've finally found something that works for ME. However, the difference is that I'm not putting my system out there on a website. Some folks here have asked me what I do and I've told them, in a simple post. I don't know if anyone has adopted any of my ideas ... I don't actually care, except that I hope they found what they were looking for. If anyone challenged something I said that I did, I'd say: "I do it this way because of this situation. Do you see a better way?" Who knows, I might hear of a better way.

In any case, resent me if you like, but I think you'd do well to not take it personally. I don't.

Erik,

>>> Also, I made it possible to leave comments!!!
Anyone can but it will be moderated as I say in the video <<<

ROTFLMAO ;-) Not to worry Erik. I have no intention of SPAMING your blog. In fact, since you feel compelled to note that you are moderating people, I'll save you the trouble and assure you that I've deleted my bookmark to your site and will not return. Sleep in peace, I'm just a bad memory. LOL ;-)

Hi Again Pete,

>>> <We don't know for sure what habits are or how they really work.>

Maybe, but we can understand them enough to make use of them. <<<

I think that is true. We know a lot about how to instill them and what might cause them to not "stick". My observation was merely that we don't know enough to state WHAT they are with certainty. And if one is defining something one has a duty to not go beyond what one knows.

I'm a very big proponent of habits. I got a TON of flack on this very list for coming out in favor of focusing on changing habits. <shudder> Now it seems as if I'm on the other side? Not really. I'm just advocating not saying more than you can justify.

>>> <No, I did not miss anything beyond what I said I missed. I'm at least sharp enough to know what I missed when I miss it!>

Nobody can do that 100% of the time ;) <<<

I'll grant you that it is an iffy proposition. However, with practice you get good at knowing what you heard and what you did not.

>>> I actually think you're very intelligent. <<<

Maybe so, maybe not. I don't think it is as much about how intelligent anyone is but of the soundness of the argument.

I take thinking very seriously. I tend to go way over the top (as most would see it) when someone makes an error in reasoning. Such as not defining a term properly, or misusing a term, or any number of other things. I do so because I feel that the only hope to understand things lies in the rigor of our thinking. One thing I jump on is the use of extraneous terms and concepts that pop up for no reason. So when I hear about "soft triggers" or "nails" or "nooses", I go nuts ;-) There has to be a reason to introduce new terminology. The new terms have to solve a problem.

In reading this stuff, over the years, I have observed that people introduce vague and redundant terms just to make their stuff appear different. Sometimes the shift makes sense. We used to talk about "goals". Over the last few years the term has shifted to "outcomes". Why? Well, the first change was made by people who were trying to say something different. "An outcome is not necessarily a goal." But then the pod people picked it up, without understanding the distinction, and now it has become a redundant term, in most writing. And that does nothing more than confuse thinking.

I get in an uproar because that kind of thing is the enemy of clear thought and progress in the understanding of our world.

But what the hell, I'm perhaps one of the few who cares about that kind of thing.

Another question ... Why am I here (on this forum)? That is a good one. I came here because Mark's ideas appeared to be new and interested me. Over the last year and a half, I realized that his systems don't work for me. I wish they did, but they don't. It took me a while to figure out why, and a lot of work as well, but now I know why the simple prioritized To Do list is what I need. But that begs the question ... why am I still here?

I've been asking that of myself more and more. I note that many of those whom I've come to know and like have "retired", to use other systems or mixtures of systems. I am mostly here out of habit, or a vague curiosity, or because some of my "friends" hang out here. But less and less. Things change. This list has become "cool". There is not much interesting talk any longer. The ratio of SPAM to serious posts has changed for the worse. A few of the people I really chat with I now chat with in private email, or sometimes on my own spin-off mail list. (Feel free to engage me on any topic over on:

Philosophical_Ideas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

It may be time for me to call it a day. I'm getting so much less from this list that it is hardly worth checking it. I don't think I'm being of much help to others here either. Once in a while someone posts an interesting link. But lately not so much. The last time I followed a link it got me into this flap. <sigh> Mostly, I have better things to do than tell people why the great NEW idea they have is not NEW at all. And, as you've seen, they resent it when I do.

What's that old expression? "Never try to teach a pig to dance -- you'll fail and it only annoys the pig." (or words to that effect) LOL ;-)

So forgive me if I don't check back too often. If I do, I'll respond to direct questions but perhaps not volunteer much any more.

@ Erik

I perfectly understand your energy approach. I went through a similar hospital experience 5 years ago. I'm better now but I have residual chronic health problems and I also get older so I have enough physical energy for only 1-3 hrs a day and mostly in the morning but not before 9-10 am. Mornings are also the best for any creative work and since I'm a scientist this is of a great importance. And then is a family with some members requiring very special attention on a moments notice.

Your system helped me change the way I think about my day and energy and I have read many books about time management so far.

Keep doing the great work.

@ White Swan

Your story is a great inspiration to me.

@ Mike

Some of what you say is a constructive criticism. Most, however, it's just picking words apart. I personally don't care for it.

Mark and his AF system started a transformation of my time management but it was Erik that really gave me wings. And I'm a life-long workaholic who just had hard time realizing that time and energy are finite resources that no amount of self-discipline is going to increase.
I can try and push myself to work physically beyond my daily limit. There are two possible outcomes. Either my body will refuse to cooperate after 1 hr (and this is a better scenario) or it will let me continue beyond 3 hrs but I will suffer for a week after. All physical work has to be chunked up. I can't clean my house in one go no matter how dirty it is and even when the company is coming. It has to be scheduled one time block at a time and sticky kitchen floor or not it can even be on my list but when I'm done for a day, I'm done.
And I have money to buy some services like cleaning but little patience to deal with it in practice. I tried.

>>> Some of what you say is a constructive criticism. Most, however, it's just picking words apart. I personally don't care for it. <<<

If you don't have words, all you are left with is grunts. Words are much like very sharp knives. Their purpose is to CUT though the fog of irrational and vague feelings and musings about things. But since they are sharp, if you don't use them very carefully, you'll wind up cutting yourself.

Take it FWIW.

<So forgive me if I don't check back too often. If I do, I'll respond to direct questions but perhaps not volunteer much any more. >

Why not explain your own system, and importantly why it works well for you? Erik's system has clearly helped other people, surely yours can too.

The way I do things is vastly different to Erik, even the way I use a shopping list :-) but I love to hear about different approaches and his videos have really helped me.

Pete,

I think I've explained what I do several times. Probably a different way each time as initially I was trying to use the various AF systems.

In a nutshell:

- Everything goes into a Grass Catcher notebook (a Composition style book) to start with. (It has a semi hard back and lies flat and has no spiral to catch on things. I have a couple of plastic paper clips to mark the last page and such. There are a couple of other things I do with that book but that is too detailed for this presentation and they change nothing essential.

- In the morning I scan my list and select what I want to do. (On my weekly planning day I select what I want to do for the week so I usually have a weeks worth of things already queued and prioritized and I'll select from that list. I use a modified A,B,C / Q1-Q4 system. IOW, I first note the urgency and importance and then after that prioritize the result. Much of the time the "quadrant" is not something I do explicitly, but rather I just kind of "note" it mentally. IOW, most of it is obvious to me.

- I put a few items onto a Hot List (Usually a yellow Post-It) -- whatever I need to do that day. I write them in the format "Task (Project Area: Project)" so that I am reminded why I'm doing it. Ex: "Look up Shore Excursions (Enjoyment: Vacation). I have five "project areas" to my life (for some reason that has never changed over the decades). Things like "health", "finance", "enjoyment", etc. They were initially a result of my first Alan Lakein exercise. I took several weeks to work out my life's priorities many years ago and the "areas" were the obvious major groupings. Over the years, nothing fundamental has changed. So under the "area" of "enjoyment" I have the specific project "summer vacation" and under that, I have various tasks to make it happen. Thus when I see a task I see the whole reason for it and so my motivation is there in front of me. I don't have a disembodied task in floating in my face that I have no inclination to do.

- I prioritize the final list of items (by number 1-n, and I try to keep the size to at least 3 and less than 10). Obviously, the number depends on the size of the tasks, how much else is going on, etc.

- I do them

Usually I'll block time for some of the items. If it is something like "Do Laundry" I'll not schedule it. I'll just start laundry when I'm doing something else and tend it as I work on other things. If it "Read Bateson Essay", I'll block an hour or two for it and schedule it into a time slot during the day where I know I'm not likely to be interrupted.

Much of my "stuff" is habit. I don't put "Planning" on my list because I do it every Sunday over coffee with my neighbor. I don't have "Meditate" or "Eat Breakfast" or "Exercise" on my list because those are habits.

I don't do contexts. I don't do "Zen", I don't do GtD. None of that makes any sense to me or it makes sense but is so obvious that I don't pay attention to it as a part of my system. One of my big principles it not to solve problems I don't have. I don't have a "go to bed" or "wake up" because waking up is a habit and I go to bed when I'm tired (which is a function of when I wake up.) I know I'm more alert in the morning so I just know to schedule thinking tasks then. I don't need a system to tell me that ... I KNOW it.

I keep two small notebooks in my pocket with a break in half pen in the spirals. One is 3x5 and is for lists of various kinds. When I'm out it serves as my "capture" or Grass Catcher and is later transferred to my main Grass Catcher book. My Hot List for today is usually a yellow Post-It in the cover of that book so it will be on my person at all times.

My second book is a 4x6 spiral and I use it as a log. I record phone conversations, and other "non list" kinds of things.

That is pretty much all there is to it. I don't perpetually scan the Grass Catcher (which used to be my AF 1-4 list). I only look at it once a day.

Oh, and I've been trying to perfect a way to get this all on my iPhone. So far I'm trying a combination of PI and Toodledo. It looks promising but it still needs tweaking to make it seamless.

Finally, note that this works for me because of my personal context. When I was in the computer biz, I had all kinds of tracking and planning sheets in ring binders. Life in the computer world had special needs to track and log things ... much CYA going on all the time. I don't live in that world any longer so I ditched all of the systems I had in place for that world. Broke my heart, but I had to move on ;-)

Oh yeah, and two more things:

1) Coming from the Lakein system I set lots of goals and got into the habit of updating my goals periodically. Goals form the basis of everything I do. Only after tasks leading to goals have been addressed do I deal with the "maintenance" demand items.

2) I've been learning more and more about the importance of self-discipline in this. I'm no longer trying to find a system to make things "easy" or "fun" or whatever. I am acknowledging that many things I need to do just SUCK and that is TOO BAD ... they need to be DONE ANYWAY and no system is going to make them NOT SUCK. So if something is on my list of 3-10 items for that day I know it has been put there because it needs to be done and that is the end of the discussion. I don't examine my "energy" or how the planets are aligned ;-) I just do it.

Lastly (really this time) I'm not saying that any part of this is YOUR system. It is MY system and you can pick what you like from it ... or ignore all of it. Your choice. Enjoy.

Mike,

Erik never mentioned that he had created something new with his system, he was just showing how he had combined existing productivity techniques into a system that worked for him and others were interested in what he used so he put up the videos and it seemed like it helped some people.

I do not understand why you felt the need to spend an entire page of text breaking down every aspect of it just to tell us all how there isn't anything new in it and how it has all been done before, did I miss a post somewhere where Erik stated that this system was new and groundbreaking? I don't think anyone was expecting that, I think we were all just interested to see his perspective on existing ideas and I have read that his metaphors (fridge/credit cards) have done just that for some people.

I didn't think simply sharing the systems we use would result in such a barrage of criticism, I really do not think that is very conducive to a creative and productive atmosphere if people are afraid of simply sharing what works for them in fear of having a wall of text thrown at them because it has "nothing new" or "nothing superior" when others have SPECIFICALLY requested that it be showed to them.

>>> I do not understand why you felt the need to spend an entire page of text breaking down every aspect of it just to tell us all how there isn't anything new in it and how it has all been done before ... <<<

Well, for someone who's not contributed anything I've seen, you seem to have a strong opinion ... based on not having comprehended what I wrote. So I'll take your comment for what it's worth. It might have been worth more if you had contributed something useful in the past or if you had read what you criticize.

This is the problem with the forum as it is now. The really good contributors have retired and we are left with what ... hindsight? The few others of us still here who have contributed will end up also retiring and the form will be left with those whose only contribution is to complain that others have something to say. Nothing much new there, it seems to be the natural end of the life of forums and mail lists. Gresham's law applied to internet forums: ROTF ;-)

I, for one, see less and less of interest here. I'm not so much interested in the whining of people who don't seem to be able to read. Sad, but true.

Let's all sing "Kumbia" as we switch off the lights. LOL ;-)

Thank you, Erik, Ilse, Smileypete and Hindsight. Also many thanks to Mark for giving us this venue! I have read and own all of Mark's books, and this is icing on the cake.
Mike: we get it!

I am new on here so I have no value (and cannot read apparently), Erik has no value because you already know everything he has said and this forum no longer has any value to you because no one has posted anything lately that is new to you personally, yikes, do you really think this attitude/atmosphere helps shape and grow new seeds of thought from the community? We get it, this field is dead, the productivity crops have dried up and you feel to is time to move on to greener pastures.

Well good luck in your quest my friend, I hope the new crops you harvest on the road to the ultimate revolutionary system are plentiful and delicious!