ProdPod, a Productivity Podcast

Here's Clare's process:

First: Find a quiet space where you're comfortable and won't be disturbed. You may even want to do a relaxation technique or meditate for a few minutes to release any tensions from the outside world at that moment. Then, with pen and a notepad, make a list of all the most important events that occurred in the last two years.

Next: Create a list or pie chart of the different areas of your life. In GTD, we call these Areas of Focus and Areas of Responsibility combined. 

Now, you can go category by category and write down anything that makes you feel stressed, tense or anxious, sad, angry, limited or judged. The author notes you should make sure not to self-judge or self-censor while doing this part of the exercise. Continue writing down items with their categories until you've exhausted ideas.

Then, lay out the categorized lists, mindmaps or however you created them, and look for commonalities, patterns and relationships among the categories' items. From here you should be able to do two things: 1) note which items need change, and 2) asterisk which items need change as soon as possible!

Finally, the part most people leave out when doing any kind of assessment: create a strategy for change! Using SMART goals (see episode 19), create steps for achieving a lower-stress lifestyle. Make sure to include key players in your life: your boss, your spouse, family, friends, coworkers and children.

You know you've reached a point of success when you can start checking off items from your SMART goals list for reducing stress.

Bernard M. Baruch once said, "Only as you do know yourself can your brain serve you as a sharp and efficient tool. Know your own failings, passions, and prejudices so you can separate them from what you see."

Many times people ask me for the latest tool, hack or tip that will get them an edge on their life and work productivity. While I don't mind giving that advice, so often I'm baffled that more people don't look at the tools we already have available to us.
Have you ever noticed that of the many tools available to us, there is usually one right tool for the job? You know you shouldn't hammer a screw into the wall or call your father with your washing machine. One of the most prevalent productivity crimes I see is using your calendar as a task or projects list. What tool may you be misusing when it comes to your own productivity system?

Finally, learn how to the use the tools you have fully and correctly. Nine times out of 10 you don't need the newest features on a tech gadget that's just been released; honestly, you've lived for how many years without it and you've done pretty well, right? Your current tools probably have features and functions that you've yet to explore completely. Learn them well and you'll trust your system more than ever.

Getting to know yourself, your current productivity tools and how to use them correctly is a definitive step in creating flow in your productive life. In the words of the photographer, Ken Rockwell, "Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools."

I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. This is Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening! Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less.
Have you ever noticed that of the many tools available to us, there is usually one right tool for the job? You know you shouldn't hammer a screw into the wall or call your father with your washing machine. One of the most prevalent productivity crimes I see is using your calendar as a task or projects list. What tool may you be misusing when it comes to your own productivity system?
Finally, learn how to the use the tools you have fully and correctly. Nine times out of 10 you don't need the newest features on a tech gadget that's just been released; honestly, you've lived for how many years without it and you've done pretty well, right? Your current tools probably have features and functions that you've yet to explore completely. Learn them well and you'll trust your system more than ever.

Getting to know yourself, your current productivity tools and how to use them correctly is a definitive step in creating flow in your productive life. In the words of the photographer, Ken Rockwell, "Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools."

I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. This is Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening! Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less.
Finally, learn how to the use the tools you have fully and correctly. Nine times out of 10 you don't need the newest features on a tech gadget that's just been released; honestly, you've lived for how many years without it and you've done pretty well, right? Your current tools probably have features and functions that you've yet to explore completely. Learn them well and you'll trust your system more than ever.
Getting to know yourself, your current productivity tools and how to use them correctly is a definitive step in creating flow in your productive life. In the words of the photographer, Ken Rockwell, "Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools."

I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. This is Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening! Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less.
Getting to know yourself, your current productivity tools and how to use them correctly is a definitive step in creating flow in your productive life. In the words of the photographer, Ken Rockwell, "Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools."
I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. This is Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening! Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. This is Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening! Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less.

We have one of the greatest miracles in the universe, our bodies and specifically as Mr. Baruch mentioned, our minds. There's a world of knowledge at our fingertips about the way we work if we're willing to pay attention.

In 1955, a British naval historian and prolific author, Cyril Northcote Parkinson, wrote an essay for The Economist, in which he wrote what now has become the renowned Parkinson's Law, that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." He was actually talking about bureaucracy expansion from his experience in the British Civil Service.  

Unfortunately for Mr. Parkinson, the meaning of the phrase he named "Parkinson's Law" has birthed several corollaries, many of which have computer-related meanings, and his meaning has all but bit the dust.

Now we have several versions such as...

Data expands to fill the space available for storage.

Storage requirements will increase to meet storage capacity.

and...my favorite...

Nature abhors a vacuum.

However, it's the Parkinson's Law corrollary in regard to time management that I think will pique your interest:

It states...the amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task.

 I recently read about a study in which several groups of undergraduate students were allowed to choose their own course deadlines in varying degrees, some were allowed no deadline, that is, to have everything submitted before the end of the course, some got to choose their deadlines during the semester but once chosen they were fixed dates, and then there was a control group with the professor's normal deadlines. Surprisingly, the ones with the professor's deadlines, scored the best. The second best were the ones with the self-prescribed, staggered deadlines throughout the semester. This provides at least some statistical evidence that humans are naturally bound to healthy pressure when it comes to the productive use of our time, and once again gives us heed to listen to Parkinson's Law when deciding how much time to dedicate to a particular task or project.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of ProdPod. I'm Ray Sidney-Smith and thanks for listening. Here's to your productivity success...in two minutes or less. 

1- How often do you use each of the devices you own? Like with your wardrobe, if you haven't worn it this year, it's likely you won't use it next year. 

2- Can you consolidate functionality? If you've had a printer, scanner and fax machine sitting around your office or home office for several years, now might be the time to think about consolidating to a wireless, network multi-function printer/scanner/copier and getting a service such as MyFax or eFax that allows you to send/receive faxes by email. This will reduce the devices, clutter and gives you more telecommunications options.

3- Are there new Cloud-based technologies that help you become more device-independent? For example, if you carry a smartphone and an MP3 player, you may want to try out Google Music (the new Web-based music player hosts up to 20,000 of your songs for free so you can access them anywhere) by going to music.google.com and phasing out the extra device. 

The beauty of living in an age of advanced technology is that you can also streamline, so why not take advantage!  

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE OF PRODPOD. THIS IS RAY SIDNEY-SMITH AND THANKS FOR LISTENING! HERE'S TO YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SUCCESS...IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS.  

We all have an idea that benefits should be greater than the costs, whether they're tangible or intangible. And, this naturally implies that your developing, implementing and evaluating a productivity system should be outweighed by the amount of time spent actually getting things done.

Said another way, your productivity system should be divided into three areas (as we discussed in episodes 3 and 4 regarding the special theory of productivity): plan, implement and evaluate. For those prone to plan too much or procastinate, planning and evaluating should be contained to about 20% of your time and energy, while implementing (what we call "Doing" in GTD lingo) should be about 80% of your productive time and energy. 

This may seem simple, but for many people who are highly interested in productivity, we spend an inexplicable amount of time on lifehack.org, gtdtimes, 43folders and zenhabits, learning about new and innovative topics about productivity and organization, We are actually going beyond the 20% of our time devoted to planning and evaluating instead of the activities that are on our lists. Think about this reality the next time you set aside your focus on getting things done and open up a site that distracts you from being productive. Once you start to be mindful and return to your to-do list, I have no doubt you'll be satisfied that you did! 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE OF PRODPOD. THIS IS RAY SIDNEY-SMITH AND THANKS FOR LISTENING! HERE'S TO YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SUCCESS...IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS.