Entries Tagged 'Planners' ↓

It’s time to pick up December’s Planners. I’m changing things up a bit in the hope that these updates become more useful for new and old readers alike.

A few quick notes I’d like to point out:

• I’ve included a User’s Guide for the Productivity Planners. I understand that those planners are fairly intimidating at first and wanted to give some pointers to help make the transition. The Guide is just text right now and is pretty ugly, but rather than obsess over making it pretty and new, I wanted to throw it out there and see if people liked it. I’d appreciate any feedback regarding the usefulness of the guide.
• The half-page version of “The Productivity Jumpstarter” is included in this month’s updates. Again, use it freely, but feedback is very much appreciated on this version.
• I’ve had several people ask me about the Freelancer planners. They’re up next unless another design hits me and I absolutely must get it out. Thanks for the pokes and nudges and please do keep them coming.

December is a great month for dreams, but the holiday mindset makes it a hard month to start and complete big projects. Take the month to dream big and finish some of the smaller projects - and while you’re with family, friends, and loved ones, think about the projects and the domains of your life that support who you want to be. Let’s come out swinging in January!!

Productivity Heatmap:

Basic idea: We are more productive at some times rather than others.
Use when: You’re trying to figure out when you’re the most productive.
For more information: How Heatmapping Your Productivity Can Make You More Productive

Download: Blank Daily Productivity Heatmap (5522)

The Productivity Planner Series:

Basic Idea: Once you know when you work best, why not plan your weeks and days around that information? Do more work in less time be leveraging your natural rhythms.
Use when: You’re planning your day or week.
For more information: Read the Productivity Planners User Guide (94)

Downloads:
Daily Productivity Planner - December (175)
Weekly Productivity Planner - December (151)

The Productivity Jumpstarter

Basic Idea: Sometimes we’re running around being busy but aren’t really being productive. This aid helps you stop running in circles and start making meaningful progress on your goals.
Use when: You have no idea what you should be doing and are tired of running in circles.

Download: Productivity Jumpstater (v.2) (131)

The Blog Post Planner and Calendar

Basic Idea: Brainstorming and planning your posts ahead of time may help you have a more streamlined, consistent, and insightful blog. Your mileage may vary, but it’s worth a shot!
Use when: You want to improve your blogging posts and habits.
For more information: The Blog Post Planner and Calendar - skip down to “How to Use These Planners” if you don’t need to be sold on why to use them.

Downloads:
Blog Post Planner - December (51)
Blog Post Calendar - December (36)
Blog Post Planner-Calendar Combo Pack (December) (56)

I saw the picture above yesterday and my heart sank. I found it here, and while the article was powerful in relation to what’s going on with the large plastic dumps on either side of Hawaii, the turtle is what broke me.

I’ve been trying to figure out why. Maybe because I had turtles as a kid? Maybe because they’re iconic to me for peaceful, laid-back creatures.¹ Who knows, and who cares: the fact is that the turtle moved me to action.

Think about it for a second: That poor turtle has lived the majority of its life constricted by the plastic band. Its entire skeleton has had to restructure itself to keep the being alive. Also think about it as a metaphor of how we’ve altered the planet as a whole. Continue reading →

A design hit me today as I was thinking about helping people stop running around in circles and start moving towards some semblance of productivity. I’ve hit a roadblock and need some feedback on the design - I’d appreciate any you’re willing to give.

Imagine yourself having one of those days where you’re running around like crazy but not really getting anything done. The intent of this aid is to help you focus and actually get a few things done.

An alternate design using much of the same material only takes up half the page. Please, take a look and let me know what you think.

This is not the final version.
Productivity Jumpstarter (226)

I’m running late, but I’ve uploaded this month’s planners. Pick them up here:

Productivity Planner Series

Daily Productivity Planner - November (317)
Weekly Productivity Planner - November (268)

Blog Post Planners and Calendars

Blog Post Planner - November (126)
Blog Post Calendar - November (92)
Blog Post Post Planner-Calendar Combo Pack (November) (118)

(If you’re new here (welcome!) and wonder how to use these planners, jump to the Free Planners page for a few posts that help out in that area.)

Winter and the holiday season is upon us. For many of us, it’s a time to put down the big projects for the year and start sharing that time with our families. See if you can get a good project review done before Thanksgiving!

Besides being behind on other projects, I delayed uploading these until someone sent some feedback about them not being available or that they wanted this month’s planners. If you’re using these, please leave a comment or email me to let me know so I can gauge whether this is really providing value or whether it’s just something I’m doing that’s not helping. Thanks!

If you’d like to stay current with your planners or learn how to effectively manage your days, get FREE updates by RSS or by Email.

It’s the 29th, so it’s time to pick up the next month’s planners. Pick them up here:

Productivity Planner Series

Daily Productivity Planner (October) (432)
Weekly Productivity Planner (October) (393)

Blog Post Planners and Calendars

Blog Post Planner (October) (179)
Blog Post Calendar (October) (135)
Blog Post Planner-Calendar Combo Pack (October) (184)

(If you’re new here (welcome!) and wonder how to use these planners, jump to the Free Planners page for a few posts that help out in that area. Hopefully I’ll have a How-to guide to include in next month’s update.)

October is the last full work month for many of us, as the holiday season has a tendency to create a bunch of other stuff we have to do. Do a good monthly review to see what you can actually get done before the yuletide fever hits everyone!

If you’d like to stay current with your planners or learn how to effectively manage your days, get FREE updates by RSS or by Email.

One of the great things about blogs is that some of the best posts come from the spur of the moment. An intense idea hits you and you crank it out, hit “Publish,” and sit back and watch your page views skyrocket while you enjoy a frothy, calorie-laden beverage.

There are a lot of times, though, where having a general plan for what you’re going to write can help your blog immensely. This is especially true if you’re pressed for time and can only write a few posts a week. Planning, writing, and preposting allows you to maintain quality in your writing without you pulling your hair out trying to manage your blog and your life at the same time. It also ensures that your blog has a continuity in voice and content.

In other words, planning, writing, and preposting prevents you from having a CrackerJack box of a blog like my own. You never know what you’re going to get here until you open the box, and sometimes the surprise is really lame. I blame the frothy beverage.

I started creating these planners based on my own struggles to keep my posts going at an acceptable level of quality while I was adjusting to my new job. The basic ideas worked pretty well - the execution of the plan is a completely different matter…

How to Use These Planners

You’ll find three download links below. The first is for the Blog Post Planner (the brainstorming planner), the Blog Post Calendar (the date-based planner), and a combo download that has them sandwiched together. Pick up whichever you’d like. They’re free and you don’t have to sign up for anything.

Blog Post Planner-September (242)
Blog Post Calendar-September (205)
Blog Post Planner-Calendar Combo Pack-September (279)

A set? Why two? Because they appeal to different sides of the brain. Either one could be used independent of the other, but they’re stronger together.
Continue reading →

It’s the 29th, so it’s time to pick up the next month’s planners. Pick them up here:
Daily Productivity Planner-September (446)
Weekly Productivity Planner-September (390)

Labor Day is a great day to do a annual review! September and October are the last months to really get a lot done before the holiday season hits, so take a look and see what you need to get finished up before 2009.

If you’d like to stay current with your planners or learn how to effectively manage your days, get FREE updates by RSS or by Email.

It’s the 28th, so it’s time to pick the next month’s planners. Pick them up here:
Daily Productivity Planner-August (471)
Weekly Productivity Planner-August (404)

If having the reminder is helpful, let me know and I’ll either program it to happen on the 28th of every month or set up a newsletter that does so. Which would work best for those of you who are using them?

If you’d like to stay current with your planners or learn how to effectively manage your days, get FREE updates by Email or by RSS.

I’ve updated the Productivity Series Planners for July and August. Yes, I know I’m a bit late for July, but hey, better Nate than lever!

They’re (still!) free. Pick them up here:

Daily Productivity Planners

Daily Productivity Planner-July (371)
Daily Productivity Planner-August (471)

Weekly Productivity Planners

Weekly Productivity Planner-July (306)
Weekly Productivity Planner-August (404)

If you’re new here and don’t know what these planners are all about, check this post out for a good primer on how to use the Productivity Planners.

I’d appreciate it if you’d “Like” this post on StumbleUpon or tag it with Del.icio.us.

If you’d like to know when new and updated planners are available, get FREE updates by RSS or by Email.

I finally got unblocked and finished up the redesign of the Weekly Productivity Planner and the Daily Productivity Planner. Pick them up here:

[Instead of updating this post every month, I'm sending you to the place where I keep all the planners up to date. The link will send you to the "Free Planners" page where you can pick up the most current versions as well as any planners that I design. Click here to grab your planners.]

There’s an interesting story about why they took so long, but I’ll save that discussion for another day.

A Brief Intro

The Weekly Productivity Planner serves as your task manager for the week. It doesn’t get into a lot of detail and doesn’t focus on time - rather it gives you the global view for the week and let’s you focus on the structure of the week.

The Daily Productivity Planner, on the other hand, does have times and details. It’s the “in the trench” planner and only gives the hard structure of the day.

The planners were redesigned in tandem, so they both compliment each other much better than previous designs. You can start with just the day, or you can start from the week - either way, they’ll end up scaffolding your productive work nicely. I recommend starting with the weekly view, even if it’s late in the week - but start somewhere today.
Continue reading →