Weblog
The smell of e-mail in the morning
If all goes well, technically, your mailbox be receiving this e-mail newsletter at about 5.30 am. [This weblog was born as one of my e-mail newsletters. If it helps, just act as if you’re reading this while still in bed. – Bert] A bit early in the morning, don’t you agree? But your mailbox won’t mind. The question, rather, is: when you do actually read this?
Start of day
Are you reading this message before breakfast? Is your smartphone or tablet the first thing you grab when you wake up?
More and more people use their smartphone as an alarm clock – apparently the friendlier wake up sounds make up for the risks – but does that automatically mean you need to look at your e-mail first thing in the morning? What’s the benefit of doing so? Is there anything you can do with and/or about it, while still in your pyjama’s? So what’re you doing with this here e-mail newsletter? Unsubscribe right away, because that dude is asking annoying questions?
Oh, so you’re just looking what has come in during the night. How is that knowledge going to help you, this early in the morning? Is that your idea of a great way to start the day, knowing what crises you’re going to face at work? Does that give you peace of mind during breakfast? Or are you going to skip breakfast now?
Start of work day
Or maybe you’re seeing this for the first time at the office. Is that how you start your day too, by diving straight into your e-mail? Come in, switch on computer, take off coat, grab some coffee, now let’s see what’s new in my e-mail?
You’re not the only one. Most people start their working day by checking e-mail. As if reading and answering e-mail is the most important thing there is! And so maybe there are two or three e-mails that need urgent attention; or maybe there are a few questions you can readily answer. Oh, but while answering those mails you recall that you have a few issues of your own that need someone’s attention, so let’s do those mails, now, too.
And before you know the morning’s mostly gone, and the rest of your day is taken up by meetings…
Start ritual
E-mail is seductive. Ding goes the computer, and the Pavlovian response is to go and check it out. We’re biologically programmed to take note of things that are new, or at least changing. But that doesn’t mean it’s wise to yield to that temptation. If you want to remain in control of your own work, you’d better learn to resist Outlook’s siren call.
The easiest yet most effective way is to not start your work day with your e-mail. Rather, use the first 30-60 minutes of your day to work on your own priorities instead of someone else’s. The two or three most important things you’d really like to have worked on today. If possible, determine and write down what those things are just before you leave at the end of the day.
You’ll notice that you can get a lot more done in these 30-60 minutes that during the rest of the day. Part of that has to do with still being fresh in the morning, but more importantly: your attention hasn’t yet been hijacked by whatever’s in your e-mail. Which means you can truly focus on the task that’s in front of you, and that means you’ll be way more efficient and effective.
Added bonus: once you’ve done those two or three things, whatever else happens: your day is made. After all, you’ve already done the two (or three) most important things for today.
A small change, but just try it. It’ll give a tremendous boost to your working day.
E-mail in the morning: it stinks!
How long is a GTD projects list?
The project list is the heart of the Getting Things Done method. The project list contains all tasks, projects and other work-to-do’s that you want to finish in the next twelve to eighteen months.
But — how many projects is that? What is normal? How do you know you’ve got too many (or not enough)? How long should the list be?
Sixty plus or minus 150?
In his seminars David Allen mentions an average range of sixty to 120 projects. But, he also states that this can change from person to person. In my own GTD software, Omnifocus, I currently count 78 active projects, about half of them waiting on someone else. One of my coachees had more than 300 active projects.
How much can you handle?
But the question should not be: how long should the list be. Rather: what can you handle? How many projects can you help along at least one physical step, one next action, in the next week or two?
And that rather depends on the kinds of projects on your list. If the majority of the projects have small next actions that consume little time and energy you can take on quite a few. But if you have a large number of projects where each next action takes an hour or more, your eight hour work day is soon over.
Weekly review
During the weekly review (you are doing the weekly review, aren’t you?) you may notice that a number of projects haven’t moved in the past week or weeks. That”s a signal that you have too many projects on the list.
To avoid spending energy on things that aren’t as important and/or urgent you could then move a number of projects to the Someday/maybe list. Mind you, that doesn’t mean you won’t ever finish them. It just means you’re making a conscious decision to spend your time and attention on projects that have a higher priority.
Communicating vessels
During the next weekly review you can reconsider. Do you have the time and bandwidth to take on that project’s next actions in the coming week? If yes, move it back from Someday/maybe to your active Projects list.
In other words: Projects and Someday/maybe are communicating vessels. Someday/maybe catches the Projects that overflow, and, in turn, can be used to add to the Project list once there’s room for more.
How many projects are on your list, and how you do make sure there are not too many?
5 reasons your mailbox is full
You’re number 1672 in the queue
Grocery Anxiety
Having two people both do cooking and shopping for groceries is all very modern and equal opportunitish, but how do you avoid grocery anxiety?
What is GTD? (A non-technical explanation)
Getting Things Done is a productivity methodology developed by David Allen of the David Allen company, and explained in a book from 2002 with the same title. Since that year, the GTD method has enjoyed an explosive growth. There are now thousands of weblogs dedicated to GTD, hundreds of books and articles and several spin-offs.
Multitasking is a Hoax
“Attention multitaskers: your brain may be in trouble.” So begins a Standford U. study on multitasking. Anyone attempting to multitask — type an e-mail and talk to a collegue, say — will soon have to fight their fingers typing along with the conversation, or your mouth uttering bits out of your e-mail.
As Simple as Possible: The Two-Folder Mailbox
Many people try to surf the wave of emails flooding their mailbox by defining a folder for each and every project they take on. That sounds very organized, but actually shifts the problem: filing mail properly becomes a project of itself. Simpler is possible.
How do I get GTD to stick?
The basics of GTD can be learned inside of two hours. Getting the methodology to stick, however, can be a bit more difficult. It’s partly a matter of discipline, but there are a number of things you can do to help.
Me? Stressed out?! Heck, no!!
A couple of years ago I started peddling the GTD methodology as a way to reduce stress. With the fervour of the newly converted I’d pounce on any collegue who would listen (and a fair number of those who wouldn’t) and try to convince them that this stress problem they had could be solved by jumping onto the GTD bandwagon.
Work: Don’t Take It With You
The summer holidays are upon us. For most employees that’s a busy time as they prepare for their absence: either for those staying behind, or for their replacements, or maybe even for themselves. What is funny is that during this busy time you tend to unwittingly apply parts of the GTD methodology.
