Webinar delivered by Jo Alcock on 21st June for AZHIN (Arizona Health librarians).

1. Managing
yourself:
how
to
be
productive
with
your
time
Jo
Alcock
Birmingham
City
University
@joeyanne
www.joeyanne.co.uk

2. Audience
question
What
do
you
hope
to
learn
from
today’s
webinar?

3. WEBINAR
AIMS,
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
AND
OVERVIEW
Introduction

4. Webinar
aim
To
equip
you
with
tools
to
help
you
clear
your
mind
so
that
you
can
focus
on
Getting
Things
Done

5. Learning
outcomes
By
the
end
of
this
webinar,
participants
will
be
able
to:
1. Implement
the
Getting
Things
Done
productivity
system
2. Apply
productivity
techniques
to
optimise
time
available
3. Manage
requests
and
opportunities
to
enable
progression
without
overcommitting

6. Webinar
overview
Section
1
-­‐
Organising
your
tasks
Section
2
-­‐
Getting
started
and
staying
motivated
Section
3
-­‐
Preventing
overcommitment

7. ORGANISING
YOUR
TASKS
Section
1

8. What
is
Getting
Things
Done?
• Productivity
methodology
devised
by
David
Allen
• Series
of
processes
to
help
you
organise
information
and
make
decisions
about
what
to
do
when
• Sometimes
known
as
GTD
• Can
be
used
as
full
system,
or
certain
elements
can
be
used

9. Getting
Things
Done
Five
stage
process
for
managing
information
and
improving
productivity:
1. Collect
2. Process
3. Organise
4. Review
5. Do

10. Getting
Things
Done
cycle
Collect
Process
Organise
Review
Do

11. Stage
1
-­‐
Collect
• Aim
of
this
stage
is
to
clear
your
mind
to
record
all
physical
information
and
anything
you
are
currently
trying
to
remember
• ALL
sources
of
information
should
ideally
come
into
one
place
(physical
or
virtual)

12. Stage
2
-­‐
Process
• Process
each
item
one
at
a
time,
in
order
• Decide
what
each
item
is
and
what
to
do
with
it
– Trash
– Reference
– Action
– Project
(multi-­‐step
action)
– Someday
• Don’t
leave
anything
in
your
‘inbox’

13. Stage
3
-­‐
Organise
• Separate
actionable
items
into
distinct,
separate
categories:
– Next
actions
– Scheduled
actions
– Waiting
for
• If
any
action
takes
less
than
2
minutes,
do
it
now

14. Stage
4
-­‐
Review
• System
needs
regular
review
• Every
day
– Daily
calendar
– Action
list
• Weekly
(?Fri
afternoon)
– Full
5
step
process
– Ensure
all
lists,
files,
folders,
and
calendar
are
up-­‐to-­‐date
• Less
frequently
(?monthly)
– Bigger
picture
reviews
for
goals

15. Stage
5
-­‐
Do
• Assess
situation
depending
on
following
factors:
– Context
– Time
available
– Energy
– Priority

16. Alternative
productivity
systems
• Zen
to
Done
• The
Seven
Habits
of
Highly
Effective
People
• Never
Check
E-­‐Mail
in
the
Morning
• Bit
Literacy
• The
Four-­‐Hour
Workweek
• One
Year
to
an
Organized
Work
Life

17. Audience
question
Do
you
have
a
to-­‐do
list?
If
so,
what
do
you
use?

18. Using
lists
“I
have
a
secret.
I
make
lists.
That's
how
I
handle
stress.
And
whether
they
actually
help
me
accomplish
more
or
not,
they
make
me
feel
so
much
better.
If
I
can
jot
down
all
the
tasks
that
swirl
around
in
my
head,
I
shift
from
feeling
deluged
and
stressed
to
feeling
in
control
and
calm.
And
this
is
before
I
even
do
anything
on
the
list.”
Suzanne
Riss
(2007)
in
Maggio
(2009)

19. To-­‐do
list
suggestions
Physical
Virtual

20. To-­‐do
list
features
• Record
next
and
scheduled
actions
• Utilise
contexts
– @errands
– @office
– @online
– @home
– @phone
• May
assign
projects/tags
• Accessible
from
anywhere

21. Tickler
file
(43
folders)
• Set
reminder
triggers
for
time-­‐based
items
to
‘tickle’
your
memory
– Agendas
for
meetings
– Tickets
for
travel
– Event
information
– Materials
needed
for
scheduled
task
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG0FU_M_YB8

22. Tickler
file
(e-­‐mail)
• Email
folders
(or
labels)
for
each
month
and
date
• Time-­‐based
emails
moved
into
appropriate
folders/labels

23. Organising
your
tasks
–
summary
• Employ
the
GTD
system
or
another
which
fits
your
workflow
• Use
a
to-­‐do
list
that
meets
your
needs
• Try
a
tickler
file
if
relevant
Collect
Process
Organise
Review
Do
GTD
cycle

24. GETTING
STARTED
AND
STAYING
MOTIVATED
Section
2

25. Right
time…
• Are
you
a
morning
person
or
a
night
owl?
• Can
you
structure
your
most
difficult
tasks
when
your
energy
is
high?
• Consider
utilising
'slump'
time
to
organise
to-­‐do
list
and
revitalise
energy
• Block
day
into
periods
of
work
(ideally
90
minutes)

26. Right
place…
• What
sort
of
environment
is
conducive
for
certain
tasks?
• Can
you
work
in
different
places
for
different
types
of
work?
• Where
can
you
get
into
the
right
mindset?

27. Right
information
• Where
do
you
store
information?
• How
do
you
make
sure
it’s
accessible
from
where
you
will
need
it?
• How
do
you
group
information
so
that
related
items
stay
together?

28. Extracting
information
from
calls/
meetings
• Make
notes
at
meetings
and
during
calls
• Highlight
any
actions
and
record
these
in
your
list
immediately
after
the
call/meeting
• Store
your
notes
for
reference
-­‐
somewhere
you
can
easily
recall
them

29. Audience
question
Do
you
know
what
makes
you
most
productive?
Where/when/how?

30. Getting
started
"The
secret
of
getting
ahead
is
getting
started"
Mark
Twain
• Adopt
the
X
minute
rule
-­‐
spend
just
X
minutes
starting
a
task.
You
may
find
that
you
are
so
into
it
by
then
that
you
want
to
continue,
but
at
minimum
you
will
have
at
least
started.

31. Dealing
with
procrastination
• Discover
the
source
of
procrastination
-­‐
lack
of
commitment,
knowledge,
motivation,
fear
of
failure,
overwhelmed?
• Deal
with
the
problem
• Set
yourself
a
reward
mechanism

32. Staying
on
task
• If
during
a
task
you
hit
a
hurdle
or
need
extra
information,
make
a
note
of
the
question
or
jot
down
the
extra
task
to
come
back
to
after
you
have
completed
the
rest
of
your
original
task

33. Dealing
with
interruptions
• List
is
constantly
evolving
• Priorities
will
shift
and
change
on
a
regular
basis
• Use
time-­‐based
or
priority
rankings
to
help
you
reorganise
your
tasks

34. Pomodoro
technique
• Choose
a
task
to
be
accomplished
• Set
the
Pomodoro
(timer)
to
25
minutes
• Work
on
the
task
until
the
Pomodoro
rings,
then
put
a
check
on
your
sheet
of
paper
• Take
a
short
break
(5
minutes
is
OK)
• Every
4
Pomodoros
take
a
longer
break
http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

35. Getting
started
and
staying
motivated
–
summary
• Aim
to
be
working
on
things
at
the
right
time,
right
place,
and
with
the
right
information
• Have
a
plan
to
deal
with
procrastination
and
interruptions

36. PREVENTING
OVERCOMMITMENT
Section
3

37. Knowing
what
not
to
do
• Do
you
need
to
do
this?
• Do
you
want
to
do
this?
• Is
it
something
you
feel
you
should
do?
Why?
• Can
it
be
deleted,
delegated,
or
simplified?

38. To-­‐don't
list
• Keep
a
list
of
activities
that
you
sometimes
feel
you
'ought'
to
do
but
know
drain
your
energy,
take
up
too
much
of
your
time,
or
are
unrewarding
• Be
sensible
and
realistic
about
your
capabilities,
skills
and
commitments
• Practice
saying
no
-­‐
be
firm
but
kind
when
turning
down
opportunities
and
offer
an
alternative
if
possible
e.g.
"I'm
sorry,
I
can't
do
that
but
Mr
X
might
be
interested"

39. Saying
no
“Not
saying
no
often
enough
is
one
of
the
biggest
causes
of
being
too
busy”
Maggio
(2009)
• Before
responding,
let
person
know
you'll
get
back
to
them
but
spend
time
making
the
right
decision
• Don't
give
excuses
if
it's
something
you
don't
want
to
do,
be
honest
and
keep
your
response
simple
• Saying
no
is
much
kinder
than
saying
yes
and
not
fulfilling
your
commitment

40. Audience
question
Do
you
have
any
tips
for
preventing
overcommitment?
Any
examples?

41. Preventing
overcommitment
–
summary
• Know
what
not
to
do
and
when
things
can
be
deleted,
delegated
or
simplified
• Consider
a
to-­‐don’t
list
• Learn
how
to
say
no
politely

42. SUMMARY
AND
RESOURCES
Conclusion

43. Organising
your
tasks
–
summary
• Employ
the
GTD
system
or
another
which
fits
your
workflow
• Use
a
to-­‐do
list
that
meets
your
needs
• Try
a
tickler
file
if
relevant
Collect
Process
Organise
Review
Do
GTD
cycle

44. Getting
started
and
staying
motivated
–
summary
• Aim
to
be
working
on
things
at
the
right
time,
right
place,
and
with
the
right
information
• Have
a
plan
to
deal
with
procrastination
and
interruptions

45. Preventing
overcommitment
–
summary
• Know
what
not
to
do
and
when
things
can
be
deleted,
delegated
or
simplified
• Consider
a
to-­‐don’t
list
• Learn
how
to
say
no
politely

46. Recommended
reading
• Allen,
D.
(2001)
Getting
Things
Done:
How
to
achieve
stress-­‐free
productivity.
Piatkus.
• Hines,
S.
(2010)
Productivity
for
Librarians:
How
to
get
more
done
in
less
time.
Oxford:
Chandos
Publishing.
• Houghton-­‐Jan,
S.
(2008)
Being
Wired
or
Being
Tired:
10
Ways
to
Cope
with
Information
Overload.
Being
Wired
or
Being
Tired:
10
Ways
to
Cope
with
Information
Overload.
Ariadne
[online],
56.
• Maggio,
R.
(2009)
The
Art
of
Organizing
Anything:
Simple
Principles
for
Organizing
Your
Home,
Your
Office,
and
Your
Life.
New
York:
McGraw
Hill.

47. Image
sources
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwvc/6306132745/
-­‐
tickbox
http://www.flickr.com/photos/benelwell/9009855796
-­‐
overview
http://pokechild.com/gtd-­‐flawed-­‐system-­‐helpful-­‐system/
-­‐
GTD
flowchart
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3915514724/
-­‐
investigation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schlosi/6413179977/
-­‐
inbox
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3915516040/
-­‐
group
discussion
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmachiavello/3327609638/
-­‐
to
do
list
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelanman/366190064/
-­‐
calendar
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29254399@N08/3187186308/
-­‐
clock
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/4782854680/
-­‐
hurdle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/2122722198/
-­‐
Quality
Street
http://www.flickr.com/photos/splic3/6811683059/
-­‐
alarm
clock
http://www.flickr.com/photos/callisto/2172555529
-­‐
information
http://www.flickr.com/photos/renaissancechambara/2927082003/
-­‐
do
not
disturb
http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/news-­‐in-­‐pics/2009/01/06/motivatior.jpg
-­‐
Mr
Motivator
http://www.flickr.com/photos/intersectionconsulting/7537238368
-­‐
overload
wave
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27282406@N03/4134661728/
-­‐
thank
you
http://www.iconfinder.com
-­‐
icons

48. Feel
free
to
contact
me
Jo
Alcock
Evidence
Based
Researcher
@joeyanne
jo@joeyanne.co.uk