Getting Things Done, part II AKA "The Secret Weapon"

I've decided to try The Secret Weapon system for time management.  I was initially skeptical about it because their instructional videos and descriptions  WASTED SO MUCH OF MY TIME. However, if you skip the instructional video and just cut to the instructions (here), it does not take long to set it up. The main idea is that it integrates David Allen's Getting Things Done with Evernote, the information app for all of your devices. You basically create an inbox for all of the items on your to do list. Rather than using your email inbox, email is immediately processed out of your email inbox and into your time inbox where it can be managed by when and where it should take place.

My only complain about the system so far is that it privileges the urgent over the important, since it encourages you to organize your to-do list by due date. The system needs to be combined with Allen's Getting Things Done because that system teachers you how to break down bigger goals into action items (that can be processed by Evernote). More soon.  

Getting Things Done, part I

Of late I have been considering various time management systems. 

I found this article helpful as a beginning. This article contains a review of several systems.

The most popular system in the business world appears to be "Getting Things Done" by  David Allen. It seems to rely on a few general principles. For starters, do a "brain dump." Get everything you know you need to do on a piece of paper. Then, design a system to input these to-dos. From here on out, do anything you can to enter any task that you need to accomplish into the system so that it does not get forgotten. Within your system, you need to be constantly assessing how much time that you are spending on particular tasks, making sure you are living out of your priorities (focusing on the "important" before the "urgent"), and constantly identify the "next step" of any task.

I'll let you know what I figure out. 

What I'm reading now: Daily Rituals

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work 

Mason Currey's blog turned beautiful-little-hardback is a fun and easy summer read. It contains 166 brief bios of artists and their daily rituals: what time they wake up, how they get into the vibe, when and what they eat, and how they relax. The book's small size and brief sections make it an ideal book for the metro, the beach or the backyard.

Some artists (or "Writers, composers, painters, choreographers, playwrights, poets, philosophers, sculptors, filmmakers, and scientists" ) cannot accomplish anything after noon, others do not rise until then. Some are high maintenance (Mahler), others discreet (Austen). Arthur Miller has no routine at all. He explains his experience of inspiration as baffling: "The only image I can think of is a man walking around with an iron rod in his hand during a lightening storm" (p.56).

The most interesting part of savoring this little book, however, is not hearing the routines of the rich, famous, dead, talented or pampered. It is reflecting on one's own routine and how well it serves one's needs. Even a casual perusal of these brief vignettes will force the reader to think about which times of day (if any) bring a special inspiration or work ethic. It is only logical to then assess whether one is taking the necessary steps to defend and guard that time. It is this exercise that makes this an ideal book for academics and anyone whose professional or personal goals call for creation. I highly recommend it.