Get Everything Done

After numerous monthes of testing I am happy to tell you that FV still works very well with me.

But as you know I love simple systems. I love Leonard de Vinci and read and see every thing I can about him, I love MF for their simplicity with a real affection for AF and FV, I love GTD for it 5 process butit drove me nut in processing and acting.

However, FV bloqued me in some details. So I could not resist to make some little improvements, even they are not significant and revolutionary, they really help me day by day to be better in what I do.

So as I also love this forum, I wanted to share my particular way whith you. First at all ! (I even did not write it on my blog ! ;-)

So this is what I have discovered (I hope you won't be desapointed it is so simple...) :

1. I noticed than one of a key system key is to collect all in one place. So I use a A5 paper bounded notebook (a Rhodia but could be a Molesquine) I use jane westman method for this : http://www.inc.com/magazine/19960901/1807.html

ie page dated per day, left page for notes + folders for details) and right page for tasks. I simply report them as they come what ever ie W, calls and so on.

So I precise my thinking on the left page and action tasks are just listed one by one exactly like she explained, on the right page.

2. For acting I have a bit modified MF rules. I use the" stand out AF system" to catch the first item of the list. Then I follow FV rules ie what do I want to do before x until the last item of the list. It actives my intuition and my rationality...

Then I have a close list dated day per day and doted, which helps me to follow everything ie all I am attending from other, all I promised, all I really want to do.

3. Then I do things as in FV from the end to the beginning. 1 project by one doing my best. Tryning to do one thing at a time. Avoiding multitasking. If I am interupted I take a note...

4. At the end of the week I do a weekly review. I eliminate all I can.I keep only what is really worth for next week. And I use MF rules ie put a circle cross at the beginning of the first actionable left page, all what is before is now archived but can be red at any moment.

I also glue new blanc pages so I can re use my note book for others project. It usualy takes me about an hour. The purpous is then to eliminate, to collect new projects and items, to list my most important projects for the next incoming week. To take care about dead lines and dated events such a the tax or a call to do because the person is reachable only this day... I keep my diary as clean as I can so I can see at a glance my appointement and big rocks and intermediary check point about my crucial projects.

5. When the list becomes long I use JW system ie new list reported from the old one and new items I think about

6. I plan in my diary my core projects for acting

7. Each day I never work over a hand of project ie 5 project max.

I noticed some real improvement in my thinking and acting. First like leonard de Vinci my left page is very interesting. Is is covered of ideas, new informations, improovements and so on....
Also all un usefull items are crossed

Secont my right pages are very interesting too. some time there is no dots on a page then after some pass I often decide to cross the all page which is considered as finished done or not. All unusefull items are also crossed

So on my notebook there is nothing but what is really worth for me. Of course it never leaves my office. Of course it is also archived year per year so I can refer to a conversation even years before and follow imprtant information

When I get a new note book I keep the old one for reference until there is nothing interesting. It goes then in my library and is dated with a stick

With this system my note book is the most important part of my organisation. It is my collector. all important infos goes there wherever they come (computer, conversation and so on) if I need some more information about something I simply write (projet X, paper (or file) folder numberx ) and I get the folder as It come

Hope you will like it. Please feel free to tell me what do you think about it and if you have any ideas I could do for improving my system. I am still searching. I will read MF new book asap when it will really be available if possible on paper. I like books.

Kinds regards

Thanks for this, Jupiter. It's very useful to me - I use FV constantly, but not with the intensity your bring to it.

Resolved, as a result of reading this:

- to put more work into planning
- to treat my notebook more seriously, and use the left and right pages in the way that you and Jane Westman recommend.

Chris

Happy it helped you. As I had no comments I thought this topic interested no one....

Since, I have made an improvement ie keeping in Omnifocus my projects. It helps me to plan them and also to add steps which are automaticaly planned or re planned. About OF's contexts I dont really use them except that I use a today list, a weekly list, a planned list and a someday list wich is like a general list. There is no real difference with jane westman system or AF or even FV for I have a created perspective wich show me my all list at a glance. So I can treat it as an AF, TF, JW list.

I see many advantages about putting my tasks and projects in OF.
1. It is operational everywhere, every time and I can work on it at any time
2. It is great for weekly reviews
3. It is less a mess than putting all on my paper note book

But it has some disadvantages
1. Il loose the sense of priorities so I have to do more frequent review
2. Working on a computer is tiring even if it is faster

I will see if it goes on. I know that I am still learning every day. So I test and test again until all will work perfectly. Sometime we are like edison. We fell a thousan time for a little succes...

Just to say that I let down digital systems for returning to paper which gives me a real control about things. Paper has a special effect with me. It free my intuition and creativity. Digital are like a Bottomless pit. I forget everything. I loose the global sense of things. I proscrastinate. I spend too much time planning, and loosing my time than acting. And it is so easy to update my stuff and so fast. Well, well... Let's see how will this evoluate. I it does not work I will find another way.