Calling all productivity gurus- enter our new contest and win a full copy of MindManager 6!
Mobile tech and productivity go hand in hand since I firmly believe that the right technology can provide untold boosts to personal productivity. The best way for someone to improve their habits and boost their personal productivity is to follow tips and suggestions from others who have implemented certain practices with positive results. So here’s the deal for our jkOnTheRun Productivity Boosting contest. Add a comment to this thread detailing what you feel is your best tip or practice that has made a big difference in how productive you are on a daily basis. As an example, here’s my own tip (no, I’m not eligible to win):
One of the worst time wasters that I see most people fall victim to is the “chasing the email” syndrome. You know the type (maybe you are one) that has their email client (Outlook for instance) that polls for new email on a ridiculously short cycle. The default I believe is 5 minutes but I know some people have their program check for new mail every minute! So every minute or two Outlook grabs the new email, plays that oh too familiar ding sound, and the person stops whatever they are doing and looks to see what it is and who it’s from. This is what I call chasing your email. If you get a lot of email each day there is nothing more distracting than to do this. Here’s my tip– I turn off automatic polling for email in Outlook. That way, I only grab the email when I have time to deal with it and more importantly, it is not distracting me every few minutes. Just turning off that distinctive “you have new mail” sound is not good enough if you leave Outlook up on the display, because you’ll keep glancing at it as you go through withdrawal of hearing that ding sound all day. I guarantee you that your work will flow much more cleanly as you will devote your attention and energy to whatever task you are working on because you won’t get distracted in the middle.
That’s the kind of tip we are looking for as entries to the contest, and no, you can’t just submit this one ,reworded or no. 
I believe that after we run this contest for a week we should generate so many good tips that everyone will benefit and that’s the purpose of the contest. At the end of a week (June 15th in the US) Kevin and I will pick the best entries we feel are most useful and the six best will win a prize worth several hundred dollars.
In celebration of releasing a Mac version of the outstanding program MindManager 6, the good folks at Mindjet are putting up 6 full licenses to MindManager Pro. There will be 3 winners of a Windows version of the program and 3 winners of the Mac version so tell all your Mac friends too. These licenses are worth a bunch of money so the prizes are worth making a good entry to the contest. Get cracking on those entries and spread the word through other web sites and let’s get a lot of tips to share! Be sure and tell us if you use a Windows or a Mac in your entry so we know what you are playing for.
I use this java-based free mind mapping software on my mac: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Honestly, it is exellent! Most probably less complete than a proprietary software, but for the comon man (and the little researcher I am) it is more than good enough.
Despite the fact that I’m neither eligible (I think doing a podcast wirh JK disqualifies me, non?) nor in need of a MindManager license (got mine already), I’ll get the ball rolling wih the following tip.
Next time you schedule a meeting, attach an agenda that includes the following items:
1. Sequence of events and time blocks
2. Any prep work or reading required to participate
3. Assign these roles: Leader, Timekeeper, Scribe
The first item allows people to understand what you hope to accomplish and sets time constraints that help keep the discussion focused and on task.
The second item allows attendees time to read and think about any background material that will be discussed or referenced in the meeting (attach the documents or provide links).
The third item defines three critical roles. Someone has to “own” the meeting and take responsibility for achievin gthe agenda. Someone has to watch the clock and make sure the meeting doesn’t get off track. Someone needs to focus on capturing what is discussed and agreed to so everyone else can concentrate on the discussion.
Your meetings will be more productive and people might actually look forward to them if you follow these “advanced common sense” suggestions. Oh and by the way, a MindManager map is a great way to accomplish all of the above in a single document you can send to all attendees and stakeholders in the meeting.
Hi,
I have a couple of productivity tips for your contest. Although my second tip is pretty harsh in one sense or another. Having recently completed my MBA studies and drastic measures had to be taken to ensure there were no distractions when completing assignments etc. So 1st tip: Workspace tidyness/order is often overlooked when setting out to cover your daily tasks or routines in order to get the jobs done. This means being prepared to think about what you are going to need near to you in order to complete your tasks. Whether it will entail electronic or good old fashioned paper data, if it is not needed there and then get it off your workspace. Cluttered desk equals cluttered mind. My 2nd tip, which sounds completely wacky to say the least is something I found worked perfectly for me. Basically when you need to get things done, reduce the distractions. For me it was tempting to look at the web every so often when trying to get assignments completed. Firstly, I know it is impossible to get all the info initially for your tasks as your roadmap for an assignment might change but I did my best to have the core info to start with. So I hooked up a timer switch to my wireless router to be turned off for 53 minutes in the hour(s) I was working. So having 7 minutes each hour to browse for materials and check emails. I am telling you it gets you focused!! If i did not get the necessary info in the alloted time then I moved to the next part that I had info for. This was great for going back and forth through my work and keeping me focused. I don’t know if anyone will find this useful but hey it worked for me. Good luck. PS: JK & KCT: I am using a windows tablet pc.
I’d like to advocate the application Sciral Consistency. For me it’s a unique and perfect solution for keeping track of your reoccurring tasks. It fills a niche between the calendar (for things that have set times) and the to-do list (things you need to do once) and gives great graphical feedback.
The types of tasks you’d want to use it for are those you’d want to perform on a regular basis over a period of time. Eg I use it for:
- Tracking exercise to take(daily)
- Healthy food I want to remind myself to eat on a regular basis (eg fish, twice weekly)
- Medicine I need to take
- Keeping in touch with family and friends (at least once a week)
- Watering my plants and other household chores I’ll otherwise forget to do
Sciral has a matrix similar to a spreadsheet where each row is a task you want to do consistently, and each column is a calendar day. At the intersection of each row and column is a cell that is color coded depending on whether:
-Amber/Yellow – You should complete the task that day
-Red – The task was done late or still is overdue
-Green – Done on the right day
ie Lots of Reds means you are falling behind on that task. Over time you’ll find you can get a sense of how consistently you’re doing your tasks according to the target ranges you set just by observing the color patterns – its such a simple idea.
It’s inexpensive, pleasant to use and available for both Mac and Windows. Check it out.
http://www.sciral.com/consistency/
I use Windows XP and Tablet. I have no connection to this program. This whole Productivity idea is a great idea by the way!
Marc Orchant’s meeting tips made me remember meeting tech productivity tips I use.
First, if you’re new to a job or a project it can be difficult to follow fast paced meetings and get up to speed with the project if its complex or there’s lots of jargon. When I started my current job I joined after most other people so I had to get up to speed quick. So I used a small, discrete minidisc player to record the first few meetings, so I could play them back to myself later to recap the difficult points.
Second – I always take a small digital camera with me so I can capture and quickly distribute drawings on whiteboards and flipchart notes. It saves you time writing up actions, its quicker to distribute and easier to file and retrieve!
Finally, a good principle to follow is meetings should be decision-focused and you should always write up and distribute actions afterwards. How many meetings do you go to that people don’t do this and later you’re thinking, “hey, didn’t we agree to do something?”
As a consultant and business owner with several partners and several machines, my tip is application related. As many know, with the Beta of OneNote 2007, you can automatically sync notebooks between machines and even different users. This is invaluable to me. I have all of my notes and research synced between my two computers. At the same time, I have different business notebooks synced with my several business partners. Due to the fact that each of my partners are owners in several different businesses and are located at different offices, we are able to meet in our “Virtual Office” in our shared notebook to collaborate on business decisions. We also use the Shared notebook as a task manager where tasks are assigned to partners that htey can check off once they are completed. I know that this does not apply to everyone, however, if your time is as divided as mine with several ventures and partners, this is one of the best ways to collaborate when everyone is in different locations and online at different times.
Hi guys,
Pretty simple for me, self-deprecating but simple:
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing Your Time, 3rd Edition, by Jeff Davidson.
Great book – the best one that I’ve read on time management!
Here’s what has really revolutionized my life:
* very well written in a non-assuming, conversational style
* definite focus on work-life balance – it knows that to be successful at work, you have to be happy at home as well
* it’s realistic and recognizes that not everything is going to stick
* there are no real “ah-hahs” but just a number of real, common-sense discussions that can help you get your life under control
I’ve read this book maybe 5 times, the last four times in a chapter-a-week book club format with my teams and it has seen me go from:
* staff role
* manager
* director
* VP
* CIO
* to now owning my own business
Can’t recommend it highly enough – I think I’ve given away 15 copies so far this year!
One quick bite which has been the most powerful for me is a concept called the Dynamic Bargain. All too many of us have 1,000 item to-do lists and when we knock off 8 at the end of the day, we beat ourselves up for having 992 left!
Instead, you ask yourself a simple question:
“What would it take for me to feel good about ending work on time today?”
A number of things happen when you start a process like that:
* you’re prioritizing the most important items in your to-do list
* you’re prepared when people come and barge in and drop new things on your desk to either deal with them today, delegate them or revisit at a future time – it’s called a Dynamic Bargain for a reason
* you revisit your list first thing every morning, late morning, early afternoon and before you leave to prepare for tomorrow
* you can also apply it to the week as well
* you’re not procrastinating – you’re focused on leaving work, on time, and happy to boot!
Anyway, I’ll step down from my soapbox now but I really would encourage you to pick up a copy – best $15 you’ll ever spend at Amazon!
Cheers and happy time management!
Steve
I get tons of email in my inbox at work. Some of it I have to take care of immediately and some of it is for later. At the end of each day, I forward the pending items to my tablet email address (which no one else in my organization has) and I schedule and prioritize for those items. This gives me a good idea of how my week is looking and allows me much better scheduling. I also use EO and GTD on my tablet to keep things straight (anyone heard anything about GTD support for office 12?)
Turn off auto notification of email. When you check your email, answer the ones that need it, flag the other ones for followup by using Outlook 2007’s next week, tomorrow, etc. Move all email into a Processed folder.
Work with the emails needing followup by working in your task list which includes all email needing followup.
- don’t spread you task syncing out to far. If possible, keep it to just one application.
btw – i don’t want a license – I already have plenty. If you want to award me one, I’ll give it to a reader on GBM.
Most of us approach technology as a means to improve our productivity and consequently our lives. Yet, all too often, the pursuit of the next great gadget derails us from the very time savings we hope to gain. So, it is frequently the little things in our use of our technology that seem to have the greatest impact.
For me, three of the little things that move me the farthest in my daily pursuit of getting things done are
1. synch all of my devices directly to my exchange server instead of to each other:
I have four devices that I run Outlook or pocket Outlook on to manage my PIM data. In the past I attempted to synch all of these devices with each other either via ActiveSync or some .ost/.pst synchronizing application. It not only was time consuming to manage but disaterous if done in the wrong sequence or with the wrong settings. Now, I can be on any of the devices, add an outlook item or act on an email and that action is replicated to all of my devices seamlessly without me thinking about it or suffering the consequences if done incorrectly. It is liberating and empowering.
2. Use two monitors:
I happen to use my tablet PC as a second monitor but just having one screen to run a full window of Outlook for calendaring or email and another to to run a full screen of the application I am working in like MS Word or Internet Explorer improved my productivity by at least 20% every day. The savings comes from not having to conduct the physical acts of finding the program I want to switch to, switching to it, switching back and ultimately recovering from the distraction of it all to get back to the level of productivity I was at in the first place.
3. Use one keyboard and mouse for two computers:
Since I use my tablet as my second monitor, one of the greatest time savers for me was installing the software application “Synergy” that enabled me to use both computers from one setup – wirelessly. For me that meant I could arrive at my desk, leave my tablet in slate mode, have Synergy automatically reconnect and me instantly begin moving my curser from one screen to the next and back again with my desktop mouse and keyboard. And, if that wasn’t enough, the program also lets you copy and paste between the two computers. I love being able to copy a long, confusing url from one browser and pasting it into the other browser on the other machine in a split second.
I don’t expect to win the contest with my reply, but my best productivity booster for you all would be, “remember that old saying,” If You Want The Job Done Right, Do It Yourself!
Hi
Do you know if MindManager will have a version that works on the Nokia 770 internet tablet, that would be really cool.
I currently use NovaMind on the Mac which is pretty good and supports OPML export which is also handy.
For meeting I use an outliner (Omni Outliner Pro) which is a great way of abbreviating and organising all at once. Also OOPro also allows recording as part of the annotation process (using the powerbook’s mic) rigth inside the outline itself.
Like Scoble carrying a phone camera enables capturing of White Boards and people’s faces, again this can be dumped directly into the outline.
I also have an XSL template that converst the Outliner file into a web page which can be shared. More could be done to automate this of course.
regards
al
I’ve got 7 that I wrote in a post here: http://www.joiningdots.net/blog/2005/11/seven-productivity-tips.html
The simplest one? Learn how to type – if you’re hitting the keyboard with two fingers, you’re probably wasting time. If you struggle to control your mobile with your thumbs, get a teenager to show you how…
The best productivity gains for me personally have been using a 2nd monitor when in the office, having access to my diary and email on my mobile phone when travelling, and disconnecting from the net when I need to get stuff done.
(I use a Windows PC)
I’m going to quote our illustrious President for my piece of productivity advice. To stay productive I’ve found that I need to be “The Decider.” When something hits my desk or email I decide right then and there what will happen to it. Will I approve that project the person is asking about? Will I answer the email that appeared in my box? Mailboxes and sorters labeled “Maybe”, “Future”, and “Under Consideration” are evil time-sucks. What is worse, they hover about in the background creating a constant and demoralizing distraction. You are better off taking a little more time right then and there to make a solid decision than shuffling it off into the votex that is the “I’ll look at it later” pile.
So decide…yes or no. It’s that easy. Looking back, I believe it was Yoda who said it best.
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
I posted this TIP in studenttabletpc contest, so I will go again becouse it help me a lot.
Setup several users for your computer, select them by role, context, room or wathever you think it suits.
Let me explain.
Set a user for:
work
research
entertainment
communicate
personal projects
and on, and on.
Then set the software you need to do that thing you will do in that circunstances, if you need word and excel for work, then only alow that in that user.
If you need wikipedia, google and some library, for research, then put there.
Alow certain folders to share bethwen related users, as example dont alow your entertainment folder to get used by work user.
Even you can use some kind of parental control to alow only certain websites in each context.
You can set differents messengers users for each context if you need keep comunication. And get differents styles to each user so your innmersive experience is complete.
The thing is, if you work in a computer free enviroment, is dificult to multitask. If you need research you must go to liabrary, if you need to work you do it in the desk, if you read the papers you do it in the kitchen wile you having breakfast, If you want to see a movie you go to the living room, if you wanth tho check mail, you must go to the mailbox outside your house.
This kind of phisical separation helps to focus.
Set some kind of phisical separation in your digital enviroment. Something is dificult to change but not as hard. As if you must stand and go to another room in your house to do the other thing. If you can have different computers to do each task, IS BETTER.
This is a general vision, you must define what works better for you.
But remember, the phisical contex, we are very, very related to that, and is dificult to change millions of years to do things in analog enviroment.
Here’s what has been remarkably productive for me, energizing and focusing (important for a lifelong ADD boy):
a) I’m not a big list guy (one reason why paper-based-to-date mind mapping is so powerful) but I mentally organize and create my day so that I’m working toward that day’s goals and, in turn, my overall vision
b) Invest one hour (I’m at my desk early though) in feeding my brain. I read my local paper and the Wall Street Journal; aggregate and scan many blogs, news sites, and other feeds; and enjoy my refreshing morning coffee. It’s a remarkably enjoyable start to the day…though some mornings is a challenge if I’m feeling a sense of urgency
c) I have off or down time when I listen to the podcasts I to which I subscribe. Some are fluff but most are focused on my area of interest (internet, software, technology).
–
Steve
You have to make productivity a process or you just end up with a bunch of tools that get randomly used or even abandoned. It’s like buying a puzzle without the picture on the boxtop and then keep buying more pieces to try to complete the puzzle.
So first, choose a process. You can invent your own but why work that hard? There are some great ones out there. (GTD is popular but not the only one) Start to use it. Don’t get discouraged when you fall off the wagon, just keep bringing yourself back to it. Even in the beginning when you’re just learning you’ll get some benefit and this will increase with time as the process becomes more and more just “how you do things”. If some part doesn’t work for you don’t abandon the whole process and go back to chaos, change it. There is no absolute right or wrong.
Continuous incremental improvement through R&D (rob and duplicate). Use other peoples smarts/experience to continuously improve your process. The great thing for me about GTD is that so many people use it and have struggled to change their behaviour that there are great resources on the web. It helps to know others struggled too and to read about their payoff to keep motivated.
Technology; Use it where its sensible and use it to support your process. It’s a means to an end not an end in itself so don’t get obsessed. Keep what works for you, drop what doesn’t. Move on.
For me it’s GTD (though not in a form that it’s inventor might recognise), Tablet PC, MSOffice plus X1 desktop search and NEO email organiser. For you it will be different.
I have so many roles in my life that getting things done in each is a constant competition. My tip is a simple one.
STOP. Take time to organize your thoughts, then organize you work. My method (you can have you own) is to open up my copy of MindManger, start a new topic and write out all the things floating through my head first. Then I sort through the physical things on my desk, scan what is in my inbox, an put down a summary of what needs to get done. I then use the power of Mind Manager to sort those things into time slots and categories (like one for NOT going to do this, which lets me mentally check it out of my thoughts).
The method is not the important tip here. The tip is to STOP, and get organized. I ALWAYS find that what seems so overwhelming is less so when I see it as a whole.
No software needed here also!
I come from a technical background, but I’m currently in Public Health, and I mostly work with women (and am myself female). These strategies tend to work for the groups and situations I’m in. Also, as I am a grad student, I don’t have much money, so many of my tips are using low-cost or no-cost software as well as plain people skills (which we all should use more!)
Group (low/medium tech)
First off, talk about everyone’s expectations for the group, how the group will work, what model of decision-making you’ll use in case of really intractable (or not so intractable) disagreement (consensus, voting, flipping a coin), and timeline. Ask people to bring up both good and bad past experiences and what they like and don’t like – many people are scarred by previous group experiences. This helps people understand where everyone comes from and how they’d prefer to work. Ideally, also set up a regular meeting time as well as expectations/enforcement. For example, one group of mine believed in minimal meeting time – we just came together to coordinate and discuss stuff we had researched. If you weren’t ready for the meeting (which includes reading up, delivering, etc.), that was it – the meeting ended. This can backfire, of course, but it helped in making sure there was some sort of penalty or enforcement, which can be very nebulous in volunteer-type work or class group work.
Also, once everyone has a background idea of what you’re trying to do, mindmapping for the subsequent brainstorm can be invaluable. Have one person (preferably not in the group) be the notetaker for this; we’ve used MindManager, but also Freemind, as I don’t own any commercial mindmapping software. Once you capture all the ideas bouncing around, you can start evaluating them and moving them around. We’ve used projectors with laptops on this front; in general, one computer, if any, with a lcd projector can be really useful in keeping everyone on the same page and interested in what’s being developed.
Personal (medium tech)
For myself, I use GoBinder. I haven’t bought an ADF scanner yet (poor), but I mostly find my resources in electronic format and import them into gobinder. It, more than a folder file system or saved emails, keeps me all in one piece. Also, I really like using Connotea as a tagging bookmarking service for research. For those of you who use peer-reviewed journals and especially PubMed, it bookmarks the cite and everything; combined with an OpenURL server link from your university library, you can get just about one-click access to all the journal cites (if your library owns them). I’m still waiting for a nice citation style export feature, but again, it’s free.
Before I add a few tips may I confirm that this will be open to your allies over the Pond or is it just a US centric thingie?
Remember that (at least in most organization), you are in control of your own workday! If you need time to complete certain tasks but you are constantly getting invited to meetings, add some “block” appointments to your calendar. These will just be some placeholders where others in your company will see you are busy and adjust their meeting invitations accordingly. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to decline a meeting invitation or suggest an alternative meeting time. Rather than becoming upset, most co-workers will appreicate you wanting to attend at a time when you can focus on the topics at hand.
I’d like to suggest a simple yet powerful tip that I’ve seen many people recommend.
Most productivity problems have to do procrastination. At least mine did. Sometimes the main reason for this is that you find the task too complex and/or don’t identify all bits that must be done, so you don’t start it at all.
So my tip is: start writing, start with a small bit of it. The rest will usually follow, and when you take a glance at what you have done so far, most of the times you’ll find you have accomplished a good deal of the task.
I find that when you associate this with the previous identification of each bit of the task, à la GTD, it solves most productivity issues. That’s tip #2.
Furthermore, I would heartily recommend reading “Getting things done” (David Allen) and M. Linenberger’s “Total workday control”, for a different approach. That’s tip #3 and #4.
I could not live without my GTD Outlook Add-in (http://www.davidco.com/store/other.php). It allows me to crank through emails and get to zero twice a day! I can delegate tasks by clicking a button on the email and set up reminders to track the assignments. It helps me to organize my tasks by context so that when I am in the mood to draft, I can easily pull up all of the reports that I need to draft and choose the one that sparks my muse. This product will move you from being a brown belt in productivity to a black belt in no time. Check out the Davidco.com site for more information.
I think the key to higher productivity is separating the important from the urgent. Daily quiet time for thought and meditation reflecting on what really important tasks I have focuses my days and weeks on what matters most.
My productivity tip is in 3 parts, tip and two uses of it.
Firstly and most importantly, Learn Mindmapping. The technique is so versatile and effective, whether presenting information, gathering research, brainstorming (bluesky thinking), recording minutes, etc, etc.
Secondly, GTD has been mentioned already, my tip involves implenting it in an extremely efficient way using mindmapping.
GTD requires one to record in some medium, eg on paper or perhaps computer all the things you have on your mind that you need to do something about, then record the very next thing you need to do to move the item along. Using mindmaps enables a huge amount of information to be recorded and viewed at once; you can have your tasks all laid out with the very next thing you need to do next to it.
Thirdly, when taking minutes in a meeting use a mindmap. If the topics jump about, despite the agenda, or addendums crop up later that relate to earlier items you can easily add it in to the appropriate place; if you create the map on computer live, ie during the meeting, you don’t need to retype it afterwards. When throwing ideas about in a meeting, as well as documenting it in a mindmap, project the map during the meeting; everyone can see the progress, items can be moved around when new relationships are discovered, items that turn out to be particularly complex can be swiftly moved to a new branch of their own. You do not need to retype the document and so save extra time and this method often gets even the most reserved of people to contribute.
Hi Guys,
Well here are three main productivity tips that have helped me immensely:
Firstly – a tip adapted from David Allen – Keep your email inbox EMPTY. When you get emails deal with them there and then and when you have dealt with them then delete them (move emails that need to be kept for reference to a reference folder in your mail program). I can’t begin to tell you how much time I save through not having to wade through hundreds of pages of ‘stored’ emails every time I open up my mail program.
Secondly – adopt a Zero Tolerance attitude towards anything you own that doesn’t function correctly, fucntions too slowly or is in some way broken resulting in its reduced effectiveness taking up more time than it was designed to. This could be anything from an automatic kettle that doesn’t switch off automatically causing you to stand over it until it boils, to owning a computer that is so old it takes an inordinate amount of time to do anything productively on it. Perhaps you own a printer that continually jams or you use a 2-slice toaster every morning when you have a family of 8 to feed. With a zero tolerance attitude you ruthlessly go around your house/workplace identifying anything that’s broken, temporarily repaired, unreliable, too slow, too fiddly etc. and replace them.
Thirdly – This tip evolves from Michael Gelb in his extraordinary book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (this book is a self-help bible to me and when I get around to it I’m going to convince you all what an incredible book it is). Anyway the tip itself involves adopting an ethos of ‘childlike curiosity’ (Curiosita) when embarking on learning something new, or as I have found, doing something you don’t really want to (it’s a great procrastination buster). By getting overly curious about what your involved in (and curiosity can be evoked through questioning i.e. asking what if? a lot and showing an overly intense level of interest in what your doing) instantly improves your productivity and usually your learning potential also improves ten-fold as your brain, in contrast to rebelling against what your forcing it to do, instead enjoys the experience and works towards finding better and more efficient solutions to the task in hand.
That’s my three. I hope they are useful to someone. Good luck with the competition.
I have often 20 to 40 different windows in Windows XP opened at the same time. This is supporting my multi-threaded work style in the best possible way. I have searched for a long time to find a method of how to group the applications and documents together that belong to one work item. Virtual desktop managers can be used somehow for this grouping but for me all not visible desktops (and the applications and documents on them) are too easily “forgotten”. Since some weeks I am using a new solution for windows grouping that I enjoy a lot during my workday. It is “Groupbar” from Microsoft Research ( http://research.microsoft.com/vibe/groupbar.aspx ). Basically I use Groupbar as an additional Windows taskbar that is allowing me to group windows in Groupbar with simple drag + drop together; these grouped windows are represented then as visual groups (see details on the Groupbar website). I see this as one of the greatest productivity enhancements to Windows since the introduction of Windows XP. PS: It works best when you have a wide screen display available.
After reading the tip above, I am very impressed by the Groupbar software, however, a virtual desktop manager is invaluable to me. So I thought that I would include it here as a tip. Since my time can be divided between several companies and clients in a single day, I find it very productive to use virtual desktops. Depending on the situation, I will have a desktop for communication, research, and creation or maybe I will setup a desktop for each client or project that I will be working on for the day. This allows me to focus on the task at hand without distraction. If I am researching a new product, I do not have email popups every few minutes. When I am in a creative mode or organizational mode, I can switch desktops and start working again with out distraction from instant messenger or email. I have also noticed that there seems to be a psychological switch at the same time. By switching desktops, I am mentally switching my focus to the task that I have assigned to the desktop and have made a conscious choice to set aside any and all distractions. At first, I did not see the benefit of virtual desktops, however now they are invaluable to me.
Here are two more tips for the contest. I got the first idea from my wife. She has “Quiet Time” during the day where the kids can do a quiet activity, like draw, color, or watch a movie so that my wife can have some peaceful time during the day to catch up on tasks or enjoy a good book. Just like her, my days are so busy and whenever I have second of downtime I am reading an ebook, listening to the jkOnTheRun Podcasts, or catching up on the news, etc. I never just sit down and relax. I also noticed that some of my best ideas came at night as I winded down from the day right before going to bed. So the first productivity tip is to schedule in “Quiet Time”. This can be early in the morning before the family wakes up, or at night after the kids are in bed, whatever works best for you. Give your mind time to relax and freely think. It is amazing how many great thoughts, ideas, and solutions you can come up with when you are not bombarding yourself with outside stimuli.
The second tip is to keep a pad of paper, a pda, or tablet next to the bed within reach so that when a great idea comes to your right before sleep or during the middle of the night you can quickly jot it down for reference the next morning. These two tips have definitely helped me and I hope that they will help someone else.
Here is a productivity tip for Windows Mobile users. Remotely control your Pocket PC using either SOTI Pocket Controller or Microsoft’s Remote Display Control.
Here is one way that I use SOTI Pocket Controller. T-Mobile is my mobile provider, but unfortunately, T-Mobile’s service is very spotty in my home office, which is in the basement of my condo. This can be a problem when I work from home and use my cell phone as my primary work number because I can miss a call when the phone loses connection. My work around is to keep my T-Mobile MDA upstairs where it maintains a connection to T-Mobile, and use a Bluetooth headset for receiving phone calls. To make outbound calls on my MDA while I am in my home office I have SOTI Pocket Controller running on my desktop and connected to the MDA. The result is that I can see my MDA’s scree in a window on my desktop, and operate the MDA using my desktop’s mouse. Using my mouse I click the Send button to bring up the phone app, and then dial a phone number.
My most important personal productivity tip is very low tech. You see the most important goal for me is to stay FOCUSED. This is very hard to do when you are a point and click away from so many things that can distract you. We have all been there, especially when facing the mundane. The mind starts to wonder, what’s the latest at jkOnTheRun? Let’s go see the new gadgets at Engadget. Rob has a new InkShow. Don’t forget to email grandmother those pictures of Joey’s first birthday. I must take my laundry to the cleaners. Wow! that’s the solution to that problem we’re facing. It seems when I need to be productive, my mind is bombarded with other things I have to do, and my attention is pulled away by things I would like to do. I have found that if I leave the project at hand, even to make a new Outlook task, I tend to get distracted by other tasks in Outlook. Then somehow the browser gets opened and I start clicking away, and before I realize it, time has escaped me.
To avoid these pitfalls , I have implemented a personal productivity tip that helps me to stay focused. I use a very small notepad divided down the middle in two sections, 2do and like2do. When the answer to the problem I need to solve suddenly comes, I quickly jot it down and remain focused on the task at hand. Whether it is a brilliant idea or a simple reminder, It takes all of two seconds to write it down. Later, I categorized all my thoughts, primarily in Outlook or OneNote. I schedule time for email. I schedule time to explore new things. I schedule time to read all my favorite feeds. By strictly following this low tech practice of quickly jotting things down, I have become more focused, and as a result more productive.
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I use Windows.
The bane of all salespeople is having to take the handwritten notes from a client call and enter them into a contact manager. Mostly, we just don’t do it – even though it means lost client information and missed sales opportunities.
At my company, we use Goldmine which is not an ink-enabled application. Whether you use Goldmine, ACT!, Outlook, Salesforce.com or another CRM application, you can attach files to contact records. So my productivity idea (that I use regularly) is to write all my prospect and client notes in OneNote. By saving these notes in unique sections and folders, I can then attach the handwritten note to the client record. This lets anyone else in my company also see all my notes as well. And no extra typing!
This isn’t really a productivity tip of something I currently do but rather something that would increase my productivity if available. Very often when working on the field I need to exchange information from one device to another and a thumb drive is usually the choice, this inmplies copying from my laptop to the thumb drive and then from it to the destination device. This usually involves some checking if there is space in the thumb d., deleting or moving to make room, etc.Sometimes I need to copy really big files that requires me to do it in parts. It’d just be great if I could hook a USB cable between my Laptop and the target device, had my Laptop be seen as an external drive and just copy. I know about some solutions in the market that sort of do this; there is two approaches: one that simulates an ethernet connection and other that does it “drive recognition style” but requires a software to be installed in both devices. Having to configure an internet connection on the customer site while a crowd waits for my presentation or ask my customer to let me install a software in his PC based instruments are not viable options. There was a Ultraportable Sharp that did this (you needed a cradle though). I wonder if the Samsumg Q1 does it…
I installed the trial version of MindManager Pro, and I like it a lot…
It’s possible to sum up the first steps in the Getting Things Done (GTD) process as Collect Stuff and Process It. If you are going to enjoy the benefits of the stress free nature of GTD you need to trust your approach to collection so that it has a “never miss” feel to it.
The goal is to process all the stuff that’s coming at you from all angles: the conversations, the telephone calls, the e-mails, the snail mail, the post-it notes and the thoughts & ideas and process them until you have a trusted list of the next actions that need to be undertaken to achieve high productivity. The “thoughts & ideas” is an important concept for me. Most of the day, when I’m on the go, my mind isn’t quiet and processing. It’s active and doing. There are times however; in the car, in the shower, just as I’m drifting off before sleeping when I have that thought; the answer to a problem I’m dealing with, the nagging thought, have I done X, did I remember to tell Y. That’s where my Olympus digital voice recorder comes in. It’s my mobile memory, and I find it incredibly useful now that I’m reaching an age when I’m just beginning to sense that my short term memory isn’t quite what it used to be. I keep the recorder by my side all the time. When I have the thought I capture it. And then I process the recorder daily to make sure the thoughts are transferred to my trusted list of next actions.
Another tool of choice for thinking and capturing (collecting) is mind mapping. I’m trying to eliminate linear note taking from my work life as much as possible. With mind mapping, as I capture and visualise the information I’m capturing, I’m much more likely to think laterally and comprehensively. When I’ve mind mapped and derived the outputs, they go to my trusted list as next actions. My tool of choice for mind mapping is MindManager from MindJet.
In my mind I visualise all this capture activity as a funnel. Everything is thrown in, and out the bottom pops my list of next actions. My trusted list is kept in Outlook, but not in my inbox. The inbox is the kiss of death. I still see people at work with hundreds of items in their inbox and shudder. Every day when they open Outlook they have to process that list; what’s important, what do I have to do today, what shall I keep ignoring. I use Outlook tasks. A much underused Outlook component. I must admit that I’ve supercharged mine with the GTD Outlook plugin from Netcentrics.
My final collection tip is about SnagIt from Techsmith. This is the indispensable tool for capturing and editing screenshots, images, text and whole web pages on the fly. If you haven’t got this tool on your pc you should go and remedy that today.
I know, I know; I’m a geek
My productivity tip does not concern software or how you operate the computer, but the kind of case you use. I have an HP4200 Convertible Tablet, and several months ago I bought a bump case. This is a form fitting case that works in both laptop and tablet modes. In tablet mode it has an elastic strap that allows you to hold it without worrying about it slipping from your hand. The case has both a handle and carrying. I no longer have the hassle of taking my tablet out of a case to operate it. One simply unzips the case and lifts the screen in laptop mod e – the case is held to the monitor with elastic – or in tablet mode, you simply pull back the leather cover which velcroes to the back of the case. All of the controls and connections are uncovered becaue the case was made specifically for this model of tablet. Slick, secure and time-saving.
Here are my few tips:
1) Increase your productivity by subscribing to only one news source for every area of your interests. For example, this site is great hub for any mobile devices news. James and Kevin do great job, and they link to most interesting articles from other blogs. There are such hubs in other topics too. (I know this tip will be unpopular in the tablet/mobility community, but it saved me a lot of time. I just cannot afford to read _all_ the wonderful blogs in that topic.)
2) Don’t hesitate to delete your news sources. If you notice that you begun skipping most of the articles of one of the news feed that you’re subscribed, simple unsubscribe from it. Fight information junkie in you.
Same relates to email. Unsubscribe from the newsletters you don’t have time to read or just set a rule to auto-archive it for reading them in future (you know that this future will never come, don’t you?).
3) Don’t became a servant of technology. In the first year of owning Tablet I tried to keep everything in electronic form. OneNote is wonderful application and the whole idea of paperless office is great, but sometimes printing out a reference document just works better. If you need a reference constantly before your eyes, just print it and stick somewhere in your workplace, don’t try to switch between windows just for the sake of being paperless. Technology should help you being productive, and not stay in your way.
4) Keep it simple. Sometimes I catch myself on spending a lot of time on looking a perfect tool to do the task in the most effective way, instead of just doing the task. As all programmers know, the first rule of optimisation is DON’T DO IT. Premature optimisation is one of the greatest time killers. Seek for a simplest way to accomplish a task, and don’t do more than necessary.
Implement Getting Things Done with mind mapping, using MindManager and the template I created for that purpose and which is available for download at
http://venier.blogspot.com/2006/06/gtd-on-mindmanager-template.html
One of the biggest productivity boosts I have found is using keyboard shortcuts as much as possible. Why take your hands off the keyboard to reach for the mouse when a couple of keystrokes will save that effort. Rather than list them here, you can check out a nice list for Windows here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q126449 or if you an Apple kind of guy or gal, here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75459
If you like keyboard shortcuts, then perhaps a macro program would further boost your productivity. I use Activewords ( http://www.activewords.com ) because of it’s ink integration (for Tablet PC users like me). I can assign just about any kind of action to a few keystrokes (or pen strokes when in Tablet mode). This program has saved me tons of time by automating mundane tasks like inserting my office address or launching programs.
Finally, set a reasonable length of time for responding to emails and phone messages (like no more than 24 hours, if possible)…and then stick to it! Sometimes you might not be able to fulfill the request, but at least by telling them so you are demonstrating the importance of the requester. It is also easier to stay motivated when things get hectic if you’ve reponded to a person and promised to perform a task by a certain time.
Remote Desktops and VMware Workstation…
– I use multiple PCs at work for different versions of Windows, Office, Novell Client, Active Directory tools, and other essential applications. All have Remote Desktop enabled (My Computer -> Properties -> Remote) and are accessed via RDP without slowing down my primary PC.
– I am addicted to “productivity” applications and use VMware Workstation to test out new installs. It just takes one minute to do a snapshot before the install. Then I can do a guilt free install into my “playground” which can be rebooted, suspended, or reverted to the snapshot with ease. (Note: the Productivity Tip is the time savings in reverting to a previous snapshot, not the massive amounts of time spent trying every app in search of the Holy Grail of Productivity Applications. It doesn’t exist!)
Hey Guys ,
I found a nice website that tells you how to organize you windows desktop.
Something very promising is that it is a microsoft site. So if you have any folders named “Stuff” and “Sort Me ” you need to check this out.
The site is http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/organizefiles.mspx
Hope it is helpfull
-Blake Shannon
Hey Guys ,
I wrote the post above but I forgot to say what type of system I had.
I have an iMac G5 and a Powerbook G4. I run MacOSX Tiger (10.4) on both.
I found a nice website that tells you how to organize you windows desktop.
Something very promising is that it is a microsoft site. So if you have any folders named “Stuff” and “Sort Me ” you need to check this out.
The site is http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/organizefiles.mspx
Hope it is helpfull
-Blake Shannon
I call my productivity technique, “biting off small chunks”. It’s terribly easy to get overwhelmed in the face of a long-term project with many tasks spread over a long time frame. Instead of looking at the project as one big monolithic task, break the project up into as many small pieces as you can. Easy small task may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to complete, but the sense of accomplishment is invaluable. I use “Tasks” in Outlook (in Windows) and on my T-Mobile SDA to manage these small “bites” of tasks. A mind-mapping software package would certainly make this process even more effective.
Additional to switching off your automatic polling in your e-mail client:
I created an e-mail folder ‘CC’ and a rule that automatically forwards all incoming mail where I am listed in the CC line.
This way, my Inbox only contains e-mails directed to me (where my name is listed in the TO – line), and where some action or reply is needed.
The CC folder contains e-mails where I only have to be informed, but where no direct action is required. I check this folder much less often during the day.
This has helped me enormously to manage the “information overload” we’re bombarded with every day.
Hope this helps someone else as well.
Stephan
Some of these maybe repeats of others before me or copy righted materials so my apologies ahead of time, but the productivity tips that work best for me off the top of my head are and in no particular order are:
* Take care of those important/urgent tasks first. Always schedule time to work on those important tasks every day otherwise they’ll never get done.
* Keep your mailbox empty. I only allow open tasks residence in there. Organize the rest as reference .pst files by subject matter on your hard drive so you can access them anywhere.
* “Do it now!” If you can. All too often, I forget to do a task and don’t write it down. Then, when I am asked if I have completed it later on, there’s no “Oops!”
* An excellent procrastination resource: “Doing it Now! Overcoming Procrastination”.
* Don’t forget to schedule the mundane tasks such as disk defragging, file management, backups, “Keep in touch” emails, updating outgoing voice mail box, updating “Out of Office Assistant” (when necessary), synchronizations, cleaning up your “In Box”, organizing paper files, desk clean-up, verifying adequate office supplies, etc. It is too easy to save 5-10 minutes here or there, but then come out looking inept when something that hasn’t gone wrong before suddenly does or you have to scramble about wasting 5 times as much time as it would have taken in the 1st place.
* If there are two ways to do the same thing, always choose the simplest way. I wish I could apply that to my electronics!
* Assume that something will go wrong if it can go wrong. I always take Mapquest.com printed directions along with my pocket PC GPS. Every address isn’t in my mapping application.
* Get as much information as you can about an issue, then make a decision. If it’s the wrong decision, don’t be afraid to change you mind, but as long as you have “enough” information to make the decision, you’ll be saving time and moving forward.
* Combine 2 tasks if at all possible! I often listen to podcasts while doing routine tasks such as customer account look-ups. It also helps me to block out my noisier neighbors! Or, I’ll check over tomorrow’s appointments using IBM Via Voice on my iPaq while driving home.
* Make sure you have the necessary peripherals to do the job. You never know when you’ll have the time to work a slice of time on that project.
* Communication is ALWAYS key! If you fall behind on a project, aren’t sure how you can accomplish a specific task or aren’t sure of how to proceed, don’t chance it by remaining silent. Make sure that you are up front with everyone and you’ll save time in the long run.
If I do win, I would like it in a Windows XP format. Thanks for this site, it always has cutting edge techno information and reviews.
Gene Schmeling
I have a very simple but effective tip. If you have a laptop that has a tip pointer in the middle of its keyboad, learn to use the tip pointer. Force yourself to use it, especially if you already use to using the laptop Keyboard. The reason this gives you a productivity boast is that you can type away and when you need to use the mouse to move some where, you can do it without taking your hands off the keyboard. In fact, to use the mouse you have to move your pointer finger a total of 1-2 cms. Magic. Compare this to to moving your whole hand off the keyboard.
Hope this helps.
Molly
It sounds like the oldest phrase in computing, but for me it’s the key to powerful productivity: have all your important and useful information available anywhere, anytime.
I don’t carry it with me, but it is always web-accessible. I use my 3 gig (it grows as you use it!) G-Mail account for only one thing: storing and instantly retreiving important and useful information.
With a few keystrokes, anywhere, anytime, I have what I need.
I’ve stored every imaginable kind of information, except pictures (takes up too much space…there are other good places to store photos). IT’S MY PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY.
There’s no productivity-stopper like forgetting, or not being able to access some important article, web-list, definition, summary, resource. With my g-memory…it’s always there.
I guess the main “theme” to a lot of my productivity tips is to use whatever tool is at your disposal, techie or not, to help you capture all of the information you need to, so you don’t forget it. My primary information capture tool is my Tablet, using OneNote and EverNote. This combination of tech has really helped me become so much more organized with my work notes and documentation, because I don’t have loose papers all over the place that easily get lost and are not quickly searchable.
For the times I don’t have my Tablet with me, I use a pocket-sized Moleskine and my ever present Fisher Space Pen. I have one for work-related information, and another for personal stuff, like grocery lists, movie recommendations, info I read in magazines while I’m browsing at the bookstore, etc.
And for the times that I can’t even be bothered to take out my Moleskine and pen, I use my cell phone camera (or my small camera, if I have it) to make note of things like the cover of a book I want to look up on Amazon, or a little magazine blurb, or some item at the store I want to buy later (did a lot of this at home improvement stores like Expo, Home Depot, etc.).
Having my Tablet as my primary computer has also allowed me to be more productive because during downtime at work, I have access to my non-work-related apps, like my suite of photo managing/editing software to do a bit of photo editing over lunch, or to blog (I only log in to my blog from my Tablet to keep it separated and off my work machine, even though I’m using a web-based blog editor). I don’t have to make a note of some quick 20-min thing to do later after work, since I have all of my apps with me wherever I take my Tablet.
A couple miscellaneous productivity tips:
- When I get paper bills and don’t have a chance to schedule a payment online right away, I write the due date on the front of the envelope, and then stack the bills either right on top of my Tablet keyboard so that I don’t forget about them (even when I put the Tablet away in my bag when I go to work), or put them on the little table in the family room that I set my Tablet on so that I am sure to see them when I get home after work. When the bill is paid, I write a big “P” on the front.
- Online bill payments in general are a big time-saver so that you don’t have to snail mail stuff. Auto-deducting bill payments are even better.
- This is sort of cheating, tip-wise, but I regularly visit such sites like 43 Folders, Lifehacker, and Download Squad (or rather I monitor their RSS feeds). They always have great productivity tips or software recommendations for all sorts of aspects of your life, personal or business.
Here are a handful of productivity tips that I have integrated into my work day:
1. Checking voicemail only twice a day – Unless I’m expecting an important telephone call, I check once when I arrive in the morning and once before I leave at night. My greeting states that if the caller needs to speak with someone right away, then the caller should speak with my assistant. I want to have some uninterrupted time.
2. Checking email at set points during the day – Same reason as above.
3. Blocking off “work time” – My colleagues tend to be meeting happy. Aside from deciding which meetings I must attend and which meetings I can decline, I block off “work time” (2 to 3 hour blocks) on my Outlook calendar so no one can schedule meetings at that time. I also purchased a “do not disturb” sign for my door – if my door is closed and the sign is out, then I’m not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency.
5. Clipping with OneNote – I’m an information hound, and I love collecting information. Often, using my Tablet PC, I clip parts of web pages or articles (or send complete web pages) to OneNote. There I can organize by section to provide “ticklers” (like, remember to buy this book or DVD, read this article from the WSJ when I have time).
6. Onfolio – I use Onfolio as well for more directed research and for my RSS feeds.
7. Keeping my “in” box empty by handling/filing documents once – I’m not perfect at it, but I have a deep “in” box that I do my best to keep empty by handling/filing documents once or twice.
8. Migo Professional – I have Microsoft Exchange at my disposal, but the Internet Explorer interface is not user-friendly. I use Migo to replicate my work computer on my laptop at home in the evening, and I can quickly go through my email without having to hook up to the Internet, then sync when I return to the office the next day.
Here are two systems which have made me much more organised and productive.
1) Email management
Most of the things I need to do are triggered by the arrival of email. I have managed to achieve complete control over my email and the actions they lead to by using the following system, which is a simple application of GTD, using Outlook 2003.
a) I use the flags feature to mark each email that requires an action or that I will need to come back to in the future. The meanings I have assigned to the flags are:
– Red: Reply to the email
– Orange: Action needed (other than a reply
– Blue: Need to read the email or attachment
– Green: Information I will need later
– Purple: ‘Waiting’ – an email I have sent and for which I am expecting a reply
I keep the flags toolbar always displayed, so that I can apply a flag to an email in one click. I have customised the icon labels in this toolbar according to my meanings, and added buttons for displaying the reminder dialog box, marking an email as ‘done’ and removing a flag.
b) I set up Search folders which display only the emails having specific flags. I really only use two of them: one for ‘Reply’ and ‘Action needed’, the other for ‘Need to read’.
c) I set up rules to automatically sort in specific folders emails which I receive on a regular basis: newsletters, notifications, etc.
With this simple setup, I am able to process my email very quickly, keep an empty inbox and always keep on top of things I need to do. Because all recurring emails are automatically stored in folders using rules, my inbox contains mostly emails which I should pay attention to. Once or twice a day, I will go through my inbox, applying a flag to each email as appropriate and immediately filing it in a folder. That way, my inbox is always empty at the end of the day. I can use the Search folders to review all my action items or all the things I need to read – with Outlook’s views, it’s easy to sort and group these lists by date, subject (folder), etc. When I have completed an item, I just mark it as done and it disappears from the Search folders.
With this system, I feel I get the most important benefits of GTD for managing email: I only process an email once, I can easily review the things I need to do as a result of email, and my inbox is always almost empty. Since I started using this system in a systematic way two years ago, I’m not stressed by managing email any more!
2) Filename tagging
For some files, I apply specific tags as prefixes to the filename. For example ‘c_’ indicates that the file in progress (‘under Construction’) and that I need to complete it. ‘w_’ indicates that the file is used as part of another file (for exemple, an Excel file containing charts that are used in a PowerPoint presentation). So a filename could be, for example: ‘cw_March results.xls’, indicating the the March results spreadsheet is not finished yet and used as part of another file.
You can draw up a list of what tags are useful to you and what letters you want to use. The important thing is to always use them consistently and systematically.
Another advantage of this approach is that files are automatically sorted on the tags in any program that displays the files of a folder in alphabetical order.
Sometimes I find myself putting off some of life’s less-desirable tasks. There are lots of tips floating around out there about how to stop procrastinating, but I have found two that work particularly well for me that I thought I would share.
Commit to just 15 minutes
Tell yourself that you’re going to work on that task you’ve been putting off for just 15 minutes. If at the end of 15 minutes, your attitude hasn’t changed, you’re free to change tasks as well (consider this a good start and take another 15 minute swing at it later). If however, at the end of 15 minutes, you have found that the task isn’t really all that bad after all, keep going and knock it out. I’m always amazed at how much I can get done in a very short time if I stay focused.
Reward yourself
I have an acquaintance who is as fit as a fiddle, but wasn’t always. The way he finally motivated himself to start regularly exercising…no kidding…was to reward himself with a banana split every time he worked out. At first he knew it was counterproductive, but over time, the exercise became reward in itself and he cut out the banana splits. Years later, he is in excellent shape and gives the banana splits all the credit. This same principle applies to almost anything. If, for example, you’ve been putting off that monthly status report, tell yourself that after you get it done, you can spend a half hour reading from jkOnTheRun!
I would die for a Windows copy of MindManager!
My suggestion actually involves using Mind Manager. I am in Construction Management and I stumbled on the trial program by accident. In my profession like may others, organization involves scheduling, of both personel and of materials, and the time when things are arrive and are installed are also critical. I use Mind Manager as both an organizational chart to collect my thoughts and “brainstorm” but also a project scheduling program similar to Microsoft Project. I date each entry so I know when I performed the entered task, and leave the task in my mind map so I can sequentally and cronilogically follow the progression of the task. This way if there is ever any dispute of when clients select certain products resuling in delays, or just a quick way to visually see what items have been done and what is left to complete, I have it right there in a one stop shop. Cheers all.
Some tips on task management.
1.Keep all your tasks and to-do’s in one place. Don’t have Post-it notes scattered everywhere. Decide on a tool to use – whether it be a notepad or software. Suggestions for some top software for task management below.
2. Keep your task list with you at all times. You’ll find it stress relieving to braindump actions onto your to do list as and when they arise.
3. If you’re using Outlook as your task manager then you should definately consider using the Outlook 2007 Public Beta. There’s some important improvements to task management in the 2007 release, including showing tasks on your calendar and the new “To Do” Bar.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/programs/outlook/overview.mspx for details
Outlook’s certainly one of the top task managers. If you’re struggling with lots of conflicting priorities though, you may benefit from MLO or Lifebalance (see below) which have more of a focus on organising your to do list so you focus on the most important priorities
4. Get the balance right between different areas of your life (work/household/family etc). LifeBalance is particularly good at tracking where you are spending most of your time and encouraging you to shift your priorities in life. LifeBalance interfaces with PocketPCs and many other devices
http://www.llamagraphics.com/LB/LifeBalanceTop.html
5. Separate out the important from the urgent tasks. My Life Organized is good at this.
“The essence of genius is to know what to overlook.” — William James (1842-1910) Doctor, Psychologist, Philosopher.
My Life Organized is probably one of the most developed and tested task managers. Its strength is the ability to present you with a prioritised to do list that considers how IMPORTANT a task is as well as its urgency/deadline. MLO interfaces with Pocket PC’s and Outlook.
http://www.mylifeorganized.net/
User Group http://groups.google.com/group/myLifeOrganized
6. Finally, ToDoList’s main advantage is its free, has a nice interface and some pretty cool features, though its not as advanced as the others I’ve listed.
http://www.codeproject.com/tools/todolist2.asp?forumid=25857&df=100&select=1418220&msg=1418220
I run Windows OS
My best productivity tip is “Write it down.” I have seen and experimented with many ways to do this, but the real productivity gain is to write down the things you need to do, keep the list somewhere handy, and refer to it often.
I use computer-based lists, but some of my staff us all paper lists and they see a productivity gain, too.
A corollary to “write it down” is “save the important writings.” This means keeping a file of project plans, telephone call results, contacts, technical references, standards, templates, etc. At my company, I am the go-to guy whenever anyone needs to know something about a past project. I typically have a file with the key pieces of information, and can find that file in minutes.
My main productivity boosters involve simply making use of the obvious features of now ubiquitous software.
1) Firefox’s RSS feeds, as “live bookmarks” – I can, for instance, put jkOnTheRun onto the bookmark toolbar, and take a quick glance at the list of blog updates with the click of a button. This makes it much easier for me to cut down on how long it takes me to stay in the loop on many sites. I also organize my bookmarks on the toolbar into different folders depending on the main idea, so if I want to browse all the sites
2) Media Player Classic does about all that ever has to do with video files or streaming stuff off the net without all the hassles of opening Windows Media Player and trying to keep it out of my way. I use it when I want to listen to a podcast or a list of podcasts (with the playlist feature). It’s simple, small, and does the job.
3) Not really all that ubiquitous, but I found it thanks to reading these comments: I downloaded Sciral Consistency and bought it about 20 minutes later. It’s simple, fast, and is already a great addition to my routine. Most prominently, I have used it to keep track of my bills, and at a glance I can tell which ones are going to be coming up soon so I can stay ahead of them. It’s one of the simplest personal management tools I’ve ever seen for all the use I get out of it now. Of course, there’s room for improvement (I have a few ideas, but posting them here won’t get anything accomplished
4) On tasks at work that are primarily typing or transcribing, I found that I am far faster at it by going through it in passes
- 4a. The bulk of the wording, for example, I simply type as it comes to mind, only correcting typos out of habit (I almost reflexively hit the backspace key these days…).
- 4b. On the second pass I format the stuff (bolding, bulleting, moving around, subscripting/superscripting etc).
- 4c. On the final pass I subvocalize it (read while thinking of saying the words – normally when I read things I don’t do this, as it slows my reading down) so that I can “hear” how it “sounds”, and I make any adjustments.
- Before I started forcing myself into this routine, I would spend sometimes as much as 3x the amount of time on one batch or paragraph, because I would format, shift around, subvocalize the sentences while I was typing them. Of course, if I formatted, moved around, or read stuff that I later undid or redid, that was time wasted that I could have better spent on something more exciting, like going home and watching grass grow. Basically I am not a fan of long typing/transcribing tasks, so I use those few passes to minimize the time it takes me to do them.
5) I almost always have music going on in the background, either via radio or the computer. This helps me to keep my focus on the task at hand, because it satisfies (some of) my boredom and tendency to daydream and wander off to the web while I’m at a browser doing some research.
6) I usually try to avoid Google goose chases. If something I’m looking for doesn’t show up in the first two attempts at a Google, I’ll just go post in a forum of some sort. When I do a Google goose chase, it often takes me longer to find out that I can’t find it, and on average if I do find something I’m looking for by a Google goose chase, it’s taken me longer to do so than it would have taken me to go on a forum or into an IRC channel and ask.
I have posted several tips, but I recently came across a great tool to increase productivity and reduce mundane but essential tasks. As a mobile professional with a desktop at my home office, a desktop at a company I consult, and a tablet I was constantly finding that I need files off of the different computers. I looked at external hard drive and I even set up an ftp so that I could get to files on the different machines. However, keeping track of the most recent file became very tiresome. Finally I revisited Foldershare. I now have it installed on all the machines and they are syncing up every time I make a change to a file no matter what machine I am on. If you work on multiple machines give it a try. It is so liberating to never worry about whether you have the most recent version and it is an automatic backup of your files on multiple hard drives.
BTW, I would love to win a Windows copy.
We’ve put together a tutorial on how to use Outlook without folders and without filing to save a lot of time in email administration.
http://cnxn.ca/NoFoldersTutorial.html
Mark
I use windows. I use Jasc software design and love it