Cloud Productivity

The 4 Systems of Ultimate Productivity: 3. Action

We all want to be doing more. To track what we should be doing. To make lists. To mark things as complete. And yet, many of us still go without a structured system of action. A system of action is a way to organise and prioritise those things that need to be taken care of, by you or someone you are working with. This article will detail how to develop, maintain and work with your own System of Action.

Many actions are the result of some idea or “thing” being captured. As we discussed earlier, some of these things that are captured, which are not (directly) actionable, find their home in your system of reference. Often, items in your reference system are related to actions. In fact, one action may be related to any number of reference items.

7 Steps for a Complete Weekly Review

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Your world is made up of more than one workspace. There is more to who you are and what you do than your “job.” Because if this, reviewing your world on a regular basis is super important.

When I started introducing a weekly review into my workflow it seemed like a logical fit to do it on a Friday afternoon. The problem I encountered was context. Because I was usually at my desk at work on Friday afternoons it felt like the only thing I could review was that kind of work. The weekend would hit and I would be left feeling free! A little too free. Sure I had the regular parental commitments (sport/ballet etc) and the regular home washing stuff, but aside from that there was nothing… Or so it seemed.

5 Ways to Deal with Being Stuck

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Do you ever get that feeling that some projects may never end. That some tasks, though properly captured, just never get your attention? Why is it that we start these endeavours, that we note these things we really want, or need to do, and yet they remain incomplete? I’ve done a lot of thinking about this over the last few years. I have many grand plans, many ideas that I start and that’s how they remain. I got to thinking, “what is really holding me back from getting these projects done?”

Turns out there are a number of things that either act independently, or form an alliance with other factors that can stall your projects. Luckily, each has a countermeasure that you can act on now!

The One App to Help you Stay Focused & Do More

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The Pomodoro technique is a widely adopted and highly effective method of getting through your tasks. When it comes to that point when you need to really buckle down and focus, using a Pomodoro helps to eliminate distractions surrounding you because your mind is now fixed on getting through as much as it can before the timer runs out. This is basically tricking your brain into thinking the deadline for your task is only moments away. But even with the clock ticking (and many Pomodoro apps actually making a ticking sound) it can be difficult to truly block out everything that is going on around you.

The 4 Systems of Ultimate Productivity: 2. Reference

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My memory is terrible. I am constantly being “gently” reminded of things by Mrs Cloud Productivity. Because of this, it is crucial that my memory has a fallback system; something it can lean on when things seem unclear. Through school I was always stronger in the science and mathematics than I was in English or art, tending towards objective thinking over subjective. I was taught that it’s not as important to remember the result as it is to remember how to get to that result. Simply put, remembering one process is much easier than remembering a thousand results, and remembering how to get information is easier than remembering the information itself.

The 4-Systems of Ultimate Productivity: 1. Capture

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I strive to be as efficient as possible; as thorough as possible. I never want to let anything slip by me, and I don’t let the things I have to take action on stew around in my brain. I’m often asked how I do it and people comment that they wish they too could be as “in control.” It really isn’t that difficult. Anyone can do it. There are only a few key principles that must be adhered to.

Automatically Backup iTunes with Dropbox

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With Apple releasing new devices every few months it’s important to ensure everything you do with iTunes is kept safe. I have written before about moving an entire iPhoto library into Dropbox so that all your photos are backed up and safe, without having to even click anything. iTunes can be backed up in much the same way, with massive bonus benefit!

A Review of the Evernote Commuter Bag

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For years I carried around a thin, relatively small backpack. It was able to fit a surprising number of things in it, but it’s design left a lot to be desired. It was not a bag for someone looking to carry around a portable office - everything in there was muddled together in a heap. Eventually, the zips broke and it was time to move on. I then stumbled across a sample promotional backpack at work and was given the OK to claim it as my own. It looked promising. It was clearly design for a laptop due to the thick padding on its back and internal sleeve for a laptop. However, in an even shorter timeframe this bag also succumbed to wear and tear. The shoulder straps began to tear away from the bag itself. So what now? I had long had my eye on the Evernote Commuter bag. Was this the right time to invest in quality and design?

How I Capture Content, Ideas and Actions

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What do you do when you have a thought or idea pop into your mind that you want to remember? Before my adventure into the realm of productivity began I was the type of person that would make a “mental note of it”, letting it then float around in my head until it would dissolved into a thousand disparate pieces, or simply obliterated altogether. That thought, that ground-breaking idea was never to be heard from again.

How you can stop asking “When’s it due?”

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You know how it goes… You are given a task and the first thing you ask is “when is this due?” Often there is no due date, it just needs to get done at some point. Or, you are given a due date, but one that has no weight behind it and when you question as to why it is due by then the answer comes back as “just because.” That’s helpful (sarcasm).

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