Discussion Forum > Basic System for commercial activities
This seems complicated, but in fact I have a very similar structure, have had for a while, and I like it.
1. I have a notebook dated each day, and keep notes, but don't use it for tasks. In fact I regularly process the notebook and transfer all tasks and notes out of it to part 2 or 3.
2. I have OneNote pages for tasks instead of loose paper, but same effect. I have pages for tickler and delegation here.
3. I have a tabbed binder for paper notes related to active projects (whose tasks are in 2). I also have OneNote notebooks for the electronic notes. Because my task pages are in OneNote, I have links to help me find both of these.
4. I have a sheet with standing goals I review each day, and consider which are most important now.
1. I have a notebook dated each day, and keep notes, but don't use it for tasks. In fact I regularly process the notebook and transfer all tasks and notes out of it to part 2 or 3.
2. I have OneNote pages for tasks instead of loose paper, but same effect. I have pages for tickler and delegation here.
3. I have a tabbed binder for paper notes related to active projects (whose tasks are in 2). I also have OneNote notebooks for the electronic notes. Because my task pages are in OneNote, I have links to help me find both of these.
4. I have a sheet with standing goals I review each day, and consider which are most important now.
January 17, 2012 at 22:49 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
I guess I would need more info to see if it is fact simple. Is there one folder with all of the task or many. If there are many, I would want the notes in the folders they relate to. I tend to stay away from post its as they are easily lost or buried on a desk. Why not cut out the notebook or the pads and use less tools this will be one less place to have things to look at. Please explain more,
Gerry
Gerry
January 18, 2012 at 0:15 |
Gerry
Gerry
My system is not complicated.
I use the paper notebook for collecting the incoming information and waiting for items.
I also have a weekly page which contains my bigs actions of the day. I helps me to see on my weekly review how things has advanced. Then I can say my note book is a collector and a decision tool.
About the task tickler or stapled. It contains tasks I want to do. Is is a page dated autofocus list. It is treated like it. Then I can say this tool is my acting tool
About My paper folders there are my thinking tools. It contains important emails, reporting about tasks.
About the 2 others binders, they are specific to my activities. I need sheet per project. A project can be a client or a building. It is great to quickly read when I make link between a building and a client or the opposite.
In fact during the day the system works very well. I conscienciously report in a short word what happen in my collector decision tool (my note book). Then I decide what to do with them if there are tasks they goes in my tasks "book" If i need to think about a project I ake the project and think. Put heuristics and so on. If there are decision and tasks they goes into the task "book"
If I work on a building I take my binder were all my clients are and I make a selection which will usually go into my paper project. If I works on a client I will report on his sheet which buildings I whose for him
It is a routine. It is simple and efficient.
I decided to do it like this because If I divided my tool digitally and on paper I missed a lot of information. I now use my computer as a Communicator and a web collector tool. If it crashes I can work.
I use the paper notebook for collecting the incoming information and waiting for items.
I also have a weekly page which contains my bigs actions of the day. I helps me to see on my weekly review how things has advanced. Then I can say my note book is a collector and a decision tool.
About the task tickler or stapled. It contains tasks I want to do. Is is a page dated autofocus list. It is treated like it. Then I can say this tool is my acting tool
About My paper folders there are my thinking tools. It contains important emails, reporting about tasks.
About the 2 others binders, they are specific to my activities. I need sheet per project. A project can be a client or a building. It is great to quickly read when I make link between a building and a client or the opposite.
In fact during the day the system works very well. I conscienciously report in a short word what happen in my collector decision tool (my note book). Then I decide what to do with them if there are tasks they goes in my tasks "book" If i need to think about a project I ake the project and think. Put heuristics and so on. If there are decision and tasks they goes into the task "book"
If I work on a building I take my binder were all my clients are and I make a selection which will usually go into my paper project. If I works on a client I will report on his sheet which buildings I whose for him
It is a routine. It is simple and efficient.
I decided to do it like this because If I divided my tool digitally and on paper I missed a lot of information. I now use my computer as a Communicator and a web collector tool. If it crashes I can work.
January 18, 2012 at 12:11 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
The result of my method, after 3 days (nearly a workweek) is very interesting and amazing.
One of the first interesting result is that, for one time, I stick on the method.
But I know that it can be improoved.
I am still a bit un comfortable beetween my paper note book and my "pad" of paper I use for tasking. Sometime there are some double beam.
However, I feel very comfortable with the physical separation between NOTES, TASKS and PROJECTS and this is essential for my efficiency. I may say that for the moment, it works very well with me.
I have nearly finished the week (tommorrow is my weekly review and usually a cool day) and I have the feeling that I have really "worked".
Of course there are many things I did not do but I did the real things I wanted to do since I closed my previous week, last wednesday.
There is also a better control of my information. I have a clearest "vision" of how I intend to succeed about each project I am concentrate on.
I dont blame me If I don't do some tasks. When I read the list and if it doesn't stand at me it is that I don't really intend to do it. So I accept the consequences.
I also noticed that I worked on some project on my paper note book and I took a all page for it. It helped me a lot to decide my tasks about these projects.
I don't really use the post it anymore, preferring to report from the list and my diary and sometime summarize or reformulate the day's task on my "tasking pad" on today's page.
Hope that's helps.
One of the first interesting result is that, for one time, I stick on the method.
But I know that it can be improoved.
I am still a bit un comfortable beetween my paper note book and my "pad" of paper I use for tasking. Sometime there are some double beam.
However, I feel very comfortable with the physical separation between NOTES, TASKS and PROJECTS and this is essential for my efficiency. I may say that for the moment, it works very well with me.
I have nearly finished the week (tommorrow is my weekly review and usually a cool day) and I have the feeling that I have really "worked".
Of course there are many things I did not do but I did the real things I wanted to do since I closed my previous week, last wednesday.
There is also a better control of my information. I have a clearest "vision" of how I intend to succeed about each project I am concentrate on.
I dont blame me If I don't do some tasks. When I read the list and if it doesn't stand at me it is that I don't really intend to do it. So I accept the consequences.
I also noticed that I worked on some project on my paper note book and I took a all page for it. It helped me a lot to decide my tasks about these projects.
I don't really use the post it anymore, preferring to report from the list and my diary and sometime summarize or reformulate the day's task on my "tasking pad" on today's page.
Hope that's helps.
January 19, 2012 at 16:38 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
I wonder something :
Ok I have a special (note book/Notepad/binder) for tasks. e.g. I put here all my tasks. It is my tasking tool.
But about my note book with is now my collector. Won't it be a good idea to put some pages about some crucial information i.e. crucial summary about some crucial projects. It may be would be helpful to think about things. Then My notebook would become a collector and a thinking tool.
Is it worth to do this ? What do you think about it ?
Ok I have a special (note book/Notepad/binder) for tasks. e.g. I put here all my tasks. It is my tasking tool.
But about my note book with is now my collector. Won't it be a good idea to put some pages about some crucial information i.e. crucial summary about some crucial projects. It may be would be helpful to think about things. Then My notebook would become a collector and a thinking tool.
Is it worth to do this ? What do you think about it ?
January 19, 2012 at 17:05 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
Thoughts should be treated like trees: Let them grow wildly, but be ready to prune them back eventually.
Of course you could add features for thinking to your collector notebook, and this would be helpful for your flow of thoughts in the situation when you work with your collector notebook. But this could grow at of hand pretty soon. You would need something like a weekly review to get this under control again, e.g. deleting old thoughts or transferring thoughts to other parts of your system.
Of course you could add features for thinking to your collector notebook, and this would be helpful for your flow of thoughts in the situation when you work with your collector notebook. But this could grow at of hand pretty soon. You would need something like a weekly review to get this under control again, e.g. deleting old thoughts or transferring thoughts to other parts of your system.
January 19, 2012 at 17:56 |
Rainer
Rainer
1. paper note book
2. Paper folders
3. A pad or a group a paper sheets
4. Post it.
here how it works
1. Notebook date it each day at the top and report all incoming notes little by little. one by one. One after the other. I use a A4 spiral paper note book, because it is easy to put on my desk all the time. I put summarized notes. When it is complicated I take a sheet of paper and it usually go into my paper folder. I also summarized the notes in a few words.
Tasks to do don't go here they go on 2.
You can drop a line or put a line to separate each information as you like. The note book will also contains all you are waiting for.
2. The paper sheets.
Here you put all your tasks one by one. Group tasks for project. Always put the last informations at the beginning. You can use a binder or spin it. You will use it like you do with AF1. Collect everything. You can have specific sheets for someday may be list or ticker or weekly or monthly or quarterly or annually objectives. This is for collecting and acting.
3. Paper folders contains documents and ideas for crucial project. This is for thinking.
4. Post it of the day put here all projects you want to work on today. Don't put details.
The system is simple. It force you to do things. All details goes into the paper folders. When there is a dead line or a dated tasks it goes into your diary. I don't have many.
Of course you can have also 2 binders one for your clients classified alphabetically and one for your products like I do
In fact it is like AF but for me it is clear and efficient. Test it.