Posts filed under 'GTD'
First of all, thank you to the many intelligent and mature people who have taken my recent posts in the spirit they were intended. I’ve received some great comments and email from people who are definitely in the same boat as I: that GTD, for us, doesn’t necessarily answer or incorporate some of the longer-term goals and visions that we need to keep our focus on the bigger picture. It seems that many people have also been using GTD for day-to-day tasks, and Covey for overall goal planning. A very interesting mix, and as many have pointed out, they are certainly not mutually exclusive.
So here’s a question for those folks who are already implementing (or even thinking about) such a system, and especially those people who have some familiarity with using paper-based planners: do you have any suggestions for forms that are “best of breed”, that incorporate Covey without dropping GTD, and vice-versa? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below, or drop me email (as usual, you’ll see my email at the base of the menu on the right). I’m in the midst of creating some new forms for my DIY Planner v.2, and any ideas regarding this approach to planning would be much appreciated.
January 30th, 2005
In my past post, I mentioned a few ways in which –for me– GTD tends to fall short. What I didn’t expect was the dozen or so flame mails I received in response. I obviously struck a nerve somewhere.
Some choice quotes:
- If GTD does n’t meet your needs, then you are doing it wrong.
- GTD does everything an dmore. my life changed wehn i started using it, and you dont have any rite to convince people otherwise
- Your [sic] a [expletive] [expletive] if you think that your [sic] [expletive] getting things done right.
- you give people the wrong impression. gtd works.
- y dont you try christanity, you [expletive]
There were one or two well-written, thought-provoking messages among those disagreeing with me (thank you, Dawn and RJ), but most of them are along the lines of the above.
People, remember this: GTD is not a religion. It is simply a way of introducing efficiencies into one’s life: it is a process, a 1-2-3 method of (duh) getting things done. I know that GTD is the height of geek fashion right now, and it is quite effective for many people, especially more procedurally-minded folks like myself, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t infallable, or that it addresses everything for everybody.
My point was simply that GTD is more finely-tuned for pragmatic, day-to-day tasks and events. This is great, and this is what I use it for. However, I have begun to yearn for something a little higher-up in terms of long-term goals and character-building. I am not looking for a religion: I am looking for a way to integrate such bigger-picture objectives into shorter-term tasks, and I find that GTD –or at least the way in which I implement GTD– doesn’t do an adequate job of doing this, even with the “Runway to 50K feet” sections that (to me) seemed tacked onto the end of an otherwise effective system. I am, fundamentally, trying to integrate philosophy with methodology, and am seeking ways to do this. The first step was simply to acknowledge that Getting Things Done falls short in this regard for me.
My apologies to the “cult of GTD”, if I have sullied their altar in any way. Normal organisational junkies, we now return to our regular scheduled programming.
January 28th, 2005
Lately, I’ve been snowed under, literally and figuratively. Almost every waking minute of every day is spent doing work, or for moments too brief, helping to tend to my six-month-old boy Conor. Relaxation is almost non-existent, and the stress (compounded by all-too-typical personal issues) has built up to rather exorbinant levels. My only time to relax seems to be in those fleeting moments that I read myself to sleep. Reading is good… it calms the mind, tires the eyes and body, and takes the tenseness out of the muscles in preparation for rest. Sometimes, though, the mind can get hooked on an idea from a book, or even an idea lacking from a book, and seize upon that for continuing hours of (often frustrating) wakefulness. I had such a night recently, and the book I was reading was (no surprise here) Getting Things Done. It finally occured to me what the methodology was missing, for me, and it lay at the roots of my elevated stress levels.
Back in my former life, when I did the “corporate thing”, I read Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and the follow-up First Things First. The ideas were good, but they got lost in all the other business-oriented winning-strategy style books I was plowing through on a weekly basis. I took a notion or two from him, but even those became twisted out of recognisability when processed with a hundred other competing methodologies. Eventually, they (and dozens of other books) were consigned to boxes or the back-of-shelf areas behind little-read technical books.
I’ve never been an overly-religious person, and at times far too logical for my own good. This is why Getting Things Done was initially a great fit for me: it’s great for geeks that want a 1-2-3 process that they can follow, much like a computer can follow a script language. But what’s missing is depth. By depth, I’m not referring to procedural depth, or the flexibility to handle multiple situations — GTD is quite able for such things. Instead, I’m referring to something that penetrates deeper down into what it means to be human.
[I can get a thousand people clicking their “back” buttons now….]
Covey is actually good for this sort of thing. For example, early on in Seven Habits, he differentiates between “character” and “personality” -driven methods and traits. “Personality” encompasses all those quick-fix methodologies that all the gurus are constantly touting in their one-day seminars. Let’s face it: we all know that –if these work at all– they don’t last long before other things fall apart. For example, take the whole idea of “smart negotiation” (something I didn’t get from Covey, but a good example, in my opinion). If you go into a conference room, you’re supposed to sit with your back to the window. Psychologically, this intimidates people: the light behind you makes you appear more powerful, looking into any glare is typically unsettling for everybody else, and the person opposite you cannot read your facial expressions very easily. But, although this is all well and good, effective negotiation skills require more than just simple psych-out parlour tricks. You need to have a strong presence, a good knowledge of the facts, a grounding in diplomacy, and a certain degree of wisdom that allows alternate viewpoints and compromise. And these would be the “character”-oriented traits that Covey is focussing on.
Covey preaches habits that work deep-down, that are a cumulative process in achieving effectiveness in both work and personal dealings. Habit three, “First things first”, is his take on organisational methods, but is only a small part of the big picture. (It is, however, the subject devoted to his follow-up book.) By contrast, GTD is far more shallow in this regard: it is something that can be digested in a week, and can be used very quickly and effectively because it is so procedural. Note that I’m puposely disregarding the “runway to 50K feet” bits, because I feel that these seem like quickly-written sections to address longer-term issues that GTD doesn’t really handle well — it works best as a short- to intermediate-term strategy, in my opinion. Whereas GTD concentrates on day-to-day processes, Covey proposes habits that must be acquired carefully and through thought and deed, and these will take months –if not years– to permeate your life and methods.
So, it is “depth” that I’m missing in GTD. You may argue that GTD is just a way of becoming more productive. That’s true, and fair enough. It’s the whole top-down vs. bottom-up debate all over again, and neither is more correct than the other: both are perfectly valid, and will appeal to certain individuals according to their own tastes and situations. For me, at this stage in my life, I’m at a crossroads. No doubt, I will continue to use GTD methods, but I will take another look at Covey and try to build up the life and character I need to possess, because I want to feel good about who I am, what I can do with the years ahead, and what sort of person I should be to lead a good example for my baby boy. Thanks to GTD, I have a map of my day and week, but now I need a map of my life.
Is Covey the answer? I don’t know, but it’s a good first step.
January 26th, 2005
Well, I meandered around the FranklinCovey websites during lunch, and dug up a little gem. At the base of the Downloads District page, you’ll find a Windows-only (alas) program for printing forms and templates, called Forms Wizard. (This is a little hard to find in the rest of the site… I guess they’re pushing their WinXP and Outlook software much harder nowadays.) The description reads:
This easy-to-use software lets you create customized personal and professional forms for all FranklinCovey Planning Page sizes. Adjust any of the more than 60 templates to suit your needs, then print out only what you need on FranklinCovey blank pages or Perf-Fit Pages printer paper.
Free 30-day trial download, and as far as I can tell so far, there’s nothing saying you can’t print these templates on ordinary paper as well (including full letter-size). Plus, the software allows you to use the forms like a rudimentary word processor, so you can enter all your own information into them, set the fonts, make certain changes, etc. The forms are rather ordinary-looking, but there are a great number of them, including some that I hadn’t even considered making. (/me takes out scratchpad and starts making notes.) For the calendars, you can even tell it what dates/months to create. (So for those people complaining of a lack of calendar templates in my DIY Planner, this is your cue. 
)
The system is obviously Covey-oriented, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find a lot of useful forms if you’re a GTD nut. Even if you don’t spring for the software, there’s still a lot you can do with this in 30 days. Plus, at only $29.95, it seems like a great deal for anyone that uses paper planners.
January 21st, 2005
Owing to geography, I don’t get an opportunity to visit Staples too often. It’s a four-hour trek to St. John’s, the capital of the province and the location of most of the superstores. However, I’m currently in town to give workshops and, while running errands one evening, could not resist stopping into Staples to peruse their DayRunner and Day Timer templates. The situation is quite different than it was a few years ago.
Once upon a time, the local Staples had a tremendous number of templates, including plenty of project management ones. Now, nearly half of the templates are calendars of some type (often with natural landscapes and crudely-drawn images of fairies trailing ribbons). I guess this speaks to the main use of paper planners nowadays. Of the other templates, there were only the following: to-do list, contacts/address book, plastic zip pouch, business card holders, slash folders, mileage forms, “Today” snap-in, and receipts (with pouch). That was it, aside from the $6 CDN ($4 USD) 30-page notepads. Prices all around were quite expensive, ranging from 20 cents to $4 per page. Ouch.
Browsing through the DayRunners and Day Timers on the shelves at least showed me a few more templates. Most planners come with 2-6 page samples of various templates, including some project management ones. (Obviously, you’re to visit their website if you want more.) DayRunner has two different levels nowadays: regular and “Pro”. The regular templates seem a little flimsier, have a very basic design, and not many fields. The Pro ones have a slightly more elaborate design, some gold and grey colouring, more project management options, and more fields (rather akin to the ones I offer). The only “loose” Pro templates I could really find to purchase were the calendar and address forms.
Just a few years ago, Staples had many dozens of templates, pretty well 80% of those now available from the planner websites. Nowadays, with the advent of PDAs, Outlook and other PIMs, there’s obviously much fewer people using planners, and thus far less of a market of the forms. The store is now only stocking the common templates that people would regularly demand. Hence, the planner websites now better serve this “niche” market.
Initially I was quite surprised at the demand for my templates, but now that I’ve had the opportunity to visit the province’s largest office supply store, I realise why so many people are downloading them. In a way, I feel like I’m helping to supply a necessary fix to a dying breed, like selling butter churners to back-to-earthers. I only hope I’m not hastening the demise of paper planner -based companies –which obviously derive a fairly high mark-up on forms– by giving my package away for free.
January 15th, 2005
I’ve been considering a number of additions to the existing set of templates for DIY Planner v2. The ones I’m thinking about are:
- A set of “Web Developer” templates. I can’t recall the number of times I’ve had to write down and design the same things… I might as well create a form for it.
- A “Sources” template, usually used to gather together pertinent contact people, equipment leasors, project staff, all-night pizza delivery places, etc. Sort of like a “yellow pages” for a category or project.
- A basic “Expense Report”.
- A fold-it-yourself Receipts form/envelope (this could be neat if I can make it work right).
- Project Ideas.
- Other possibilities:
- Trip Diary
- “Inventory” Control
- Various quick reference cards
- Important Numbers (simple form for police, fire, poison control, insurance, Chinese take-out, etc.)
- Simple DIY templates for OpenOffice.org (and possibly other) formats.
These are mainly vague ideas right now, and none are set in stone. There comes a time when you can have too many forms, and I want to avoid going that far. After all, nothing is preventing you from taking a Notes page and simply labelling it whatever subject you want. And sometimes, that’s far more efficient.
In addition to the new templates, some old ones are being modified, a new design will probably be integrated, and different sizes (letter-size, A4 and A5) and possibly languages will be offered (the latter being dependent upon volunteers).
Any other suggestions for templates, GTD or otherwise? Please leave ‘em in the comments or send me an email, and I’ll collate them for future consideration.
January 8th, 2005
Over at 43Folders.com is a call for GTD-ready applications and templates, with preference given to free and Open Source solutions. It occurred to me that TreeLine is just such a program, albeit not designed with GTD in mind. Basically, it’s a free outliner/PIM/freeform database, somewhat along the lines of the venerable Tinderbox. While it’s maturity does not yet reach anywhere that of Eastgate’s software (for example, you basically only have the latter’s “Explorer” view, and it can’t handle graphics AFAIK), it does have a number of other attractive features, not the least of which is that fact that it is Open Source and thereby modifiable by folks comfortable with Python/QT. It is also cross-platform.
Some would call TreeLine an Outliner, others would call it a PIM. Basically, it just stores almost any kind of information. A tree structure makes it easy to keep things organized. And each node in the tree can contain several fields, forming a mini-database. The output format for each node can be defined, and the output can be shown on the screen, printed, or exported to html.
Versions are available for Windows (in an easy-to-install package) and Linux. Given the libraries listed, I can so no reason why someone can’t install it on OS X as well, as long as he or she takes the time to install the libraries beforehand.
No calendar is included (yet), but I can’t see any valid reason why some very smart people cannot add it, as well as the ability to synchronise stuff to a server. In the meantime, it seems to be able to organise quite a bit, and is only limited by your imagination. “Structure-junkies” should be fairly impressed with the freeform database potential of the app, as well as the import/export, sorting, filtering, encryption, parent-child relationships, and XML capabilities. Treeline is still at version 0.10.2, but even at this stage, it demonstrates a lot of potential.
I’d love to see an XUL-based version of this application, if any Mozilla programmers out there are listening….
January 7th, 2005
Had a sleepless night last night, so I started thinking about a few elements of the existing DIY Planner templates that still bother me. One aspect is the design: it’s solid and non-offensive, but it’s also very staid and blocky. I need to pursue a more modern design, but something that’s classic enough to not feel out-of-fashion in just a few short months. It also has to feel fairly professional. (That is, I’m not stringing daisies, dandelions and dancing bears across the top. ) I had a few spare minutes during breakfast to do a quick mock-up. Any feedback?
By the way, I’ve now added a direct link to the DIY Planner to the sidebar at right. That will always point at the most recent release.
January 6th, 2005
Yet another option for all you bookmark (and GTD) junkies out there, especially with more than one machine: a new SiteBar Sidebar extension has been released to work with Firefox 1.0. For those not in the know, SiteBar is a cool way to manage your bookmarks from multiple machines using a hierachy, synced with a server somewhere. The Firefox extension gives you a neat sidebar so you can easily manage and use those bookmarks.
I suggested using SiteBar with a wiki a few months ago for GTD-related work. Each bookmark can take you straight to the edit form page for your Next Actions, Projects, etc. It works exceedingly well, if you want a nice web-enabled GTD app and are comfortable with text and wikis. At least it worked well for me, with the exception of no built-in calendar (which is what I generally use my PDA for, anyway). Hmm… I wonder if there are decent calendar plugins for any wikis I use….
January 5th, 2005
Just wanted to drop interested folks a line with regard to the progress of the DIY Planner.
First, a quick tip: in your Adobe Acrobat print settings, force your printing to be greyscale. Now, in the templates, I’ve only actually used shades of grey and black (mainly to save on expensive ink, and to make them “neutral” enough to fit almost any planner), but unless you check this box, your colour inkjet may actually be using colour ink to create the grey. I noticed this quite by fluke when one of my colour jets got clogged and things starting looking rather blue. In OS X, I just created a new profile called “DIYPlanner” that sets paper as Inkjet, DPI at 600 DPI, and Color as Gray Scale. I simply select this when I print any templates.
Second, several people have contacted me regarding the possibility of volunteering their services to help produce templates. This should mean that the templates may be available soon in several different sizes and languages. I’ll keep you informed when we have something more to release.
Third, still looking for requests for new templates, besides the standard calendar and contact ones. Anyone have any cool ideas for something you’d actually use and would make sense as a paper-based form?
January 3rd, 2005
I had really high hopes for MIT’s Haystack project when I first came across it a couple of years ago, and firmly believed that it had the potential to meet all my organisational needs. See the screenshot available on the homepage and you’ll probably see why I thought it would be a good match for GTD-style organisational methodologies.
Basically, Haystack is a semantically-driven (i.e., based on perceived connections of meaning) personal information manager that incorporates tasks, memos, email, news feeds, calendar, sharing and more. All these can be associated through categories, content cues and (as yet) rudimentary Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Unfortunately, the project either seems to have stalled, or the focus is changing somewhat (perhaps to the Eclipse-based projects such as Hayloft).
There is an OS X version, but I only tried it on an old Pismo last year, and it was rather painful. It was fairly slow (it runs using Java, if I recall correctly), bloated, and needlessly complex. It’s essentially still at the “computer scientist” stage, so I wouldn’t exactly recommend it to my mother.
If it manages to keep going, I can certainly see it being an important organisational hub for my digital activities. Its future, however, seems to be in doubt at the moment, at least in its all-in-one Java incarnation. Does anyone out there know anything about its status?
January 2nd, 2005
In need of a last-minute gift? Need something to do between turkey dinners? Or how about a massive attempt at self-organisation for the New Year?
Just in time for the holidays, I’m pleased to announce version 1.0 of my Do-It-Yourself Planner system. Almost every template has been revised somewhat from the beta versions, a new graphical look and feel is taking shape, there’s a new “To Buy” form, the instructions are now fleshed out, and there’s plenty of room for customising the package to your individual tastes and circumstances. So much so, that I’m officially removing the “GTD” from its name. While the emphasis remains on David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodologies, I’m trying not to limit users in any way.
Version 1.0 of the DIY Planner package includes a dozen pages of information (in HTML) on how to buy a 5.5″x8.5″ planner, save a bundle on templates/forms, find accessories, set up your organiser GTD-style, and more. The included 28-page PDF file contains a number of double-sided templates including:
- GTD Diagrams (resized and rotated from originals found at www.davidco.com — see the HTML file for exact links)
- Next Actions
- Waiting For
- Agendas
- Project Outline (new layout)
- Objectives
- Contact Log
- Someday/Maybe
- To Do List
- Notes
- Covey Quadrant
- Brainstorm
- Story Idea
- To Buy (new)
Be sure to read the instructions, as they give plenty of information on how to print, cut, punch and use the templates. A minimum of office supplies are needed (primarily a 3-hole punch and a guillotine), but you can purchase them at most department stores for about $25 USD if you don’t already have them.
Both the templates and the instruction file are licensed under Creative Commons, and are therefore free for personal and non-commercial use. The latest version of the package can always be found here.
(For those people who asked about non-letter-size versions of the templates, I’ll see what I can do in the New Year, unless some brave Illustrator-slinging volunteer wants to step forward.)
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, complaints or ideas for new templates, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or send me an email (my address can be found in this page’s menu at bottom right).
Hope this is a nice little holiday DIY project for some of you organisational junkies. But I take no responsibility if you cut or hole-punch yourself….
Update: For those people mentioning that the templates don’t line up right, just make sure the Page Scaling in your Adobe Acrobat print dialog is not set to “Fit to paper” (which is the default, I think). They should print fine on most printers anyway, and setting any scale besides “None” will result in templates printing several millimeters off.
Update 2: Version 2.0 of the D*I*Y Planner has been released.
December 22nd, 2004
You’ve heard the pop-psychology buzzwords and sayings a hundred times. “Enable your inner spirit.” “Be yourself, and your efforts will follow naturally.” “Release the productive you.” “Dream your goals, and they will happen.” “You should live your time, not time your life.” (gag, cough…). I have a feeling that the only people finding these Polonius-style platitudes to be of any great benefit are the writers of self-help books that often wind up on talk shows amidst depressive housewives, teens gone wild and married first-cousins.
In my mind, no one can follow such warm-and-fuzzy objectives and hope to make them work. Motivation is something that works best coming from an baser or more immediate level, despite our hankerings to fuel our souls or enable our inner truth. After all, how does one enable inner truth, sort of spending a few years in a monastery? On the other hand, a dog –a creature of limited intelligence and short attention span– can be made to perform tricks with the promise of a bone or treat. Maybe there’s the hint of inspiration in that.
Everyone may be different, but I think we all have a few things in common. The need to find motivation, especially in the most stressful of times, is paramount to getting things done. In recent years, I’ve been guilty of stretching myself way too thin, and working so many hours that the threat of mental and physical breakdown was a concern (80-100 hours a week not being unusual). Every now and then someone asks me, how do I keep going? What they really mean, is how do I keep motivated? So I decided to jot down a few things that work for me, and share them here. There’s nothing earth-shattering or particularly incisive in this list; in fact, almost everything is common sense. But sometimes the little rational voice inside our heads wanders off for a nap somewhere, and we need to be reminded of certain things. Hence, my “Top Ten.”
- Organise your efforts: there is probably no one thing as debilitating as constantly realising all the things you were supposed to do, but didn’t, especially when it’s too late. By jotting down every little thing to do, and when you need to do it, you can relieve a lot of stress. It’s like the “trusted system” that Getting Things Done emphasizes, including the notion of “next actions” (basically, to-do lists) and “hard landscapes” (your calendar). Part of keeping up your levels of motivation means wiping out all those things that de-motivate you. If you know everything that needs to be done, and when it has to be done, you can be far more efficient in how you spend your time, and less likely to fall prone to the debilitating stress of “non-productiveness.”
- Organise your workspace: This not only includes getting rid of the clutter that accumulates on your desk, but also your “virtual workspace”, your computer. All those little bits and pieces of information, do you know where they are? Can you find them at a moment’s notice? Where will they be next year at this time? It’s easier to be motivated when you’re not confused, or feeling guilty about losing things. Set aside one day per week to “gut” your workspace and organise all those little scraps. Put them all in their correct places, and you will suddenly feel empowered the next time someone asks you a question you can actually answer.
- Remember: goals, objectives and strategies: Everything we do has a purpose behind it, whether we’re slugging through paperwork, standing in line at the DMV, or playing a game. The trick is to recognise the purpose, and figure out if it’s something we actually want to do. Start with your goals. This the “big picture”. Fill in the blank: five years from now, I will be ___________. Be specific: this is an exercise in visualisation.
What’s going to take you there? Those are your objectives. Start backwards, if you wish. Figure out where you need to be, and what you need to be doing, five years from now. Then two years. Now try six months. You should come up with a number of milestones you have to reach to get you there, such as projects that need to be done, people you have to meet, or further training or schooling to enhance your knowledge. These milestones should translate into the major objectives in the pursuit of your goals.
Finally, the strategies are those action lists which we create and implement to take us there. I will accomplish this, by doing that. It’s how you approach the problem, and the end result should be the achieving of an objective. Write down, in vague terms (don’t fence yourself in!) how you intend to reach each of your major objectives.
Why is this so important to motivation? Well, think about it: you’re lost at sea in a rowboat, you have a pair of oars, but you have no knowledge of the direction in which lies land. Either your rowing is half-hearted, or you’re not going to bother to row at all. Now, if you knew land was fifteen miles to the east, how hard would you row? In life, we don’t attempt difficult tasks unless we know our direction. And these, not luck, get us where we need to be. Motivation is the desire that makes us do such things, that propels us forward. Know your direction.
- Reward yourself: you’re a dog, and this is your treat. Sit, roll over, speak, fetch. Here you go, Fido. Same concept, same application. We need reasons to do things, and sometimes knowing that we’re moving towards a five-year goal doesn’t do much to make us feel good now. I feel far more motivated to do things if: a) I know this is something immediate, but which takes me closer to where I want to be; and b) I get some sort of reward for doing this. The reward can be many things: a nice cool beer after raking the leaves; an hour of your favourite computer game after finishing the office work; a trip to the mountains after you lose 20 pounds; or a new digital camera after you finish the next contract. Any time you have something difficult to do, set yourself a reward at the end. The type of reward should match the size of the task. A cold beer at the end of a grueling three-month contract is hardly sufficient, while a new laptop for raking your lawn is overkill: keep things in their proper perspective.
- Take pride: Obviously, this won’t be applicable for everything, no matter how much you try to rationalise things. But think of the old adage, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” Don’t just do it and get it out of the way: do it, and do a damn good job. You doing up a report? Make Hemingway jealous. Doing some landscaping? Palais de Versailles, anyone? Cooking a meal for the relatives? Check out all the gourmet recipes available on the Net. Bring it over the top. Then boast a little; you earned it. The next time, top yourself. Nothing gets your blood pumping quite like raising the mundane into an art form.
- Think of the children!: This only works if you actually have ‘em. It’s somehow easier to draw inspiration and motivation from thoughts of the child(ren) you have to support and nourish. If you forget what they look like, then put a picture of them on your desk. Maybe one with a recorded audio clip of them giggling or saying, “I love you.” If they won’t say it, threaten to take away their allowance. (Of course I’m kidding: taking away music download privileges is much more effective.)
- Carry your organiser: No matter if you’re toting a paper planner or a PDA, keep it with you at all times. There’s something very empowering about having that intimate and immediate connection with your productive side. Plus, people look at you and think, “My, what a well-organised and highly movitivated individual.” Or maybe they don’t, but you can pretend they do.
- Use your organiser: This should go without saying. That isn’t a paperweight you’re slinging around just to impress people. Keep track not only of your calendar, contacts and to-do lists, but also your objectives, your brainstorms, your “someday-maybe” items, your reference materials, your wish lists, and anything else that makes you feel productive, imaginative and well-organised. Fostering faith in yourself through this method is sometimes that easy. Why do you think there are so many organisation junkies out there? (On a related note, feel free to check out my free do-it-yourself planner files.)
- Relax: In this day and age, there’s enough to burn you out 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consciously set aside a “date” with yourself, say at 9:30 every second night, where you give yourself permission to toss off the shoes, lean back, and watch mindless television, play a DVD, or throw yourself into a computer game. You’ll be much more relaxed, and much more motivated to take on further tasks.
- Affirmations: I can’t think of that word without thinking of Saturday Night Live and the infamous Stuart Smalley skits. No, I’m not talking about sitting yourself in front of a mirror, ready to burst into tears, and trying to convince yourself that the world actually cares about you. (Assume it doesn’t, and move ahead from there.) What I’m suggesting is to write a one-sentence affirmation of the person you want to be. Sum up the “perfect you” in 50 words or less. Write it on the back of a business card or in the front of your organiser, and carry it around with you. Memorise it. Revise it occasionally. When you have a major life decision in front of you, or if you’re in danger of pursuing unproductive work or play, read the card again. Make sure it syncs. It’s like a compass that tells you what direction to row.
Any other ideas for self-motivation?
December 20th, 2004
I’ll be back in a few days. In the meantime, anyone following along the DIY Planner material can always find the latest (minute-by-minute) version of the accompanying instruction file here, complete with typos, mistakes, open HTML tags and whatever boo-boos I feel like committing the moment I hit Ctrl-X Ctrl-S.
There’s a fair amount of formatting fixes and new writing there, including a bunch of Frequently Asked Questions, “Essential Links” and pointers to other templates. If you know of any I’m missing that you’d like to recommend, shoot ‘em my way and I’ll try to include them in the v 1.0 file. (I’m douglasjohnston [at] gmail [dot] c-o-m.)
December 15th, 2004
In response to a high volume of email (well, 2 of them, anyway) questioning the commerciality of the templates, specifically the “am I going to eventually charge you or sue you” potentialities, I’ve decided to announce that the DIY Planner is now going to be offered under the terms of a Creative Commons license. Basically, what it means that you are free to use and distribute the templates however you wish, as long as it is not for commercial gain. For the latter, you must have my permission. See the link for details. I would ask, however, that if you wish to pass this package on to someone else, you give them a link to my site so that they may download the latest version.
While I’m at it, I’ve decided that the Creative Commons license will apply to the rest of the material on this weblog as well (at least the material that I’ve produced). I’ve always advocated the license, and now it’s time to practice what I preach.
Update: This CC license for the weblog is only intended to cover material written by me for the weblog, and does not include anything outside of the weblog, such as the Gallery, or the words of others. Just wanted to make that clear.
December 13th, 2004
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