I got the flu last week, and it kicked me out of commission in a serious way. Besides setting me back at work (I was out for two days) it also means that i wasn't able to post again this past weekend like I'd hoped.
I was really struck by the comments that people left after the last post, especially by the huge and wide variety of systems that people have put together. But it was also intriguing that people shared this nagging sense of something not quite being right, that despite our best of intentions, we are all still having a hard time keeping on top of things. seems like most of us know that we should be better organized, but just cobble together a loose way of doing things as opposed to taking the time to find something that really works.
I am going to post the David Allen Workflow Chart as soon as I can figure out how - you can't updload PDFs to blogger, and I don't have my own server to post it on.
For those who are really interested, you can download all the free charts and documents from davidco.com directly. Because I only want the best for you, here is a link for a big zip file with everything you can get for free, ya cheapskates. it'll work for the next 7 days, and i'm happy to email it to anyone who wants as well.
4.25.2007
4.17.2007
Any Time But Now. Anywhere But Here.
"...Next time i'll try, for the first time in my life.
It won't pass me by.
Procrastinate it can wait, i put it off. let's start today!
my room's a mess and i can't get dressed.
I gotta be out by eight o'clock.
Deep inside i know the answer.
Well there's no time like the present and i'd like to hang out but who doesn't.
I've made enough mistakes for this lifetime.
Now i'm here to make amends.
Next time i'll try, for the first time in my life.
It won't pass me by.
Procrastinate it can wait, i put it off. start! stop!"
Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today" Revelation Records 1994
I just got back from a week in San Francisco. It was a wonderful trip, inspiring and re-energizing in whole host of ways. I've been about half an inch from total burnout recently, and this trip have give me some real perspective on how to start addressing that in a real, practical and concrete way.
This is my first shot at a blog, and I've started it mostly as a way to track my progress in reorganizing and refocusing how i approach my work and the tasks in my life. For most people, I can imagine that nothing sounds more boring then the details of how I go about prioritizing the little details. If thats you, you can stop reading right now - no hard feelings I promise. But, if you wanna stick around and talk about color coding and workflow, please do!
Long story short, I had a number of significant and challenging conversations with people I deeply respect about the challenges and difficulties I'm coming up against in my work as a organizer at a national office. In particular, my buddy Chris turned me on to a great book by David Allen called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. You can check out the David Allen fan club here and here.
In my experience, most people on the left stay far far away from books like this, and for good reason. Most of them reek of corporate, cut throat, back-stabbing power grabs or conversely, new-agey crystal worship BS.
At the risk of total public humiliation, I think this one is different. It offers some clear, straighforward advice on how to deal with the intense level of commitment and responsibilites that almost everyone takes on. So, my plan is to document, step by step, the process of getting my shit together.
Step one.
I started making my lists. Lists of bills to pay, projects to complete, goals to meet. The list is totally overwhelming - the amount of work on my plate right now is kind of crazy - it includes everything from coordinating a major national organizing project to overseeing the redesign of our website, to coordinating our presence at the US Social Forum, to updating our voicemail system. And taking out the office trash.
The next step is breaking down each task to all the component pieces involved in getting them done. But I already feel much better just having it all down on paper.
I bought hanging wall files, a phone log, and something called a "Self-Stick Removable Action Pad" at Staples. I think accessorizing is going to be the most fun part of this.
So, not that onyone is actually reading this yet, but I'd be interested in hearing about different organizational systems people have used, and what that found to be most useful.
Next time: the workflow chart. Are you ready?
It won't pass me by.
Procrastinate it can wait, i put it off. let's start today!
my room's a mess and i can't get dressed.
I gotta be out by eight o'clock.
Deep inside i know the answer.
Well there's no time like the present and i'd like to hang out but who doesn't.
I've made enough mistakes for this lifetime.
Now i'm here to make amends.
Next time i'll try, for the first time in my life.
It won't pass me by.
Procrastinate it can wait, i put it off. start! stop!"
Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today" Revelation Records 1994
I just got back from a week in San Francisco. It was a wonderful trip, inspiring and re-energizing in whole host of ways. I've been about half an inch from total burnout recently, and this trip have give me some real perspective on how to start addressing that in a real, practical and concrete way.
This is my first shot at a blog, and I've started it mostly as a way to track my progress in reorganizing and refocusing how i approach my work and the tasks in my life. For most people, I can imagine that nothing sounds more boring then the details of how I go about prioritizing the little details. If thats you, you can stop reading right now - no hard feelings I promise. But, if you wanna stick around and talk about color coding and workflow, please do!
Long story short, I had a number of significant and challenging conversations with people I deeply respect about the challenges and difficulties I'm coming up against in my work as a organizer at a national office. In particular, my buddy Chris turned me on to a great book by David Allen called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. You can check out the David Allen fan club here and here.
In my experience, most people on the left stay far far away from books like this, and for good reason. Most of them reek of corporate, cut throat, back-stabbing power grabs or conversely, new-agey crystal worship BS.
At the risk of total public humiliation, I think this one is different. It offers some clear, straighforward advice on how to deal with the intense level of commitment and responsibilites that almost everyone takes on. So, my plan is to document, step by step, the process of getting my shit together.
Step one.
I started making my lists. Lists of bills to pay, projects to complete, goals to meet. The list is totally overwhelming - the amount of work on my plate right now is kind of crazy - it includes everything from coordinating a major national organizing project to overseeing the redesign of our website, to coordinating our presence at the US Social Forum, to updating our voicemail system. And taking out the office trash.
The next step is breaking down each task to all the component pieces involved in getting them done. But I already feel much better just having it all down on paper.
I bought hanging wall files, a phone log, and something called a "Self-Stick Removable Action Pad" at Staples. I think accessorizing is going to be the most fun part of this.
So, not that onyone is actually reading this yet, but I'd be interested in hearing about different organizational systems people have used, and what that found to be most useful.
Next time: the workflow chart. Are you ready?
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