Ahh, the ever uphill battle of personal productivity. Selecting from the bevy of time management or productivity systems out there alone will suck the life out of your productive time without missing a beat. Everyone's got an opinion about what works and what doesn't and everyone's pretty gung-ho about why. So should dan throw his proverbial hat into the mix? Yes. Should he throw his actual hat into the mix? I'm not exactly sure how I would go about doing that...
Regardless of the system, I've been able to identify some key factors that they all agree on or have in common. Let's take a look at those, shall we?
- Simple is better. The more simple your system, the easier it is to track in your noggin and the more likely you'll be to stick to it.
- Planning is necessary. Each one has a different idea about how this should work, but planning is planning. You can't just DO without thinking it through first.
- Planning too much is stupid. So if you spend your whole time planning something, you'll never actually DO it. I'm well aware that I just pulled the all-caps "do" out twice. Don't over think it...it just is.
That's what the majority of popular purveyors of organizing systems seem to agree on (say that three times fast). I'll add my own bonus pointers as well:
- It doesn't matter what system you use...just have one. If your goal is better time management and productivity, I'm sorry but you're going to have to be systematic about it. Doctor's orders.
- Don't carve that system in stone. I've gone from Day-timer to Franklin to Palm to what I do now (see below). I've settled on something that's working well for me, but I'm still not locked in. As my lifestyle changes or someone smart comes up with something cooler, I can adapt my system at any time all ninja-like.
- The system has to disappear. There is no spoon, my Friends. Your system will never be effective unless it becomes second nature and you don't have to spend much time thinking about it.
So what system do I use now, you are asking? I use what works for me. I believe that no one organizing/time management/productivity system is all-powerful. But rather that the key is to take elements from each that work for you and combine them into your own souped-up custom jobbie that works for you, and probably you alone. My personal dan hack is as follows:
Base System: A combination of David Allen's Getting Things Done, Stephen Covey's Franklin Planner System, and my own mojo. I use elements of Franklin for defining my overarching roles and goals in life, then I use a lot of GTD for my day to day project and task management. This just gets more exciting by the moment, huh?
Tools: My tools are really just a series of documents, software, and doodads that help me keep my brain from exploding; which wouldn't take much even with my relatively simple life. I'd like to, over time, write reviews or opinion pieces for each of these...but that falls into my "maybe/someday" category of things to do. For now, a list and a brief description of how I use them:
Apple PowerBook running OS X: Yes, I'm a Mac guy. But the important thing to note is that my computer is probably central in how I manage my life. Everyone will have a different central tool, but since the majority of the work I do is on the computer anyway, it makes sense that my system would revolve around the computer as well. I choose Mac OS X because it's simple, reliable, and beautiful. And friggin cool. Let's not forget friggin cool.
Blackberry Pearl: So I don't use this in the way you might think. For me, my smartphone is simply an extension of my computer. I chose a smartphone because I wanted the means to reference the information that I have on my computer like calendars, notes, contacts, etc, without having to lug my computer or an electronic organizer around. The Pearl was perfect for me because it's small...basically a phone that also functions as a planner; not the other way around. I don't do a lot of data entry or communicating with this; I mainly use it to reference information that I otherwise wouldn't have with me.
Moleskine Notebook: These may be trendy (or maybe you've never heard of them), but I fell in love with these little things before they were cool. Or, well, before I knew they were cool. Anyway, this is second only to my PowerBook in terms of what is central to how I manage this mess of a life of mine. I write everything in here that I collect while I'm out; addresses, appointments, ideas, notes. Little doodles of tattoo ideas. Everything. When I'm away from my computer, and sometimes when I'm right in front of it, this is my information collection thingy. Added bonus? Transferring information back to my computer involves reviewing and reinforcing so I'll actually remember that idea or useless tidbit later.
Apple Mail, iCal, Address Book: Though I have other task-specific software that I use, these are the the general applications that I use to manage my life and workflow. Don't I sound all official? I choose these three mostly because I'm Steve Jobs' personal bitch and I have to buy or use everything that comes out of Cupertino. But secondary to that, I just like simple, easy to use applications that do everything I want them to do and nothing I don't.
These are my basic tools. I've got others, like some software I'm testing from The Omni Group called OmniFocus to manage my projects and actions (more on that later once it's in beta). In fact, I use four of their applications at this point. Aaand, I'm about to go off on a tangent, so I'll stop now. The point is, I have some software and hardware tools that I use for other tasks, but the ones listed above are pretty much the basics. If you're interested in knowing more about what I use for other things, email me.
So, my friends...let's hear it in the comments. What do you do to keep track of your lives, personal or work? Do you have a system at all? Do you feel that you need one?