ProdPod, a Productivity Podcast

THIS EPISODE'S TIP IN OUR SERIES ON EFFECTIVE MEETINGS: CORNELL NOTE-TAKING METHOD FOR MEETINGS. CREATED BY WALTER PAUK, EMERITUS, AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY THIS METHODOLOGY WAS CREATED TO HELP STUDENTS TAKE NOTES AND LEARN FROM THEM THROUGHOUT A COLLEGE COURSE. I'VE MODIFIED THE CONCEPTS SLIGHTLY TO SUIT MY PROFESSIONAL NEEDS. IF YOU GOOGLE "CORNELL NOTE TAKING TEMPLATE" YOU'LL FIND A VISUAL AS I DESCRIBE THE LAYOUT.
IN SHORT, YOU HAVE THREE AREAS DESIGNATED ON A SHEET OF NOTEPAD PAPER WHICH ALONG THE LEFT-HAND SIDE COLUMN IS THE CUE C-U-E COLUMN, TO THE RIGHT OF THAT IS THE NOTE-TAKING AREA AND THE BOTTOM TWO INCHES ARE DEDICATED AS A SUMMARY AREA. I PUT THE MEETING AGENDA NEXT TO MY NOTEPAD SO I CAN FOLLOW ALONG WHILE I TAKE NOTES.
AS YOU ATTEND THE MEETING, TAKE SUBSTANTIVE NOTES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AS THEY ARE DISCUSSED IN THE MEETING AGENDA IN THE NOTE-TAKING AREA. AS THE MEETING ADJOURNS, THIS IS YOUR TIME TO REFLECT ON THE MEETING BY REVIEWING YOUR NOTES AND USE THE CUE COLUMN, AKA RECALL COLUMN, TO CREATE TWO TO FOUR WORD QUESTIONS (FOR EXAMPLE, HOW TO DESIGN BROCHURE?) AS A REFERENCE REMINDER FOR THE CONTEXT OF EACH OF THE NOTES IN THE NOTE-TAKING AREA. RIGHT AFTER YOU'VE CUED YOUR NOTES, IN THE SUMMARY AREA, SUMMARIZE THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING IN TWO TO THREE SUCCINCT SENTENCES AS WELL AS NEXT-ACTIONS. COME YOUR GTD WEEKLY REVIEW, OR WHENEVER YOU REVIEW YOUR WEEK PAST AND WEEK AHEAD, YOU HAVE YOUR NOTES IN A FORMAT THAT WILL HELP YOU QUESTION AND ANSWER YOUR WAY THROUGH THE MEETING FOR OPTIMUM RECALL AND RETENTION.
FOLLOWING CORNELL NOTE-TAKING METHODOLOGY FOR MEETINGS AS I'VE DESCRIBED, YOU'LL KNOW THE PURPOSE OF EVERY MEETING, WHAT WAS HANDLED IN THEM AND WHAT THE OUTCOMES WERE AT A GLANCE WHENEVER YOU NEED TO REFER BACK TO IT.
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. 

THIS EPISODE'S TIP IN OUR SERIES ON EFFECTIVE MEETINGS: STARTING AND ENDING YOUR MEETINGS ON TIME BUILDS A CULTURE OF TRUST. WHETHER IT'S A FAMILY COUNCIL ON FINANCES OR A CORPORATE BRAINSTORMING MEETING ON NEXT YEAR'S MARKETING PLAN, KEEPING MEETINGS ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE IS A PRIME MEANS TO GETTING PEOPLE TO ATTEND AND KEEPING THEM ENGAGED.
HERE ARE A FEW TACTICS I SUGGEST YOU TRY FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING: ONE. REVIEW THE MATERIALS TO BE COVERED IN THE AGENDA. DOES THE TIME ALLOTTED ALLOW FOR A FULL DISCUSSION OF TOPICS? CAN THE TIME BE SHORTENED OR DOES IT NEED TO BE LENGTHENED TO BE REALISTIC? TWO. COMMUNICATE THE START AND END TIME EXACTLY TO YOUR ATTENDEES. IF THE MEETING IS VIRTUAL (USING TELEPHONE OR VIDEO CONFERENCING TOOLS) MAKE SURE TO INDICATE THE TIME ZONE FOR THE TIME YOU INDICATED. THREE. BEFORE THE AGENDA IS PASSED OUT, LET EVERYONE ATTENDING KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP TO THE AGENDA AND ANY NEW ITEMS CAN BE TABLED FOR A LATER MEETING UNLESS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. FOCUS IS KEY. AND A BONUS TACTIC: BRING AN EGG TIMER OR SOME OTHER ALARM. I USE THE TIMER ON MY IPHONE THAT GIVES A PLEASANT BELL TOWER GONG MELODY WHEN WE'RE FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING IS ENDING, SO WE CAN WRAP UP DISCUSSION AND DEFINE NEXT ACTIONS AND WHO THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ARE.
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. 

WELCOME TO OUR FIFTH EPISODE OF PRODPOD, THE PODCAST OF PRODUCTIVITY TIPS IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS. I'M RAY SIDNEY-SMITH AND I'M YOUR PRODUCTIVITY GUIDE, THE CURRENT ORGANIZER OF GETTING THINGS DONE DC MEETUP & THE FOUNDING ORGANIZER OF GETTING THINGS DONE NYC MEETUP. YOU CAN FIND ME TWEETING ON TWITTER AT G T D D C AND AT G T D N Y C USING THE HASHTAG PRODPOD.
THIS EPISODE'S TIP IN OUR SERIES ON EFFECTIVE MEETINGS: MEETINGS DON'T HAVE TO BE. IT SOUNDS TRITE BUT MANY PEOPLE TODAY AVOID MEETINGS BECAUSE THEY DON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM. THEY AREN'T ATTENDING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE MEETINGS FOR THEM TO BE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE, BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE OBLIGATED AND DON'T UNDERSTAND THEIR VALUE IN BEING PRESENT.
STEP ONE OF AN EFFECTIVE MEETING BEGINS BEFORE A MEETING IS BORN: ASK THE QUESTION "WHY?" OFTEN. WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED TO ATTEND THE MEETING? CAN YOU SAY NO TO ATTENDING AND JUST RECEIVE THE MINUTES/NOTES OF THE MEETING FOR NEXT ACTIONS OR INFORMATION THAT IS REFERENCE? STEP TWO IS TO MAKE SURE THE CRITICAL PARTIES ACTUALLY ATTEND THE MEETING BEFORE IT'S SCHEDULED. MAKE SURE THEY (AND YOU) KNOW WHAT THE MEETING IS ABOUT, THAT YOU HAVE BUY-IN TO THE MEETING OBJECTIVES BEFORE EVEN CALLING A MEETING.
KNOW AND COMMUNICATE WHY YOU'RE MEETING AND WHO'S NEEDED IN THE MEETING, AND YOUR MEETINGS WILL EXPONENTIALLY INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY. THERE'S MORE TO COME IN OUR EFFECTIVE MEETING SERIES.
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. 

WELCOME TO OUR FOURTH EPISODE OF PRODPOD, THE PODCAST OF PRODUCTIVITY TIPS IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS. I'M RAY SIDNEY-SMITH AND I'M YOUR PRODUCTIVITY GUIDE, THE CURRENT ORGANIZER OF GETTING THINGS DONE DC MEETUP & THE FOUNDING ORGANIZER OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED GETTING THINGS DONE NYC MEETUP. YOU CAN FIND ME TWEETING ON TWITTER AT G T D D C AND AT G T D N Y C USING THE HASHTAG PRODPOD.
THIS EPISODE'S TIP: THE SPECIAL THEORY OF PRODUCTIVITY, PART TWO. IN THE LAST EPISODE, I PRESENTED THE PRINCIPLES OF TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE GAUGES TO RANK INDEPENDENTLY EACH OF THE THREE FUNCTIONS (PLANNING, EXECUTION AND EVALUATION). THE PRINCIPLES ARE SIMPLICITY, USEFULNESS, AESTHETICALLY-PLEASING, CONNECTEDNESS AND COHESIVENESS. SIMPLICITY  REFERS TO ITS INTUITIVENESS WHEN USING YOUR SYSTEM. USEFULNESS, CHARLIE GILKEY MAINTAINS, SHOULD MAKE SURE INFORMATION IS BOTH ACTIONABLE AND USABLE; NO REASON TO GET INFORMATION YOU WON'T EVER USE OR CARE ABOUT, RIGHT? AESTHETICALLY-PLEASING IS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE OBVIOUS, SINCE PEOPLE LIKE TO USE THINGS THAT THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO NOT TURNED OFF BY. CONNECTEDNESS, I BELIEVE, IS GILKEY'S PITHY WAY OF SAYING THAT HE WANTS A PRODUCTIVITY SYSTEM TO BE A RELATIONAL DATABASE (IN TECH TERMS). IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A RELATIONAL DATABASE IS, IT'S WORTH CHECKING IT OUT ON WIKIPEDIA. THE FINAL PRINCIPLE OF COHESIVENESS IS REALLY JUST AN ABILITY OF ANY GOOD RELATIONAL DATABASE, AND CHARLIE GIVES THE EXAMPLE OF MARKING A NEXT-ACTION COMPLETED AND IT UPDATES THROUGHOUT YOUR SYSTEM.
WHILE DAVID ALLEN'S GTD ENLIGHTENS US TO THE SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS ON THE RUNWAY OF LIFE: "WHAT IS IT? AND, IS IT ACTIONABLE?," THE HIGHER-LEVEL NUGGET THAT COMES OUT OF THE SPECIAL THEORY OF PRODUCTIVITY IS THE GENIUS IN ITS SIMPLICITY QUESTION: DOES YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SYSTEM ENABLE YOU TO PLAN, EXECUTE AND EVALUATE? 
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. 

WELCOME TO OUR THIRD EPISODE OF PRODPOD, THE PODCAST OF PRODUCTIVITY TIPS IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS. I'M RAY SIDNEY-SMITH AND I'M YOUR PRODUCTIVITY GUIDE, THE CURRENT ORGANIZER OF GETTING THINGS DONE DC MEETUP & THE FOUNDING ORGANIZER OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED GETTING THINGS DONE NYC MEETUP. YOU CAN FIND ME TWEETING ON TWITTER AT G T D D C AND AT G T D N Y C USING THE HASHTAG PRODPOD.
THIS EPISODE'S TIP: THE SPECIAL THEORY OF PRODUCTIVITY, PART ONE. CHARLIE GILKEY IS THE BLOGGER-ENTREPRENEUR BEHIND PRODUCTIVE FLOURISHING DOT COM I MENTIONED IN THE LAST EPISODE AND HE HAS DEVELOPED TWO PRODUCTIVITY THEORIES AND I'M GOING TO COVER THE SECOND THEORY NOW WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF TIME AND TASK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AS A WHOLE.
THE SPECIAL THEORY OF PRODUCTIVITY ACCORDING TO GILKEY IS THAT PRODUCTIVITY SYSTEMS MANIFEST A LOOP OF THREE DISTINCT AND INTERCONNECTED ACTIVITIES: PLANNING, EXECUTION AND EVALUATION. HIS PREMISE IS THAT THESE ARE SIMPLE FUNCTIONS YET MANY ARE MISSING AT LEAST ONE OF THEM; THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS TO MAKE SURE YOUR SYSTEMS HAS THEM AND IF THEY DON'T, NO NEED TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU MAKE THE MISSING ACTIVITY (USUALLY EVALUATION) A PRIORITY EQUAL TO THE OTHERS.
GILKEY ALSO MAKES REFERENCES TO PRINCIPLES OF TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, WHICH BASICALLY ARE CROSS-SECTIONS THAT YOU CAN RANK OF EACH OF THE THREE FUNCTIONS (PLANNING, EXECUTION AND EVALUATION). THE PRINCIPLES ARE SIMPLICITY, USEFULNESS, AESTHETICALLY-PLEASING, CONNECTEDNESS AND COHESIVENESS. I'LL SUMMARIZE THOSE IN THE NEXT EPISODE.
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.