We’ve come to the end at last—Part IX, the finale—of this nine-part series. I’ve saved the least important—the physical tools—for last. Herein, too, we will get into project folders and reference files. What do we do with that ‘stuff’ that isn’t important now but may be either in the course of project management or in the distant future, like warranty information or instruction manuals?

Considering tools, I also want to discuss the pros and cons of analog and digital tools. I do use both, but I prefer analog—good old pen (or pencil) and paper. That said, digital tools excel in numerous ways and are superior in several contexts.

Reference Filing System

Let’s begin with files and folders. ‘Reference files’ can mean several things, depending on the context and/or time. Project plans and support materials are references that you consult relative to your current projects and their timelines of completion or due dates.

Other references, such as your home warranty or car insurance, you need to know where it is when you need them. It also needs to be useful—not intermixed with outdated or non-relevant information.

Some of these references are best kept digitally—addresses and phone numbers—we all (probably) keep on our smartphone contact applications of one sort or another. Other references—that packet of home warranty information—is easily stored and accessed (if needed) in a file folder labeled “Home Warranty,” filed alphabetically in a file cabinet.

With these definitions in mind, your system becomes a question of how much room you have (digital space wins here) and how much you want to keep. On the other hand, if it’s something I’m building or repairing, it tends to start like this:

Following on these examples, I have checklist templates for planning dinner parties and presentations (just as I had them for various repeating investigations like Fire Origin and Cause and DUI). These checklists are digital templates, so I open a checklist in the Reminders app from a template and save it under the appropriate name or date. These can also be printed out.

I also grab an empty folder and label it. The paper goes in the folder. Drafted menu? Folder. Recipies? Folder. Ideas for slides, pictures, quotes, or a topical outline? All goes into the folder. The folders then go into the active projects section of my file box, separate from Archives or Reference files (we will get to these in a bit). On any day that I’m working on the project, and especially on the day of my weekly review and processing, I can refer to the checklist and project folder for next actions to move the project forward to completion on time.

As previously mentioned, the checklist can be printed out and placed in the folder. As we’ll discuss soon, this becomes a balancing act between digital and analog. You either come to rely on one or the other, or you have to ‘synchronize’ the two—being sure to check off done stuff in both places.

Reference Files

Reference materials are essentially information, for which there is no current action or project, but that may have value—potentially useful—at a later date or for some future project. Examples include:
• Contact information
• Bank account information
• Instruction manuals
• Warranties
• Someday-Maybe lists

Take this stuff and stick it in folders. Label the folders so you know what’s in there. File them in alphabetical order in your cabinet or box. These folders should be specific, like “Home Warranty” or topical, like “Paint Samples, Interior,” in which you may have chips or card swatches for each room.

Reference Filing System

Due to its simplicity, comprehensiveness, and flexibility, I use and highly recommend Tiago Forte’s PARA method. PARA is an acronym for Projects, Area, Resources, Archives.

Project

Projects in this method are short-term efforts in your work or life that you are currently working on in some capacity. As previously mentioned, project support material is collected in a file folder, labeled with the project name, in your file box—that is, up front, if not in the top drawer of your file cabinet.

Areas

Next up is “Areas.” These are long-term responsibilities you want to manage over time. Jump back to Parts III and IV, where we defined Identities, Roles, and role-based goals. These are your areas of improvement or commitments to yourself or others—long-term responsibilities and goals. For example, my roles include ‘home handyman,’ ‘tech support,’ and ‘vehicle maintenance.’ Therefore, I have reference file folders that support these roles and their role-based goals. A folder labeled “Prius” that includes insurance information, copies of registration, and the most recent service receipts (which tell me when the next services are due). Don’t forget your “sharpen the saw” self-improvement (long-term) projects.

Resources

These are topics or interests that may be useful in the future, including repeating project templates and checklists. Here (digitally) is where I keep my kayaking trip and backpacking trip planning checklists. Maybe you’ve been thinking about remodeling or redecorating a room in the house, or changing the front yard landscaping. Here, in a folder labeled as such, is a good place to collect pictures, articles, bookmarks, and web-links relative to those as yet unformulated ideas, those someday-maybes.

A further note on References, I divide these by location in the house. I have sections in my reference files for each room in the house: kitchen, dining room, living room, etc. Within these, I’ll file information like (in “kitchen”) the paint swatches, warranties, and manuals for the appliances. This idea comes from my mother-in-law (shout out to Carol).

Archives

This area of your system is for inactive files from the other three categories. In the digital space, this can be enormous—every previous project, case file, presentation, or training manual. In the analog, physical space, you may need to be more selective. Here, I have compiled completed checklists, project files that I have finished (or put on hold or deleted), as well as areas (or roles) and goals that are no longer relevant or active. Why archive this stuff? Because it may become relevant again, or reactivate, or be useful to similar projects or areas of my life.

One way to maintain comprehensive archives is to scan paper documents into a digital format. Digital files of PDFs can be catalogued and searched. The Evernote app is a useful tool—Tiago Forte’s preferred tool, in fact—because it can search words in documents, PDFs, and photographs.

Shameless plug for future article: this is not how I organize my card catalogue of reading and studying notes.

Analog Versus Digital

Analog or handwritten notes create more long-term retention. Further, there is more free flow of ideas and thoughts, and active recall.

Tablets, which record and even transcribe handwriting, are bridging the gap, of course, but digital note-taking allows for immediate and near-infinite retention in cloud storage and the like. Still, I prefer handwritten. I handwrite the first draft of all my blog posts. I handwrite notes from reading and studying. This translates easily from book margins to common-placing notebooks to my 4×6 note cards in my card catalogue.

I also capture most ideas, tasks, and plans by hand. I do this either on a legal pad or scrap paper. The legal pad becomes just a list that I drop into my in box on processing day. The scrap paper is one idea or thought per page. I also put it into the in box.

When I am out and about, I forego the legal pad, but I do have a capture tool in the car, a 3×5 card notepad, or my “Traveller’s Notebook” in my bag. I’ll admit, though, it is easier and safer to dictate reminders into my iPhone app while driving.

The number one downside to digital, for me at least, is the lack of physical reminders to process and review. In the digital space, I have used “OmniFocus,” “Evernote,” and “Reminders” apps. There are more apps than you can shake a stick at, and I’m sure you can find thousands of reviews all stating how this or that app has changed their life. The problem here is that some will be constantly chasing that new shiny app feeling, instead of actually getting organized and getting to work.

Nowadays, I process almost everything into the Apple native apps—Reminders, Notes, and Calendar. Why paper to digital? Portability. By ‘almost everything’, I mean tasks, actions, lists, and appointments. What doesn’t go digital is my Project Folders (with a caveat) and Reference Files. The caveat is when project research begins online. In that case, I’ll clip pictures, ideas, and hyperlinks into my Notes app, in a note titled by the project name and filed under the relevant category in the Notes app. Depending on the project, these notes may be printed out and filed in my system.

Setting up my computer files, Reminders, and Notes app the same way as my physical file system—the previously described PARA method of Tiago Forte—has been a game-changer. The whole system is more synchronous that way.

My Toolbox

I used to cringe every time I heard an instructor or presenter say something like “another tool for your toolbox” or “tool belt.” It’s an overused, clichéd metaphor. Most of the time, rather than adding something useful to your skill-set, it really meant you needed to stop doing ‘it’ that way and start doing ‘it’ this new-fangled way that I invented and am now getting paid to tell you about. This is just the training version of chasing the shiny new toy.

Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, changed my mind on the toolbox metaphor, with a story about helping “Uncle Oren replace a broken screen on the far side of the house” when he was about eight years old. Uncle Oren lugged the big, old, handmade toolbox once belonging to “Fazza” (Oren’s father, King’s grandfather), all the way from the garage to the other side of the house just for a screwdriver.

Why carry the whole toolbox if all you needed was a screwdriver, young Stephen wondered? Uncle Oren explains, “I didn’t know what else I might find to do once I got out here, did I? It’s best to have your tools with you. If you don’t, you’re apt to find something you didn’t expect and get discouraged.”

King then encourages us to “construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so you can carry it with you. Then, instead of looking at a hard job and getting discouraged, you will perhaps seize the correct tool and get immediately to work.”

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of past or current tools with some notes about why and how I use them:

• Apple native apps–simplicity across all my devices
⁃ Notes
⁃ Mail
⁃ Reminders
⁃ Calendar
• File folders; slowly transitioning from paper to plastic because they last longer and are reusable
• Brother P-Touch label maker
• Sharpies in black, red, and green—on my paper capture tool (legal pad), black means done, red means deleted, and green means processed into the appropriate list, app, or file
• Legal pad—either size, and I like the yellow color; the “Pocket Gold” pad from Tops Products (sold at Office Depot) is a good weight paper and tears easily at the top
• Levenger’s Meeting Notes pad—just like legal pads, but has a place for a title and date at the top, and a side bar for marginations
• 3M Stickee pads, various sizes
• Rhodia pads, A7 & A6 size
• Leuchtturm 1917 journal, lined—this is my primary journal, wonderful paper for fountain pens • Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal dotted paper—I just started trying Ryder Carol’s “Bullet Journal” method on top of my other journal; I’ve committed to a 30-day trial habit, and if it’s going well, then another 30…
• Rhodia Composition Notebooks—for “common-placing” and study notes
• Rhodia Meeting pad, spiral-bound
• 4×6 note cards—these fit nicely into my card catalogue
• (Speaking of fountain pens) I use/have several fountain pens:
⁃ Waterman
⁃ Lamy
⁃ Pelikan—second favorite, fine nib, in black, blue, red, and even green highlighter inks
⁃ YStudio—with ultra-fine nibs, these (I have two, one for home and one for travel) are my favorite
• Other pens include Montblanc roller-ball, Lamy multi-pens (use “D1” refills from Montverde, Rotring, and others), Rotring ballpoint (20+ years old; I wrote several hundred citations and thousands of warnings with this pen before retiring)
• My favorite throw-away pens are Uni-ball Vision micro or fine roller ball
• Highlighters: Sharpie “SmearGuard” yellow, Staedtler “Textsurfer Classic” orange (these are refillable), Sakura Pigma Micron 05 in neon orange (waterproof, fade-proof, and acid-free “archival ink”), Stabilo “Pen 68” in neon orange
• Wooden “In Box”
• Baskets for shredding and recycling

Done

That’s everything I have for Personal Leadership and Management. I saved the least important for last. Where you should start is back at Part I of the series. Principles, your ‘Why.’ First things first—vision before goals, strategy before tactics.

In this eighth part of a nine-part series, we’re going to focus on Projects. What are projects? How do we complete or ‘do’ projects? How do we plan and manage them?

Projects are anything you want to get done that takes more than one step to complete. Project planning, then, is basically defining an outcome and breaking down the big picture into small, actionable steps or tasks. Project management is doing or delegating the tasks and action steps.

Think of it this way. You can’t ‘do’ a project. You can only do tasks. The key, then, is doing the right tasks at the right time to arrive at the defined project outcome.

The key to projects, then, is planning and managing them. Once a project is planned—you have a list of actionable steps, who is responsible for doing them, and what ‘done’ looks like—then you can return to parts five through seven of this series for managing the tasks and action steps.

Project Planning

My project planning method is inspired by David Allen. He ‘stole it’ from neuroscience. That is, how neuroscience has determined our brains naturally plan. Allen (and therefore I) call it the “natural planning model.” Over the years, I have refined the concepts presented in Allen’s book.

Most of your projects don’t need front-end planning; rather, you just come up with the next action in your head. Some of these are routine. Cleaning the house is a project—there are several steps/actions/tasks between here and completion—but you probably don’t sit down in front of a whiteboard and brainstorm before you get to work.

Checklists

Here’s as fitting a place as any to mention checklists. If you have projects that repeat, then checklists remove the drudgery of project planning. Save the project planning from the first (or next) time as a template for each repetition.

Until it became a habit, my weekly review, process, and planning routine was done using a checklist. Work travel planning was a checklist, so too was bi-weekly pay administration. Today, cleaning the house and hosting dinner parties start with a checklist.

BIG, New Projects

Now what about those ‘big, new, shiny projects’ for which you have no precedent? There are five steps to successful project planning:

1. Define purpose and principles—the ‘why’
2. Visualize outcomes—goals
3. Brainstorm ideas—strategy and tactics
4. Organize your thoughts
5. Identify next actions and assign responsibility and accountability

This process should seem familiar if you read parts I-IV of this series, which details Personal Leadership.

Define Purpose & Principles

Most people want to jump right into an outline of what we need to do. This is the biggest mistake in project planning.

Ignorati quem portum petat, nullus suus ventus est.

(If a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favorable to him.)

Seneca the Younger, Epistolae LXXI, 3

Project planning should start with ‘why.’ I’ll let Simon Sinek explain.

Along with defining the project’s purpose, we should define our principles. This is especially important in group projects. For personal projects, refer to your own principles (see parts III and IV). But when working in a partnership or group, it’s best to clear the air up front: what are the rules of engagement? How do we act so that we don’t piss each other off and thereby conduct this train successfully into the station?

Visualize Outcomes

This starts with a simple question: “What does successful look like?” Write out the answers to this question. These answers may be very castle-in-the-sky, fantastical, high-minded, and need to be brought back down to earth. The best way to do that is with the research-based “WOOP model.” WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle(s), and Plan(s).

You’re probably familiar with the idea of SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This concept was first introduced in a George Doran essay in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. Though the acronym is commonly used, research suggests that the framework’s effectiveness varies depending on the context to which it is applied. Criticism focuses on a lack of scientific foundation and empirical support.

Psychologist Gabrielle Oettingen’s WOOP model, on the other hand, is research-based with a scientific foundation in the psychological principle of mental contrasting—mentally focusing on the contrast between the positive aspects of your goals and the negative aspects of your obstacles or current situation.

WOOP adds “implementation intentions”—a self-regulatory strategy in the form of if-then planning introduced by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer in 1999. Studies by Gollwitzer show that the use of the if-then algorithm (“if this happens, then I will…”) can result in a higher probability of successful goal attainment.

Oettingen plus Gollwitzer equals “Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions,” which doesn’t roll off the tongue and wouldn’t sell very many books. Therefore, in Oettingen’s book, Rethinking Positive Thinking, the catchier acronym WOOP was introduced.

Long story short, it’s more like how your brain really works and therefore more useful to the “natural planning model.” You can still draft SMART goals, and those can be helpful. WOOP, by recognizing obstacles and then making a response plan (implementation intentions), moves our thinking from dreaming about a better future to making plans and identifying next actions.

Brainstorming Ideas

There are lots of ways you can brainstorm ideas—brainstorming, fish-boning (whale-boning?), mind mapping—and one surefire way to screw it up. The mistake here is judging the quality of ideas and thereby getting stuck in a debate over value. You want to go for quantity over quality at this stage. You can save the hunt for diamonds in the rough for the next stage. The little brother to this mistake is getting linear. Save that too for the “Organizing Your Thoughts” stage.

Depending on the size of the project, I like a blank sheet of paper (no lines is better) or a whiteboard and 2×2 sticky notes. The 2×2 size limits the idea to a short statement, forcing you to be concise. The sticky notes allow you to move them around, group them, and organize them in the next stage. The whiteboard allows you to draw connections, add notes, and get creative with color. I like using a chalkboard for the same reasons. Easel pads work just as well, only with less space.

Pro tip: Whiteboards are expensive—$200 to $350 for a 4’x6’ board. Wall paneling, however, which is available in laminated glossy white and functions like a whiteboard, is affordable—less than $20 for an 8’x4’ panel.

I use a single piece of paper for smaller projects where I already have a sense of action steps—usually from a checklist or having done a similar project before. I do my Why-How-What at the top. WOOP it, and then brainstorm ideas. I’ll get linear, organizing my thoughts (sometimes into an outline), and then listing identified action steps.

Organizing Your Thoughts and Identifying Next Actions

Here is where you can start outlining. By now, you will have a sense of what needs to get done, a chronology, who is responsible for what, and whether or not certain ideas of sub-projects need to be fleshed out (return to stage one and repeat).

Next actions should also start floating to the top of your thinking at this point. You can either list them, group them by context or responsible party, or start putting them on a timeline (or all three). Either way, like all actions or tasks, you need to plug them into your trusted system so they can get done, delegated, or deferred. As discussed in Part VI, processed into your daily workflow.

What About Project Management?

Well, all those thoughts, actions, and tasks developed during planning get plugged into your trusted system so they get done, delegated, or deferred into your daily workflow. See Part VI of this series for all the details of that.

To summarize, the five stages of the “natural planning model” merely articulate how the brain naturally plans to get anything done. We apply the natural planning model to ‘projects’ which we define as anything you want to do or get done, that’s not done yet, and requires more than one action step or task to complete.

Up next in Part IX—the final (thank goodness) installment of the series—I’ll talk about tools. I’ll give my two cents on digital versus analog tools. I’ll also detail how I do reference filing and how I set up project folders. Lastly (because it really is the least important thing), I’ll drop a list of the contents of my ‘toolbox’.

Now that you have created a Personal Management System, you must keep it alive. You must feed and nurture the system, and the best way to do that is to install a consistent, thorough review practice.

You need to be able to review the whole picture of your life and work at appropriate intervals and appropriate levels … This is where you take a look at all your outstanding projects and open loops … on a weekly basis.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Or, put another way:

We’ve gotta’ get an image or picture in our head, which we call orientation. Then we have to make a decision as to what we’re going to do, and then implement the decision … Then we look at the [resulting] action, plus our observation, and we drag in new data, new orientation, new decision, new action, ad infinitum…

John Boyd

The first half of this article explains how I do that. When reviewing, we will look back at our Personal Leadership efforts (Parts I-IV of this series) to reconnect with our Grand Strategy, values, character strengths, roles, and identities

Need to refresh? Follow these links:

• Part I—From Management to Leadership with Your Personal Credo
• Part II—Exercises & Practices
• Part III—Roles & Identities
• Part IV—The Ultimate Mission & Grand Strategy
• Part V—Personal Management Overview
• Part VI—Basic Workflow to Get Things Done My Way

The second half of this article will be all about planning for the week ahead. First, we get clear and current, next, we get inspired and creative, and then we plan to attack the coming week.

You can adapt and prioritize daily if you plan weekly.

Stephen Covey, First Things First

When?

I have to agree with David Allen here. The review should be done every seven to ten days. Aligning the review with Covey’s weekly planning makes the most sense. For many years in my career, I did a thorough review and planning session every fortnight (14 days, or every 2 weeks) because that fit the pay period schedule. I also used to split this up across two days.

On my work ‘Friday’, I “cleared the decks” (a term I have borrowed not from Allen but from the Navy). This allowed me to go into my weekend ‘clear’ and ‘current.’ Then, on my work ‘Monday,’ I planned my week. I set goals and outcomes for the rest of the week, “securing for sea” and “preparing to get underway,” as we said in the Navy.

Here’s another confession: Early in my career, my review, processing, and planning once a week was the only time I looked at my collection baskets, thoroughly processed them, and organized my system. But that was before I had a cell phone—personal or issued—or a laptop. Sure, we had e-mail, but no Teams, Skype, or any of those teleconferencing apps.

What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.

Herbert Simon (1971), quoted in Manage Your Day-to-Day

What I’m saying is the pace of work is probably too fast to do it that way anymore. The fact is, bosses and clients expect you to be constantly connected and available. (This admittedly is a ridiculous notion, but this is an article about productivity, not work-life balance.) You will probably need to process and organize every day. Sorry, but that seems to be the reality now.

How?

‘Deep work.’ I’ve mentioned this before. You need a block of time set aside during which time you’ll be undisturbed by the rest of the world.

Cal Newport defined ‘deep work’ in his succinct book of the same name: “professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive abilities to their limit … create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.”

‘Getting clear’ and ‘getting current’ may not push your cognitive abilities to their limit, but getting creative and planning the week will certainly “create new value”—a value hard to replicate any other way. Regardless, you must practice a “state of distraction-free concentration.”

When you start doing this, it may take some time to get through it. It will take longer if you are not “defining your work”—processing and organizing—regularly. When I was processing, organizing, and reviewing, only one day a week, it could take up to six hours (especially when combined with pay admin tasks). With practice, I got that down to only two.

Getting Clear

This is merely a summary. For a full description, go back to Part VI of this series. Start by collecting all loose papers. Look in briefcases, purses, bags, satchels, coat pockets, and wallets. Also, check any notebooks and paper-based planners.

Next, get “In” to zero. Remember, this does not mean doing everything. Just process it, make decisions, and organize it into your trusted system. This includes the work, home, and mobile inboxes. You should also process electronic inboxes (e-mail, group communication apps) and applications like Notes or Evernote. Don’t forget your voicemail needs processing if you let things collect there.

My checklist includes open tabs in my internet browsers on all devices. Throughout my day, I will think of something I want to look up or research. Often, the quickest way to make a note of it is to open a tab and type the terms into the search bar (although asking “Siri” to look it up for me is starting to become my second favorite way). I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole right now, and I don’t want all the open tabs later.

Like any collection bucket, I go through them and make a decision: do it (if less than two minutes), defer it (organize into my system), delegate it, or delete it. Huge warning here. It is easy to get sucked into the internet. You must stick to making a decision on each item in the collection bucket and organizing it into the system. Then move on to the next collection bucket.

Lastly, empty your head. Get off your mind and onto lists—into your system—every big and little thing you have been ruminating on. Collect it and process it.

Get Current

‘Getting current’ is all about reviewing everything—stem to stern and crow’s nest to bilge. I prefer to start at the highest level. As David Allen says, priorities should drive your choices.

Trying to prioritize activities before you even know how they relate to your sense of personal mission and how they fit into the balance of your life is not effective. You may be prioritizing and accomplishing things you don’t want or need to be doing at all.

Stephen Covey, First Things First

I start with my Grand Strategy, core values and character strengths, maxims and operating principles, and my domain-specific strategies.

Next, I review quarterly, role-based goals and any ‘Training Missions’ I currently have. At this level, I also review any common-placing notebooks and journals back to my last review date.

The last mid-level thing to review is my calendar. I review backwards to the last review: were there any commitments I needed to renegotiate or follow-ups to do? Then look forward to any upcoming commitments and drop-dead dates (due dates with consequences).

Another high-leverage use of your journal and calendar review is to do an 80:20 analysis, a la Tim Ferriss (4-Hour Work Week).

Eighty percent of outcomes are generated by twenty percent of activities.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

Citing the Pareto Principle, which states roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, Ferriss encourages us to analyze our past actions and outcomes, and apply the 80:20 rule—eliminate the 20% that is causing 80% of the trouble. Further, most everything in life can be streamlined to the more important few, and make our lives simpler, thus giving us more time to enjoy it.

Ground Level

Now review your next actions list. What’s done or left undone? Check your delegated or ‘waiting for’ list—do you need to check the status with the delegatee or light a fire? Review your projects and the larger outcomes list. Also, don’t forget the incubating and someday-maybe lists—is it time to move something to your active projects list?

All your open loops (i.e., projects), active project plans, and “Next Actions,” “Agendas,” “Waiting For,” and even “Someday-Maybe” lists should be reviewed once a week. This also gives you an opportunity to ensure that your brain is clear and that all the loose strands of the past few days have been collected, processed, and organized.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Planning

Now that you’ve reviewed everything, you’re clear and current, everything refreshed in the mind—you are ready to get creative and plan your coming week.

Getting to where you’re going requires knowing where you are.

A map is not functional until you know where you are on it. Locating yourself in space and time provides a reference for motion: how much is required and in what direction. Objectively viewing your current reality always reduces confusion and misalignment. Agreement with yourself and others about what’s true right now … is critical for making clear headway.

David Allen, Ready for Anything

The power of weekly planning layered onto a weekly review is a sense of perspective and control. The honest and thorough review tells you where you are on the map and aligns the map with the terrain. The planning gives you a sense of direction and a hand on the tiller.

Agency

Note I said a “sense of control.” It gives you some ‘agency,’ not ‘control.’ There are very few things we have total control over. Still, a sense of agency—the feeling that you can take action, be effective, influence your own life, and assume responsibility for your behavior—is essential to your psychological well-being. This sense of agency influences your capacity for psychological stability, resilience, and flexibility in the face of stress, conflict, or change.

The debate still rages between philosophers, neuroscientists, and even physicists regarding free will, determinism, and consciousness. I feel I have the power of choice, which many call ‘free will.’ Credible research indicates this is an illusion. My philosophy aligns with current psychology studies that show benefits to having a sense of agency (aka, a sense, or illusion of control and free will). Therefore, I will believe in the illusion due to its usefulness (thank you to Derek Sivers’ book Useful Not True).

My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.

William James, diary entry April 30, 1870

We also need to recognize that we do not control most things. All you can control is your attitude, effort, behavior, and actions. Therefore, when constructing our weekly plan, it is imperative that we are flexible, and it’s helpful to construct contingencies.

Covey writes, “The best way to do this is to organize your life on a weekly basis. You can still adapt and prioritize, or ‘renegotiate commitments,’ daily, but the fundamental thrust is organizing the week.” Covey identifies four steps to weekly planning. First, you identify your key roles. I would add here your active projects list, too. Projects should be sorted already per the role they fulfill, for example, “family dinner party” falls under my family roles (husband, son, and brother-in-law).

Next, you select goals you feel will fulfill that role within the next seven days. Those goals may be larger—the projects for that role—or smaller ‘next actions.’ I suggest you focus on actions, not the whole project. You can’t do projects. You can only do identified actions that culminate in project completion.

Ideally these weekly goals would be tied to the longer-term goals you have identified in conjunction with your personal mission statement.

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People

Once the goals (next actions) have been selected, you schedule time in the coming week to achieve them.

After identifying your MIT [most important task], you need to turn it into a calendar item and book it as early in your day as possible.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

We will return to this idea of time blocking shortly. Covey’s last step is “Daily Adapting.” This step is about adapting daily to reprioritization, unanticipated events, and opportunities in a thoughtful way. Remember my admonition about flexibility.

Taking a few minutes each morning to review your schedule can put you in touch with the value-based decisions you made as you organized the week, as well as unanticipated factors that may have come up.

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People

Let’s walk through each step with some examples.

Take a look at your roles. Draft out (if you haven’t already) at least one goal for each role. For example, in my role as a homemaker, which I separate into ‘cook’ and ‘clean,’ I have the goals: dinner on the table every night, and clean bathrooms every week.

Now, for those goals, what actions can you take this week to move towards those goals? Write those down—a simple list will do. Dinner every night is more like a big project with multiple steps or actions. Things like determining how many nights you need to cook, planning a weekly menu, picking recipes, making a shopping list, and going to the grocery store. All this before you can cook.

‘Clean the bathrooms once a week’ is more of an autopilot sort of thing. There’s one day every week I do that unless some other priority comes up. So now I check the calendar. Nothing to interfere with the normal schedule? Then block out a few hours on that day to clean the bathrooms.

As for all the actions for the project of dinner, the same procedure applies. Look at the calendar and block out the days and times you will do the actions. I usually do my weekly planning on Sundays, and that includes menu planning. Monday is my usual errands and shopping day. Monday morning, I review the recipes and look to see what I need versus what’s in the pantry. Then I make my lists and head out on my errands.

All this house husband stuff may seem mundane compared to ‘important’ work projects, but the process is the same. This is what I did at the start of my work week.

Let’s say I was investigating some malfeasance afoot in the district. Certain actions need to take place—identify the perpetrators, interview the witnesses, collect evidence, communicate with the Investigative Services Branch and prosecutors, follow up on leads … and the list goes on. I would take a look at my calendar and block out days and times to get those actions done. Barring any emergencies or new priorities, I executed the actions on the scheduled day.

Now, say I’m out on the road headed to the office to make some of those phone calls, and the vehicle I’m following displays some wonky driving behavior. Am I going to ignore the possible ‘deuce’ just so I can make those calls on time? Nope. Following up on your reasonable suspicion takes priority. This is what I mean about your level of control.

No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces. Only the layman believes that in the course of a campaign he sees the consistent implementation of an original thought that has been considered in advance in every detail and retained to the end.

Helmuth von Moltke “the Elder,” 1871, essay on military strategy

There are two more things to talk about regarding planning: ‘time blocking’ and ‘sharpening the saw.’ Time blocking is dedicating certain minutes or hours to a given task. Sharpening the saw is a more nuanced version of what is now called “self-care.”

In theory, time blocking is easy and makes perfect sense. In theory. In practice, though, it makes the most sense for two groups: creatives and automated or near-automated task workers.

Creatives

Writers, artists, musicians, and creators of all sorts need blocks of time to create. This goes back to Cal Newport’s Deep Work. Whatever pattern is best for you, whenever is the most high-energy and creative time—you need to sit down and create. So you block out large chunks of time where you are otherwise undisturbed. For many, the best time is in the morning.

The most important change you can make in your working habits is to switch to creative work first, proactive work on your own priorities, with the phone and e-mail off.

Mark McGuiness, quoted in Manage Your Day-to-Day

Automated

If what you produce is rote or repetitive, and you know exactly how long it takes to produce one unit and how many units you need to produce, you can block out that time accordingly.

If you do not neatly fit into one of these two groups, you can still take advantage of time blocking in several ways. First, automate or near-automate anything you can. What does that look like? Make checklists and templates for common activities.

Take report writing, for example. As an LEO, I had checklists for investigations and reports. I also had approved, tried-and-true templates for the most common arrests and investigations. I also had templates for MVAs, DUIs, fire origin and cause investigations, and even templates for commonly issued citation probable cause statements. These all ‘nearly automated’ my work. I knew fairly well how long they would take to adapt to the fact pattern of the current case I was writing up.

As an aside —

A tactic I learned in the Navy—never tell someone ‘exactly’ how long the job will take. Estimate that for yourself, double the estimated time, and give the client or supervisor that time. If you say, “It will take me four hours,” they will start asking if you are done in two. This gives you some room to work in case something unexpected comes up. Also, when you come in under your time budget with an outstanding product, you look like a rockstar because you over-deliver.

A time-blocking example: Let’s say you have a hustle, or a degree you are working on, or a creative hobby that could become extra income. That creative work probably needs to be time-blocked on your calendar so that it doesn’t always get sidelined by ‘work’.

A variation to time-blocking is theme-batching your days. Monday is for budget work or household chores, writing on Tuesday, and errands on Wednesday. Date nights are always on Saturday. There’s a staff meeting on the second half of every Thursday, so on the first half of Thursday, I’m gathering my data and writing my report to management.

Sharpening the Saw

“Sharpen the Saw” activities are about renewal, maintenance, and sustainment of four adaptive fitness domains or “energy valences,” as Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz dub them:

• Physical—the ability to adapt and sustain healthy behaviors needed to enhance health and wellness,
• Mental—the ability to effectively cope with unique mental stressors and challenges needed to ensure mission readiness,
• Emotional—the ability to engage in healthy social networks that promote overall well-being and optimal performance,
• Spiritual—the ability to strengthen a set of beliefs, principles, or values that sustain an individual’s purpose and meaning.

I first read of this idea in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, wherein he writes, “Habit 7 … is preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have—you.”

This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in like—investment in ourselves, in the only instrument we have with which to deal with life and to contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to reorganize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in four ways.

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Without renewal, you will eventually break. Other authors have written of this as well.

Personal energy management is a silent thief of productivity.

Gary Keller & Jay Papasan, The One Thing

Secret #14 – Invest the first sixty minutes of each day in rituals that strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

Because energy capacity diminishes with overuse and underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.

Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement

The strategic options that you have available to you are limited to the quality and quantity of resources [energy] you have at your disposal. …your ability to build, secure, and sustain your resources so that you can use them when you need to is critical…

Patrick VanHorne, Logistics & the Strangling of Strategy, CP Journal 10/14/2018

This is all about the time-energy paradigm. The quality of energy you apply to anything is more important than the quantity of time.

Secret #15 – Productivity is about energy and focus, not time.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

What I’m getting at here is that it is important—critical, even—that you schedule renewal every day. Covey suggested a “Daily Private Victory” or a “minimum of one hour a day in renewal of the physical, spiritual, and mental dimensions.” I suggest—if you are still working and have less control over your day—to do this in the morning.

When I worked a ‘9-to-5’, I had the most control over my mornings. And to a lesser degree, my evenings, only in that I found that if I didn’t do it in the morning, it couldn’t happen while I’m at work, and I’d likely be too tired by the end of the shift. Furthermore, it was never certain that ‘the shift’ would only be eight hours—I never knew when I’d get off work, or if I would get a late-night call-out.

Now that I’m retired, I find pushing my exercise toward midday, after a bout of creativity, works well to refresh my mind for another creative spurt or a shift to physical activities, like chores around the house.

Cross-Pollinate Across Platforms

Last, but not least, it’s important that all your platforms match—your digital and analog calendars, especially. You don’t want to double-book commitments because your iPhone or Google calendar doesn’t reflect your analog calendar, which you left at home or in the office.

One way to do this is to have fewer (only one?) platforms. For me, that would mean paper—a paper calendar and a notepad small enough to tote around everywhere. For you, that might mean applications on a smartphone or tablet. In that case, look for apps that work across platforms and easily merge with other apps, like Apple’s Notes, Reminders, and Calendar applications, or Microsoft’s Outlook and OneNote.

Most businesses and government agencies require you to use some contracted collaboration applications like Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace. I only have limited experience with Teams and no experience with the others, so you will need to look elsewhere for how-tos.

You will have to wait for Part IX of this series to learn how and why I use Apple’s native applications. In Part IIX, I’ll define projects and detail my project management system. Since “training missions” are projects by definition, I’ll write about them and how I set up and use my “Personal Laboratory Notebook.”

This article is the first of three concerning my ‘Personal Management’ process. It’s also part six of a series about ‘Personal Leadership and Management.’ In case you missed it, Part V detailed where we came from—Personal Leadership (Parts I-IV)—and where we are going next—Personal Management.

My process is organic and has changed over the years as my jobs, priorities, and responsibilities have. It has fluctuated from simple to complex to simple again. While some potent and complex personal management systems exist (OmniFocus comes to mind), I’ve learned the simpler the system, the more I get done and the less time I spend maintaining it.

The simplicity of David Allen’s Getting Things Done works best for me. For nearly 25 years, I have used some form of the process and system he describes in his book. When I first read the book, I discovered I was already doing some of what he prescribes but not consistently or in as systematic a way. I was missing a few critical pieces—like a weekly review—and didn’t trust my system, so I was holding onto too much in my head.

This means that what he describes seems to fit my nature. I’ll admit upfront that your mileage may vary. That said, give this process a try. You may find some diamonds in the rough by the end.

Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

Bruce Lee

I’m going to assume you do not have a system set up. This assumption on my part assures I don’t miss the details on parts that are nearly automatic for me. If I skipped over these details, you may be left with uncrossable concept gaps, causing you to abandon the whole project. I’ll do my best to avoid that outcome.

Methods are many. Principles are few. Methods may change, but principles never do.

Apocrypha

First, we will talk about principles. Then, we will go through the basic process. Next, we will do deeper dives on each step. That’s when I’ll show you my variations and modifications. Throughout, I will mention the tools I currently use and some of the tools I have used or tried before.

I won’t go into much detail about things I haven’t much use for. For example, Microsoft Outlook. I haven’t used that since retirement, and when I was working, I found trying to integrate it into my process too burdensome. If that is something you use, and you want to ‘GTD’ with it, there’s tons of information on the internet. Try one of these links:

• Outlook 2013/2016
• Microsoft Outlook 2018

Basics

At its core, the GTD system is just context-based lists of next actions, including calendared (scheduled) lists and a five-stage method for managing workflow. The principle is “dealing effectively with internal commitments.” Allen explains that much of our stress in life results from inappropriately managed commitments we make or accept.

We’re allowing in huge amounts of information and communication from the outer world and generating an equally large volume of ideas and agreements with ourselves and others from our inner world. And we haven’t been well equipped to deal with this huge number of internal and external commitments.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

The workflow then is (1) capturing all the incompletes or “open loops,” (2) processing them, (3) organizing them, (4) reviewing them consistently, and finally, (5) doing them. One reason this works so well for me is it maps perfectly with Colonel John Boyd’s “OODA loop” (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act).

Capturing comes from Observing your internal and external environments and recognizing the incompletes. Processing is Orienting to what was captured—what does this mean to me, or what am I committing to? Organizing then is Deciding—do I delete, delegate (and to whom), or defer (and to when or in what context)? Reviewing consistently is responding to changes, feedback, and the unfolding interaction with the environment so you can reorient to new data and make intuitive decisions about what to do. Doing then is, of course, Boyd’s “Act.”

One thing I do differently is blurring the line between Processing and Organizing. It takes minimal time and energy to process—that is, deciding what something means—and organizing it into my system. Even larger projects that need to be fleshed out can be quickly placed on my projects list with a note “needs more thought.”

Two key objectives thread through the workflow and the system we are creating. First, we are capturing everything that needs to get done into a trusted system—out of your head and off your mind. Second, we make front-end decisions about commitments so that you always have a plan you can implement or renegotiate at any moment.

The Basic Requirements for Managing Commitments
• First, if it’s on your mind your mind isn’t clear … [the commitment] must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind … that you know you’ll come back to regularly.
• Second, you must clarify exactly what your commitment is and decide what you have to do, if anything, to make progress toward fulfilling it.
• Third, once you’ve decided on all the actions you need to take, you must keep reminders of them organized in a system you review regularly.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Deeper Dives

Now, let’s take each step one by one, adding flesh to the bare bones structure above.

Capture

To ensure success, (1) every “open loop” must be out of your head and in your collection baskets, (2) you must have as few collection baskets as you can get by with, and (3) you must empty them regularly. The goal of the capture step is to capture everything. Every niggling thing—big, small, grand, or simple.

The first activity is to search your physical environment for anything that does not belong where it is, the way it is, permanently, and put it into your in-basket… things that are incomplete, things that have some decisions or potential action tied to them. They all go into ‘in,’ so they’ll be available for later processing.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

It’s helpful here to understand the definitions of ‘work’ and ‘project.’ Work is anything that needs to be done that isn’t complete yet. A project is work that takes more than one action step to complete. Both of these have implicit commitments to yourself or others.

There are two more things to capture: ‘stuff’ and ‘reference material.’ ‘Stuff’ is anything you’ve allowed into your world that doesn’t belong where it is but for which you haven’t determined the desired outcome and the next step to resolution. ‘Reference materials’ have no immediate use but might in the future, so you have to have a management system for that with clean edges. We will address this in detail in Part IX. For now, know that most ‘piles’ of reference materials probably have undetermined actions buried within, so they need to be collected and processed.

“Feed the dog” is work. If you are out of dog food, “Feed the Dog” is a project. Phone numbers on scrap paper, receipts, old tissues, and the stickie note that says “research gym,” all found in your purse, pockets, or briefcase, fall into the latter categories. All these things belong in your inbox (except the old tissues; you can throw those away).

Yes. You must have an inbox or in-tray. Another option—but more dangerous because of vague edges—is ‘your spot’ or area close to your processing center. If you don’t have an In Box or designated area, everywhere becomes your In Box. For many, this becomes the first horizontal surface you arrive at when entering your home or office.

Other collection tools may include notepads and something to write with. I use a legal pad to record my mind sweeps, tasks, and actions throughout the day. Allen would advise against this saying it is a ‘to-do list’ with unprocessed stuff on it. I trust it as a capture tool because I treat it and process it like an in-basket.

Sometimes I have projects pop into my head. I write these down on a half sheet of scrap paper—only one per sheet. If there is any ‘why, how, what’ sort of thinking happening, then I record that too so it’s not lost. This half-sheet gives me a starting point for brainstorming later. That gets tossed in the inbox.

Some people use audio recorders or notes on their smartphones. I used to use 3×5 cards at work for small bits of information at traffic stops and a reporter’s notebook for initial investigations. Now, I use the reporter’s notebook in the car to record information from podcasts and the like. I carry 3×5 cards in my EDC bag and/or jacket breast pocket for notes when out to dinner or events.

I use composition notebooks to take notes from my reading and studies. I also recently started a composition notebook for our new house purchase—notes about the inspection, the loan closing information, and any future house projects.

The key here is to remember all of these are capture tools. They are not organizers. All of the information and implicit commitments are yet to be processed.

Once you feel you’ve collected all the physical things in your environment that need processing, you’ll want to collect anything else that may be residing in your ‘psychic RAM.’ What has your attention that isn’t represented by something already in your in-basket?

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Lastly, you need to get everything out of your head. The mind sweep, or for some, the ‘mind dump, is next. For me, this step never ends. Hence, the capture tool is a constant companion. You’re going for quantity here. We will deal with quality later. If it comes to mind, put it down on paper. It’s as simple as that. What do you do with that paper? You guessed it; put it in the in-basket.

Processing

Now that everything is collected, it’s time to process. When I was working, I had a half day set aside for processing and organizing—usually on my ‘Friday.’ Then, I also set aside two to four hours on my ‘Monday’ for planning. As I said before, I merged Processing and Organizing, but for now, we will focus on each individually.

‘First In, First Out’ or ‘Last In, First Out?’ It doesn’t matter, especially if it’s the first time. You’re going to process it all anyway. Scanning through the basket for something ‘important’ isn’t processing. That’s emergency scanning. Instead, we’re Processing everything Collected and making front-end, proactive decisions.

Some basic tools would be helpful in processing. You’ll want to have handy the following:

• Paper-holding trays
• A stack of plain, letter-sized paper
• Pens or pencils and markers
• Paper clips, binder clips, and a stapler
• An automatic labeler
• File folders
• A calendar
• Trash and recycling bins

Processing then involves a series of questions for each thing you pull out of the collection basket. The first is, “Is this actionable?” Assuming it is, the next questions are (a) “What project or outcome have you committed to?” and (b) “What’s the next action required?”

The flip side is it’s not actionable. Then, the questions are, “Is this trash, or is this ‘incubating’?” (‘Incubating’ means it’s not actionable now, but maybe later.) Or, “Is it potentially useful information that might be needed for something later?” That’s ‘reference’ or ‘project support’ material.

You have a few options with the actionable items. Do it, delegate it, or defer it.

The Two-Minute Rule: If something will take less than two minutes, don’t put it on a list. Get it out of the way immediately.

Roy Baumeister, Willpower

If a task can be completed in less than five minutes, then do it immediately.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

The two- or five-minute rule is why I immediately organize while processing. You could mark each item with a stickie note that says “schedule and date” or “read and review” or whatever the action may be. Then put that in a paper tray to organize into a list later (I’ll describe these lists in the next section).

What I do instead is immediately put it on the appropriate list and, if necessary—say, a new project, or I need the paper for later—I make a file for it. In the ‘Organize’ section, I’ll detail the lists and connect them to this processing step.

Getting ‘in’ to empty doesn’t mean actually doing all the actions and projects that you’ve collected. It just means identifying each item and deciding what it is, what it means, and what you’re going to do with it.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Having fully processed your in baskets, you will not have ‘done’ everything. Instead, you will have deleted or dumped everything you don’t need into the trash. You will have knocked out any two- or five-minute actions. Further, you will have delegated to others—up, down, or across the organization. You will have sorted reminders of actions that require more than two minutes in your organization system. Most importantly, you will have identified larger commitments or projects you now have, based on this input.

Let’s look at the Organizing step as Allen describes it. Then we will dig into my ‘in-basket’ as an example of both Processing and Organizing.

Organizing

If you have thoroughly processed everything, you’ll likely begin to see an organizational structure emerging naturally. As previously mentioned, non-actionable items are either trash, incubation, or reference materials. Trash should be thrown away, of course. ‘Incubation’ we will discuss soon. Reference materials will be discussed in Part IIX.

What about the actionable stuff? To manage these you need a calendar, separate lists of projects, reminders of ‘next actions,’ and things you are waiting for. Lastly, you’ll also need storage for project plans and support materials.

The key ingredients of relaxed control are (1) clearly defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions required to move them toward closure, and (2) reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly.
…You need a good system that can keep track of as many of [these activities in which you are involved] as possible, supply required information about them on demand, and allow you to shift your focus from one thing to the next quickly and easily.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Calendar

You should have no more than three things on your calendar. You should have day-specific actions, time-specific actions, and day-specific information.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Time-specific actions are meetings and appointments scheduled for specific time slots on that day. Day-specific actions are those that can be done any time that day but not on any other day. There are consequences if these are not handled on that specific day.

Time-specific information is just helpful things to know on that day. Like your spouse will be out of town or your boss is on vacation and so-and-so is acting. Also, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, of course.

Project List

This list is just as simple as it sounds—just a list of your active projects. Don’t complicate matters by trying to organize it further—say by ‘priority’ or due dates. I used to add the very next identified action to each. Even this over-complicated the list. In the platform I currently use (Apple Notes app), it is easy enough to have a list of projects and a folder for each project. For some small projects, you may choose parent and child lists, but I’ve found even this to be more trouble than it is worth. I prefer the clean, simplicity of a single list.

Lists can be managed simply in a low-tech way, as pieces of paper kept in a file folder…, or they can be arranged in a more ‘mid-tech’ fashion, in loose-leaf notebooks or planners… Or they can be high-tech, digital versions of paper lists…
…Once you know what to put on the lists, and how to use them, the medium doesn’t matter.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Next-Action Lists

I like Allen’s idea of sorting action reminders into context-based lists. Allen makes the point that if you don’t have a phone and you are trying to figure out what action to take, a list cluttered with phone calls to make is not helpful. Instead, it hinders rapid decision-making. On the other hand, this list makes it easier to batch tasks like calls if that’s your way.

The context-based categories I use are:

• Calls or @Phone
• @Computer
• @Errands
• @Office
• @Home
• Agendas (for meetings and people)
• Read and Review
• Waiting For (I’m waiting for someone else to take action)

On the ‘@Phone’ list, I’ll put who, the phone number, and just a few words as to why or what about. For ‘@Errands,’ I have sub-lists that are location-specific, for example, a grocery list or things I need from the hardware store.

I don’t maintain a Read and Review list. If, while processing, I find something that takes more than two minutes to read, I put a stickie note on it that says “R&R” and then put it in a basket of other Read and Review items. If you need to read, review, edit, and forward it to someone else, I would not do it my way; something important might get composted on the bottom.

Back here, I mentioned “incubating.” As Allen says, “There’s nothing to do on this now, but there might be later.” This is my longest list. It may also be my most powerful list for creativity. This list isn’t context-based. It’s more akin to the Projects list, and I have it nested there along with a ‘Someday/Maybe’ list.

Incubating is like the pot simmering on the back of the stove. The ‘Someday/Maybe’ list contains all sorts of things I might want to do someday or, if I travel somewhere, things I might want to see or do, restaurants I might want to try, hobbies to consider, and writing ideas.

Some incubating items might go into a “tickler file.” For example, something I may want to buy or recipes I might want to make. The point is, I want to be reminded of these at a certain date. You can do this a few different ways—such as an analog file system or a note on your calendar.

To better illustrate the workflow, let’s process some of my collection baskets. We will start with the legal pad.

Notice first that some of the list has been struck out with various colored markers. Black means I have already done it. Red is something I deleted. Green for things I’ve already processed (moved to action lists or calendared). Orange are things I’m waiting for, in this case, I’m waiting for my mom to reply to my inquiry about some DVDs.

The first thing I recognize is a few things I’ve completed but not crossed off yet. After crossing all of that off, there’s nothing left to do! That was some easy processing. Now we can dive into the in-box.

I’m going to work from top to bottom. Don’t get nervous, I’m not going to narrate through the whole basket. That would take me too long and bore you to tears. Instead, as I get to good examples, I’ll stop processing and write about the process of Processing.

Right off the top are three half-sheets of scrap paper with bold marker labels:

• “Research full-service car wash nearby”
• “Research projection television for living room”
• “Research ‘best’ professional non-stick pans

These are mini-research projects that I can do on the computer. So they go on my “@Computer” list. I then put the paper in a file folder labeled the same. When I do the research I’ll have the half-sheet to start taking notes and brainstorming.

Side note: you should consider plastic folders for these sorts of things because they will last much longer and take more abuse.

Next is a letter from the Officer of Voter Access containing important information for Tuesday, November 5th. I put the information into my calendar and recycle the paper. If you were using an analog tickler file, you could put that paper in the file folder marked for that month and day.

Now, to an article I found. This article will take more than two minutes to read and glean any important information (otherwise, I would have read it already). I put an “R&R” stickie note on it and add it to my stack (or folder) of “Read and Review” material. I’m using a plastic folder for this, so I can carry it around with me to read whenever I get a little time. When I was working in traffic, I would read this kind of stuff while running stationary RADAR. Now I read the stuff at the gym between heavy sets.

Here we have another half-sheet mini-research project. I’ve already decided thereon to buy a certain product and I ‘know’ that purchasing the product is the next action step. I pull out the iPad, open the Amazon app for a quick search, and add the item to my cart—a less than two-minute action—done. Recycle the paper and move on. The arrival of the product will serve as the trigger for the next action: clean and condition the leather chair.

Further along, we have a bundle of papers clipped together. A quick scan jogs my memory: it’s a bunch of menu ideas for a Christmas Dinner Party. Essentially, these are project support and reference materials. I pulled out a folder and labeled it “Christmas Dinner Party.” All but the top sheet goes in that, and it will be filed in my file cabinet. I’ll also put “Christmas Dinner Part” on my Someday/Maybe list, as I know I won’t be doing that this year, but I hope to next year.

The top sheet however is a project in itself—“Make Dinner Party Planning Checklist.” I put “Draft Dinner Party Planning Checklist” on my project list and dropped the paper into another properly labeled file folder.

There you have it. I’ve Processed the inbox. At the same time, I Organized actions onto context-based lists (if not trashed it, delegated it to someone else, or filed it as project support and general reference). We will discuss the Weekly Review in Part VII. What’s next? Doing everything, of course!

You can do anything, but not everything.

David Allen, Getting Things Done

Now that you have all these next actions organized onto lists, how do you know what to do in the moment? We’ve arrived at the purpose of the prior workflow steps—to facilitate good choices about what to do at any point in time. At any one moment, there are three things you could be doing:

1. Pre-defined work off your ’Next-Actions’ list
2. Doing ad hoc work as it shows up
3. Defining your work

None of us can avoid ad hoc, unforeseen work handed to us by bosses or the universe. The choice is not always up to us. In Part VII, about Reviewing and Planning, and Part IIX about Project Management, we will discuss “defining your work.” Right now, I want to focus on our known commitments—the pre-defined work on your Next Actions list.

Four criteria apply to these lists for choosing what to do at the moment. First, the context—do you have the specific tool (phone, computer), or are you in the right location (home, office, etc.) that facilitates the actions? Next, how much time is available to you? An hour or more may be suitable for some deep work. Only five minutes? Then Maybe a phone call is all you can accomplish.

Secret #1: Time is your most valuable resource. How would your life change if each and every day you truly felt your 1440 minutes?

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

Now consider—and this is of great importance—how much mental, physical, or emotional energy you have to apply to the actions. Running on empty may mean all you can do is fill the stapler or water the plants. (I would suggest you do some energy renewal rituals, but that is for a later article.

Secret #15: Productivity is about energy and focus, not time.
… You can’t manage time—no matter what you do, you will have the same 24 hours tomorrow that you had today. When people talk about ‘time management,’ what they really want is to get more stuff done with less stress. And the real secret behind this is that you need to maximize your energy.

Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management

Lastly, what are your current priorities? What action will give you the highest payoff within your context and allotted time and energy? To help with this decision, Allen presents an “aerospace analogy” to describe levels of perspective about your priorities.

If you have your priorities, roles, and goals figured out and drafted, and you review them frequently, then this will come naturally. You will quickly intuit the next right thing you should do. On that note, I can’t help but think of this:

…if you want to go your individual way, it is the way you make for yourself, which is never prescribed, which you do not know in advance, and which simply comes into being of itself when you put one foot in front of the other. If you always do the next thing that needs to be done, you will go most safely and surefootedly along the path prescribed by your unconscious. … But if you do with conviction the next and most necessary thing you are always doing something meaningful and intended by fate.

C.G. Jung, letter to “Frau V.”

You may have noticed in the pictures above that I am working completely in an analog manner, except for my Calendar. That’s on purpose. I am currently transitioning from Evernote to all native Apple applications. Why? Stable, easy to use, fully integrated across platforms thanks to iCloud, and free. More details in Part IX.

That, however, shouldn’t matter. The workflow principles can work on any platform—analog or digital. Before iCloud, I used “T-Cards” and a T-Card portfolio to maintain my lists. K.I.S.S. I suggest starting in analog and once you have a grasp of the workflow, deciding if you want to move into the digital space.

In the next part of this series—Part VII—we will return to the Review step that I intentionally skipped herein. Contrary to Allen, as I mentioned before, I Process and Organize at the same time. I also Process and Organize on the same day I Review. Further, because it’s the next logical step for me, I Plan in accordance with Stephen Covey’s “Roles” and “Role-Based Goals.”

David Allen’s system is designed to allow intuitive decisions at the moment. I like the flâneure-like freedom this allows. But, without some proactive planning around my Roles and Areas of Responsibility, I find that self-care and relationships, usually in that order, get dismissed for the sake of productivity. I don’t want to do that.

Personal Management is putting first things first; personal leadership is deciding what the first things are.

Stephen Covey, First Things First

We have finally arrived at the transition from ‘leadership’ to ‘management.’ Back in parts I-IV we talked about ‘Personal Leadership.’ That was all about your Ultimate Mission and Grand Strategy, Roles or Identities, “Sharpening the Saw,” and finding your purpose, values, character strengths, principles, and virtues.

• Part I: From Management to Leadership With Your Personal Credo
• Part II: Exercises and Practices
• Part III: Roles and Identities
• Part IV: The Ultimate Mission and Grand Strategy

So parts one through four are all the high-level strategy, purpose, and meaning stuff: are we climbing the right mountain? Are we on the right road to the right goals for our Ultimate Purpose?

Personal Management is all about day-to-day actions taken to accomplish your high-level strategies—the actions in service to your purpose. What you want to be is all for naught if you don’t work on it consistently.

Wish in one hand and shit in the other; see which one fills up first.

Jack Cagle

Put a different way:

A vision without a task is but a dream. A task without a vision is drudgery. A vision and a task are the hope of the world.

Inscription on a church wall in Sussex England, c. 1730

Strategies or Tactics? Both, Actually

The terms ’strategy’ and ‘tactics’ come from military terminology as far back as Sun Tzu’s Art of War. They’ve been adapted to fit different usages such as business strategy.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store without a list or plan? Then tried to fix meals for the next week with a random assortment of groceries? There were probably things you needed but forgot to get, and maybe things you didn’t need that went to waste later that week. Meal planning and a grocery list is a strategy; shopping is the tactic.

Strategy

A strategy is an action plan that you will take in the future to achieve an end. These help you define your long-term goals and how you will achieve a goal. Strategy is the big-picture thinking.

Tactics

Tactics are the individual steps and actions that will get you where the strategy—the action plan or leader’s intent—wants you to go. Tactics zoom in on the nitty-gritty, dealing with the day-to-day operational and short-term objectives. They encompass concrete steps—the how-to steps to turn your overall plan into reality.

All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Sun Tzu illustrates that while tactics are more concrete and easier to see, an overarching strategy is equally important. The question should not be strategy versus tactics, but strategy and tactics. These are two sides of the same coin—both are necessary.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The point is, before getting deep into the tactical weeds, clarify our strategy.

If you’ve been following along in parts I through IV, you will have developed your Grand Strategy and Domain Strategies. Strategy for projects and training missions are similar. Furthermore, these should be in alignment with your domain and grand strategy.

With strategy in place, you can learn, develop, or adopt tactics to achieve the leader’s (your) intent. These become your best practices to accomplish your strategic goal. You are using tactics when conducting actions on ‘the target’—your strategic goal. When in doubt as to the next actions or priorities, return to your strategies. From there re-orient, and re-engage. More specifics about this to follow in Parts VI and VII.

What Else?

One of the reasons I have delayed so long in drafting this second half—Personal Management—is that my methods have recently changed. Somewhat drastically. I wasn’t certain that my past or current methods would be useful to my audience. I decided that while specific methods may or may not be useful, the principles could be.

Methods are many. Principles are few. Methods may change, but principles never do.

Apocrypha

Therefore, we will talk a lot about principles and some about ‘best practices.’ Somewhat less about methods. I’ll use my own situation to explain my changes. In due course, I’ll also illustrate old and new methods that you may (or may not) find useful.

Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

Bruce Lee

There are many ‘ways’ that might fit your needs and personality and many that might not. Beyond the principles, this workflow should be organic—evolving to your idiosyncrasies.

Starting with Part VI, I’ll walk through my current system with a focus on principles. That is, why my system is my way. I’ll talk also about my current methods. Furthermore, I’ll pepper in past methods you may find helpful, and explain why they worked ‘then’ and why they don’t work ‘now.’

In Part VI we will start with an overview of David Allen’s Getting Things Done. For all of its simplicity, and despite all of its critics, it has been at the core of my system for 20-plus years. When I first stumbled upon it, it just fit. We will take a deeper dive into some of the particulars: “collect,” “process,” “organize,” and “review.” I’ll clarify as best I can my spin on these core principles.

Using “Organize” to segue, in Part VII we will return to Stephen Covey—his “role-based goals.” With these we will develop a “weekly attack plan” and daily planning. Here, too, we will discuss context- and time- (calendar) based lists, and how these merge into the weekly planning.

Next, in Part VIII, we will talk about projects and David Allen’s “Natural Planning Model.” The name is his, but he readily admits he didn’t invent the method. He merely details how the brain naturally works and scales that up. Part VIII is where we will also talk about “Training Missions” and the benefits of a “Personal Lab Notebook.”

Lastly, in Part IX, I’ll explain how I use Tiago Forte’s “second brain” system for my reference and project files. Finally, I’ll also describe any tools—analog and digital—that I haven’t elsewhere described. Some people get hung up on tools and bounce from one shiny new app to another. Truth is, once you know the principles, any tool will work.

That should be enough to map out our way forward. See you soon for Part VI.