Reading Time: < 1 minDavid Allen, author of “Getting Things Done” (and the process the book explains, known simply as “GTD”) put out a very simple tweet recently. He said: If you can’t read the embedded tweet, he said: “GTD = freedom of consciousness to be present with what you’re doing.“ If you practice GTD to a decent degree, […]
Productivity
How the hierarchy of attention affects deep work
Reading Time: < 1 minI’ve talked about the hierarchy of attention on here a variety of times. When communicating with people, different types of communication imply different types of urgency, with a phone call meaning “I need your attention right this moment“. That’s not always ideal. We all have times during the day when we’re really focused in on […]
Organized browser tabs with Workona
Reading Time: < 1 minI try out a lot of productivity tools over the course of a month, and most come and go pretty quickly. If they stick around in my workflow for at least a few weeks, I like to share them here. That’s the case with Workona. Here’s a quick intro video that they created for it […]
Writing every day vs. publishing every day
Reading Time: < 1 minI’ve been publishing a daily post on here since late October last year — I believe today is number 163 in a row. I’m happy with that. However, I was careful with how I worded that sentence: I “publish” every day, but I don’t “write” every day. There’s a big difference, and it’s something I’d […]
Time-shifting and Clubhouse
Reading Time: 2 minOne of the greatest things that technology has created is the concept of time-shifting with much of our entertainment and communication. Back in the day, you had to tune in at a certain time to hear Paul Harvey. Now you can listen to Mike Rowe’s podcast, but listen whenever it’s best for you. Back in […]
Email “thanks” versus a Slack emoji
Reading Time: < 1 minI recently heard an argument that email should continue to fade away in lieu of apps like Slack, which make for much more seamless communication. It’s a good consideration. However, part of his argument related to acknowledging receipt of a message or small task. If you send someone an email with info, they’ll often reply […]
The benefits of changing to a new tool
Reading Time: 2 minIf you’ve followed this blog very long, you know that I like to try out different tools. I often change what I use for my tasks, planning, email, all kinds of things. I enjoy learning new technology and have fun trying out different tools. However, there are two other big advantages to changing tools from […]
What’s your system for disposable notes?
Reading Time: 2 minI don’t necessarily like having too many separate systems for your notes and ideas, but I have one that is becoming particularly invaluable — a place for temporary, disposable notes. About five years ago, I heard David Allen mention that “you should only think about cat food once“. You can read this post for more […]
Using Roam Research with the altMBA
Reading Time: < 1 minFor the past four weeks, I’ve been taking Seth Godin’s altMBA and I’m finding Roam Research to be a huge benefit as I work through it. Here’s a quick video showing how I use Roam Research to help with it: If you have more questions about Roam Research or the altMBA, feel free to leave […]
A quick agenda beats no agenda
Reading Time: < 1 minIt’s been true for decades, and with everyone forced to switch to Zoom for the past year it hasn’t changed much — meetings without a clear agenda are often a complete waste of time. While we have solid agendas for many of our meetings, there are times when we don’t have a chance to put […]