Engage your ‘Crisis Mode’
These last few weeks haven’t been pleasant. I’ve been ill, Mrs Cutlery has been ill and so have the two boys. A poorly household is not a productive household and it’s been a real challenge making...
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Nozbe launch updated iOS app
Last year Nozbe announced that they’d be launching a new version of their iOS app, developed in-house (the existing version was developed by Macoscope and launching in December 2012. After some issues...
View ArticleWhat’s your Kryptonite task?
Over the past few months I’ve been feeling pretty smug about my productivity progress. I’ve managed to: Get my work and personal mailboxes to Zero Develop a ‘Do/Defer/Delegate’ GTD routine using Nozbe...
View ArticleWhy structured procrastination is just an excuse
The last few weeks it seems every other article I come across is advocating ‘structured’ or ‘planned’ procrastination, and it’s really starting to bug me. In some instances I think the advice is...
View ArticleWhat’s worse than a bad meeting? 3 bad meetings…
I’ve been in workshop hell since Tuesday. Still trying to shake off the remnants of whatever bug(s) have been dragging me down all month, the last thing I really wanted to do was pack my overnight...
View ArticleMaintaining Productivity Under Pressure
This has been an intense week or so for me, where I have found the need to maintain my productivity under pressure and to revisit how I have prioritised my goals or ‘areas of focus’. A healthy me is...
View ArticleThe 2 Minute Rule changed my life
I was discussing my mailbox processing rules with a member of my team yesterday and she said to me “you’d have to pretty organised to have a system like that. She was surprised when I responded: “But...
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The Kryptonite Task: Part II
Last month I wrote about how processing my expenses has become my Kryptonite Task – the one I always seem to get stuck on. I am pleased to report I have finally bust through this particular task and...
View ArticleDo the tools maketh the man?
I’m the kind of person who, when they get into a new hobby, has to buy all the “best” kit a newbie hobbyist can lay his hands on. This is the reason I have scuba gear, climbing gear, camera gear, power...
View ArticleIs your organisation holding you back?
I work in a company that employs tens of thousands of people, with an IT staff of hundreds. As is normal for a company of this size, the technlogy I use is strictly controlled, in the name of security,...
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2 steps to a more productive mood
In this post I’ll be talking about how your mood can affect your outputs, how to have a ‘+1 day’ and the importance of tracking your moods to maximise your productivity There’s a favourite little...
View ArticleStay on track by defining projects as goals
I’m a big fan of the GTD concept that if you have to get something done that requires more than 1 step (get money from the ATM; buy milk) you should define it as a project. A project in this instance...
View ArticleLetting Yourself Down
Today was not a good day. I’ve had ’Write (presentation X) for my boss’ on my Next Actions list for the last two weeks, but despite scheduling a couple of blocks of time to do it something has always...
View ArticlePush: My dirty little secret
It is an accepted productivity wisdom that push notifications are evil. I see list after list of productivity tips all proselytising that you should disable push notifications to maximise your...
View ArticleA weekend off
This weekend I took some time out to visit some old University friends. My initial thought was that the weekend would be a productivity "black hole" – something I was happy to accept as the price for...
View ArticleThoughts on contexts in GTD
Contexts are a relatively simple concept, and quite fundamental to GTD. The basic premise is that when processing your list of captured ‘stuff’ and creating actions /projects, you need to consider not...
View ArticleGTD Reality Check – Am I really any more productive?
I started out on this journey last year as the result of a realisation that I was being pretty chaotic in how I got things done – and that perhaps the techniques I was aware of, but had previously...
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Is your day really as productive as you think?
I had a lightbulb moment today. I was trialling the Emergent Task Planner, a paper-based task-management system recommended to me by Matt McCabe[1] in response to my recent GTD Reality Check.[2] For...
View ArticleAre you productive, or just busy?
Are you delivering outcomes, or just outputs? Last week was a particularly busy one, as I tried desparately to clear my pile of work down ahead of a week’s holiday. As I found myself shedding my...
View ArticleWhy I’m proud of my ‘unproductive’ day
I’m on holiday from work this week, so it’s an opportunity to spend time with the family and get stuff done around the house. To be GTD-nerdy about it, it’s time to ditch the “work” context and hit the...
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