Organize IT recap for 21st March 2008

• On Wednesday I asked whether personal development can (and should) be taught in schools. I’ve received some very interesting comments, so I just want to draw attention back to it and keep the discussion going. In the near future I will take a look at what elements would be appropriate for teaching. Who knows, maybe we can create a full course.
• While the internet is an invaluable tool, it can also be one big time waster. If you feel you aren’t being efficient with your browsing then this guide covering five tools for tracking your time will be of interest to you.
• The principles behind GTD can be used in many walks of live but what about computer games? Or specifically MMORPGs like World Of Warcraft and Guild Wars. If you are interested, here is an imaginative guide to using GTD in those such games (thanks to GTD Times for discovering it). Expect my guide to using GTD with The Sims soon.
• Over at Unclutterer, Leo of Zen Habits has written a guest post detailing how to create a minimalist workspace. He has a picture showing his current setup and while a part of me loves of the clutter free layout, it also seems a little sterile and uninspiring. Does anyone else feel the same way? At what point does simplification and minimalism actually become as problematic as a cluttered mess?

Organize IT recap for 14th March 2008

• Have you read my post about flaws in the GTD system yet? If you haven’t please do, and be sure to share your thoughts. It’s had a lot of feedback so I hope to do a best comments special in the near future…
• There is another top 100 list of productivity blogs on the scene which is well worth checking out. Some of them are also on my own list, but a lot are new to me so I think another update is due!
• Will brain fitness be the next big advancement in health? It’s certainly an industry that has grown rapidly over the last few years. Would you be interested in mixing physical exercise with a mental workout whenever you visit the gym? Let us know!
• The Positivity blog has a fascinating look into Bruce Lee’s top seven fundamentals for getting your life in shape. This is well worth a read as every single point is spot on.

Organize IT recap for 07th March 2008

• It’s on! A few weeks ago I asked you, my loyal readers, to share what you felt was wrong about GTD, and what you didn’t like about it. Now it’s my turn. As promised, on Monday I will publish my own thoughts. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out!
• In preparation for me bringing out my overly-critical side, LifeDev has a nice, friendly collection of reasons why you should adopt GTD in your life.
• David Allen has released a new audiobook. It’s a three CD set covering the weekly review. Its length is three hours… what can he possibly say about the weekly review that could last that long? David’s site has audio previews to check out, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
• In what will be a good news for all simplicity fans everywhere, USA Today has a post discussing how due to the slow economy people are increasingly cutting down on small pleasures. It’s now cooler to not spend, apparently. Agree?

Organize IT recap for 29th February 2008

• It’s interview central at the moment. Firstly Zen Habits has an exclusive interview with Stephen Covey of 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People fame. Next Web Worker Daily has an equally impressive three part discussion with David Allen, who you will no doubt know as the man behind Getting Things Done. Both links will make for fascinating reading.
• It’s all the rage in the business world nowadays to do more with less. That’s all well and good until you find yourself having to serve five impatient customers at once or trying to juggle between an handful of high priority projects at the same time. I’m seeing ripples of discontent towards this attitude at the moment and a lot is being written dismissing it. Lifehack.org has one such article worth checking out. What are your thoughts on current business trends?
• 7P Productions has a very good primer on Getting Things Done. In a recent post asking what readers disliked about GTD, many of you commented on its complexity and how difficult it was to implement it, so posts like this that distill GTD down are always very useful.

Organize IT recap for 22nd February 2008

• If you haven’t already contibuted to my post asking what you don’t like about GTD, then please do so, I’d really appreciate it! So far a common theme coming out of it is the complexity and difficulty of implementing GTD out of the box. Do you agree?
• While I’m on the topic of what people don’t like about GTD, the Success Making Machine blog has a post looking at some of those very issues, including its complexity and weak focus on life management.
• LifeClever has an idea called the prep card. I’ve lost track of all the meetings and interviews I’ve had where I’d go in all motivated to stand up for myself and then a tricky question would come up and I’d completely forget about all my preperations. This prep card idea is definately useful, though I think it’s scope can definately be extended to other areas.
• This Cracked article about five common body myths your mom told you may be jokey but it’s something I can relate to, especially the one about cold weather. My mom still tells me that one! Have any of you guys come across other body myths your parents told you?
• Leo from over at Zen Habits has released a new e-book. Here I am struggling away on my first one and he’s already done his second If you are a fan of his work or admire the incredible rise of his blog you can buy his book here.