Scott H. Young writes a wildy successful productivity blog and he has recently added a list of his best productivity articles. I personally find every article to be great but he has handpicked this list and who am I to argue with the master :)?
Productivity is a double-edged sword. Spend too much time getting organised (que the million notepads, computer list programs, website advice and the like) and you end up wasting valuable time. On the other hand, if you don't get your act together, you may not get the results you need or want.
I love Scott's ideas and have been following them this semester with considerable success at school so if you are a student or a lifelong learner, this place is excellent.
The best articles on the list deal not with the management of time, but with the management of energy. Due to Scott's constant advice, I have picked up a copy of "The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz and the idea is that what we do with our energy is more important than how well we schedule our timetables and calendars. Here's his article.
The next great idea that really caught my eye is the idea of killing open loops. We all tend to start great sounding projects and assignments only to give up half way through and leave it open. Other things come up and we are left with this general sense of guilt whenever we see someone associated with our open loop or even glance at the corner of the room where that unfinished IKEA table lies. He tells us to define the problem well, commit to only what we can do and finally doing the thing we set out to do. You can read his article on open loops here.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to doing what you have to do. You may totally enjoy the work you do or not. The important thing is to get the job done. You may grow to like the task once you gain mastery over it and how do you do that? Well, Scott's list is a great starting point.
I apologise for not writing for so long... School just started and it was a whirlwind month, this August :}. Until the next time, take care!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
How to live
1. have a plan.
2. act on plan.
3. stop wasting time on the internet.
4. go only to sites that you need at that particular point in your life. sometimes you need to watch a monty python clip on youtube. do it. but get out after one or two, not two hundred.
5. write often. about anything that catches your fancy. one of my favourite artists has this on his blog and it has been an inspiration for me to start my blog up. Hugh McLeod has this huge manifesto on how to be creative (HTBC). there is a nice pdf of HTBC too. sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do but like Hugh says, you don't need to quit your day job over it just yet.
6. be very clear on how you spend your time. it's all you've got at the end of the day.
now dears, i need to go and clear my head and do some studying. though my exam results are gonna be out in a few days and i'm most certain they are going to be terrible, i will not give up hope that i can do this and get my degree if i work harder. so whatever you are doing as well, good luck and godspeed.
2. act on plan.
3. stop wasting time on the internet.
4. go only to sites that you need at that particular point in your life. sometimes you need to watch a monty python clip on youtube. do it. but get out after one or two, not two hundred.
5. write often. about anything that catches your fancy. one of my favourite artists has this on his blog and it has been an inspiration for me to start my blog up. Hugh McLeod has this huge manifesto on how to be creative (HTBC). there is a nice pdf of HTBC too. sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do but like Hugh says, you don't need to quit your day job over it just yet.
6. be very clear on how you spend your time. it's all you've got at the end of the day.
now dears, i need to go and clear my head and do some studying. though my exam results are gonna be out in a few days and i'm most certain they are going to be terrible, i will not give up hope that i can do this and get my degree if i work harder. so whatever you are doing as well, good luck and godspeed.
why kaleesh?
i've been fascinated with star wars ever since i saw episode one. though i did not understand it at all, i was fascinated by the way the story was structured, the cool race sequence and what not. then i saw some of the old movies. to this day, though i am a self professed geek, i have not see any of the six films in their entirety. i can say proudly say, however, that i *heard* the first three star wars movies as i borrowed the radio show that came out in the 1980s. Kaleesh is the warrior tribe that you can check out here. i was completely in love with General Grievous. i go by kaleesh on digg and several places.
purpose of life
I have been searching all my life for what i ws put here to do. i've not figured it out yet but i've not stopped and that is a mighty fine thing in my book :). i'll use this to chronicle my adventures and misadventures in life and i'll see what happens. so, enjoy the ride with me and ofcourse, dear, you can ride shotgun :D.
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