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

Leo has an interview posted at ZenHabits with none other than the remarkable Stephen Covey, whose work The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People we have been delving into for three weeks. I recommend that you read the comment thread, too, as it is quite animated.

Leo has also released his new e-book:

…the Zen Habits Handbook for Life — it’s a series of my best articles on making your life simpler, on becoming happier, and on getting more productive.

I put this e-book together at the request of a number of readers, who wanted the essential Zen Habits articles gathered in an e-book format. I’m certain you’ll enjoy it!

This book looks to be just as informative as the Zen to Done productivity method that he wrote last year. Click this link to order the book for immediate download, for only $6.95!

As a bonus, if you go to this post on Personal Mission Statements, one of you can win a free copy simply by leaving your own Mission Statement as a Comment. What’s in this e-book, you ask? Well, how about:

Section 1: Simplicity

• Decluttering
• Single-tasking
• Edit Your Commitments
• Eiminate All But the Essentials
• Don’t Do Everything on Your To-do List
• The Art of Doing Nothing
• Declutter Your Mind
• 72 Simplicity Tips
• Eat Slower

Section 2: Productivity

• Purpose Your Day: Most Important Tasks
• Focus on the Big Rocks
• Clear Out Your Inbox
• Clear Your Desk
• Become an Early Riser
• Become Motivated When You’re in a Slump
• Make the Most of Your Laziest Days
• Decompress After High Stress

And more, including an entire section on Happiness. And who couldn’t use a little more happiness in their life.
Thanks, Leo, for sharing.

Nick Cernis writes at Put Things Off, and he has an interesting take on the Prod-blogger movement:

Make no mistake about it — productivity really has become a global industry supporting the livelihoods of thousands.

But right now, its runaway success is starting to become its biggest problem.

Our obsession with ‘productivity’ is getting in the way of our lives.

I think we all need to look at how much time and energy we’re wasting on our quest to become super-productive beings, and remind ourselves instead that simple is often best.

I believe that he is off the mark, because for me, being highly productive is about getting more done in less time so that you do have more time for living your life.

In fact, it’s in my “elevator pitch” that describes what I am aiming for here at Productivity in Context:

“I teach people how to use basic tools and simple practices for taking control of their workflow situation. I write articles and consult on practical ways of being more productive at work and at home.
These practices are designed to give you more time to do the things that matter to you!

I have created custom calendar and organizer products for clients with specific needs that could not find a commercial product to suit them. I’d be happy to get together with you over a cup of coffee and discuss how you feel about your own workflow process.”

I believe that keeping your productivity in context is so important, that I changed the name of this blog!

The tools that you use to be productive, to accomplish your goals, to get on with your life are just that - tools. Yes, you can have an elaborate electronic system or you can use a pencil and scratch paper. Being productive is about doing what is best for you, using whatever tools are comfortable for you to do the job. There are times that your “playtime” is subordinate to your work, and there are times that you can turn off the inputs and take a break.

The key is to find the balance, keep things in the proper context, and get on with your life. That is what Productivity in Context is all about, and if I don’t make a million dollars doing it, so be it.

We can be done and jump for joy!

UPDATE: More thoughts on this at Lifehack.

According to Kineda I have reached the B-list!

What does that mean?

The High Authority Group [B-List Bloggers]
(100-499 blogs linking in the last 6 months)
The third group represents a decided shift in blog age while not blogging much more frequently than the last. In keeping with the theme of the maturation of the blogosphere, it seems evident that many of these bloggers were previously in category two and have grown in authority organically over time. In other words, sheer dedication pays off over time.

This is a pretty cool thing and I want to thank everyone for reading.

Welcome to part three of the series on how to implement the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in a Getting Things Done-style system.

For those of you who may not have read Stephen Covey’s landmark book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I encourage you to click that link and get a copy of your own.

Today’s post will focus on how to implement the first two habits into your GTD practice. The first two habits are most powerful at the “runway” level of thinking and activity. This is where the action really takes place, where things get done. Being Proactive and Beginning with the End in Mind are the habits that are the building blocks of your workflow.

The third habit is a tool for higher-level thinking and planning, so we will examine the third habit, Put First Things First, later this week.

Your Workflow process

As a reminder, the Getting Things Done workflow is designed to be an overlay upon your own working style and methods. Utilizing the first two habits of highly effective people is essential to beginning the GTD workflow process.

Collect
Process
Organize
Review
Do

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Being proactive means that you observe your environment for contextual cues that aid you in deciding what you should be doing right now. As you can see in the diagram, “Stuff” enters your In-box, or is captured in some fashion, and these inputs need to be addressed.

Identifying the input is the first step, followed by “Is it actionable?“. This is where being proactive comes in to play. As you develop this habit, you will learn to assign a proper context to each input, whether the item is something that should be done at home, at work, in front of the computer, on the phone, etc. Once you have decided on whether or not to act on this input immediately, you move to step three.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

Read the rest of this entry »