Organize IT

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The to-do list is perhaps one of the oldest staples for anybody trying to get organized and productive. Whether it’s on paper or as part of an app, it’s such a simple concept – write down a list of things you need to do and tick them off as you complete them. Unfortunately, as our workload has got more complicated and large over the years, so too as the traditional to-do list. It can take a little bit more thought and organization to make it work and that can cause problems. So, I thought I’d create a list of the most common problems I’ve come across and how you can fix them.

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Welcome to the second part of my series looking at techniques to help achieve an efficient mind sweep (part one can be found here). As the name suggest, a mind sweep involves you capturing down any loose thoughts – whether it be a creative idea, something to do, things to remember, problems that require your attention – onto something external to your brain like a notebook, PDA, iPhone, etc.

If I had to choose two books that have most influenced what I write about here at Organize IT, it would have to be Getting Things Done and The 4-Hour Work Week. Very mainstream and unoriginal I know, but there is a reason why they’ve sold so well. For me personally, as a package deal they complement each other well. GTD helps with how I do my work and 4HWW helps with cutting out all the junk so I can focus on the most important things.

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The mind sweep (or mind dump) is a key part of GTD. In fact I would say it’s a key part of getting productive in general and living a healthy, stress-free lifestyle. In basic terms it is a way of getting thoughts out of your head onto something external so that you can organize and process them appropriately.

The most important part of the day is the morning. How you function in those first couple of hours sets the tone for the entire day. If you’re trying to be productive this is doubly important. Jumping out of bed, throwing on your suit and rushing out of the door with a slice of toast between your teeth isn’t going to set the best tone for your day. What I do instead is take five minutes to recap and apply my five favorite guidelines. What are your own guidelines for a productive day?