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productivity

Productivity: Remember The Milk!

    I am loving RTM.

    I will admit it now. I am a list-maker. I am a BIG list-maker. I make mega lists and they get so big I get overwhelmed and get lost in the volume of what has to be done when.

    Robert Plank has tried to get me to stick to the FOUR THINGS philosophy.

    I’ve tried lots of to-do list systems, the egg-timer method, the pomadoro technique, Getting Things Done and all types of productivity systems like Franklin Covey, Priority Management and more.

    Here’s what I know: ALL the systems work. It’s just that we (I) do not work the system! And hence we get out of control quickly, forget things, procrastinate, end up in a time crunch and don’t get enough done. You know the story.

    Well, I rediscovered Remember The Milk after flirting with it years ago. And IRead More »Productivity: Remember The Milk!

    Double Your Income : Double Your Time Off

      If you could design your ideal life all over again, would it have more work days or more free time?

      Dan Sullivan’s technique for substantially increasing your income is based on increasing your time off and working more intensely when you are at ‘work’. For entrepreneurs and executives the principle is to develop and train others to progressively require your input less and less.

      To get more free days or time off, plug it in your diary and make it non-negotiable. Schedule in the days and weeks you want off ahead of time.

      Sullivan allocates time according to three types:

      1. Free Days – a period from midnight to to the next midnight when you are not accessible to work and do no work related activity. No ‘checking in’, no checking emails, no reading professional magazines or books, no mobile phone or cell phone. ThisRead More »Double Your Income : Double Your Time Off

      How To Be More Productive, Part 4

        Ok, so my notes from the Helen Raptoplous call have identified:

        1. each day do four things you can complete towards your main current project
        2. then do the regular things you need to do consistently – daily, weekly, monthly activities
        3. then, if scheduled, do your block period of focused attention on a big project
        4. finally, if scheduled, take the day to plan, flesh out ideas or build systems

        That’s kind of the priority order of undertaking actions every day to progress.

        A key plank in this methodology (in my view in any time management or productive endeavour) is to have accountability.

        Robert Plank introduced us to this concept in one of his courses where he encouraged us to set up an accountability membership site. The idea was to buddy up with someone, declare your fourRead More »How To Be More Productive, Part 4

        How To Be More Productive, Part 3

          Last time, I shared with you the steps beyond ‘the four things’ formula that Helen Raptoplous talked about on the call. They were, taking consistent action on your regular tasks, scheduling blocks of time to work on bigger projects, and dedicating a day or two to for planning, ideas and systems.

          Personally, as we went through the call, I found Helen’s presentation of the information a little confusing and overwhelming. Robert Plank’s explanation of his system was way too simplified when I first heard it and so initially I didn’t get it; but when you do get it, it’s brilliant in it’s simple effectiveness. Helen’s method accommodates all those other things you need to do in business beyond the 4 Things.

          What I did like about Helen’s call was that she stopped 3/4 of the way into the call to get people to brainstorm all the projectsRead More »How To Be More Productive, Part 3

          How To Be More Productive, Part 2

            Last time, we talked about the 4 Things Theory and how to apply that. It’s based on the premise that if you focus on doing 4 specific things a day that move you forward then you will progress more easily.

            There are, however, times when you need to do more than the 4 things. There are regular tasks that need to be done, like your annual tax return, that won’t go away and must be completed. Today we continue my notes from a talk by Helen Raptoplous.

            1. Take time to make a list of what you need to do consistently to move forward. Set up a schedule to make sure they get done.

            How To Be More Productive, Part 1

              I sat in on a call with Helen Raptoplous recently and she did a good job of extending Robert Plank’s productivity philosophy. Plank is a prodigious producer of content on the web so he has learned a thing or two about how to do more in as short a time as possible. Thought I’d share my notes from the call with you.

              This Part 1 on How To Be More Productive is Helen’s take on the Plank 4 Things Theory, with her own enhancements.

               

              1. Be really clear on what you need to work on. Focus on only one priority project at a time
              2. Start each day knowing what things need to be done. Have a list of four things that you can actually complete in one day. One of those things should relate to your highest priority project. The other three thingsRead More »How To Be More Productive, Part 1