How I Organize My Life

I am a Mac fan, and a techie (somewhat), so I like to use the computer as much as I can to stay organized.  I think it’s a good policy in general, but I have finally come around to admitting that sometimes pen and paper fits the bill better than anything else can.  Yes, it’s hard to admit, but if I want to get something done in a focused fashion, I NEED TO SEE SOMETHING IN PLAIN SIGHT, WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS OF ANY KIND.  That’s why at the beginning of the day I make a simple list on *paper* and put it front and center on my desk.  And it works!

But I’m actually getting ahead of myself here, because everything I do is archived and organized on my computer.  And that’s where I pull my simple daily list from.

A couple years ago I was introduced to the concept of Getting Things Done (a.k.a. GTD) from David Allen, who wrote a book of the same name.  I loved what I learned and soaked it up.  I caught a little of the craze going on out in the blogosphere over his techniques.  At the time, I was in dire need of some organizational skills.  And I recommend it to anyone who’s inclined to learn more about how to get more things done.

I found, however, that I couldn’t ever quite nail down a good system based solely on what was in the book.  When the rubber met the road, I needed something more than just GTD to get myself organized.  I needed some personal hacks.

So I had to add a few things that help me personally to keep organized.  With a good system, and a little discipline to glue it all together, I finally feel like I have a strong sense of control over my daily tasks (and I even have a little time to write this blog post.)

EAGLEFILER

I use Eaglefiler to log everything I come across, be they ideas, blog posts, websites I like, PDF files, project notes, journal entries, goals, blog ideas, etc. Eaglefiler is an extension of Apple’s Finder.  Because I’m not a fan of wasting breath when someone else has said it better, read about it on it’s site if you want more info.  Basically, it’s a great, insanely easy way to keep everything organized in folders, using tags, and very easy to access and find things quickly.  I’m blown away by what it can do.

OMNIFOCUS

Omnifocus is built specifically for GTD.  I was using Omnifocus before I found Eaglefiler, but it became way too cluttered and bloated to be of any use to me.  After discovering Eaglefiler, I was able to transfer project notes and sequential actions to Eaglefiler files, which freed up Omnifocus to be used as a simpler context-based to-do list.  Magically, it worked.  For some reason, Omnifocus just never quite ‘clicked’ with my workflow as it’s supposedly built to work.  But as a repository of upcoming tasks that need to be done, it works very well for me.  I see Omnifocus as a good place to put actions that need to be done in a relatively short amount of time, whereas a separate file for more involved projects is needed for larger projects.  Hence, Eaglefiler and Omnifocus play very nicely together on my mac.

ROUTINE

I’m a big fan of routine.  Without a set time to do the important non-urgent items, they’ll never get done.  Establishing a routine requires you take some quiet time to reflect on your goals and what you’re doing well and what you’re not doing well.  Chances are, the things you’re not doing well are being neglected because you haven’t set aside a weekly or daily time to focus on them.  So, think in big picture terms and figure out exactly when you should set aside time for those important areas of your life that are being neglected.  And then stick to the routine.

I love how the concept of routine meshes so well with the concept of ‘contexts’ that David Allen talks about in Getting Things Done.  In retrospect, I am flabbergasted that Mr Allen doesn’t mention routine in his book.  Without it, GTD falls apart.  YOU NEED TO ACTIVELY PUT YOURSELF IN VARIOUS CONTEXTS ON A REGULAR BASIS SO YOUR’RE GETTING THINGS DONE IN ALL AREAS.

You mesh your context into your routine, and that way you’ll be able to have a quick list of the most important things that need to get done in a context where you can actually get them done.

WEEKLY REVIEW

The weekly review is part of the routine, I know, but it’s so important that I made it its own section.  This is where everything comes together.  The review is where you look at your projects and determine the most important things that need to get done in the next week.  I place these things into Omnifocus as tasks (if they’re not there already) and then flag them.  I do this for all contexts.  Anything with a flag should get done by the end of the week.  Those are the priorities.

And then daily I take a quick look at the flagged items and items that are due soon, and then jot a quick list of what I am going to accomplish that day in chronological order and voila!  I don’t have to look at omnifocus or anything else for that matter because I know exactly what I am doing that day.

Trust me, to have focus is to have power.  If you can free your mind to accomplish the task at hand, without having to worry about the things you might be forgetting, your level of daily comfort will increase and stress will decrease.  You’ll have a greater sense of control over your life, and most importantly, you’ll get more done.