While I have been at home with my sick daughter this week, I have been able to clear out my Instapaper list quite a bit. I have been reading a lot about workflows lately. I am currently in search of the One Workflow (as Michael Schechter recently talked about). Hilton’s post is a great step-by-step general overview of how we can get productive. It does not confine to any one app, though he does talk about the apps he uses to stay productive, but rather it is a high level view of what you need to do.
For the first time in my life, things are better. For the first time in my life, it’s not about one app, one device, one trick, one tactic, or one methodology. It’s about one workflow that is helping me do my best work. And in a world of tips, tricks, life hacks, and all-in experiments, leaning in to a workflow that’s already working seem like exactly the kind of radical approach I need to take right now…
If you haven’t found a decent workflow for yourself, figure it out. If you have, stop screwing around and get back to work.
And I really mean that….wow! Kudos to Mr. Schechter and his bold plan to not tinker and work. You have knocked this one out of the park, both Jason and I agree.
This is something that I have struggled with for YEARS! After reading through A Better Mess, Productivityist and other great blogs, I have decided to take the rest of 2012 to find that one workflow that works for me. Jason and I were talking last night about how we both want to really make Life Above a destination for folks looking for a better lifestyle, and this is one way that I can work towards this goal.
Imagine you just bought a toolbox, one that came pre-filled with a selection of instruments you would likely need to get some work done around the house . A portable one, not one of those big red Craftsman jobs that you wheel around your garage when you’re pretending to fix that ’68 Camaro that is totally going to make you young and awesome again one day.
So anyway, you’ve got this toolbox and inside of it you’ve got a hammer and you’ve got a wrench and you’ve got whatever else one keeps in a box of tools. (I’m not so handy.) Maybe you’ve added a couple of things over time that didn’t come with the basic set and that you need for common jobs.
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I’d like to think that devices like the iPhone and the iPad are toolboxes that can be approached in the same manner.
James was introduced to me by my good friend, Patrick Rhone, on his ‘enough’ podcast. Patrick and Myke had him on a recent episode to talk about his revamped index card task list. Well, James has taken it a step farther and is now using his iPhone and iPad with the stock Apple apps, plus 1 or 2 additional apps.
This is a fascinating read. I read all of James’ blog posts last night and they are wonderfully written and really resonate with me. He has found a place in my feed reader for a long time to come.
Being nimble is one of the best things you can do for your personal productivity, and I try to be nimble whenever and wherever I can. That’s one of the primary reasons I focus on task and not time.
Productivity needs to be taken personally. If you don’t take it personally then you’re not going to come close to realizing your full potential…and there’s no bigger waste of time than that.
This is a great post from Mr. Vardy. He talks about how people seem to get too wrapped up on the tools of their productivity and not the focus of their productivity…the tasks that need to be done.
This is a great piece from Aaron Mahnke. He has nailed it on the head, especially for me. I am finding myself in a similar boat as I do my book reading.
It makes me ponder the question: has an internet full of character limits, page views and retweets caused us to lose focus on the true heart of Reading? If the goal is to enter into the writer’s mind, follow the trail they blaze and earn the conclusion as they had intended it, perhaps our new way of reading has caused us to abandon that. And I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
Therefore we must remember to work with a sense of purpose and awareness of presence, if we work in this manner we will be benefiting from the increase in productivity and efficiency that being focused can bring us, but more importantly we will be moving closer to our desired outcomes in a relaxed, detached and more effective manner.
Michael Hyatt’s blogs have long been a fixture in my and Michael’s RSS readers. He regularly generates great ideas and thoughts on business, productivity, and leadership.
Don’t listen to that mocking little voice that tells you to be more realistic. Ignore it. You can either accept reality as it is or create it as you wish it to be. This is the essence of dreaming—and thinking big
The complete entry is a can’t miss. Read it…and keep up with Michael’s blog.
This is a great read about someone who has gone out on her own and is embracing the freelance life. There are a lot of lessons for all of us. The biggest take away that she see is:
I think I’ve isolated at least part of it: I may have left my old job behind in December, but I took my old habits with me.
She has not adjusted her day to her new job. She is trying to run her freelance business the way she ran her previous job.
I think that she wraps it up nicely:
In other words, I need to unsubscribe from my old habits, and embrace new ones. It’s about time.
But I have a point: get cleaning. All of us have floaters in our heads that need out. Getting those items, tasks, ideas and solutions written down somehow, somewhere is the fastest way to finding yourself at peace and in control. You’ll know when you need to do it, trust me. And it won’t take long to make that list and turn it into something actionable. But the longer you let the floaters stick around, the more confused and addled you’ll feel.
