Comments on: A Special Theory of Productivity

By: Confluence: Orgmentis

Confluence: Orgmentis — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:39:12 +0000

Knowledge Base…

Must have Facts (y) Basecamp’s (from 37Signals) conversion of total accounts to paid accounts is about %0.87 and higher: Guess the Value: Basecamp (Nov, 2006)…

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:11:27 +0000

@Qrystal: No, I never found a time tracking/management system that I ever liked – at least an electronic one. I’m writing about the system I use in the ebook I’m writing atm.

As far as Bubbletimer, yes, I’m quite aware of it – I’m an affiliate (one of the first) and I’ve spoken to Sean (the developer) about heatmapping stuff. I think Bubbletimer is probably the best I’ve seen thus far because it doesn’t try to get computers to do what they can’t, which is where RescueTime and Slife fall down. I should really write a review of Bubbletimer – I’ve been meaning to for a while.

Thanks for reminding me about this!

By: Qrystal

Qrystal — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:56:02 +0000

I’m just jumping around your site right now, reading things that are relevant to me right now (so far, the top contender is the one about Stop Lying and Get Creating… but I’m working on inspiring myself! Really! [ /lie ]) and so I don’t know if you ever did figure out a system for time tracking/management that you actually like.

I am commenting to mention an online time tracker that I found, which is giving me an awesomely simple way to SEE and GRAPH where my time has gone. It’s BubbleTimer.com, and it’s based off of one of Dave Seah’s paper-based systems (forgive me for not seeking the name of it, but you’d probably recognize it if you saw it).

Interestingly, the other place I heard of Heat Mapping was in the discussion at GetSatisfaction regarding BubbleTimer… there are big plans for even more analysis in the future of this product. There’s a very good chance I’m selfishly suggesting you check out this product so that you can put some of your valuable input into the discussion…

By: Links der Woche - 24. April 2008

Links der Woche - 24. April 2008 — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:22:47 +0000

[...] zurück zum Kerngeschäft von blatternet.ch, nämlich der Produktivität: “A Special Theory of Productivity“. Charles denkt hier laut darüber nach, welche Basis-Funktionen ein gutes [...]

By: Sadie

Sadie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:22:44 +0000

Interesting to know.

By: Is Backpack Worth the Time and Money? | Productive Flourishing

Is Backpack Worth the Time and Money? | Productive Flourishing — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:50:47 +0000

[...] like to end this review with a more systematic summary using the criteria I set out in A Special Theory of Productivity. As a brief recap, in that post I stated that the three functions of Time Management Systems are to [...]

By: The Weekly Productivity Planner 1.0: Comments on a Bad Design | Productive Flourishing

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:50:26 +0000

[...] my discussion of the principles of time management systems, I wrote about the principles of simplicity and cohesiveness. In the case of the WPP, I broke [...]

By: Francis Wade

Francis Wade — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:04:15 +0000

I happen to be in Trinidad leading a course I developed for Caribbean professionals, and we were talking about this today.

I like the term you used: “productivity positions” and our description of what our work is about.

I told my class that it was like teaching someone to cook, rather than merely giving him/her a fixed recipe.

Professionals need to have a way of designing their own systems that they can change as they grow and expand.

I remember talking with a friend who had retired, and he actually needed a time management system that worked in his new situation, and it wasn’t the one he was using before he left the corporate world.

He just needed to design something new, like anyone else who goes through a major life change and finds that their old system no longer fits.

Thanks for the OK to jump on the soapbox!

Francis Wades last blog post..Productivity and Choosing a New PDA

By: Charles Gilkey

Charles Gilkey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:08:33 +0000

@ Francis: I’m actually in total agreement with you about making your own system. After the fact, I realize that that’s what I’ve been up to with this post and A General Theory, since neither give you a specific system, but rather things to incorporate. The planners I’ve created have the same feature and will continue to do so. I see our work as helping people start from their own productivity positions and move forward from there. And feel free to stand on your soapbox here as much as you’d like. Why should I be the only one that gets to do so?

By: Francis Wade

Francis Wade — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:10:54 +0000

Charles, I most agree with what you said at the very end…

I think that time management systems are presented to us _never_ fit the bill… apart from a handful of people.

Instead, I think that each professional needs to legitimize what they have been doing — using their own hybrid system — with some assistance and help.

I see your post as helping to shed some light on the systems we are using, and the degree to which they are working for us.

However, I go a step further and say that almost none of us are using someone else’s system, we are using our own, and the sooner we own that, the quicker we can do the design and repair work that’s needed to increase productivity and expand peace of mind.

OK, I’m off the soapbox…!

Francis Wade’s last blog post..Time Management and Cognitive Load Theory