Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Tips to Track Tasks

Do you have a To Do List? Do you have one list or many? Do you actually get the tasks on the list done?

I have several different task lists. I add tasks to my customer database on SalesForce.com. I use Nozbe to keep track of business tasks. I also write out a weekly list of tasks I need to complete. And, finally, I write out my top 3 priorities.

Improve Your Effectiveness!

Are you effective at getting your most important tasks done? Or, are you easily distracted? What are you willing to do to improve your effectiveness? Pick one area and work on it!

Here are a few quick tips to track tasks:

• Create different lists for different purposes
• Use software you can access on the web
• Clean up your lists monthly or quarterly
• Focus on your top priorities

Good luck in your efforts to improve your productivity!

4 Hour Workweek vs. GTD

One of my favorite books in recent years is the 4 Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss. Tim challenges readers to work less and play more, what he calls lifestyle design. Without getting into the details of the book here, I wanted to share a post from his blog.

Responding to a post on Entrepreneur Magazine's blog, Tim writes:

"Despite the disproportionate attention paid to them, personal outsourcing and selective ignorance are just two chapters out of 16 in 4HWW. There is a lot more to information management and intake control in 4HWW (interruption prevention, internal policies, scripts with superiors, etc.) than “batching” e-mail."

This was in response to a comment in the article:

“Timothy Ferriss is focused on outsourcing and not checking e-mail so often. The last time I checked, the amount of e-mail you get is not a function of how often you check e-mail,” [Mark] Hurst says. “David Allen’s approach is a bit of a throwback to a pre-internet age when having complex flowcharts, filing papers and creating tickler items was relevant…”

Eliminate Before You Optimize!

I thought his post was interesting and gives some insight into different methodologies to stay productive.

Unclutterer Shares Web-Accessible Project Management Tools

Barbara Beal-Lopez from Brightfarm turned me on to a site called Unclutterer, devoted to providing tips to stay organized. It's a great site with plenty of ideas on how to organize your life and business.

The site  includes  information on web-accessible project management tools. They mention a few standard tools like Basecamp as well as a few I haven't heard of, including 5pm and @task. 5pm looks pretty slick. I may give it a try. I'm currently using Central Desktop to manage some projects.

Jerry Hart Shares Tips on Using Google Alerts

A good friend of mine, Jerry Hart, CEO of Hart Creative Marketing, recently shared tips on using Google Alerts. Jerry is an Internet Marketing and Social Media Expert. He helps companies craft and deliver their marketing message online through websites, blogs and social media.

Bring it up from your soul and
get it up on the Web

Jerry says:

"Know that commenting on blogs is a big traffic driver for you. So, spend less time getting to deep into any one article and comment on what you’ve read in the first or last paragraph or headline. Then, go back to your email of Google Alert results and click to your second Google Alert result, read only a bit, save that site, blog, or network and move on by going back to your Google Alerts and finding another authority you can save in your www.roboform.com or www.clipmarks.com favorite sites folder. Both are the bomb and will make you feel like a blue angel pilot flying thru sites efficiently who can find content later that you liked today."

That's a great suggestion to use your time more productively. Remember to be authentic and focus on offering value when posting a comment on a blog. Keep it simple until you have had an opportunity to post a few times. Blogs have followings and you need to be aware that people will notice if you are a little too pushy or aggressive in sharing your message. The same is true when posting messages in online discussion groups or through social networks.

Hart also shares advice on how to give accolades to other bloggers when you sincerely feel it.

Personal Development List

I have to give a big kudos to Life Coach Priscilla Palmer for starting her Personal Development List and a thanks for recognizing The PDA Pro Blog. I have decided to publish the list on my site as well for my readers to see and have added my own recommendations to the list (and will update this periodically). I think this a great example of organic social networking in the spirit of sharing resources.

Priscilla says that personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). Some of my additions to the list feature technology bloggers who have a strong commitment toward personal development and cover at least one topic among the ones listed above.

If I have sent a trackback to your site, just know I'll be back to post a relevant comment at some point to add value to the discussions on your site. Feel free to do the same here. (Thank you.)

Personal Development List:

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day

Adam Kayce at Monk at Work

Alan Torres at Made to Be Great

Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net

Andrea J Lee at Money, Meaning and Beyond (Added by Rick Cooper)

Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com (Added by Rick Cooper)

Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development

Anita Pathik at Law at Power of four Way

Belle Wong at Abundance Journal

Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Brian Kim at briankim.net

Bob at everyeveryminute

Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com

Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker

Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet

David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence

Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com

Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners

Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear

Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dick Richards at Come Gather Round

Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer

Donna Karlin at Perspectives (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog

Edward Mills at Evolving Times

Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership (Added by Rick Cooper)

Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World

Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas

Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project

Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com

Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog

Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives

Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day

Jay White at dumb little man tips for life

Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk

Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster

Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness

Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Hart at Blueprint to eMarketing  (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

John Place at John Place Online

John Wesley at Pick The Brain

Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence

Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden

Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose

Karen at Journey with Water Learner

Karen Lynch at Live The Power

Kim George at Doing What You Can Do

Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin

K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now

Leah Maclean at Working Solo (Added by Rick Cooper)

Lee Nutter at bmindful

Leo Baruta at Zen Habits

Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development

Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living

Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life

Maria Palma at The Good Life

Mark at The Naked Soul

Mark Forster at Get Everything Done

Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order

Mark W. Shead at Productivity 501 (Added by Rick Cooper)

Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily

Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders

Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog

Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution (Added by Rick Cooper)

My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner

Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence

Neil Patel at Quick Sprout

Nneka at Balanced Life Center

Organize-It at Organize-It

Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker

Paul at Paul’s Tips

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Aldin at Great Circle

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great

Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success

Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro

Robert at Compassionate Council

S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion

Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog

Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret

Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name is Blog (Added by Rick Cooper)

Scott H Young at Scott H Young

Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit

Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path

Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early

Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com

Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com

Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business

Thom Quinn at Qlog

Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog

Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest

Torlink at You Create Reality

Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key

Troy Worman at Orbit Now!

Vickie at Contemplate This

WildBill at PassionateBlogger

and these collaborated sites:

Life Coaches Blog Strategies for a Greater Life

Last Updated by Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro on: 8-24-07

Setting Long Term Goals

Looking for information on Personal Development?Find more articles/posts on Personal Development.

Do you set long term goals? If not, you may be falling short of your full potential! It's absolutely true that people who set goals are more likely to be successful? Why? Because the act of setting and working toward achieving a goal allows you to focus your efforts on accomplishing something worthwhile.

Focus is the key. You see, most people will drift if they don't have a direction. Imagine a ship in the ocean. If the captain of the ship has not identified a destination, set a course, and made corrections along the way, it is unlikely the ship will ever arrive at port.

The same is true for humans. The process begins by identifying what you truly want in life, determining what your strengths and passions are, and then setting goals to accomplish something meaningful for you.

Now of course, you have short, medium and long term goals. Most people set short term goals. A grocery list is a short term goal, isn't it? But, the real work comes in identifying your long term goals.

Now, if you're struggling with finding your passions and determining what to accomplish, have no fear. My fellow blogger, Phil Gerbyshak, of Make it Great, has shared some resources for personal development.

Phil also shares a link to Priscilla Palmer's blog and her Personal Development List. It's a great list of resources to spark your imagination and send your heart soaring.

Remember, PDA stands for Productivity, Discipline and Action. Action is going to get you where you're going. Discipline will help you stay on track when the going gets tough. And Productivity means you'll get there faster. But, the one implied truth in each of these concepts is that you must have a direction. Otherwise, you will very likely spin out of control.

Personally, I use MS Word to set my goals periodically. I also make lists on my Palm Treo 650 PDA/smartphone using the memo function. Anytime I think of something I want to do or experience in my life, I make a note of it. Then, I have a list to refer to when I set my goals.

Good luck in setting your long term goals. For more information on goal-setting, read my article on The ABCs of Setting Goals.

Other Related Posts:
Goals
Law of Attraction
Organizing
Productivity
Time Management

Using GTD with a Blackberry

There are many people who are interested in increasing their productivity. The legion of David Allen followers continues to grow. Jason Echols, who writes for the Black Belt Productivity blog, shared his dilemma for integrating Getting Things Done (GTD) with a PDA. Jason writes:

"I have recently been looking to refresh my PDA and do something new. David Allen often speaks of a PDA as a hi-tech list manager. If I wanted to do some really fancy stuff with it, I would have limited myself to buying another Windows-based machine. However, I never was a hardcore user who taxed the limits of the machine or its operating system.

I kept that in mind as I did my research. In the end, I decided that it would be best to go with a smartphone. My thinking was that it would be sort of nuts to carry around a cell phone and a PDA when I did not have to. I would want to have both on me at all times. I also (no offense to anyone who does this) feel tacky with a machine on each hip as I go throughout my day. Some in the corporate setting will take it wrong, and get the idea that I think I am important. I am not into that. I am interested in being productive, not making everyone think I am ‘Inspector Gadget.’"

I understand his concerns and am glad he has found a solution that will work for him. Smartphones offer a nice option to those who would like some of the features of a PDA, but prefer to carry only one mobile device. You can read more about his approach in using his Blackberry with GTD.

Keys to Set and Achieve New Year’s Resolutions

Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions? I think for some people, this is the only form of goal setting they have. But, do they really take it seriously? Do they have a process in place to help them set goals? Most do not.

Is there value for you in setting New Year’s Resolutions? What steps should you take if you want to set and achieve a resolution?

I’m afraid that most people do not set goals for their lives. They simply go from one day to the next and take what comes their way. For sure, this is unlikely to lead to any real success in your life. You might get lucky from time to time and an opportunity might fall into your lap. But, if you’re unprepared, it’s not likely you will take action.

In general, sales professionals tend to be goal setters more so than others. But, their goals are usually focused on revenues and income. Life, however, is made of more than money and unless you consider your health, family and spiritual needs, you may not enjoy the money you acquire.

So, for many people, New Year’s Resolutions may be the only goal setting they do. But, unfortunately, they do not take advantage of the tremendous opportunity they represent. For one, their resolutions are often quickly forgotten. Or, they may set unreasonable expectations. They also may not break down their goals into steps that can be easily achieved.

Why are New Year’s Resolutions so powerful? For one, it is the time period. One year fits into the timeframe for a medium term goal. Short term goals are under a year. Long term goals are over five years. One year is a long enough time period that you can take incremental action steps and truly make a difference in your life.

I think another powerful factor is that people tend to be more motivated at the beginning of the year. It often feels to me like we all go into a cocoon over the holidays. We stay indoors and hide out. The days get shorter and it’s more dark, rainy and gloomy. But, as soon as January arrives, there is an instant shift. People leap into action. Unfortunately, unless you have a plan, action alone may not lead you in the right direction.

So, how do you make the most of New Year’s Resolutions? Should you just make a list of goals willy nilly? Or, is there a process you can use to plan your goals and take action?

I have created a simple template you can use to set your New Year’s Resolutions. Please take a moment to download and print the New Year’s Resolutions for Results template. It will take about 15 minutes to complete and will give you a tool to achieve some powerful results in your life. The template is included in a free special report I prepared on New Year's Resolutions.

Would you like some additional accountability? Fax the sheet to me, Rick Cooper, now and follow up at year-end with your results. Check for additional resources and support on The PDA Pro website.

Think of the possibilities of what you can achieve in the next year if you take a moment and set some meaningful goals for your life. Remember to get this FREE report.

Interviews with David Allen

Personal productivity guru David Allen completed a series of podcast interviews with Merlin Mann from 43 Folders. David is author of the popular book, Getting Things Done. Merlin posted a complete audio version of the 8 podcasts. It's 90 minutes long and I plan to listen to it at some point. You can listen online or download the audio file. Check it out. I'm sure there is  wealth of information there.

Getting Sales Things Done

Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva, addresses the issue of identifying actions that lead to new sales, new revenues, and that retain existing customers for life.  In fact, she notes that this revolves around time management or personal management, if you will. She writes,

"One of the major issues people in selling (including sales leaders) have is in managing their time. As a former Franklin-Covey facilitator, I spent so many hours talking to people about using their planner, and focusing on what matters most. It was great theory, but the actual steps and process threw people. The planners I gave out in my sessions turned out to be glorified address books and monthly calendars - that's about it. "

She notes that the personal productivity guru David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, gets it. He understands and offers an elegant way to get people universally to take action.

I've said for some time that a PDA is simply a productivity tool. Getting one does not necessarily mean you will suddenly be organized. It's not the device itself, it's how you use it. Only when you understand how to use the tool can it truly increase your productivity.