Posts Tagged ‘time management’

Take a walk

Posted May 18, 2012 by
in Editorial, Planning Tips | Add your comment »

Time-management experts often tell us to take short breaks throughout the day. It’s advice I find easy to agree with but hard to put into practice, at least regularly, because I don’t remember, or I just wasted time checking email and don’t see how I can justify it, or I’m not really sure what I should be working on now, anyway.

Yesterday around 4:00 pm I realized I had a serious case of work doldrums — it was a sunny day, and I hadn’t gotten much accomplished, and though I knew I was in no danger of, say, blowing a deadline because of it, I couldn’t bring myself to give up… and yet I couldn’t focus. Usually what I do in such times is take care of some small, domestic errand like folding laundry or doing the dishes, which is generally enough to kick me back into action at work. Instead, I took a short walk.

Lo and behold! It was glorious, and I felt great on my return, and though I was initially tempted to grab a book and relax on the sofa, I sat down on my desk and enjoyed a compact, productive next hour.

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Making a list, checking it twice

Posted April 30, 2012 by
in Planning Tips | 2 comments »

225/365 Reminders

I heard a business coach speak recently on the subject of productivity, and was struck by something she said about to-do lists: make sure to keep each task manageable. So rather than noting that you have to write your company’s marketing plan, break the job down into multiple steps you can tackle, cross off, and feel good about.

It’s an interesting point, and one I don’t always adhere to. My main work related to-do list is pretty big picture, in fact — as a freelancer, I like to have a good high-level sense of how much, exactly, I’m juggling — though I do sometimes write out a secondary list so that smaller tasks don’t fall through the cracks.

Which doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement, of course. Rather than reminding myself to prepare some advance posts for this blog, for instance, I suspect I’d be better off committing to a specific number — say, enough for next week. And rather than noting that I need to research an article I’m preparing, it might make sense to define a couple of micro-topics I’d like to explore.

How do you manage your to-do lists?

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Dr. Beltrami’s prescription for better time management

Posted March 1, 2012 by
in Planning Tips | 1 comment »

Another great thing I discovered in the old brochure Karen sent me is some time management advice from Quo Vadis founder Dr. FG Beltrami.

“Remember,” Dr. Beltrami writes, “My system works because it is simple. Just take one step at a time.”

With that in mind, he outlines these three steps:

1. Make a list

Go through the projects that you are working on. Make an inventory of all the things you have to do, appointments not to be forgotten, and notes on little scraps of paper.

2. Establish priorities

No matter how many things you have to do, and no matter how urgent they are, you just cannot do them all at the same time. Just take everything one step at a time.

3. The time factor

Plans are only as good as how you implement them. It is not just enough to make lists, or even prioritize them… you must give some thought as to when you will be doing the project, making the phone calls, etc. that are important to you.

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From the mixed up files of Dr. FG Beltrami

Posted February 28, 2012 by
in Cabinet of Curiosities, Pens, Paper & People | 13 comments »

Karen recently forwarded me a copy of an old promotional brochure with some more information about Dr. FG Beltrami, the founder of Quo Vadis and inventor of the Agenda planner with its one-week-on-two-pages layout.

Up till now, the only other thing I knew about Dr. Beltrami is that he practiced medicine in France and created his first planner by stamping a grid onto the pages of a notebook. Thanks to the brochure, I learned he was in charge of a dental school and hospital — no wonder he was interested in time management!

His outlook was also surprisingly modern:

Too much to do, and too little time to do it. It seems like that is what work, and modern life in general, is all about. That is why we have to fight back, and regain a sense of control.

As a doctor, I have a pragmatic outlook on people. We are all just simply… people. We all tend to do what is easy rather than what is more difficult.

I believe in taking simple steps to accomplish what is truly important.

Not so far from today’s world, is it?

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How many planners and calendars do you use?

Posted February 13, 2012 by
in Planning Tips | 5 comments »

I imagine that most of our readers use at least one paper planner, and many of you probably also use an electronic calendar, too. (Gotta have those auto-reminders!)

What else do you use in addition to those things? Wall calendars? Notebooks? How many items and devices are there in total?

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How do you use your Quo Vadis?

Posted December 2, 2010 by
in Announcements, Planning Tips, Where to Go? | 6 comments »

Today, we’re launching a very cool, if I do say, new project: a dedicated area of the blog with stories about all the ways that people use their planners.

But first, we need your help. Whether you use your Quo Vadis for birding or bible study, we want to hear about it. Tell us what you do with your planner so we can share it with our readers, and we’ll send you a planner of your own, just in time for 2011! We’re looking for actual stories, not just a sentence or two — something that explains your ideas in a way that’s understandable (and even inspiring) to other readers.

In the meantime, we’ve posted a couple of sample stories, which you can check out at the project’s homepage.

Happy planning!

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You can have it all

Posted October 26, 2010 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | Add your comment »

Sarah Hart-Unger, an enviably well organized pediatric fellow and blogger, gave a talk this summer at the Healthy Living Summit that I’ve been meaning to blog about for a while, because we participated in it, indirectly! Sarah has long been a fan and friend of Quo Vadis planners, and she even gave some away at the end of a very inspiring talk about planning and time management.

Sarah’s talk was called You Can Have it All, and her thesis was that time management can help you get the most out of your life by making sure you get around to doing the things you love. The video, which is here, is well worth watching for inspiration and tips about getting things done. And check out the shots of Sarah’s Space 24 beginning around minute 10:00!

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Note the details

Posted October 18, 2010 by
in Editorial, Planning Tips | 2 comments »

Image via little blue hen

I keep a running to-do list on my desk at all times, in a cheapo Steno notebook that has a vertical red line down the center of each page that splits it into two columns. I use the left-hand column for work-related items, and the right-hand column for errands.

In general, my list of tasks is pretty big-picture — prepare a couple of posts for this blog, for example, or research an article I’m writing. It gives me a good overview of what I’m working on at any given moment, and helps me make a mental calculation about what I need to be doing with my workday. It also doesn’t typically look unmanageable, which is something that helps me stay both happy and productive. If my to-do lists get too long, I get anxious whenever I look at them, and lose time and emotional energy worrying whether I’ll be able to get everything done.

When I get really busy, however, I find it impossible to keep things from slipping through the cracks if I don’t get more granular: find the photograph I need to illustrate my post on the ABP/1, say, or email Mr. So-and-so to schedule an interview. Usually, at that point, I start a whole new list that’s separate from my big-picture overview, and balance that piece of paper on top of the other notebook, or fasten it with a paper clip. I still struggle with the issue of being overwhelmed, but that’s a lot better than overlooking some task because I’m too harried, and adding even more stress to my life.

How detailed are your lists?

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Guest post: Write it down

Posted August 9, 2010 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | 8 comments »

Special treat this Monday morning: guest blogger Art Decker shares some fascinating research into the neurological benefits of writing things down.

Image via qisur

There is no substitute for a pen and paper. But the pen has to be a good pen, one that is a pleasure to write with. For some people a good pen is a plain ball point pen from the local drugstore. For others, it is a $1,000 fountain pen that comes in its own case and gives its user the feeling of painting on paper. The paper, too, must be good. If your pen scratches the paper, writing things down will not be a pleasure — and you won’t do it.

I can hear the naysayers already. Why not just use an electronic gadget? You can find to-do list and productivity software, much of which can be downloaded free, that is geared to any productivity system you like — GTD (David Allen’s Getting Things Done), ZTD (Leo Babauta’s Zen to Done), Sally McGhee’s Take Back Your Life, or Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits. Why use caveman tactics like pen and paper when you can wholeheartedly embrace the 21st century?

Because pen and paper are better for your brain, that’s why. The heart of the GTD system and other productivity systems is to get ideas out of your brain and into containers or buckets, or at least onto to-do lists and calendars. The system takes over so you don’t have to think.

Here’s the problem with that notion, though: personally, I am in favor of thinking. I LIKE keeping information in my brain. I regard information residing in my head as a GOOD thing.

Continue reading »

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Guest post: Tick tock

Posted February 25, 2009 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | 2 comments »

kate-marshall-mu-headshot
This morning, we welcome our newest guest blogger, Kate Marshall of K’s Notebook, who’s here with some advice on time management…

“Time management.” I was in a workshop recently where the instructor posited that “time management” is a misnomer—the phrase should really be “life management.” Granted, that was the purpose of the workshop: how to manage big priorities in one’s life and then fit the smaller, less important tasks in (and yes, I am paraphrasing a great deal).

The workshop made me take a second look at how I plan my days, weeks, and months. Lately, my system has revolved around Microsoft Outlook for my work calendar (not my choice) and a Quo Vadis daily planner. I came out of the workshop with a Franklin-Covey binder and agenda pages. Each day is on a two-day spread. So I’ve been evaluating that as well. Supposedly it takes 21 days to break an old habit or start a new one. Guess that gives me until March 13 or so to play with planners.

Regardless of which agenda I ultimately use (and I’ve certainly tried many, many brands), I’ve found that I prefer a system that’s mostly paper-based: day planners, calendars, etc. This is probably related to the facts that:

* I’ve kept a paper journal since 1992
* I’ve used fountain pens since 1993

So I’ve been adapting the Quo Vadis and Franklin-Covey planners to my needs, which revolve around the mighty To-Do list. Make a list of tasks. Cross off each completed task. Repeat. It’s not always perfect (what is?) but it works.

The day-to-day tasks can be overwhelming at times. Believe me, I know. But no matter what system one employs, you have to keep the larger priorities in mind. For me, they include family, friends, a blank notebook, and a fresh cup of coffee. Small tasks have their place. But don’t let them consume you (because they will, if given half a chance).

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