As we loaded the grenades into his under-armored Humvee, he snapped. He was talking to us one second and violently throwing up his lunch the next. Apparently, loading live explosives into the vehicle you’ll be living in for a few days makes reality more - well - real.

Amidst retches, he would would propose a “What if?” “What if…retch…what if…retch…what if?”

This was his first time going on a new route in the combat zone with new troops. And to make matters worse, he was in charge. The uncertainty of it all was taking over him.

Retch.

We did what any leader in the situation would do: we finished loading his grenades and ammo while he continued to rid himself of his lunch. To hold his hand and reassure him would make matters worse in the culture we were in.

Later on we walked through the entire plan with him again. We did another map recon. We walked through almost every possible scenario and worked with him and his team on how’d they’d respond. We double-checked all of his equipment - especially his navigation and communication equipment - and told him he had every tool he needed to make it through. It was time for him to lead.

Talk to anybody about to launch something big and you’re bound to hear them say they’re ready to hurl - or they can’t talk about it without hyperventilating - or they’re scared shitless. The same fear of uncertainty that caused our leader to lose his lunch strikes just about everyone doing anything worth doing at some point or the other. Especially if they’re in charge.

And working through that fear requires the same principle: 1) acknowledge the fear and its consequences, 2) work through every bad scenario that runs through your way, and 3) figure out ways to work through that scenario. The fear that there’s something you’re forgetting will be there, but you have to trust yourself and your processes enough to know that you can get through them when they happen.

After you’ve done that, it’s time for you to act. The fear will still be there, but you’ll do better than you think you will as long as you keep moving towards your goal.

Be careful with those grenades.

Bear with me on this one. It’s an interwoven critique of productivity and sexual essentialism with constructive paradigm shifting on the side. Here’s what I’m asking you to do:

• Broaden your notions of “productivity”
• Consider how gender roles and socialization script what people care about

A common issue that I’ve heard from women is the tension between being productive and taking care of their families. The idea seems to be that “being productive” and taking care of their families, friends, and loved ones are two different types of things to the extent that they view it as an either/or prospect: they can either “get things done” or they can maintain relationships and help nurture the people around them.

This is yet another reason why productivity is bunk.

Let’s be more constructive here and review the history of productivity - it’s easy to see where we went wrong. “Productivity” and “progress” have largely been defined and discussed by men. Historically, men have (intentionally or not) downplayed the importance of family and social relationships. In essence, since men have been doing all the talking when it comes to productivity and progress (and, let’s be real here, about almost everything) and men haven’t been entirely focused on family and social relationships, there’s no wonder that our measures of productivity and progress don’t (usually) include stuff like hanging out with the kids, taking care of parents, or building a strong neighborhood. Continue reading →

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)

What’s the point of Twitter? Who would spend time updating what they’re doing and what’s the point of doing it?

Those were the first questions I asked myself when I looked into Twitter. I asked myself those questions because, honestly, that was what the marketers of Twitter used on their landing page.

It’s a horrible way to market Twitter. Because when you get on Twitter, you realize that very few people actually use Twitter that way (or solely use it that way). Or at least, very few people of the A-list twitizens and the people I follow do. Here’s the truth of it: unless you’re doing something really interesting or unique, most people don’t care.

Which is why I think it’s a horrible way to market Twitter. How many of us either are doing something really interesting/unique (or think what we’re doing is interesting or unique) or would be willing to take the time to announce that we are doing it? In fairness, the early adopters of Twitter probably did care what each other were doing. Maybe they were techies or marketing mavens or used Twitter as the marketers describe.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Normally I would start talking by explaining what something is before I move on to other points to consider, but that’s my point - Twitter is one of those fascinating services that bends to the will of its users. The developers basically gave us a way to connect with other people, 140 characters at a time. What we do with those characters is a different matter entirely. 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.

For those of you who worry that comments aren’t worth the trouble and that meaningful dialogues are a spectre of wishful thinking, I entreat you to take note of this blog post. This one’s not about the whole “To shut off comments or not to” discussions - rather, it’s an example of how two bloggers keep conversations going.

All that said, Andre and I have had several comments and posts back and forth over the last few months regarding some of the tenets of GTD and why some of us tweak or abandon the system. In his post Using Context to Simplify List Management that’s partially motivated by a comment I left on his post When to Do Low-Priority Tasks, Andre brilliantly canvasses some possible problems people have with understanding and applying GTD principles and how to amend these problems.

Here’s the salient part of his intro:

Context lists are popular within GTD, but some users are like Charlie: having multiple lists like @Computer, @Home, @Errands, @Calls and @Office seems to create more work than it saves.

I’ve always found that position curious, since context lists were one of the first things I latched onto when reading Getting Things Done. It made logical and intuitive sense that looking at a list of 13 next actions is easier than looking at a list of 130.

Now’s probably not the best time for me to respond, as I’ve been having trouble writing this afternoon. But I’m so interested in the dialogue that I’ll put concerns of incoherence aside. Caveat Emptor! Continue reading →

I take it that a few people thought the point of my last post was to suggest that people should quit their jobs. Perhaps it’s the point in which I come out and recommend that everyone who doesn’t work for themselves is living a low quality life. Because that’s exactly the type of thing that I would say.

As a case in point, I’ll share a comment I got on that post from lavendula13 at Reddit:

Stupid, self-serving, egocentric cock rot. Most of us don’t have a choice, asshat.

I love this comment for several reasons. One, I absolutely love the term “asshat.” Two, I love the self-assuredness of his lack of a choice in the matter. Third, I love that he took the time to see how this train of thought would play out. This is an absolutely wonderful comment that’s a testament to the quality of commenters on the Internet.

Sure, there are some elements to the questions that may make you question the suitability of your current job. If it helps you get out of a bad situation, great. But I have a larger goal: I want to change the way you think about your work and your play. I want to give you a new paradigm that I hope will clear some things up and empower you to do more of those awesome things that you do. Continue reading →

Here’s the deal: You’re smart. You’re creative. You know what you’re doing.

But you’re scared as hell of failing and making mistakes. Maybe it’s because you’ve been so damned good at whatever you’ve done for your whole life. Maybe it’s because you quit a good thing to pick up something risky. Maybe it’s because you’re scared of what happens when you don’t fail.

I get that. I do. I could write all day about how you need to embrace failure and mistakes before you can really unleash your creative potential, but who am I to tell you this? So I’ve enlisted the help of a few thousand years worth of creatives to help me out:

If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
-Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931), Encyclopaedia Britannica

I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit - I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.
-Ernest Hemingway

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
-Joseph Chilton Pearce

No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.
-W. E. Gladstone

To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.
-Plutarch (46 AD - 120 AD)

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.
-E. J. Phelps

Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.
-Dale E. Turner

Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one’s mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
- Steve Jobs (1955 - )

If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.
-Frank Wilczek (1951 - )

If I had my life to live over… I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
-Nadine Stair

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.
-James Joyce (1882 - 1941)

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
-Scott Adams (1957 - ), ‘The Dilbert Principle’

To avoid situations in which you might make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all.
-Peter McWilliams, Life 101

If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.
-Tallulah Bankhead (1903 - 1968)

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
-George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

You cannot measure a man by his failures. You must know what use he makes of them. What did they mean to him. What did he get out of them.
-Orison Swett Marden (1850 - 1924)

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.
-Mary Pickford (1893 - 1979)

Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.
-John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t as all. You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember, that’s where you will find success.
-Thomas J. Watson

The bottomline: I’d tell you to get over your fear of failure and mistakes, but it’s natural to feel that way. I’m asking you to understand that failure and mistakes are part and parcel of greatness. You can either let fear of failure and mistakes cripple you and keep you stuck, or you can join the rest of the successes throughout history and rack up a good tab of failures and mistakes while you’re at it. Your call.

(Note: I have a large project that I’m completing this week, and one of three things will happen: 1) I’ll post a lot because I’m really productive, 2) I’ll post more snippets of ideas because I want to get them out and fill them in later, or 3) I’ll only have another post or two between now and next Wednesday. Either way it goes, I appreciate you bearing with me!)

One thing we often forget when we make new commitments is that time is only one of the various factors to consider. Because we’ve been taught to think about time quantitatively rather than qualitatively, we mistakenly assume that we can handle more because a proposed commitment will “only take a few hours a week.”

The reality is much different when you’re thinking about creative work because it’s not just about the amount of hours it’ll take to get the project done. It’s about the type of work it’ll take to get the work done.

Creative work doesn’t happen in steady slices - it comes in very intense bursts followed by slices of time in which you can’t do that type of work. Let’s make this more tangible: I know that on a given day, I may have three or four creative blocks of about 90 to 120 minutes. These chunks of time are when I actually do the things that bring money in.

I’ll pause here and talk about metaprojects and their relation to time and creativity. Continue reading →