h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I went to a two day seminar by David Allen on Thursday and Friday. I've already bought a CD set of his. http://www.davidco.com/

I sat on the front row both days and I'm expecting to transform my office at work and my working space at home.

He advocates getting everything that's on your mind that's work written down and categorised so that you can have an empty head and be able to work more productively, knowing that you're not missing anything. I just love the idea of having a file for stuff you're not going to move on - as long as it's marked as that. I also love the idea of tricking yourself into doing something like cleaning the fridge.

I'm starting to use his system in my Palm, which should help. He doesn't believe in daily 'to do' lists and has his actions categorised by where you are, such as @office, or @phone, or @computer, so that you can use small windows of work when they appear.

He says we all have 'huh' stacks where we put stuff we don't know what to do with. Yes, I recognise those!

He also advocated learning to increase the speed of typing and I had a go at an on-line typing test and on the last one I got 55 wpm and no mistakes! I'm not saying what I got on the others, mind, but I did manage higher speeds with some mistakes and a couple of really bad tests, where I must have had my hand on the wrong home keys, there were so many.

My dearest ZSF. Thank you so much for the WONDERFUL ideas about keeping order.

I intend to do that straight away. I should have come with you to that workshop!!

Much affection

Also Ran1

Hello, AR1

I think it's going to help me enormously. One of the things I struggle with is having too much to do and forgetting a lot of it, so the discipline of recording it into such a practical system will help a great deal. Robert Allen's belief is that if we have all our tasks recorded somewhere, and the mind is convinced that it's a solid system, then it relieves the stress and clutter of having to carry all that stuff around in your head, where it saps your energy. His analogy is about the computer - it can handle only a certain amount in RAM, but once information goes into storage, it can hold much more, as long as there is a decent retrieval system.

Sounds good to me.:D Then all I have to do is to act on the information and to review it once a week.

How are things with you?

Hi,

I must look at that link tomorrow. I already write everything down because I know I can refer back to it rather than having it swilling around in my head and driving me nuts, so an even better approach sounds good.

I am making progress with my clearing of cupboards and de-cluttering. I am being held up at the moment, as Red Cross were supposed to come next Monday and collect a load of electrical stuff, office bits and bobs and household goods I no longer need, but have re-scheduled for the 13th (glad it's not a Friday!). "I NO LONGER NEED" now that's progress!!!!

Bags and bags of stuff have gone to charity shops and I am sure I shall feel liberated when it is all gone, as I shall no longer be agonising over whether to keep it or not, and what to do with it - clearing out the brain again you see

I shall also find cleaning a lot less of a chore

Better go as have a busy day tomorrow packing for a day on our charity stall.


Websailor

Sounds as thought you're going great guns, Websailor - well done!

I saw a programme on TV a couple of days ago about a couple in Blackpool and their three children - their house was in a much worse state than mine, but I did recognise some traits that I share about being easily distracted and tasks taking much longer than they should.

The beauty of it for them, though was they had help to shift their clutter (it took five skips worth) and then their house looked a lot more spacious, when it was clutter-free and tidy. Apparently, the trick is to get a friend in to say to you, 'Do you really want that (whatever it is), and it makes it much easier than deciding yourself withough help.

David Allen suggests that you go through your house from one side to the other and write down every little thing that needs doing, saying it's OK not to be doing stuff, as long as you know what it is you're not doing. If you don't then the mind, which keeps track of every promise you've ever made to yourself, will have it churning away at some level. Frightening, isn't it!

The problem I have with this idea is that I find the idea of having two permanent lists, home and work, at all times a bit intimidating.

Is forgeting things not a pressure valve mechanism when we're asked to do too much?

Having said that, I don't always forget the right things.

sprout

Yes, forgetting things is sometimes a sign we are trying to do too much, but unfortunately with us twirlies and crinklies it can sometimes be a case of increasing forgetfulness. If you let it get a hold, instead of doing something about it , it can get seriously worse.

I would rather be doing too much than not enough. When retired it would be easy to drift in to getting up late , dawdling with the chores, going out late and finding it is bedtime with nothing worthwhile done. If you then have more than usual to do it creates total panic

I have seen it so often I vowed we would not do that.

I do find that even young people are having trouble remembering things at a time when they should be very sharp. It must be this mad world we live in

Websailor

I think it depends what amount of things you've got to remember, I couldn't cope without diary and my 'to-do' list.

If I loose my diary my life goes to pot and I have no idea where I'm meant to be. My couse doesn't really have a regular timetable so it changes on a daily basis. Which confuses people when they ask things like 'what time do you finish work on Tuesdays'.

I use my Palm for putting things down in, although at work, I tend to write the things down I want to do that day. My Palm synchronises both with my PC at work and with my Mac at home, so it means I have all the information in three places. It's not all down yet - I'm still working to put it all down - I put things on it when I remember what they are.

You can also have a low tech version in a loose leaf book with Project lists and task, call, errands, etc, or you could have a mid-tech system like a Daytimer or equivalent.

Does that make sense, sprout?

I'm with Websailor and Z on this one.

I found all sorts of free printable forms on www.organizedhome.com. Blood Pressure tracker, holiday list, phone/address/email list/phone message log/calendar pages and lots more.

Enjoy
Websailor

http://www.organizedhome.com

Websailor

Thanks Websailor! I'll have a good look when I get back from work.

Lists are great, aren't they. i suppose you noticed there are some good ones on David Allen's tips and tools page: http://www.davidco.com/tips_tools.php

I've just had a look at his Windows shortcuts list and found out how to insert a non-breaking space. That's going to be so useful - for names and dates and things.