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I am a small business Conversation Consultant and public speaker that uses the power of the internet to leverage your success. Productivity in Context is a web magazine focused on Productivity and tools for organizing. Make this your headquarters for improving your life and work through increased mindfulness, education, and workflow practices.

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Today’s post is from Mike St. Pierre of The Daily Saint

His name is Bob and he’s a landscaper.  A super nice guy who works his tail off and has a beautiful home.  He also happens to be my neighbor.  What makes Bob more than a blog post is that he’s constantly working on his yard.  Cutting down trees,  trimming shrubs, planting grass.  Makes sense since he’s a professional.

Each year, I watch Bob ramp up in the Spring for what will be another round of yard projects and each year I fantasize about what it would be like to really Get Things Done in my own yard, which isn’t shabby in its own right.  As I watched him spread some grass seed yesterday while our family was sitting down for dinner, one thought crossed my mind…

Game on.

This year, I plan to use the GTD methodology to go from project plan to project done. I wrote 9 Ways to Take the Stress Out of House Repair for LifeHack and a quick review of that article is a good primer for anyone who owns a home and is trying to do some repairs.

For me, I’ll use the following (simple) system for this year’s projects:

1. List projects now and as they come into my head; put them in one place so it will be easy to find them.
2. Collect photos, ideas, etc. in two places.  In my journal, I’ll keep the master project list and insert clippings from the newspaper or magazines.  On my MAC, I’ll use Evernote for web clippings.  My iPhone version of Evernote will also come in handy.
3. I’ll then sketch out a tentative time frame for my projects, prioritizing them in a fluid way that allows for flexibility.  In other words, in the Spring, I’ll do X and in June, I’ll tackle Y.
4. I’ll also use some key dates as benchmarks.  My daughter’s first Communion party will be in May so that’s a good date to keep in mind.  July 4th weekend is also key as we’ll have folks over, etc.
5. Get it done. By not tackling four projects at one time, I’ll aim for one project from start to finish, then move on to the next one.

I’m thankful for my neighbor.  Without him, I might not have the motivation to do some home improvements that will ultimately make our yard more enjoyable.  How about you?  What’s your system for getting things done around the house?

Resources for the Road

GTD at Home: Your Family Can Get Things Done

Michael Sampson: Applying GTD at Home

Kelly Forrister: Building Your GTD House

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/c4dpvy. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Today’s post is from Mike St. Pierre of The Daily Saint

Collaboration is hot once again, but this time for more dire reasons.  People are fighting to keep their jobs and scared of losing their livelihood.  With a down economy, collaborative folks have an advantage.  With each act of collaboration, they add value to themselves and expand their sphere of influence.

Here are 10 ways to collaborate in a down economy:

1. Prepare more thoroughly for meetings.  This may seem basic (and it is) but too many folks simply show up and forget that they also have to show out.  By reviewing meeting minutes, asking insightful questions and being nice to colleagues, the collaborative guy/gal gets more done via meetings.
2. Follow up wherever and whenever needed.  Think of all of the areas at home and at work where you can follow up.  The next time you promise to do something (”let me get back to you” or “I’ll send you that email contact”), write it down and then process your notes later in the day.
3. Go the extra mile, especially when it’s not expected.  Do the small things that separate you from the average worker.  Make the call, write the note, do the research.  Surprise others with your exemplary customer service.
4. Reach out to those who are struggling.  Few things are remembered more than when a person reaches out to someone in need.  Attend the funeral, viewing or memorial service.  Aid someone who is having a tough time.
5. Line yourself up for a hot project.  What new endeavor at work can you be a part of?
6. (Work) outside the box. You’ve heard of thinking outside the box?  Now try working outside your own facility by doing freelance work on the side.  This is a great way to stay fresh in your field and earn some extra income.
7. Social network with people you’ll never meet. Experiment with Twitter if you do nothing else in the next year.  David Allen has been on Twitter for nearly two weeks and has 100,000 followers.  That’s a wow in my book.
8. Publish for people you want to meet.  Volunteer to write an article for someone or some organization that you enjoy.  Many articles that I’ve published have come as a result of me reaching out to the publisher.  Don’t wait for someone to discover you- become discovered through your own ingenuity.
9. Blog because you can.  Blogging expands the creative capacity and gets things off your chest.  Try it out via Wordpress.com or Typepad.com.
10. Listen empathically when you’re tempted to give up. Above all other steps, be a listener. As someone who wants to collaborate, it’s critical that you actually care about those around you.  People can spot a phony.  Dig in, get to know those around you and let your listening be a vehicle to care for them on a deeper level.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/d8mpyl. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

I have a new post at work.life.creativity:

Scott Ginsburg has a great column in the latest newsletter from Jeffrey Gitomer. In the article he discusses a double-handful of ways that you can make someone feel important, valued, and needed. These are, of course, important ways to develop and enhance your relationship with your team at work, even your family and friends.

I was struck by three of these tips, involving the use of notes:

3. Take notes. Taking notes is proof. Taking notes keeps you mindful in the conversation. Taking notes honors someone’s thoughts. Taking notes is respectful. Taking notes increases someone’s self-esteem. Not to mention, if you don’t write it down, it never happened. Do you carry a notebook or jotter with you at all times?

Read more Note-taking and Relationships >>

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/ctvzmq. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen

Today’s post is from Mike St. Pierre of The Daily Saint

There are so many reasons why it makes sense to live close to where you work.  Whether it’s saving on gas, being closer to those you love or decreasing stress, it almost always makes sense to live within 25 minutes of work.

Unless of course you’re like most people who simply cannot do this.

Consider the data:

• Americans spend approximately 100 hours commuting to work each year (US Census)
• The average commute is nearly 87 minutes (ABC News)
• More Americans than ever before are commuting from suburb to suburb (Management issues)

I spent nearly a decade driving to work a distance of over 20 miles each way.  That’s not so extreme in the big picture and there are certainly some huge benefits to a commute of that distance.  These include:

• Learning via audio books; this is a tremendous advantage to commuting as you can consume vast amounts of information in no time.  Drive time becomes learning time.
• Decompressing; depending on what kind of driving you do (backroads, public transit, highway, etc.), commuting more than 20 miles can serve as a kind of decompression system.  Many people arrive home with the day already put into perspective.
• Your personal life is really yours; when you’re not that close to where you work, you’ll run into folks you know less often and feel more able to be yourself and enjoy your family.  For teachers, this is especially helpful.
• Prayer; no I’m not talking about praying for the guy who just cut you off (although that’s not a bad idea!).  Rather, commuting can be a great time for the Rosary or even for just talking with God about your day.  Try this one out.

I’m someone who makes the best of it, whether I’m commuting a long distance or, as I do now, living closer to work.  What would be my ideal commute?  I would live about 10 miles from work, using scenic roads as my primary route and with a few backup routes in case of traffic.  Most of all, I’d be able to get to my family in the case of an emergency in less than 30 minutes.  Now that would be ideal.

THE GTD PERSPECTIVE

If GTD teaches us anything, it’s that getting things out of your head is an important step within productive living.  During the commute, it’s vital to have a capture tool at hand.  If a pad and paper is doable (public transit users can relate), then have these on hand.  I’ve found the pad of paper that sticks to your windshield is a nice idea but leaves a mark on the glass and can be difficult to reach.

Other capture devices which may work for you: audio recorder, iPhone or cell phone equivalent, or even a laptop computer.  The key: find something which works for you and then use it often.  Get things out of your head.

The follow up is then as important as the initial series of brain dumps.  Be sure to take the time to process your reminders and to-dos.  Some good resources for this include Jott which allows voice recordings to be transcribed into email.  I’ve been using reQall for my iPhone which seems to do about the same thing.

I don’t think that a GTD practitioner is really an either/or kind of person: either a short commute or long one.  Rather, it’s about using your time in a way that clears your head so that you can focus on higher level thinking.  A thorough follow up can then make all the difference.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/dz8jox. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen