Organize IT

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I’m finally back from my honeymoon, not nearly as tanned as I hoped to be, but certainly recharged despite the free bar! Naturally, there was lots of thinking back to my wedding in July and the whole complicated deal of arranging everything. Though I didn’t realize it at the time I learned a few valuable tips about Parkinson’s law and the whole process of setting effective deadlines. As an example of what I’m talking about I will refer to two of the biggest tasks my wife felt confident enough to give me (big mistake!), those being sorting out the music and writing my speech.

This guest post was written by Jay Frawley.

We all have the greatest of expectations when we begin a new day. We map out what we’re going to do with our time the night before, right down to the last detail. We wake up and get in the right frame of mind by deciding that today is going to be super productive. It all starts out great… and then something goes wrong.

This guest post was written by Jay Frawley.

Many of the best selling productivity books out there come with a one size fits all mentality that is hard for everyone with their varied lifestyles to apply. For instance, experts tell you to take your most important task (MIT’s) and do them first thing in the morning and get them off your plate. I am sure this works well for certain people, but I am willing to bet some of David Allen’s money that it does not suit a large portion of society. This article is for those people who do not want to get up at 4AM anymore, pretending it is the best time to be awake while downing a Red Bull just to keep both eyes open. Read on, I promise sleep and productivity in one plan.

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Simplifying is very popular right now – with many even saying it’s the new productivity – and with good reason too. Nowadays we get bombarded with stuff everywhere we go, whether it be via the zillion channels on TV and radio, the squillion blogs that cover every potential interest you might have or the bazillion emails filling up your inbox… Too. Much. Input. Most of it is crap too. Sorry, but it’s true. You know that massive TV subscription you have? How many channels do you actually watch regularly? How many of those emails can be deleted without a second glance? I could go on but I think it would be more interesting if you guys share your own input dilemmas. Yes, it’s great to have so much choice but that doesn’t mean it’s all quality.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, especially me because thanks to being a productive so-and-so I was on top of everything. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, the blog was updated, the paperwork was all filed at work and the glass of port was on the table for Santa (with strict instructions that I wasn’t to touch it). Why do I write about personal productivity and being organized? Why do I care about making the most of my time and working as efficiently as possible? Why do I come up with cheesy productivity themed parodies of classic Christmas carols?