Tools for Thought

A traditional to do list and a next actions list are superficially similar, but there are a couple of key differences worth noting: Many of the individual items found on a to do list are multiaction tasks, or what in GTD are called projects. Even something as mundane a “Buy wedding gift” would be considered [...]

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Information overload is a misnomer. Whatever new information channels emerge over time, overload is the inability to prioritize. This was as true in the 18th Century as it is in the 21st Century. Anyone afflicted with information overload is preoccupied with information’s value rather than its relevance. Most information is valuable to the right person [...]

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Time management is essential to getting things done efficiently, but not necessarily effectively. That distinction might seem academic, but having seen just how deeply people treat time and output as synonymous, I want to take a closer look at the premise that more time spent on a task equals more productivity. If only I had [...]

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Productivity is more than a productivity system. No matter how much you externalize your thinking, your mind still has to take responsibility for managing that thinking. Calendars and list managers are simply storage media for relieving the overhead of remembering what you have to do, making it easier to make strategic choices about which action [...]

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Whether you’re a writer, artist, scientist, or just a sentient human being, almost nothing helps stimulate the thinking and creative process more than good notebook — provided it’s actually used. In a recent post, Time, Attention and Creative Work, Merlin Mann issued the following warning about notebooks for erstwhile creatives: A notebook is basically the [...]

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One of the blank spots in the Getting Things Done system is the lack of a method for handling repetitive tasks, like exercising or writing. If done regularly enough, these routines would become familiar enough that not doing them would be an anomaly and feel odd. The trick is getting to that point in the [...]

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Not everyone needs a structured task management system. If you live on a farm or a monastery, you’re probably familiar enough with your daily routine, can be reasonably certain that it’s not likely to change, and don’t expect many interruptions to take you off course. For the rest of us, it helps to have at [...]

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Lawrence of Arabia: I was thinking. Ali: You were drifting. Lawrence: Yes. It will not happen again. Ali: Be warned! You were drifting. Lawrence: It will not happen again! Most office workers don’t have T.E. Lawrence’s problem. On the contrary, the main problem with working in an office is managing and minimizing the interruptions that [...]

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One important faculty worth developing that gets overlooked is a tolerance for getting less done. That doesn’t mean setting a low level of accomplishment as a standard. It means making the most of the time or energy you have at your disposal, which will often be less than what you planned. You expect to have [...]

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By now, the concept of batching is familiar to nearly everyone who reads productivity books and blogs. Usually batching is illustrated with a specific repetitive process, like checking email. By checking email fewer times each day in the most infrequent intervals possible (this might be once a day for some, every two hours for others). [...]

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