A couple of months ago I posed a little question on Twitter, having spent quite a bit of time figuring out how best to categorize Organize IT. I was surprised by the number of people who responded with their opinions and preferences. Productivity, personal development, lifestyle design, or other? What’s the name for all of this? What are all us bloggers actually writing about? And does it really matter what it gets called? Of course not, but it would be interesting to see what the general consensus is…
When I started the blog in 2006, it was all about the productivity, fueled by the discovery of a little known book called Getting Things Done. But over time, that mindset started to manifest itself in all sorts of places, from my finances to my health, and even just how I kept my home tidy and organized. Was it still productivity, or had I graduated to something else?
Lifestyle design seems to be a popular term nowadays, after it got popularized by Tim Ferriss and his 4-Hour Work Week, but judging by the replies I got on Twitter, the old school term of personal development still seems pretty popular as a catch-all term. Personally it reminds me too much of affirmations, positive thinking and that whole self-help stereotype, but that’s just me.
What term do you prefer, and why? Maybe it’s one I’ve not already mentioned. Share your thoughts in the comments below, on Facebook or via Twitter. As ever I look forward to all of your opinions!
January 14, 2010 at 06:22PM
Productivity seems very specific, a little too bushiness sounding personally. I agree with you regarding personal development, though it does best encapsulate everything. It just has a certain stigma attached to it, so in that regard I would have to choose lifestyle design.
January 15, 2010 at 10:19AM
Hmm, It’s all just words. I mean u could even a throw in touches of simplicity and minimalism, however I don’t think anything really can be under one category.
How about this… you’re a giver! You share your knowledge and passion with everyone and you don’t expect anything back. It’s basically what ever makes you feel good.
January 15, 2010 at 10:35AM
I like your suggestion, Greg.
True, it’s all just words at the end of the day, but consider how successful David Allen would have been in comparison if he hadn’t tagged his GTD book under ‘stress-free productivity’.
Minimalism and simplicity could certainly fit in there. I’m sure Leo of Zen Habits would agree about that one.
January 15, 2010 at 12:33PM
For me, it’s all about reducing stress by having a trusted system outside of that silly little brain of mine that can’t be trusted with anything important. It’s a structured approach to tackling whatever life throws my way, and that includes a few good tools to help me stay on top of it all. It’s not so much productivity (do more faster) as it is getting a complete overview from which I can choose what to do and equally important, what NOT to do right now. The use of GTD style projects and next actions helps me forget less important stuff and makes my life more streamlined.
Following the GTD school of self-management, the things most of value to me are the inboxes (collect everything), the weekly review (process all loose ends regularly) and the concept of contexts – what can I do right here, right now.
Lifestyle design seems to encompass much more than techniques and tips for handling your workload. I’m thinking interior design, fashion, what sporting activities to pursue, etc.
Now,do I have a better tag for it? I’m afraid not. At some point, it all becomes very meta to describe the area of activities that helps you manage the work related to your job and other commitments.
January 21, 2010 at 05:37AM
Great question, James! I really had trouble with this when I first started my blog and tried to list it in blogging directories. Even though it was only two years ago, most didn’t even have a category that I really fit in at all. The closest on some was ‘self-help’ or ‘house & home’.
When I revamped my blog recently, I tried to answer this question again, but eventually I gave up and figured it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I still lean more toward it being an organizational blog myself, since I feel it covers anything from physically organizing a room, to mental organization, to personal habits, to keeping yourself personally more organized.
In the end, I’m still just a girl with funny hair talking to the internet!
January 21, 2010 at 09:10PM
Thanks for the comment Caitlin. I’ve found too that trying to categories this blog on directories and the like, has been difficult. Not many of them even have a self-help category.
January 25, 2010 at 07:45AM
There are many buzzwords that grow out of whats hot, like Tim’s book, but at the end of the day, it’s still productivity.