Speaking of productivity, Zen Habits has been very busy with some excellent posts! Not only is there a full version and a minimal version of Zen to Done, but also a list of Top 50 Productivity Blogs (including yours truly!) Checking them all out is now on my list of things to do!

I learned of a site that provides free book summaries called WikiSummaries. Whew, it’s been a busy week for sure!

Session notes from “Lifehacks and Hipsters and GTD, Oh My!”, 13 April 2007, KLA/KASL/KAECT TriConference

Introductions

Rhonda – State Library, member of National Association of Professional Organizers

Rosemary – Ottawa Library, blogs on planning & time management at dailyplanit.wordpress.com

What do attendees hope to learn?

What type of handheld to get:

* make sure you love it – borrow before you buy

* check reviews in PC mag, epinions.com, ask friends

* essentials – calendar, contacts list, to-do

* no-tech alternative – hipster (index cards held together with binder clip) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_PDA; templates for calendar, etc. at http://www.douglasjohnston.net/templates/

* modified hipster – punched cards (like old catalog cards) held together with a binder ring

How to handle piles on desk:

* set aside uninterrupted time to sort through all; file or toss anything no longer needed in prime space

* use vertical space – stepped dividers, horizontal letter sorters, pendaflex pilesmart

* some people like ‘stuff put away’, some people like ‘stuff in view’ for current projects

* be careful using color – what happens if you run out of a needed color? try inexpensive, like sticky dots or magic marker before expensive like folders

Timely access to both personal & work info:

* planning tool needs to be portable/accessible

* try online tool like yahoo or google calendar

How to deal with multiple deadlines:

* build timeline with intermediate steps

* display timeline/project list over desk

* if projects coming from several different sources, ask them to prioritize

Efficient ways of handling to-dos:

* have ‘to-do’ folder in e-mail client to get stuff out of inbox – check regularly

* handle either in large uninterrupted chunks of time or small bits –

set a timer – can do anything for 5 minutes – depends on working style

* do immediately if it takes <2 minutes (GTD)

* use low-energy time, like end of day to review

Setting priorities:

* urgent/important matrix

* like to do/need to do matrix

o like to/need to “gems”

o don’t like to/need to “toads” – eat first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen all day

o like to/don’t need to “butterflies” – spend a lot of time chasing them

o don’t like to/don’t need to “gnats” – swat ’em!

* ‘need to do well’ vs ‘need to do quickly’

Handling e-mail (handout)

GTD:

o Book “Getting things done” by David Allen

major focus is on getting to-dos, projects, appointments, etc out of

head and into a tool (PDA, calendar, hipster, etc)

o flow chart at http://www.flickr.com/photos/koolpal/8872491/

Lifehacks – any little tricks that make life easier:

o fold under end of package tape

o even better – put paper clip under edge

o use dryer sheets to dust tops of books – dollar store package lasts all semester, pass out to kids 5 minutes before period ends and let ’em go at it. makes library smell nice, too!

o using magic marker, put a dot on student’s thumbnail to remind them to bring back overdues

o put on headphones when you don’t want to be disturbed – don’t even need to have music going

o always buy clothes with pockets!

o leave messages for yourself on home answering machine or send e-mails to yourself as reminder

o always keep calendar on same corner of desk so staff can find easily

Tools to try:
o google docs & spreadsheet for collaborative work

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

o http://www.doodle.ch for scheduling meetings

o http://www.egroupware.org alternative to GroupWise; good for

scheduling equipment, meeting rooms, etc.

o post-it portable workspace for managing projects

http://www.tammycravit.com/blog/old/index.php?s=post-it

If you remember nothing else:

o make sure you choose tools you love; if you don’t love it, you won’t use it

o find your strengths and use them

o communicate with family, co-workers, those you report to and those who report to you

The first part of April I went on a great trip to Seattle and enjoyed a wonderful visit with family in a beautiful setting that provided refreshing new views. There is a definite recovery time curve upon return from a vacation! There are many benefits from a break in routine, but getting back into a productive rhythm is a challenge. Not only do you have dig out from under the accumulation of information, new messages and piles of work, but the momentum that is built with regular work is lost and it takes time to get back up to speed. It is also necessary to make a mental switch from relaxed mode to productive mode.

Blog Barometer: Frequency of blog posting is a measure of productivity. When overwhelmed with too much to do, the result is lack of time for posting. When underwhelmed with a lack of fresh input to stimulate new ideas, the result is a lack of posts. It’s a delicate balance that seems to be critical to productivity success. It helps to have a system that allows us to keep track of what we need to do and gives us the control to Dial it up and Dial it down as needed.

A colleague and I had the opportunity today to discuss lifehacks at a conference session. There was great audience participation and they shared some wonderful ideas! Here are the lifehacks they wrote on index cards for us:

Keep all elements of a small project in a gallon ziplock bag.

Use cheap dryer sheets to dust your books and bookshelves. They can be used over and over and it leaves everything smelling great. Swiffer dusters are great too.

Have a certain place to keep things to take home from work, and to work from home. Put items in front of the door or with your keys.

Sort mail at the trash can so junk mail goes directly there instead of in a pile.

Keep white-out in your top desk drawer laying on it’s side. Every time you open the drawer, the jar rolls and keeps the white-out shaken up.

In email, create a “deal with when time” folder for those things that aren’t critical, but you’re not comfortable deleting. If you don’t go back to it then it wasn’t that important.

Keep family birthdays on PDA with alarm set for 5 days in advance. When the alarm shows up, there’s time to buy a card and mail it in time to reach them.

To sort folders on the computer: name frequently used folders with “AA” at the beginning of the file name so they sort at the top of the file list.

Display files in Explorer/My Computer as details and sort by filename, date, etc.

When library cards are mistakenly put into the wrong slots like a copy card reader or a floppy disk drive, scotch tape can be used to retrieve them. Gently put the tape in and use another card to press it down, and it will pull the card right out.

Post-it computer sticky note program.

Pin socks together when taking them off. Wash, dry and roll-no lost socks! (plus no stress in the morning!)

Great job everyone!

At Productivity 501, A Time Expert’s Perspective discusses an interview with John Robinson in the Mar/Apr issue of the Futurist magazine. He makes the point that the current level of multi-tasking that now takes place makes it more difficult to chart time use.

Another article about multi-tasking in this New York Times article describes findings from several research reports, some recently published and others not yet published. Ironically, while technology contributes to information overload, it also provides tools to handle it when used wisely. Learn to manage the tools rather than letting them manage you.

Update: More about multi-tasking from The Daily Saint and the Instigator Blog

Added this post about Behance’s Action Method Process from Productivity 501 to my articles about Action Steps, Projects and Time to Act.

A post at OrganizeIT about productivity got me thinking: What would a productivity attitude look like? I’m picturing a “can do” attitude. This attitude can be flipped on and off like a switch. I think of creativity this way too. It’s simply a matter of realizing we all have the ability and saying “yes” to it. And then the switch is turned on. Of course we can all be productive. Just say “yes.”