Today it’s 38 years ago the writer Jack Kerouac died. I know this is not directly related to GTD or personal productivity but the man is sort of a hero for me. I read his novel “On the Road” a few times and also dived in some of his other work like Big Sur and Dharma Bums. In 2001 we decided to take a trip to the westcoast of the USA. We took Highway 1 from San Francisco to LA and then on to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I got to see the Jack Kerouac Street an the City Lights Bookstore in SF and we drove a bit through Big Sur. Great memories and it really gave me a feeling to know that history was written in these parts.
When you think about it, Jack really got some things done. He sat down at his typewriter and in one burst of creative energy wrote the novel that would make him the voice of his generation. The book was completed in only three weeks. And he used just one long, scrolled piece of paper, improvising endlessly, just like a jazz musician caught up in the excitement of spontaneous creation. That’s productivity to me! While checking some great photo- and videofootage this morning I also found out the scroll is now in the Public Library of San Francisco. Another reason for me to go back to that beautiful city again!
It’s sunday, time for you to relax and unwind. So put up some great jazz and check out some great videos about Jack Kerouac. It’s worth it.
(picture by Dan Allison)
Used tags: books, kerouac, literature, on_the_road
21 10 07 - 10:35 - Permanent link -
Nothing is better than little tricks and tools that help you to be more productive. At Codswallop they created an incredible useful list of 131 productivity boosters. For email, IM, Word, PDF and Excel. A very neat list which leaves me trying a lot of new tools. And thus be less productive :-), but that’s OK, it’s worth it.
Used tags: email, excel, list, pdf, productivity, text, word
20 10 07 - 21:05 - Permanent link -
This just in: Microsoft announces an online listmaking tool called Listas. Mashable tells us: “This is a list-sharing tool that lets you edit lists, share them with others, and search for public lists that have been created by users. Microsoft is proposing its use for just about any reason you’d make a list, including meeting notes, shopping lists, or casual event planning.”
I decided to just jump in and create a first list and directly record it with Jing.
I would love to share it here but unfortunately the embedded code from Screencast.com doesn’t resize very well. So you can view the screencast here, as long as the bandwidth allows me to present it
As you can see, it is still a technology preview. Not everything functions as it should. Some listitems disappear and it seems tagging is limited to just 15 characters. But it has potential. Every list comes with an RSS feed, you can import other lists and when using Internet Explorer, you can download the Listas Toolbar. I didn’t have the guts to try the toolbar…
Used tags: demo, list, listas, microsoft, screencast
19 10 07 - 20:36 - Permanent link -
Blog Action Day is almost over here in the Netherlands but I still want to write a little bit about it. Due to a hectic day at work I haven’t been able to read a lot of blogposts about this important topic so I have no idea what the popular topics are. But just browsing a few blogs I saw some trends emerging. Most people say: Print less, telecommute more. Use fluorescent light bulbs and try to shower more conscious. How do I feel about these tips and pointers?
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Used tags: blog_action_day, environment
15 10 07 - 21:38 - Permanent link -
I received a very nice request this afternoon from Francis Wade over at 2Time Management Blog. He wants to write a manifesto on time management at Changethis.com. This website offers a great place for manifestos, new ideas and thoughtprovoking essays. Francis' main idea is in the title: "Toss away the tips, find the fundamentals". I voted for the creation of this manifesto since I believe this to be very true. You can't win time, get your stuff done, do more in less time with just a new Moleskine or the latest software. You have to look at the fundamentals of systems and work from that base. Example: Today on Twitter someone said he was into GTD but he didn't have all his projects out of his head into a trusted system. You can't "do GTD" just for a couple of projects is my belief. You either go all the way or you don't. That's the only way it's gonna work. You need to understand the fundamentals, the essence of this system. Not only the five basic steps, but also look into the ideas of 10.000 to 50.000 feet projects.
So if you have a minute, check out Frances' proposal and vote for it. At least it gives some nice reading material in a while :-)
05 10 07 - 23:07 - Permanent link -
Maybe I am late to the party but I just found out about Wired's
How-to Wiki. A very nice source of lifehacks and little (online) gems. Check out
this ongoing guide to get the most out of Gmail. From using labels and filters to using desktop clients for Gmail. Very nice to get started with Gmail and perhaps some nice extra tips for the veterans. And since it's a wiki, you can add your own knowledge to it!
Used tags: gmail, howto, wiki, wired
02 10 07 - 22:02 - Permanent link -
The immortal Marc Andreessen (yes, he is) from Netscape- and Ningfame started a very interesting serie of articles on Careerplanning. Not only does he give some good advice, but he backs it up with some great examples. Definitely worth a read!
Trying to plan your career is an exercise in futility that will only
serve to frustrate you, and to blind you to the really significant
opportunities that life will throw your way.
01 10 07 - 19:54 - Permanent link -
Recently I got a lot of the same question: I read the book, got my folders, got my labeller, the works. Now HOW do I start? Where do I start?
Somehow I seem to get stuck, not get going very good with being GTD.
Interesting question. Especially because there is not one answer I think.
Because everybody has their own specific problems. For instance, maybe your actionlist is not made up of individual actions, but
little projects. Maybe you are afraid to really get everything out of your head
and into an objective system (I know I am sometimes). So I turn to my valued
readers. If you are already into GTD, what was the one thing that got you
started? And if you are still struggling to get started, what is it your
struggling with? Let me be the first to give an answer: How did I start with
GTD?
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Used tags: autohotkey, empty_mind, esynergy, inbox, information_overload, lookback, nozbe, productivity, software, weekly_review
30 09 07 - 11:19 - Permanent link -
I am a big fan of YouTube but for some reason I never searched on it for
GTD content. Strange really. But today I found a
very nice lecture from The Dave. I think it's part of the GTD Fast seminars since I recognize some of the sentences and jokes he makes. I listen to it too much I guess. It's a 5 minute video where he explains before a crowd and in an interview how the mind works regarding productivity and how you are not getting tired from getting things done, but actually from
not getting them done. His analogy for information overload with a library still cracks me up. Yeah I'm a GTD-nerd, I know. Video after the click!
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Used tags: david_allen, gtd, interview, lectrue, video
23 09 07 - 10:59 - Permanent link -
This is a guestblog by Craig Huggart. I blog on Getting Things Done and work-life balance at Tech Rest.
Ed's first visit from the Email Angel was about 5 months in the past.
Things were going so much better it was hard for him to even remember
how stressed out he had been over email.
Lately, though he noticed a disturbing pattern: he was forgetting to
check his folders and as a result, sometimes he would forget to do
things. It wasn't as bad as it had been but it still bothered him. It
was irritating and embarrassing to get a call about a meeting 10
minutes after it started. Even worse was the time he forgot about a
party his wife had told him about and scheduled a golf match with a
friend instead.
He was thinking about these things as he drifted off to sleep that night.
For the rest of this chapter and other chapters in the book, click The Book .
Used tags: craig_huggart, email, gtd
10 09 07 - 13:00 - Permanent link -
This is a guest post by gtdfrk of the “Getting Things Done - My experiences with using GTD” blog.
We are all making lists. Especially if you are into Productivity in general and GTD more specifically, you will be very familiar with making lists. Odds are you are making these lists to keep track of all the things you need to do to make progress in certain (or all) areas of your life and to be reminded of them at the appropriate time.
But are you making the right list? Are you maintaining your list? Are you sticking to your list? And is your list encouraging you to actually get things done and achieve your goals?
From my personal experience and from what I see around me, I want to show you different lists and why one is better than the other for getting things done. More importantly, I will show you how to create an effective list which is attractive, encouraging and easy to maintain.
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Used tags: action, gtd, list, productivity, project
05 09 07 - 10:21 - Permanent link -
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Craig M (Accomplice, is it…): I’ve been using Accomplice for a mon…Frank Meeuwsen (The voice of a ge…): Thanks for the comments. @Jason I ne…
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jim (The voice of a ge…): Denizens of the Darkness Jack Keroua…
Dan (The voice of a ge…): Thanks for honoring such a great ame…
Kaj (Get the Most Out …): There is also a GTD firefox addon fo…
Wyatt (Accomplice, is it…): I installed Accomplice on my U3 usin…
Kristina Richards… (Blog Action Day: …): Everyone can make a difference! If y…
Heather (How do you start …): @Frank: I do a regular back-up of ev…
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