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.

Overcoming Overwhelm

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you feel like you just can't get ahead? Sometimes life is challenging. And if you fall behind it can be hard to catch up. Those are all symptoms of overwhelm. So, what can you do to get back on track?

When life gets you down, it's really important to just start simplifying and breaking things down. Most people over-complicate life. I know. Because I'm one of those people. I have too much of everything. I have to remind myself to continue to simplify. Reduce the number of physical possessions you have. Reduce the number of financial accounts you have. Reduce the number of email newsletters you subscribe to. Reduce the commitments you have.

At some point, you have to start saying no to things. At least until you can get your head above water. You didn't get into a mess overnight. And you won't be able to solve it overnight.

The best way out of a mess and the best way to overcome overwhelm is to simply start taking baby steps. Create a task list for things that will help to clean up the overwhelm. Take some time to brainstorm creative ideas to simplify things.

Start Taking Some Baby Steps!

You can do it. You can clean up your messes and overcome overwhelm. Just simply start taking some baby steps and you'll begin making progress and feeling better.

For additional ideas to work more productively and effectively, listen to my FREE audio series, the 12 Days of Productivity.

Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro
www.ThePDApro.com

Productivity Shortcuts Winter 2007 Teleseminar Series

2007 is almost over. It's time to wind down and ramp up for next year. Will 2008 be a good year for you? Why not make a resolution NOW to increase your productivity?

If you would like to learn shortcuts to get more done in less time, then join us for The Twelve Days of Productivity! We're hosting a series of 12 half hour teleseminars. They're focused and quick. You'll get a few great ideas every day to increse your productivity.

 

FREE Teleseminar Series:
Productivity Shortcuts (The Twelve Days of Productivity)

Daily through January 9th

 

What you'll learn:

• Tips to get focused
• Techniques to get organized
• Strategies to combat spam and manage your email inbox
• Lessons on prioritizing your most important tasks
• Tips to shop for productivity gadgets
• How to balance work and family during the holidays

Click here to learn more:
http://www.thepdapro.com/ProductivityShortcuts.asp

2008 can be your best year yet! Start by working smarter, not harder!

Gmail Tip for Searching Email

I get a lot of email. Being The PDA Pro is busy work. I have over 10 email accounts and am subscribed to 50 Bojillian ezines and newsletters to stay on top of everything. I found that Outlook was just choking on the amount of email I was pumping through it. So, I made the decision to begin retrieving email using Gmail, the email service from Google.

I love Google. It's just the simple, but fast and effective kind of productivity tool I like to use. I was already using Gmail for a personal account and it worked great. So, I made the switch a few months ago for my business email. I have been very satisfied with how Gmail has worked for me. There are a few little annoyances, but overall it's been a great experience. I appreciate the fact that all of that data is being hosted on someone else's server.

Gmail Rocks!

Here is a quick tip from Gmail's blog written by Jen "Digital Mom" Grant. She writes:

"First, I make very specific labels for all of the categories that I might need - meeting notes, action items, personal - and I very meticulously use these labels for maybe a month or so. But then, I get overwhelmed and don't have the time to spend filing things under each of these categories. This is the point where Gmail really starts to help me out. The reason I categorized everything in the first place was to find it again quickly, right? Well, if I can find anything easily with search, then why should I take the extra time organizing? For my purposes, searching takes much less time and works just as well."

I love the labels too. They're much better than folders. I set up rules to automatically move and archive messages. This allows me to quickly read and respond to high priority client email messages first. The best part though, as Digital Mom suggests is the ability to search messages quickly. This took a lot longer with Outlook.

I strongly recommend you consider switching to Gmail. As a person who has been used to storing and archiving all of my email data in the past, I found I had a little fear around letting someone else store that data. But, as an entrepreneur, I have had to do that anyway through other services.

Go Mobile with SCOTTEVEST

I saw a great new product last night while watching The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. The witty and irreverent host was interviewing Scott Jordan from SCOTTEVEST. Scott, an attorney turned entrepreneur,  created a vest to hold all of your mobile devices including PDAs and smartphones. What a great idea!

Scott has a great story. Here's a quick excerpt from his website.

"I’m Scott Jordan, and I created the SeV to solve a very basic problem: I needed an easy way to carry AND use all my gadgets and gear. All too often, juggling my gear was a losing battle. I wanted to carry all of my favorite gadgets, but had to leave most at home, or convince my wife to carry some for me. My favorite gear consists of: iPod®, PocketPC/Palm Pilot, a cell phone, the car/remote keys, a digital camera, water bottle, and a magazine.

Clothes simply weren’t designed to hold this much stuff. Before long, I needed a bag just to carry my gadgets, and that defeats the purpose of being mobile and the perfect “man-purse” just doesn’t exist. Believe me, I tried to find something on the market that addressed my needs, but there wasn’t anything available that was fashionable, functional and affordable. So, in 2001, I decided to solve the problem myself, and the idea of designing clothing as a Gear Management Solution™ came to me. I then quit my day job- practicing law at a mega-law firm, and SCOTTEVEST/SeV® and the Technology Enabled Clothing-TEC® system were born."

Wow! What a great story. It just goes to show what can happen when someone makes a decision to become an entrepreneur. And what a great product too!

Scott Jordan, Founder and CEO of SCOTTEVEST, Inc., is pictured here wearing the vest. Mobile devices are actually stored in the liner of the vest and not visible to onlookers. Very cool! And handy too!

Great Rules to Boost your Productivity

Steve Pavlina shares 33 Rules to Boost your Productivity. He says, "Productivity heuristics are behavioral rules (some general, some situation-specific) that can help us get things done more efficiently. "

My favorite rule on his list is #2: Daily goals.  Steve states, "Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions.  Set targets for each day in advance.  Decide what you’ll do; then do it."

That's great advice. I have a great new tool that will help you stay on track on a daily basis. It's called the Daily Success Priorities card. If you'd like a free sample of 5 cards to get started, you can request them by clicking here and I'll mail them to you.

Set daily goals and you'll achieve outstanding results!

The PDA Pro Records a New Audio Program

I'm excited to be able to share a few details about a current project I'm working on. I'm developing an audio program which will be launching in October. I assembled a team to help support me in this project and we have been working diligently all summer long.

The topic is on Follow Up. This is an extremely critical area in sales and can really benefit from the clever use of technology. I was  surprised to find very little material on the topic. It's almost always covered as an afterthought.

I just returned from the recording studio today where I cut the final audio tracks for the program. I have the good fortune of being able to work with Barbara Beal Lopez from Brightfarm Productions. You can't imagine the amount of work that's required to produce a product. It takes an enormous amount of work. I'll be glad when this is done. Of course, then comes marketing and sales. It's all good.

Check back soon for more details. As The PDA Pro, I will continue to provide tips, strategies and advice on sales as well as PDAs and smartphones. My official definition for PDA is Productivity, Discipline and Action. You can increase your Productivity if you exercise Discipline and take Action. And this audio program will give you tips and strategies to develop the discipline to follow up.

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