time management blog & blogging

Time management:A creative organisational & tracking system for your work

2006-08-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Few months ago, when I attended to a CPA Seminar, had the chance to see one colleague with this system in action, and I was surprised. This guy ,with his laptop and a cool graphic seemed to have all his work under control and he sent orders to his office about different things to do in each case in a few minutes.
My curiosity was great and began to talk with him about this system.
Now I adopted this system and in this page I describe some points which were particularly helpful & surprising, with some snapshots to see how easy is.

In this article, I hope to describe the system I've put in place for myself. I'm totally satisfied with it, I increased my personal productivity 100%, although it remains under continual review.

I follow a process that is based on Getting Things Done (GTD) but with an special enfasis in project management.
See the complete article : time management & follow up system based on GTD

Voip phones for very small businesses or branch offices

2006-03-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

Voice over Internet Protocol offers the capability to transmit voice communications overthe Internet, employing a variety of end user devices. In most cases, VoIP services convert the analog voice from a telephone (using an adapter between the telephone and the Internet connection) into digital signals that travel as packets over the Internet thenare converted back to analog voice at the receiving end.
Aastra Technologies Ltd.'s VentureIP peer-to-peer telephony system provides hassle-free voice-over-IP telephony for very small businesses or branch offices with simple networks, and it could also prove to be a useful addition for traveling demonstrations or trade-show booths.
See more for this IP phone review...

Read more : Voip info extracted from
Voip phones information directory

New Commodities & goods marketplace

2005-09-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

World Trade ce9 provides updated information and links concerning foreign trade.It is dedicated to exporters, importers, manufactures, buyers, sellers and opportunity seekers.If you are in the Import / Export business, you are welcome to post your trade leads and business opportunities. It's absolutely FREE.
importer exporter market place

Inbox notebook

2005-06-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is an inexpensive alternative to a day planner. Use a spiral bound 8.5" x 11" notebook to
record voice mail messages, meeting notes, random ideas, etc. Keeping everything in one place
will reduce the need for scraps of paper, several notepads, and Post-it® notes cluttering up your
desk.
At the beginning of each day, write the date in the narrow left-hand column by the holes.
After each event is recorded, draw a horizontal line across the page to provide a visual cue for the
end of that item.
When you have completed the task associated with that item, draw a diagonal line across the
item to tell your eye that you have nothing more to do.
When all the items are crossed off on a page, draw another diagonal line across the entire page
to show your eye that you have finished all the tasks on that page.
When there are several pages that have been completely crossed off, clip them together with a
paper clip so you do not have to constantly flip through them to see if there is anything left to do.
When the entire notebook is completely used up and crossed out, you can either throw it away, or
save it for a few months in case something comes up that you want to review.
Interesting Brazil travel website

Organizing Desk

2005-03-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Paperwork is a fact of life: bills, invoicing, bookkeeping, reading, correspondence, computer input, projects, filing -- the list can be endless. The growing piles can seem overwhelming. If desktop disorder is costing you time, energy and productivity, here are some simple steps to help clear the clutter for more effective paper management:

1. Create the appearance of order quickly.
When things are helter-skelter you feel out of control, so it’s important first to create at least an appearance of order and clear some space to work. Stack everything in one neat pile. Don’t worry about sorting or prioritizing. For now, just create some room, take a breath and a moment to enjoy the clear surface in front of you. Notice the space you have to work with.

2. Sort from the top down.
Don’t skip around. To create and maintain order requires working in an orderly manner. Handle papers one at a time, from the top of the master pile. Resist the urge to dig out something farther down that may relate to the one in your hand. Relationships will emerge naturally as you work through the stack. To rush the process will only undermine the process and the illusion you created in step one.

3. Sort into the broadest possible categories.
For now, you only want to achieve a preliminary order, so keep categories simple. Most papers will fall under the following six headings:
Financial: bills, bank statements, canceled checks, receipts, purchasing decisions, etc.
To Do: anything requiring action: correspondence, calls, errands, projects, etc.
To Read: anything that requires time to digest before action can be taken.
To File: information which needs no further action but that you want to keep for reference.
To Delegate/Consult: things you can pass to someone, or things you need to speak to someone else about before you can take action yourself.
Awaiting a Response: things you have taken action on that require someone else to make the next move.

4. Designate a container and a location for each category.
Choose an appropriate container (basket, file folder, etc.) for each pile you’ve created, and label it clearly. Put reading near where you typically sit to read. Place filing on or near the file cabinet. Financial items should be convenient to supplies you use to process them (checkbook, calculator, ledger, computer). To do naturally will remain close at hand.

Particularly look for ways to contain your things to do in vertical files rather than horizontal piles. Labeled folders standing upright in a holder make contents much easier to access and limit expansion. Horizontal piles are easily toppled over and in danger of becoming mulch.

When you have completed these steps, from one amorphous mass you will have organized everything into a few manageable categories, each with a clear purpose. Later you may want to take the sorting process to a second level of sophistication for greater clarity. For example, by subcategorizing items to do into correspondence,calls,projects-- each with its own folder -- you can assess how much time is needed for certain kinds of generic tasks. This will make your schedule planning easier.

Regardless of how far you take it, this basic system can be used to process any new piece of information that comes your way. Better yet, you now have choices about where to focus your attention. This can be a giant first step in saving you time, energy and aggravation -- which, of course, will free you to be more productive.

Making a core dump 2...

2005-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, do a core dump—write down a list or on separate pieces of scratch paper absolutely everything you have attention on in the mundane worlds of your life and work. Don't censor, organize or analyze any of it. This is not yet a to-do list—it is merely an objective collection of anything that pops into your head, which you might need to do something about. Sooner than later, go through all the items and make objective decisions about what actions you are going to take, and park the results in a trusted system—keep it out of your head. A good tip: Keep a small note pad with you at all times to continue capturing new commitments and ideas.

Making a core dump 1...

2005-01-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

Much of the stress in the professional world these days is the result of the huge volume of implicit agreements kept in the mind but not captured, clarified and organized.
PRIMERO
The first process is to do a major "core dump" of everything you pay attention to—personal or professional, little or big—onto pieces of paper and into their in-baskets. This usually takes one to 4 hours. Then, decide and write down what you really intend to do about each. Try this with your journal: Do a core dump, and then decide the actions required for each item on your agenda. Now park the resulting inventory of actions in an organizer tool, like a planner or personal data assistant, so you are reminded of the concrete things you need to do at the times you need to do them. Without exception, people come away with an incredible rush of released energy and inspiration from this, and so will you. Why? By renegotiating agreements, you can feel OK about what you're not doing. Clarifying and renegotiating stops the experience of infinite loops of stress and obligation caused by situations that lack definition and closure.

Blogging: getting organized...

2005-01-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons most people are to some degree allergic to "getting organized" is the con-sistentlack of success they have experienced over theyears with how they'veapproached the whole processof to-do lists.The reason those lists have not worked is because they were an attempt to compress very different and rela-tively sophisticated and discrete functions into one event and context. If you try to make something too simple, it will make it seem even more complex and dif-ficult.Yes, we've all been up against the wall from time to time of too many things screaming at us in our head,and we got temporary relief from "making a list." But we're in a very different and more multifaceted world than that band-aid can manage as an on-going procedure. When most people sit down to write one of those lists, they are actually trying to combine at one time all five of the phases of what it´s defined for mastering workflow:collect, process, organize,review, and do. They are simultaneously attempting to grab things out of their mind, decide what they mean, arrange them in some logical or meaningful fashion, jumping immediately toan evaluation of each against each other and decidingwhat they need to do "most importantly." One is usual-lyrewarded with a short-term payoff of the crisis of confusion relieved, but left with still a vague sense o fgnawing vulnerability to what's uncaptured,unprocessed, unorganized and unseen

Time management & work

2005-01-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

The answer is not to work harder but to work smarter.Successful people do not necessarily put in more hours but,instead, work their time in a more efficient manner to getmore done in less time. They control their time andunderstand that either they are in control or someone elseis.Planning is the most important step in effective TimeManagement. Some easy rules can be followed to help you tosignificantly improve your productivity each day, whichtranslates into getting more done in less time.

Time management tip: the weekly review

2004-12-31T06:35:00.002-08:00

The weekly review: a good personal organizational strategy
A great time to do it is early Friday afternoon, as it will invariably surface small actions which could get completed if you can catch people still at work.

Loose Papers
Pull out all scraps of paper, business cards, receipts, and miscellaneous paper. Put into your in-basket to process.

Process Your Notes
Review any "Journal/Notes" types of entries, meeting notes, and miscellaneous notes scribbled on notebook paper. Decide and enter action items, projects, waiting-fors, etc. as appropriate.

Review Previous Calendar Data
Review past calendar in detail for remaining action items, reference data, etc. and transfer into the active system.

Review Upcoming Calendar
Review upcoming calendar events - long and short term. Capture actions triggered.

Empty Your Head
Put in writing (in appropriate categories) any new projects, action items, waiting-fors, someday-maybes, etc. not yet captured.

Review Action Lists
Mark off completed actions. Review for reminders of further action steps to record.

Review Waiting-For List
Record appropriate actions for any needed follow-up. Check off received ones.

Review Project (and Larger Outcome) Lists
Evaluate status of projects, goals and outcomes, one by one, ensuring at least one current action item on each. Browse through work-in-progress support material to trigger new actions, completions, waiting-for’s, etc.

Review Any Relevant Checklists
Use as a trigger for any new actions.

Review Someday/Maybe List
Review for any projects which may now have become active, and transfer to "Projects." Delete items no longer of interest.