Productivity pr0n

In my corner of the world Edh and Lunchable (Lunchable, do you have a blog, lemme know!), were gabbing about staying productive, and I overheard Lunchable comment on one of my posts about filing things...even if it's just once piece of paper.

So, I thought I'd break into some other geek things I've picked up from the intertubes.

The hipsterPDA. Basically it's 3x5 notecards held together with a binder clip. There's templates you can download and print (I intended to, but realized I was making more of a pain in the ass than it needs to be), but that's as advanced as I get. I'm intending to go to an office supply store and get different colors, but it basically works like this. Friday OR Monday, I pull up my Outlook calendar at work and write it on a card. All the other cards are for notes.

I was toying with it until I got rearended on the way to work. Then, I whipped it out, wrote everything down on the cards (and even gave some to the guy who hit me). Once I made the bazillion phone calls afterwards, I rewrote everything down on a card and when ever the insurance or body shop called, I had all the information handy. I use it for grocery lists, errands, or when someone catches me and asks me a question. I write it down and (hopefully) get back to them.

Best thing...they're notcards, they totally bend in your back pocket when you sit on them, unlike brick-like wallets most men carry.

Tickler File. This one I have a bad time keeping up with it, but I'm trying to use it in conjunction with my Hipster. It's basically 43 folders, 12 for each month, the rest for days of the month. Got something for December? File it in December. Once the first of the month hits, open that month and distribute the paperwork on the appropriate folder for that day of the month.

Used correctly, you should be able to pull that days folder and be off running. Like me...I forget to keep it updated. But it's a great idea for agendas, or my meeting planner worksheet for meetings I attend or lead. The bummer about the meeting planner worksheet is you have to retype/write the agenda on the paper.

Inbox, Outbox, Waiting On, and the Two Minute Rule. I steal this from David Allen and Getting Things Done (good book, I recommend it). In fact, I liked it so much, I pulled a copy off the shelf, read it, then bought a copy at the half price book store.

Anyway, one of David's "tricks" is that everything...everything, goes into the inbox. Take the top item. If it's yours to do and you can do it in 2 minutes, do it and be done with it. (igoogle and a widgit works wonders as a timer). If you can't do it in two minutes, then there's a process that David came up with that I keep as a wallpaper on my PC.

If I have to mail it, it goes in the outbox till the next time I need to head somewhere. I stop by the mailboxes and fill out interdepartmental envelopes as needed and send away.

Anything I needed to contact someone for more information about I e-mail/call (okay, 99% of the time I e-mail), slap a post it note on it say who/when I contacted, and then put it in the Waiting On box. Once I need a break from doing something mundane, I'll go through the Waiting On box and harass people to get stuff done.

I do some other geek things too, like keeping a backpack/man-purse. It'll carry a laptop when I need too, I keep my glasses cleaner, excess "omg you have to have a discount card from our store" cards, an emergency pair of pullups for Little Blue, and snacks for when he/I need them.

Oooh, as a gem of geekiness, I also carry a version of portable firefox on my flashdrive, as well as the VLC video player.

That's it. Little Blue is up from his nap, so we're going to crank the surround sound and jam to the Blue Man Group.