If you look back over the last month, what got in the way of you being more productive? What slowed you down when you were just hitting your stride? Interruptions? Others lack of planning? Untrusted systems?
What are your productivity speed bumps?
If you look back over the last month, what got in the way of you being more productive? What slowed you down when you were just hitting your stride? Interruptions? Others lack of planning? Untrusted systems?
What are your productivity speed bumps?
Interruptions! Dozens a day from people suffering from “Learned Helplessness” who can’t (or won’t) learn for themselves and who thus have come to believe that they are fully entitled to my time to have me train them, 24/7. I usually open the Wikipedia page or Google the exact phrase they just asked me or the computer manual and ask them to read the answer (which they could easily have found for themselves) aloud to me. So the symptom is interruptions, but I believe the underlying cause is some people’s (not all people’s) Learned Helplessness. Aarrgghh!
@Marc
A very good tip, thanks..
I´m also suffering from people asking about everything.. I will adopt the “Google”-trick at once on monday to the first person who is asking me something.
Marc – this is a good idea; and you are also sending a message about how to do research and the importance of it. If these people are direct reports you might even keep a running list of who asks the most questions and what they ask about and use the statistics in their reviews to make the point about learning to do their own research.
If they are not direct reports, you can use the same list to talk to their managers about training opportunities or holes….
I’ve been in a period of transition with the tools of GTD, namely, my list manager. I was using a program that has fallen prey to a number of programming glitches from the developer and I’ve been in search of a new tool. It has really hurt my productivity! Anyone have ideas for a good list manager for Mac?
@DB I would say either Toodledo or Things. Both have solid mobile apps too
@Dallin,
Thanks for the advice. Things was the program I referred to in my earlier post. I’m actually testing out Toodledo now. While I don’t love the interface (hard to beat Things!), is it powerful and syncs well.
@DB I have tried pretty much every piece of software out that has an iPhone app available. Toodledo is reliable but the UI is so ugly that I resisted using it. Nozbe had a pretty good UI, but was dropping data (gasp). I have permanently settled on OmniFocus. It is beautiful, powerful, and reliable. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m a musician and big interruption in my life is this back injury…you gotta way to fix that?
Thanks, Dave!!
I’m sorry, but for me, Things is the be-all and end-all of task keepers. See culturedcode.com for more posts on this.
Interruptions is always the biggest bump in my day. Sometimes it’s unexpected work that comes in and most days it’s people walking I’m my office to chat.