Have you mastered productivity?

To achieve a black belt level of productivity, there are eleven skills to master.

Productivity Levels (pdf)

Eleven important skills to master for productivity:
1. Capturing
2. Emptying
3. Tossing
4. Acting now
5. Storing
6. Scheduling
7. Listing
8. Interrupting
9. Switching
10. Warning
11. Reviewing
Evaluate yourself in each of these areas – which level of skill do you have?
1. White Belt – Beginner
2. Green Belt – Novice
3. Brown Belt – Expert
4. Black Belt – Master
White Belt at the white belt level, you:
Rely on memory, let email/voicemail pile up indefinitely, and have difficulty letting anything go. Don’t use a calendar or to-do list, and have no early warning system to trigger actions. Either fail to act or act on the wrong things and don’t complete them. Don’t do a regular review.
Green Belt at the green belt level, you:
Use a mix of memory & scraps of paper, with piles of notes in various places. Email and voicemail are rarely de-cluttered, and some things are tossed occasionaly. Attempt to put everything into system, rather than acting on small items immediately. Use folders, can connect item on schedule or list to folder. Can sometimes find needed information. Use calendar for appointments/meetings and maintain a single list. Sometimes uses alarms, timers, tickler file for reminders. Sometimes check lists/schedule before selecting next task. Have begun to think of how to prevent problems, and do infrequent, unplanned reviews.
Brown Belt at the brown belt level, you:
May have multiple points of capture that are not always available. Have a better systems for notes, and sometimes de-clutter areas. Know how to set limits, but sometimes spend too much time on a single item. Have a good set-up for files and can usually find needed information. Update and refer to calendars regularly. Maintain several lists by may fail to monitor them regularly. Often remember to use reminders. Most actions are based on lists or schedule. Are aware of warning triggers, but may fail to notice them. Do frequent planned reviews of contents of system but not the system itself.
Black Belt at the black belt level, you:
Use a single device for capture that is always available. Have a paper, electronic, or combination system chosen. Notes are always accessible, move to next step, empties religiously, never overwhelmed. Always look for stuff that can be eliminated. Are skillful at selecting & acting on small items. Able to see the next step and quickly enter into system. Can quickly and easily find needed information. Files are organized, and essential information is backed up. Use a calendar for planning & multiple activities. Keep essential lists easily accessible and continually add to & refer to them. Regularly use many different methods of reminders. Always consider the best action to take with priorities and available resources, and follow through to completion. Maintain a set number of tasks, paper piles, and email. Monitor warning triggers regularly. Daily content reviews and regular system reviews.

This post was originally inspired by The 2Time Mgt Blog, now 2time-sys.com.

see also: “Ready to Test for Your Belt?” from MarkTaw.com.

About dailyplanit

I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.