Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: In Context Blog

There have been quite a few new subscribers over the past couple of weeks, so I thought that I would roll out the red carpet for you all. Thank you for subscribing, I know that your time is valuable and I work to provide value for your investment of time.

Links to GTD Basics

This blog is a record of my Getting Things Done practice, as well as commentary on Leadership, New Media, Web 2.0, and the Future of Work. Here are a few links that go back into the archives, discussing some of the basic features of Getting Things Done productivity:

• The complete set-up
• Tickler File
• Create your own Organizer
  
• Weekly Review
• Goal-setting
• Changing Your Habits

Guest Posts and Book Reviews

HD BizBlog is proud to be host two great guest columnists every week, Al from 7pproductions on Mondays, and Mike St. Pierre’s GTD Cafe every Wednesday. There is always room for additional writers who would like to get involved in the HD BizBlog community. Please send an e-mail ( stephen [at] hdbizblog [dot] com ) if you are interested in contributing.

I have reviewed a handful of books and productivity gear, you can see those efforts here:

• How, by Dov Seidman
• Made to Stick, by Chip & Dan Heath
• The 360 Degree Leader, by John C. Maxwell
• Everyone’s an Expert, by Seth Godin
• Also, my thoughts and inspirations via The Cluetrain Manifesto, the most important business book of the past 20 years!
• The Bubble Planner, a new vision in planning and organizing.
  
• Rollabind Notebook

This is only a short list of what is available. Please take a look around at your leisure, and feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.

The Sidebar

There is an awful lot of information in the sidebar, including Microchannels on the assorted category tags, links to other productivity blogs, Resource pages, a list of books on productivity and personal growth (via Amazon affiliate links), and the GTD System lens at Squidoo. The lens has a Plexo with a list of top GTD and Productivity blogs where you can vote for your favorite, or add your own to the running. (There are also some ads in the sidebar, a necessary evil for defraying the hosting costs. Clicking the links helps me help you, it can’t hurt!)

“Coming Attractions”

Some of the posts and projects that I am working on include:

• More on The Art of Productivity
• A set of “How-to” e-books and training courses
• A new theme and organization scheme
• A 2008 version of the GTD Calendar (full- and half-page) (Click here, it’s ready!)

Thank you again for reading and subscribing, I am looking forward to seeing the community continue to grow. Please, leave a comment, I would love to hear your feedback.

You may have noticed that there is a new widget in the sidebar, it is a syndication tool by a new site called BlogRush. It is a quick and easy way for my readers to find other posts and blogs on related topics. From the BlogRush about page:

By adding the BlogRush Widget to a blog, a blogger can get instant distribution for their latest blog post titles across a network of related blogs.

BlogRush users earn “syndication credits” (the right to have their blog post titles shown inside a widget on another related blog) based on their own traffic (loads of the widget) as well as the traffic of other users they refer to BlogRush. Users can automatically refer others to BlogRush via special links on the widget, as well as through the promotion of a special referral URL they are given.

And who doesn’t want more traffic for their blog? Click here for more info and to sign up for the BlogRush Service.

Today we feature a guest post from Al at 7pproductions:

Saying “No” to New Commitments

Are there activities in your life that you wish you were doing but didn’t
have time to do it? Time on projects that you want to do on but can’t?
Time with friends or family? Time with yourself?

If this sentiment is strong with you, then you most likely are saying
“yes” to too many commitments. Realize that when you say yes, you are
saying “no” at the same time to all the other possibilities that were your
options without realizing it. When you say yes at work for a task, you
are saying no to other tasks that may be more valuable to you and your
company. When you say yes to working late, you are saying no to either
your friends, family, or yourself for personal time. Since you’re already
saying no to something all the time, the key is to learn when to say no.

Saying no is not always a selfish act – it took me a long time to arrive
at this conclusion. If a someone asks me for a favor, I’m such a
people-pleaser that I’m a sucker for saying yes as a reflex. However, by
taking my time and energy to help this person, I will have less to do the
things that are important me and those that are important in my life.
Saying yes to everyone is cheating the people who are closest to me.

There is an art to saying no… here are seven ways of saying no to a new
commitment:

1.Up-front honesty: Typically this is the simplest and best approach. If
they know the true reason why you aren’t saying yes, then they can judge
whether to approach you for the next situation, which actually might be
for a good opportunity where you would want to say yes to.

2.Redirection: Point that person to a direction (another person, another
approach) where they will have a better chance of finding a yes. If you
are a person who can redirect someone to an effective alternative, you
will still be considered valuable.

3.Letting the other person say no for you: Don’t bear all the burden! If
you know that saying yes in this situation is saying no to a more
important situation, then just present your case and let the other person
say no for you.

4.Not now, but later: The word “maybe” is sometimes a good euphemism for
“no.”

5.Circumstances: Sometimes it’s not a choice at all… you have prior
commitments, or conflicts of interest, or whatever. Circumstances is
saying no, not you. Make sure it’s legitimate though, since integrity is
also important.

6.Be Polite: If none of the above options are viable, then a polite “no”
should do the trick. You risk the chance of being perceived as an
unhelpful person, but sometimes you simply have to politely say no without
going through the messy details of the other approaches.

7.Be Blunt: This is the tactic against the persistent salesperson. Sometimes
the emphatic “no” is the only “no” they’ll hear.

As September comes to a close, I am getting ready to go through the process of my second Quarterly Review, an expansion of the Weekly Review that is a foundation of the Getting Things Done practice.

This will be an especially important Review, as there are some big changes and opportunities coming up in the near future (watch this space for more info!) for my wife and for me.

Quarterly Review: The Basics

I recommend that you keep a notepad or your capture notebook handy while you work through the Review. If you are inspired during the process you certainly do not want the idea to get away! These notes will come in handy during the Brainstorming portion of the Review.

There are six steps to the Review, and if one wishes to be productive and achieve the goals you have set, they are all important. The six steps are presented here in the order that I use for maximum effect. My ADD requires that large-scale undertakings like this be executed in a very orderly fashion, or I will get distracted and lose my motivation.

The order may not be so important, however, depending on your personal style and energy levels. I tend to need some creative inspiration and let things ‘percolate’ for a bit before I get serious about getting into Creative Brainstorming. If you tend to be more creative when your mind is fresh and clear, then by all means do the Brainstorming first.

1. Review 3-5 Year Goals - Is the goal still worthwhile? Can it be moved up to the 1-2 Year Goal category? If you do not want your long-term goals to stay long-term, eventually they will need to be advanced. Is there anything that you can do this next Quarter to get closer?
2. Review Career Goals - This is often one of the hardest questions that you can ask yourself, “Are you where you want to be?” I suggest that you schedule an appointment with a Mentor, in order to help you evaluate this area. If you do not have a mentor relationship, set aside some time to approach prospective mentors and develop this relationship.
3. Review your Purpose - What is it that you are ultimately working to achieve? Are your principles still in line with your goals? A lot can happen in three months, and it is a very good idea to spend some time at the 50,000 foot level, thinking about the highest-level goals.
4. Review your Lifestyle - You may not think that your Lifestyle has anything to do with accomplishing your goals, but those of us dealing with ADD know that lifestyle choices and practices have a large impact. This is the time to consider adopting one or two positive changes that you can make this quarter in order to improve your lifestyle.
5. Review your Support Files - Your Archives, Resource Files, and Tickler File are the base of your Support. You should clean, clear, and organize these files quarterly in order to maintain their use as a reference and to spark ideas in your mind. Keep a notepad and pen handy while you review these files in order to capture these ideas.
6. Brainstorm Creative Ideas - Now that you have reviewed long- and medium-term goals, evaluated your Purpose and Lifestyle, and organized your Support Files, you should have a short list of ideas or concepts on your handy notepad. This is the time for unstructured thinking and generating wild ideas. Envision spectacular success. Imagine what you might do if you knew you could not fail.

David Allen describes Getting Things Done as “advanced common sense”, and I think that you will agree. Following these steps may be somewhat time consuming, but they represent an investment in your future - if you do not know where you are, how can you get where you want to be?

The Next Step

The implementation is obviously going to take a while. I suggest that you set an appointment with yourself in your calendar when you can be sure of interruption-free work time. Approaching this Review with a serious mind can add a lot to your personal productivity and goal fulfillment.

If you found this article useful, I ask that you consider supporting my efforts here by purchasing a tool I developed called 68 Worksheets - The Weekly Review Workbook, a DIY set of checklists for the Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly Reviews which you can download ($2.95, PayPal account required, click here) .

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