Lifehack: "If there is anything that I have learned from trying to become “more productive” and “doing” GTD over the last few years is that you are only as productive as the weakest part in your system. Your system can be anything really; it doesn’t have to be a mass of expensive online and digital tools, it can be a crappy notebook and pen as long as you are using and reviewing as much as you need to keep things out of your head and moving forward.
Friday, April 08, 2011
The Power of the List: Essential Lists for Productivity
Lifehack: "If there is anything that I have learned from trying to become “more productive” and “doing” GTD over the last few years is that you are only as productive as the weakest part in your system. Your system can be anything really; it doesn’t have to be a mass of expensive online and digital tools, it can be a crappy notebook and pen as long as you are using and reviewing as much as you need to keep things out of your head and moving forward.
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7 comments:
Oh, man, I couldn't agree more: lists don't have to be done in some fancy task management program! A lot of times, I see people trying to organize their lives through technology, but it just ends up making them more complicated. I'm a fan of pencil and paper or post-its. It's quick, easy, and portable, and it's always there when I need it. I make a lot of lists, and I almost always do them by hand. There's something about the hand-brain connection that you miss by typing or clicking.
I'm an advocate of using technology here, Sam. Personally, I use Remember the Milk, which is cloud-based, has an iphone app, and allows tasks to be given priorities, locations, and tags (which can act as GTD contexts), in addition to due dates. I think having things easily accesible in one place makes more sense for me than having post-it notes that can get separated or are in the studio when I'm elsewhere. The downside of task lists is that I feel terrible when something is overdue, and if I don't remember to put something in my task list, I can easily forget about it because I have come to rely on it.
These programs about which Daniel speaks are definitely a valuable resource in task management, but it seems that these things must really depend on the scope of the project at hand. there are lists which are not worth giving the time these programs require, there are also issues which are not worth struggling through formatting issues in a computer program which may not have everything necessary to do a project in the most efficient way.
I really like this template list idea. To me that's sort of like keeping all the paperwork from a show together so you can flip through it and make a simple checklist of what you need/what you can just copy. Plus, the formatting is already done for most of it. Personally, I've tried some online tools and a few kinds of planners. I've found that I don't spend enough time at a computer/on a fancy phone for the online tools to be effective. A pencil and mini-yellow pad are all I need.
Either paper and pen or on a computer or phone, lists are extremely helpful. I could not agree more with this article. I particularly like the suggestion of having a running list. Currently, I do have to do lists, most of which are for the immediate future. There are many things I would love to put on a running list, and that may be a good time to use technology to help separate the list into categories (restaurants, books, etc.) Either of these methods work, it just depends on who is using them.
I am entertained by this article. Its like no one has ever thought of this before... lol... I have been using lists for as long as I have been doing theatre. Yes, I agree they are helpful, congratulations for inventing (not reinventing) the wheel again...
The key is to find the system that works for you. This is not a new idea either, we have all heard it before. But I guess sharing our systems is a good idea, because one person might discover a method someone else hasn't thought of. But really, come from the perspective of, this is how I do this ye ole way of management...
I agree with the Sam about the power of hand written lists. I will sometimes try to convert to technological lists but I always find that I save it, and forget to come back to it. Also, deep down I love the satisfaction of crossing off a list. In terms of styles, I will always be a true fan of the original "to-do" list. I find that a daily to do helps me organize my day and track how long it takes me to complete a task depending on how many days I have to add it to the list. After losing my lists in my pocket or in random folders of mine, I finally gave in a bought a specific notebook just for my lists. It's my treasured item and I never leave without it.
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