W. Lloyd Williams

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Filtering by Tag: mit

Simplified GTD

Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen revolutionized productivity, though many find it overly complicated. For those of us less inclined to be engineers or lacking follow through, we need a simpler solution. Thank you Leo Babauta for writing Zen to Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System.

ad-ztd1 This short book simplifies the entire GTD system down to very specific actions that are easily implemented into your current routine. No longer are you burdened with maintaining a large organization system. You can apply the concepts at you own pace and decide what is most important for your needs.

Leo writes a great blog at ZenHabits.net which is a valuable resource. Take a moment and read this short book, then apply one habit this week and add another when you master the first.

Most Important Tasks For Tomorrow

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“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

Mark Twain quotes (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

How often do you look back at the end of a day and realize though you were busy all day long, nothing important was accomplished. Too often we spend our entire day in reaction mode. One simple action can change that forever. In the last five minutes of each day, take out a notebook or a 3x5 card. Then look at your calendar for the next day and review your unfinished todo list. Select the three most important tasks you must accomplish tomorrow, the three tasks that will make the day great. Write them on the 3x5 card or in your notebook, then block off time on your calendar for an appointment with yourself to complete them tomorrow.

First thing each morning I look at my three most important tasks (MIT) and start work on the first one. Many times in the first hour of the day I am able to accomplish all three. This makes the rest of the day easy and enjoyable despite what occurs. Try this today before you go home and see how productive tomorrow can be.