David Allen shares a  tip in the category of what he calls “dumb-dorky-things-to-do-that-work.”  Rubber band your charged ones

I’ve been slightly bugged for years in places like hotel rooms, looking the next morning at my unpacked stuff, wondering which batteries I had run down and which ones were still charged. I finally found a solution that works for me.

If you travel with extra batteries for phones or computers, put a rubber band around the ones that are charged. When they are depleted, they don’t have one.   If they don’t have a rubber band, they’re dry. If they do, they’re charged.

(Extra tip: You need to make sure that you have and use a little pocket somewhere in your travel gear to hold the rubber bands when you take them off when you install the charged batteries.)

3 Comments »

Sometimes people think GTD is primarily about lists of next actions and projects. But the most valuable elements of GTD to infuse into your business are the ones that get the least attention.

For example, I was at a meeting where we were planning out a targeted mailing to a key group of clients. I asked a question that took everybody by surprise, “What does done look like?” [Read more →]

No Comments »

“When do most people feel best about their work? Just before a yearly vacation.  They think it’s because of their upcoming vacation.  I disagree. It’s because in order to take that vacation they’ve cleaned up, clarified, organized, reviewed, and renegotiated all of their agreements with themselves and others.  They’re highly motivated to be able to walk on the beach, ski the slopes, cast their fly, play eighteen, and ride the rides with their kids without being distracted by un-managed stuff.  What if you could have that freedom of mind weekly instead of yearly?  You can. The Weekly Review.“  – David Allen

1 Comment »

ASTD is hosting a free Webinar with David Allen next Wednesday for its members.  Visit ASTD site to learn more.

No Comments »

Often, your project support will include documents on your computer like Word or Excel files. You can attach the actual document, but what happens if you update the original? How can you be sure you have the latest attached?  We got this very question from a GTD’er and thought it would be useful to pass along:

I am struggling with how to file electronic documents.  Some of the documents live in email, some live in folder and some in the tasks in Outlook.  I end up checking all three places to find the most recent copy of a document.  Do you have any suggestions on the best way to handle this?

A great way to do this in Outlook is to insert a hyperlink of the file, not the actual file attachment.  From within a Task note field, select to attach a file. Then choose “Insert as Hyperlink.”

4 Comments »

Meghan Wilker–mom, social media maven, and GTD’er-extraordinaire, brings her tips for surviving the holidays GTD-style. Enjoy!

This weekend kicked off the holiday season which, for most people, is synonymous with utter chaos. Often, work projects need to be wrapped up by end-of-year, we are inundated with party invitations from friends, clients, and vendors and — on top of all that — family commitments multiply. Oh, and then there’s that whole “buying presents” thing, which is made all the more fun by the current economy (aka “these uncertain times”).

Here’s how GTD can help you maintain your sanity this holiday season:

Calendar Kung Fu
If you haven’t already gotten a calendar management black belt, use the next two months to earn it. My favorite moves include:

• [Read more →]

1 Comment »