Placing different things in a logical arrangement allowing better usage and searching.
34
votes
12answers
2k views
Good at writing Todo lists, but awful at doing them
At night, before going to bed, I write a TO-DO list to remember what I want to do tomorrow.
It includes everything I wish to do, like what I wished to do when I was a child!
When I get up in the ...
29
votes
3answers
556 views
How to avoid night-productivity when it's a must to wake up earlier?
Like many of us, I'm very productive at night. Often I'm reading or working when I should be sleeping, and as a consequence I wake up later in the morning next day. This is a real problem when you ...
28
votes
15answers
726 views
How to spend less time cooking?
What are some good tips to streamline the process of preparing food?
While i enjoy cooking and eating fresh, the whole thing takes up a lot of time.
What do you do to speed that up? Do you prepare ...
20
votes
8answers
814 views
What tools/techniques are useful in managing notes in different physical/digital locations?
When keeping numerous notes on any number of subjects, whether personal, work, school, etc, it's easy to let the notes grow out of control, and start missing things. I run into this a lot. I have ...
16
votes
9answers
538 views
How do you organize ideas?
I'm trying to figure out the best way to manage all the ideas related to a project (drawings, text, pseudocode, etc.). Until now I tried:
Notebooks/paper:
Pros:
Cheap
Easy to use
Hard to change
...
16
votes
11answers
767 views
Where should I store good advice?
I sometimes come across good advice like 11 Essential Habits for Success or How To Listen Effectively, and I can't use it immediately but I like it enough to want to keep it around.
However, if I ...
15
votes
5answers
958 views
Paper vs. digital: both have advantages, but which adv. is more important?
I started wondering recently if paper really could be the way to go. That is, in my everyday, non-GTD-obsessive personal issue tracking and task management. Here's why I'm considering this:
A task ...
14
votes
2answers
407 views
How to present my work overload to others
I'm getting overstretched with urgent tasks (writing reports, fixing bugs, etc) that are sapping my time away from non-urgent tasks (visioning, system integration, etc). From my perspective all the ...
14
votes
9answers
971 views
How to organize and analyze structured data without building entire database applications?
UPDATE: 2012-06-01 Added Non-Ideal Solution #2.5.
The Puzzle I'm Looking to Solve
As an organization and analysis nerd with professional database experience, I frequently encounter situations in my ...
13
votes
11answers
931 views
Dealing with “waiting for reply” emails
When dealing with emails, there are many that I have sent (and so the "action item" is done), but I am waiting for a reply (and want to follow-up if I don't get a reply in a reasonable amount of ...
13
votes
4answers
431 views
Has research been done between messiness on a desk and productivity?
Is there any correlation / linkages between productivity (whether it is digital or paper-based) and the tidiness or messiness of the desk?
I love looking at other people's work spaces and I generally ...
11
votes
1answer
170 views
Organizing research-oriented tasks
I am an engineering graduate student and I have always been a 'todo list' person. However, I'm having a difficult time keeping myself organized now, because most of my tasks are research-related. With ...
11
votes
3answers
171 views
Good way to organise product documentation?
When I buy a new item (think computer, fridge, phone) it often comes with a whole stack of paperwork:
Receipt
Warranty
Manuals
Service schedule
Special offers on something else
Other things
...
10
votes
5answers
257 views
How to stop misplacing things?
I have a big problem of forgetting where I have put things. I always seem to forget where, for example I left my papers, keys, etc.
Is there a way I can remember all the objects and where I have ...
10
votes
5answers
652 views
Scanning documents, going paperless: what to keep, what not to keep
I have years of clutter that I keep around for that mythical "just-in-case" scenario that never happens. Even when I physically put the papers out of sight, I can FEEL them through the closet door, ...
10
votes
7answers
417 views
Is there a master “catch-all” system for keeping track of things?
I hope this isn't too broad a question, but basically, I find myself constantly trying to keep track of many different things. I'm wondering how other people do this. For example, I have:
a list ...
10
votes
6answers
247 views
How safe and future-lasting is my personal life on the cloud?
I love the cloud and see a majority of benefits in using it and storing data on it. Except safety. And by meaning safety I do not mean only keeping your password safe. I mostly set strong unreadable ...
10
votes
6answers
620 views
Organizing folder logically
Problem
I always have problems logically organizing my important data in folders. My goal is to organize such that I am able to find what I want even after a long time, say, 10 years. Or even better, ...
9
votes
9answers
519 views
Suggestion for a disorganized guy
I'm not well organized and I'm feeling not as efficient as I could be.
I've tried to use some personal organizing methods to improve myself in this area, like
- using a todolist (using a pen & ...
9
votes
8answers
752 views
How do you store your writing implements?
I have got a lot of pens and stuff, which I also need, but not only due to my delibarate oversupply of pens, but also the lack of organisational system for them my question is now:
How can I more ...
9
votes
5answers
922 views
How to plan a month of work in advance
I had a main list with the main projects and tasks, organized according with priority, importance and other factors. I would like to be able to plan a whole month of work in advance, so when the day ...
9
votes
3answers
876 views
How to get rid of silly mistakes?
I've always been having some silly mistakes in homeworks/tests/exams etc, as well as programming. I very often seem to be 1-2 silly mistakes away from a perfect score, despite having done a draft and ...
9
votes
2answers
473 views
Organization system for cables, adapters, etc - electronics clutter
First a bit of background:
I have most other kinds of physical and virtual "stuff' organized, but over the years I have accumulated scores, if not hundreds, of cables & adapters from a variety of ...
8
votes
4answers
266 views
How to capture everything when work stuff and home stuff need to be kept separate?
Because of the nature of my job most personal electronic devices are off-limits at work, including accessing personal e-mail accounts. Likewise, I cannot access work e-mail at home, and really should ...
7
votes
4answers
356 views
What's a good system to organise paperwork at home
Can someone please recommend me a good system which I can use to organise paperwork at home.
I need to organise paperwork for all family members and the paperwork involves.
Car insurance
Home ...
7
votes
8answers
341 views
How can one stay reminded of useful tips, instructions, and other references on a routine basis?
As I spend my Sunday on this three-day weekend finally catching up on a lot of reading—most of it technical in terms of software and web development as well as web design—I find myself posing the ...
6
votes
3answers
385 views
Are there specific methods for dealing with backlogs?
Backlogs are dreaded things. They accumulate if you let them, on any setting where a list is present, be it one you make yourself (to-do) or things that just pop in to say hi (email).
Not thinking ...
6
votes
1answer
311 views
What was scientifically shown to support productivity when structural organizing/accessing file and folders?
My Personal Information Management problem
I have gathered terabytes of data but it has became a habit to store files and folders to the same folder, that folder could be kind of seen as a Inbox ...
5
votes
2answers
489 views
Site with examples of templates for day planner?
I have developed my own template to use each day. It is personalized to account for routine tasks, emergent tasks, a to-do section for ASAP/tomorrow/this week/long term items, along with a section ...
5
votes
4answers
199 views
How to prepare a course or a talk?
In one week from now I am holding a course in computer programming, which takes place twice a week. The course has 30 participants. It is the first time I am holding a course.
Now I have to prepare ...
5
votes
5answers
308 views
Single tasking vs Mulitasking
I'm a student and hoping to be an entrepreneur. Besides study I spend most of my time working on software development and recently thinking of organizing a team to work on the field of software and ...
5
votes
8answers
900 views
Where can I get a custom designed notebook from?
There are people out there who are just like me. We rarely memorize information just for the purpose of having it. We use Google to know things and we look things up as we need them. We are those ...
5
votes
10answers
432 views
Gathering tasks all the time?
I currently am maintaining my tasks in a google excel sheet. I add tasks to it once I start working on my laptop. But there are other house hold tasks, or the ones which my wife tells me, those I ...
5
votes
2answers
104 views
How Should I Organize the Clutter That I Accumulate During the Week?
I think I'm facing a problem that most people face.
And I think that some people deal with this problem better than others.
My wife and I work 9-5 jobs.
When we arrive home, after a day at work, ...
5
votes
2answers
285 views
How to make sure that I don't forget all the books I read and all the experience I have
I read many books, articles, listened to many videos, and I made use of them a lot, but, after a while, I forget everything I've read or seen, as if I have never went through them.
For example, in ...
5
votes
1answer
520 views
Free Alarm Clock And Calendar Software?
I need something like Atomic Alarm Clock but free. I feel limited with organizer that has no alarm clock. It would be amazing to have calendar notifications with an alarm clock as well.
5
votes
3answers
478 views
Symbols/Icons for Note Taking
I'm looking for a method (or at least anything any wrote about this topic) which uses icons or symbols for note taking. So for example, I will be taking notes in class and want to "tag" certain things ...
4
votes
3answers
631 views
How can I finish writing my Thesis as fast as possible, when I don't believe in it anymore?
I am in the situation where i have to write my Diploma Thesis/Documentation for the year and although I've done quite a lot I didn't particularly arrive at where I set out to be at this point. So in a ...
4
votes
5answers
426 views
Looking for printable daily organizer/planner/scheduler for 2013
I am having a hard time searching for an electronic version (any file type that can be printed) of a daily planner. Paper version of these planners look something like this:
Only requirements for ...
4
votes
4answers
460 views
Super effective way of storing day to day information where I can access them quickly?
I am going to start organizing chaos of tasks by Getting Things Done (GTD) in my life. For which I am reorganizing information that I need from time to time, for example:
Internet Banking ...
4
votes
3answers
238 views
What is a good site to manage household chores?
For any given relationship with children, there is a lot of household chores that needs to be managed or delegated in some way. One way that I prefer is to maintain a list of tasks that needs to be ...
4
votes
3answers
211 views
Handling digital clutter [closed]
We are well aware how physical clutter causes distraction and how we are emotionally tied to it and just cant let it go.
But digital clutter is different beast altogether. I don't know what to do ...
4
votes
2answers
186 views
Does it help to have dedicated computer workstations for dedicated types of work?
Has anyone seen research that demonstrates dedicating different computers to specific tasks (separated by physical distance) increases productivity?
4
votes
2answers
118 views
Get the grasp of a big system of applications and skills
I work for the IT department of a big company with lots of applications. Usually my day starts managing custom apps, most of which I barely know, and fixing single problems on them. The problem is: ...
4
votes
1answer
183 views
Inability to function without use of the exocortex
As someone at least passably competent at productivity-enhancing procedures and tools, I've developed an extensive exocortex for information. This information usually enters the input chute from ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
How to engage those dreaded tasks on time
I am an MS student and I also have a part time job. I am facing the same producticity problem that has bothered me during my Bsc.
As to organization, I have a calendar on my desktop showing important ...
3
votes
2answers
96 views
Context vs. Lists
I'm not very familiar with this whole Getting Things Done thing, but I believe this is where context and lists are very important. I was wondering what the difference between the two were. It seems to ...
3
votes
3answers
157 views
Personal Kanban - Use multiple boards?
I'm using personal kanban and currently have 2 separate boards - one for job hunting and school, one for household chores. Each is has color coded task types in addition. I don't switch between boards ...
3
votes
3answers
214 views
Finding the most efficient way to do something
I have over the last few months noticed that there are many different, more effective and more efficent means of doing things then the way the general population does them.For example, learning the ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views
Do To-Do Lists Qualify as “Extended Mind”?
I have recently read this article and was wondering whether To-Do Lists also qualify as an Extended Mind?
