Organize IT

Regular readers of this blog will know how effective I believe next actions are. It’s a concept I first came across in GTD and while at it’s core it essentially involves breaking your work down (hardly a new idea) it goes further in that it helps you to be clear on what exactly you are doing and what physical action is involved. David Allen describes it as, “the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.” If there is one tip for being more productive that I could suggest it would be this one.

Organize IT recap for 27th June 2008.

• Thinking positively is a big deal but as with many things there is always a catch. Even with positive thinking there is always that destructive side to it that you can slip into, such as confusing positivity with trying to please everyone. Positivity Blog cover three of those such traps. I think it’s very important that the alternative side of these sorts of issues gets covered because it helps us to get the right balance, which is one of the reasons why I do my self-help myths series.
• I’ve gained a lot more interest in the 80/20 rule recently thanks to its coverage in the Four Hour Work Week so when I came across an article that applied it to what you eat I was immediately intrigued. The author worked out what 20% of his food was causing 80% of his weight gain and went from there. Just goes to show what the principle can be applied to. Have you come across any quirky implementation of it?
• What if you are organized and your partner isn’t? One of the biggest dilemmas for any de-clutterer is having to deal with a partner who doesn’t share your enthusiasm for a streamlined home. I’ve had a few emails asking for my thoughts on the issue and will be publishing a new Clutter 101 post in the near future on that very topic. In the meantime Unclutterer has some very good advice to keep you going.

Last week I discussed several techniques to help you keep promises to yourself, whether it be with sticking to your decision to work on a project or as a motivational tool in your efforts to build new habits. One of those techniques was to treat your promises almost like a business/legal contract. We don’t readily look to break those sorts of contracts so it makes sense to apply the same principle to your own personal work and growth. Shanel Yang commented on that post, using her legal background to leave a great, authentic example contract. This gave me a great idea to take that example and turn it into a contract template for everyone to use.

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Productivity bloggers love to go on about getting up early. After some GTD loving, sleep is probably the most discussed topic out there… except here. Is this where I’m going wrong? Anyways, why is it so important whether you drag your body out of bed at midday, 8AM or even (ouch!) 5AM? Apparently, from those who do it on a daily basis it is supposed to make you more productive, if only for the reason that you get more stuff done with less distractions because the rest of the world is still (wasting time) sleeping.

Last week I finally bought The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Like Getting Things Done it has something of a cult following. Though I’m only a quarter of the way through I’m already seeing some intriguing ideas that I will no doubt be discussing in the near future. In the meantime I’ve collated a selection of quotes from the book to give you an idea of what it’s all about.