What's the next action

Doin' it, delegatin' it, deferrin' it.

30 10 07 - 00:12 - Permanent link - one comment

The voice of a generation died 38 years ago today

Today it’s 38 years ago the writer Jack Kerouac died. I know this is not directly related to GTD or personal productivity but the man is sort of a hero for me. I read his novel “On the Road” a few times and also dived in some of his other work like Big Sur and Dharma Bums. In 2001 we decided to take a trip to the westcoast of the USA. We took Highway 1 from San Francisco to LA and then on to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I got to see the Jack Kerouac Street an the City Lights Bookstore in SF and we drove a bit through Big Sur. Great memories and it really gave me a feeling to know that history was written in these parts.
When you think about it, Jack really got some things done. He sat down at his typewriter and in one burst of creative energy wrote the novel that would make him the voice of his generation. The book was completed in only three weeks. And he used just one long, scrolled piece of paper, improvising endlessly, just like a jazz musician caught up in the excitement of spontaneous creation. That’s productivity to me! While checking some great photo- and videofootage this morning I also found out the scroll is now in the Public Library of San Francisco. Another reason for me to go back to that beautiful city again!

It’s sunday, time for you to relax and unwind. So put up some great jazz and check out some great videos about Jack Kerouac. It’s worth it.

(picture by Dan Allison)

21 10 07 - 10:35 - Permanent link - four comments

Incredible list of productivity boosters

Nothing is better than little tricks and tools that help you to be more productive. At Codswallop they created an incredible useful list of 131 productivity boosters. For email, IM, Word, PDF and Excel. A very neat list which leaves me trying a lot of new tools. And thus be less productive :-), but that’s OK, it’s worth it.

20 10 07 - 21:05 - Permanent link - No comments yet

Microsoft previews Listas, a little demo

This just in: Microsoft announces an online listmaking tool called Listas. Mashable tells us: “This is a list-sharing tool that lets you edit lists, share them with others, and search for public lists that have been created by users. Microsoft is proposing its use for just about any reason you’d make a list, including meeting notes, shopping lists, or casual event planning.”
I decided to just jump in and create a first list and directly record it with Jing.
I would love to share it here but unfortunately the embedded code from Screencast.com doesn’t resize very well. So you can view the screencast here, as long as the bandwidth allows me to present it
As you can see, it is still a technology preview. Not everything functions as it should. Some listitems disappear and it seems tagging is limited to just 15 characters. But it has potential. Every list comes with an RSS feed, you can import other lists and when using Internet Explorer, you can download the Listas Toolbar. I didn’t have the guts to try the toolbar…

19 10 07 - 20:36 - Permanent link - No comments yet

Blog Action Day: Everything counts

Blog Action Day is almost over here in the Netherlands but I still want to write a little bit about it. Due to a hectic day at work I haven’t been able to read a lot of blogposts about this important topic so I have no idea what the popular topics are. But just browsing a few blogs I saw some trends emerging. Most people say: Print less, telecommute more. Use fluorescent light bulbs and try to shower more conscious. How do I feel about these tips and pointers?

15 10 07 - 21:38 - Permanent link - one comment

A manifesto for timemanagement

I received a very nice request this afternoon from Francis Wade over at 2Time Management Blog. He wants to write a manifesto on time management at Changethis.com. This website offers a great place for manifestos, new ideas and thoughtprovoking essays. Francis' main idea is in the title: "Toss away the tips, find the fundamentals". I voted for the creation of this manifesto since I believe this to be very true. You can't win time, get your stuff done, do more in less time with just a new Moleskine or the latest software. You have to look at the fundamentals of systems and work from that base. Example: Today on Twitter someone said he was into GTD but he didn't have all his projects out of his head into a trusted system. You can't "do GTD" just for a couple of projects is my belief. You either go all the way or you don't. That's the only way it's gonna work. You need to understand the fundamentals, the essence of this system. Not only the five basic steps, but also look into the ideas of 10.000 to 50.000 feet projects.

So if you have a minute, check out Frances' proposal and vote for it. At least it gives some nice reading material in a while :-)

05 10 07 - 23:07 - Permanent link - No comments yet

Get the Most Out of Gmail

02 10 07 - 22:02 - Permanent link - one comment

Linktip: The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 1: Opportunity

The immortal Marc Andreessen (yes, he is) from Netscape- and Ningfame started a very interesting serie of articles on Careerplanning. Not only does he give some good advice, but he backs it up with some great examples. Definitely worth a read!

Trying to plan your career is an exercise in futility that will only serve to frustrate you, and to blind you to the really significant opportunities that life will throw your way.

01 10 07 - 19:54 - Permanent link - No comments yet