Organize IT recap for 12th June 2009.

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Organize IT recap for 03rd April 2009.

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Organize IT recap for 20th February 2009.

• The productivity backlash seems to be continuing, with Jonathan at Illuminated Mind taking an excellent look at why it’s a huge waste of time. This is probably one of the best reads on the issue in a long while, though it brings up an interesting point about the definition of productivity in general. I’ve long since moved away from the more business-y perspective of productivity (measuring my performance based on how much I get done, for instance), even though I still use the term to describe what I do now. What is your definition of (personal) productivity?
• The more people I talk to the more I find that they are  increasingly turning to good old pen and paper to get organized. As if to emphasize the point Kevin Brune shared his GTD evolution from cellphones and Blackberries to a totally paper based setup. Of particular note is how he says he prefers being able to physically cross out a completed task, which is in my opinion should be a key motivational element of any setup.
• Making It All Work is a couple of months old by now but if you’ve yet to check the book out Bnet has an entire feature including a video of Allen personally explaining it. Be sure to check out my own review on Monday!
• I like Muji stationary and storage devices. Don’t know how popular they are because I’ve not heard anyone else mention them before but I recently found out that they had released something called the Chronotebook. It’s basically a blank notebook but each page has a analog clock print in the middle. As the article says, it’s the simplest manifestation of what a day planner is all about: time on paper. I want one!

Organize IT recap for 16th January 2009.

• On Monday I plan to release my next ebook. In a similar vein to my Clutter 101 book, this will be a radically updated and expanded collection of my productivity tips series to date. I plan to do several more ebooks as that series grows. There will be a small price to pay but I hope you find it’s more than worth it. The link to purchase it will be released to my RSS subscribers first so be sure to join in to stay in the loop!
• In typical Daily Mail fashion the headline is slightly misleading, but apparently scientists say depression is good for you. There is quite a difference between depression and just having the blues, but the point is embracing our miserable side rather than medicating it can leave us more motivated to improve our lives when we come through the other side. This is something I’ve considered for a while. Whenever I’ve had a rough few days or weeks I always find myself much more motivated when things start to pick up. What are your thoughts on this contentious issue?
• Gone are the days when I’d simply bookmark sites in the browser itself. Now I use Delicious and because I can tag all my links it makes things much more organized. With this in mind, Ken Clark has several clever ways for using Delicious to get things done. For instance, you can keep a list of books to read by bookmarking the relevant pages at Amazon.
• The Four Hour Work Week is one of my favorite productivity books, nearly up there with GTD. The parts about the 80/20 rule and Parkinson’s law, while fairly simply, have made a big difference to me. However, the rest of the book is a bit patchy. Trying to achieve an exciting, alternative lifestyle is great until the day-to-day practicalities start to kick in. Katy at Flipping Heck! brings up one such example regarding using email autoresponders. What is your take on The Four Hour Work Week?

Organize IT recap for 07th November 2008.

• Lifehack.org has a great look at productivity myths that hold you back. This is well worth a read because, as with most things in life, those little myths are often what holds you back. For instance, one such myth is that you need inspiration to work. This is the sort of logic that causes people to never move forward with anything in their lives. Inspiration and creativity always comes as long as you just start working.
• Unsurprisingly, everybody seems to be talking about Barack Obama at the moment. I guess being president elect will have that effect on you. GTD In Academia picked up on a very interesting New York Times piece covering an overheard conversation between Obama and the Tory leader David Cameron during a trip to the UK. It’s very intriguing because of the rare insight into how politicians work and stay productive.
• The September Issue of Fortune Magazine reviewed three productivity gurus, Stephen Covey, David Allen and James Loehr. Thanks to Rob Thompson, you can view it online (GTD Times have also discussed it). The article provides a nice summary of each system and further emphasizes the point that no one system will fit your life entirely.
• What is the best time management advice ever? Is it to keep track of the work you’re doing? Or does it involve cutting out those bad, time wasting habits? If you think it’s the latter, then according to the Big Fat Guru you may be on the right track. In fact, he claims the best time management advice ever is to… watch less TV. When you consider that the average person in the UK watches 28 hours of TV a week, it’s hard not to agree.