Comments on: A guide to personal productivity http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/ Tue, 31 May 2011 20:05:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: sally O'hare http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-130 sally O'hare Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:36:55 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-130 well i will certainly explore backpack but I'm glad you also use a moleskine notebook! I did a complete life audit a few years ago and got everything in perspective - cut out all the rubbish. I've always had aims but now I'm scheduling to achieve them. As I can only access the computer at home I can't be as organized on the computer as you but the principle is the same. I have set days for e.g. dealing with money, letter writing etc. Then checklists with targets to reach for each aspect of the aims I am hoping to achieve - the novel, the radio play, the art, the Masters etc. I get much more done and am much less stressed than I have ever been and at my grand old age I have discovered strategies that you have done at half my age. I particularyly like the "Waiting for " box as its so easy to lose track. Glad its all going so well. well i will certainly explore backpack but I’m glad you also use a moleskine notebook! I did a complete life audit a few years ago and got everything in perspective – cut out all the rubbish. I’ve always had aims but now I’m scheduling to achieve them. As I can only access the computer at home I can’t be as organized on the computer as you but the principle is the same. I have set days for e.g. dealing with money, letter writing etc. Then checklists with targets to reach for each aspect of the aims I am hoping to achieve – the novel, the radio play, the art, the Masters etc.
I get much more done and am much less stressed than I have ever been and at my grand old age I have discovered strategies that you have done at half my age. I particularyly like the “Waiting for ” box as its so easy to lose track. Glad its all going so well.

]]> By: Russell http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-129 Russell Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:09:35 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-129 @Brad - Thanks! I actually spent ages after your comment trying to find the word that I meant to use, but couldn't figure it out until my girlfriend helped me out. It was of course 'slew' :) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slew @JimB - The dragging around of individual to-do items is a little awkward, you're right. Actually, often when I move things to my today/urgent list I leave the item in its original location on a category page and just write a quick one or two word version of it in my today list. I tick them off as I do them on the today page, and then catch up in the category lists in batches. Or otherwise I copy+paste. A single item move-to-page would be great though. @Brad – Thanks! I actually spent ages after your comment trying to find the word that I meant to use, but couldn’t figure it out until my girlfriend helped me out. It was of course ‘slew’ :) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slew

@JimB – The dragging around of individual to-do items is a little awkward, you’re right. Actually, often when I move things to my today/urgent list I leave the item in its original location on a category page and just write a quick one or two word version of it in my today list. I tick them off as I do them on the today page, and then catch up in the category lists in batches. Or otherwise I copy+paste. A single item move-to-page would be great though.

]]> By: JimB http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-128 JimB Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:21:27 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-128 Great system - thanks for sharing. I have a similar approach but I do it on my blackberry. Although I love backpack for other things, I thought it was a little cumbersome for quickly updating and organizing lists. For example, you can't drag individual todos from your dropbox to another page - or do you have a work around for that? Great system – thanks for sharing. I have a similar approach but I do it on my blackberry. Although I love backpack for other things, I thought it was a little cumbersome for quickly updating and organizing lists. For example, you can’t drag individual todos from your dropbox to another page – or do you have a work around for that?

]]> By: N th n R T yl r » Learnings from using Backpack: http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-127 N th n R T yl r » Learnings from using Backpack: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:32:13 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-127 [...] took some of what Russell Quinn blogged about recently at his blog, and some of my own findings about how I spend my time, and came up with a system that will help me [...] [...] took some of what Russell Quinn blogged about recently at his blog, and some of my own findings about how I spend my time, and came up with a system that will help me [...]

]]> By: Spoiled Milk ApS > Blog » Supreme CD Designs, Personal Productivity and Noerrebrogade http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-126 Spoiled Milk ApS > Blog » Supreme CD Designs, Personal Productivity and Noerrebrogade Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:33:08 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-126 [...] Other fun things include a recent personal blog post I made on personal productivity being featured on 37signals’ product blog. Read the original post here. [...] [...] Other fun things include a recent personal blog post I made on personal productivity being featured on 37signals’ product blog. Read the original post here. [...]

]]> By: Rod Schmidt http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-125 Rod Schmidt Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:43:26 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-125 If you want to access your Backpack data even when you do not have internet access, then check out Packrat (www.infinitenil.com/packrat), a Mac OS X desktop client for Backpack. If you want to access your Backpack data even when you do not have internet access, then check out Packrat (www.infinitenil.com/packrat), a Mac OS X desktop client for Backpack.

]]> By: Brad http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-124 Brad Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:29:13 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-124 There's a lot of good stuff in here, and pointers that I may incorporate into my system (which currently straddles Backpack and a Google spreadsheet). As a word, nerd, though, I can't let this slide; I point this out with only love in my heart: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sleuth There’s a lot of good stuff in here, and pointers that I may incorporate into my system (which currently straddles Backpack and a Google spreadsheet).

As a word, nerd, though, I can’t let this slide; I point this out with only love in my heart:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sleuth

]]> By: Anne http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-123 Anne Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:28:47 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-123 Goodness. I'm on about 20 Backback groups through our organization. (I was the one who recommended Backpack - yay me!) I hadn't thought of simply signing up for a personal account to use solely for myself. Silly me. Thanks for give me another great perspective. Goodness. I’m on about 20 Backback groups through our organization. (I was the one who recommended Backpack – yay me!) I hadn’t thought of simply signing up for a personal account to use solely for myself. Silly me. Thanks for give me another great perspective.

]]> By: David http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-122 David Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:12:55 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-122 Hey Rustle. I did get daunted, then went into the free account and ih got confused. Went off and did some work, came back and it all made sense. I think I was looking for something that wasn't there or maybe blinded by its simplicity. Understanding it now and it's great. Whether or not it helps me deal with my fundamental problem of not being able to focus very well, we'll see, but it's nice to see things laid out in front of you, in easy to do steps. Hey Rustle. I did get daunted, then went into the free account and ih got confused. Went off and did some work, came back and it all made sense. I think I was looking for something that wasn’t there or maybe blinded by its simplicity. Understanding it now and it’s great. Whether or not it helps me deal with my fundamental problem of not being able to focus very well, we’ll see, but it’s nice to see things laid out in front of you, in easy to do steps.

]]> By: Russell http://www.russellquinn.com/blog/2009/01/07/a-guide-to-personal-productivity/#comment-121 Russell Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:45:27 +0000 http://www.russellquinn.com/?p=113#comment-121 @David - Did you set up a trial account or just get daunted by the (admittedly quite cluttered) promotional pages? @David – Did you set up a trial account or just get daunted by the (admittedly quite cluttered) promotional pages?

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