Re: autofocus was Re[8]: OT sidetracked sisters

Hi Brenda,

On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 3:05 AM, Brenda <[email protected]> wrote:

> It's like doing the AF on speed. Its amazing how stuff I've been resisting
> > gets done just because its the quickest way to get to the juicy task I
> > really want to do. I love it.
>
> I have been doing this lately. There is one book I want to read and another
> one I need to but don't really want to read it. So I decided I cannot read
> the book I want that day unless I read some of the book I need to read
> first. I have to read a certain # of pages so it can go back to the library
> on time. (Not just read one paragraph so I can say "done".) I am actually
> reading more each day than the goal.


Yes, it works ;-)


> I would worry though if the person only does the things with the quick turn
> around.. it would seem they would reach a point where all the hard items
> were left.


That point has been made on the forum in a number of instances.  What is
important is to keep in touch with what is going on in your mind when you do
things.  Doing things out of the order your system dictates can make good
sense or it could be a way of procrastinating.  It all depends on why you
are doing what you do.


> > So I am just bending one of Mark's steps; the one where I check if there
> is
> > another task on the current page that is ready to be done after I have
> > crossed off the first one.
>
> I can see where it would be good or bad to not look for an item on the
> current page. If you spend too much time going over the old then the new
> will back up. If you only focus on the new then the older stuff will never
> get done until it becomes a fire.


Yes, that is why I try to do it in order but do a quick scan of the whole
list to see if there is anything that might ambush me.  It only takes a few
minutes and it quiets my mind ;-)


> > I don't get that excited about my list ;-)  but I've seen so many people
> who
> > do!  LOL ;-)
>
> You would probably think I am too excited about my lists...


Ah, a closet list junkie ;-)


> > Just for fun, some of the people on the Mark's forum have been posting
> > pictures to Flickr ... gad, people do love their Moleskines!  I've tried
> and
> > tried, but I can't see a $15 bound book for a To Do list!  LOL ;-)
>
> In the Time Management book I mentioned by Anne McGee-Cooper, you would see
> how she is motivated by getting new office supplies. I would be more like
> her and you would probably be more like Duane her business partner. (I wrote
> Anne-McGee before which was putting the hyphen in the wrong place.)


I actually do like office supplies.  I'm always thinking about how a
different notebook, format, pen, etc. might work ... but I do draw some
lines about what I will spend on things.  My handwriting sucks so why would
I spend $500 for a beautiful fountain pen and more on superb inks and
parchment paper ... just to scrawl my grocery list ;-)

I WOULD spend money on a beautiful book if I were writing something
important.

> >  Anyway,
> > you can see books and software and all kinds of tweaks with lines, boxes
> > filled in, tracking metrics and tags ... oh, just about anything
> imaginable
> > ;-)
>
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahmichelef/3404249811/in/photostream/
>
> >
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonaz/3304749058/in/pool-autofocustimesystem/
>
> Thanks for the links :-) It helps to see how other people are doing things.


Yes, I like some of what I see there.  People can be ingenious!


> I think in this case I would do my list on the computer or Palm unless I
> could find a really good reason not to.


I think one of those pictures (a few, perhaps) are of implementations in
OneNote.  It is a nice product for this because it has the look of a
notebook ... it has books, tabs, pages and sub pages.  You can make it
really LOOK like a notebook with no effort at all.  You can also tag items
and like them to Outlook to form tasks and appointments.  You can have check
boxes, icons, and filter by any of these things.  You can also highlight,
crossout, etc, with just a click of the line and a search and ... all kinds
of good stuff.  And the good part is you probably already have it on your
computer ... if you have the full MS Office suite.  If you are computer
centrick there is a good reason to work in the MS Office world ... email,
appointments, tasks, projects, etc. are all interlinked.

(For example, I was thinking it might help me to have to
> manipulate the 3x5 cards vs just writing things in the computer.) I usually
> don't like to do stuff in handwriting.


I love 3x5 cards.  I used to be organized around them ... in the days of
SHE.  I used to have the colors and pads and the whole thing.  I still have
my house cleaning stuff in my card box.  It is so much easier than booting a
computer.

The hanewriting thing has more dimenstions though.  Writting on paper is a
different experience than doing it on the computer.  I find that rewriting
things allows me to think about them and gives me some insight.  It is
similar to doing mind maps on a computer vs. drawing them by hand.


> I will answer the longer email later.
>

Waiting with baited breath ;-)

-- 
Cheers,
Mike


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]