Discussion Forum > Roll Call: Who has cured the productivity itch?
Hi avrum, I've been using the approach below for years; it just works with no drama, rules or admin overhead. If I had to break it down I'd say there are two key aspects.
I found that if my commitments to others and myself are sufficiently granular and understood then it is apparent to me every day what I need to get done. If it's not apparent then I make a point of rooting out where the vagueness is and clearing it up mentally. This never fails to work. I think this way of thinking has come from my day job system architecture and technical project work, where vague requirements crop up all the time and have to be identified by all stakeholders and cleared up by me by understanding what the requirement means to each stakeholder.
I also realised that what I've called the policy of rolling up my sleeves and tackling the aforementioned commitments head on to completion are the only way they get done. Sweat and tears are sometimes needed to push through something one would rather not do, there's no nice shortcut.
If a day is very busy, say interruptions, then I sometimes jot reminders down. I also use a text file as my calendar and reminder of who I'm waiting for. This text format saves me loads of time as its ultra portable and concise compared with dedicated apps.
It's been my past experience, and that of watching others using TM systems, that people will try to progress unclear or complex commitments in the form of lines of tasks, not realising that's what the tasks actually represent, and naturally feel 'resistance', then play around with the system as a proxy for progressing the tasks, and mistake a change to the way the tasks are represented for progress on the tasks. In the limit this manifests as switching to a new TM system with new rules, since any new TM implementation will, by definition, be a perfect reflection of outstanding work on its first day. Since this doesn't address the lack of clarity or complexity around those tasks it's doomed to follow the same cycle of straightforward tasks getting done and others drifting around seemingly impervious to progress, then eventually "falling off the wagon".
Once this all came together and became clear to me years ago my itch was permanently scratched and now I get everything done in what feels to be a very efficient, laid back, minimal admin way. The recent moves to a no-list system in here are slightly similar in approach, and some people appear to be experiencing some of the same results, so it'll be interesting to see if they are giving some people the same itch relief (it was like an itch that wouldn't go away for a long time, I like that metaphor!). Great question, thanks.
Chris
I found that if my commitments to others and myself are sufficiently granular and understood then it is apparent to me every day what I need to get done. If it's not apparent then I make a point of rooting out where the vagueness is and clearing it up mentally. This never fails to work. I think this way of thinking has come from my day job system architecture and technical project work, where vague requirements crop up all the time and have to be identified by all stakeholders and cleared up by me by understanding what the requirement means to each stakeholder.
I also realised that what I've called the policy of rolling up my sleeves and tackling the aforementioned commitments head on to completion are the only way they get done. Sweat and tears are sometimes needed to push through something one would rather not do, there's no nice shortcut.
If a day is very busy, say interruptions, then I sometimes jot reminders down. I also use a text file as my calendar and reminder of who I'm waiting for. This text format saves me loads of time as its ultra portable and concise compared with dedicated apps.
It's been my past experience, and that of watching others using TM systems, that people will try to progress unclear or complex commitments in the form of lines of tasks, not realising that's what the tasks actually represent, and naturally feel 'resistance', then play around with the system as a proxy for progressing the tasks, and mistake a change to the way the tasks are represented for progress on the tasks. In the limit this manifests as switching to a new TM system with new rules, since any new TM implementation will, by definition, be a perfect reflection of outstanding work on its first day. Since this doesn't address the lack of clarity or complexity around those tasks it's doomed to follow the same cycle of straightforward tasks getting done and others drifting around seemingly impervious to progress, then eventually "falling off the wagon".
Once this all came together and became clear to me years ago my itch was permanently scratched and now I get everything done in what feels to be a very efficient, laid back, minimal admin way. The recent moves to a no-list system in here are slightly similar in approach, and some people appear to be experiencing some of the same results, so it'll be interesting to see if they are giving some people the same itch relief (it was like an itch that wouldn't go away for a long time, I like that metaphor!). Great question, thanks.
Chris
April 1, 2016 at 1:45 |
Chris
Chris
avrum:
Well, here's a question for you. What sort of time management system does someone use who is a professional developer of time management systems?
On January 24th this year I wrote two blog posts. They were called:
1) New Challenge http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/1/24/new-challenge.html
2) The Evolution of Time Management Systems http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/1/24/the-evolution-of-time-management-systems.html
In them I mentioned that I had developed a new time management system and one of my reasons for starting blogging again was that I wanted to test it out. Another was that I believed the best time management system would naturally rise to the top.
Ever since then everything I've done has been in pursuit of this.
The new time management system I mentioned in these posts remains unchanged and I revert back to it after, as in the last few days, I have been testing to see if there's a better way.
I'd been using it for about a month before I wrote these blog posts, so I can only claim three months' use but I thought you might be interested.
Well, here's a question for you. What sort of time management system does someone use who is a professional developer of time management systems?
On January 24th this year I wrote two blog posts. They were called:
1) New Challenge http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/1/24/new-challenge.html
2) The Evolution of Time Management Systems http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/1/24/the-evolution-of-time-management-systems.html
In them I mentioned that I had developed a new time management system and one of my reasons for starting blogging again was that I wanted to test it out. Another was that I believed the best time management system would naturally rise to the top.
Ever since then everything I've done has been in pursuit of this.
The new time management system I mentioned in these posts remains unchanged and I revert back to it after, as in the last few days, I have been testing to see if there's a better way.
I'd been using it for about a month before I wrote these blog posts, so I can only claim three months' use but I thought you might be interested.
April 1, 2016 at 10:50 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Chris:
You make some very good points here as always. I think my books have generally speaking been closer to what you are saying than the various experiments on this website.
You make some very good points here as always. I think my books have generally speaking been closer to what you are saying than the various experiments on this website.
April 1, 2016 at 10:55 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
<< my commitments to others and myself>>
With shame, I have struggled with this. I don't use affirmations, but do find Covey's guidance:
"The more successful you are with making and keeping promises to yourself, the more you will be able to make and keep promises to others."
to be helpful. My efforts to improve in this area have paid off, a bit there, a bit there.
<<Sweat and tears are sometimes needed to push through>>
I'm about to publish book #2. Without a publishing contract, I don't think I would have made it to the "sweat and tears" stage ;)
<<it's doomed to follow the same cycle>>
Interesting observation. I've noticed the same thing.
<<Once this all came together and became clear to me...>>
Same here - but with a different focus/purpose. Once I identified my emotional touchstone - nostalgia, self-growth, etc - journaling became an integral part of my productivity system. The minutiae - tasks, etc - were secondary.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
With shame, I have struggled with this. I don't use affirmations, but do find Covey's guidance:
"The more successful you are with making and keeping promises to yourself, the more you will be able to make and keep promises to others."
to be helpful. My efforts to improve in this area have paid off, a bit there, a bit there.
<<Sweat and tears are sometimes needed to push through>>
I'm about to publish book #2. Without a publishing contract, I don't think I would have made it to the "sweat and tears" stage ;)
<<it's doomed to follow the same cycle>>
Interesting observation. I've noticed the same thing.
<<Once this all came together and became clear to me...>>
Same here - but with a different focus/purpose. Once I identified my emotional touchstone - nostalgia, self-growth, etc - journaling became an integral part of my productivity system. The minutiae - tasks, etc - were secondary.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
April 1, 2016 at 15:21 |
avrum
avrum
<<I thought you might be interested.>>
Yes, I've been following your adventure. I've always enjoyed reading about your thinking and tinkering with productivity systems, tools and rules.
Yes, I've been following your adventure. I've always enjoyed reading about your thinking and tinkering with productivity systems, tools and rules.
April 1, 2016 at 15:23 |
avrum
avrum
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System: A combination of 7 Habits (Weekly planning), DWM and a journal entry for each project I've worked on per day. The journal entry is comprised of feelings (frustrations, excitement), things accomplished, along with a bread crump - 1-2 sentences of what needs to be worked on next.
Every task - related to a project or not - receives a due date of 7 days. I'm strict about following Mark's dismissal rule.
Tools: Everything takes place in Daylite (for Mac)