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This is a project that has been on my back burner for a while. Up to now I have just been saving things in folders and labeling/tagging as best I can. I started the PKM Forum to generate some discussion about setting up an Indexing/Reference system, with lackluster results so far.

Read this post for inspiration, then log in to the Forum and let me know what you think. What tools or systems do you use? Registration is free, and there are no ads. I am afraid that I have to have registrations to keep out the crazy sex spam-bots.

murtworld

A reference system can be built from everything from a single text file to a vast array of customized databases. The key here, as with many things in life, is to go as simple as possible but no simpler (yes, Einstein). I struggle with this, tending to attempt to make complicated systems to mirror life, which is complex. Simpler systems will reduce stress and you will also remove the inefficient time spent maintaining an elaborate system (granted, you may also become bored once your fiddling has been taken away). You may think that adding 29 custom fields to each entry or devising an intricate ontology to represent your knowledge model is a good use of your time (I’ve thought this before, too), but I doubt that it really is. The essence of a reference system is to enter information easily and retrieve information easily.

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Are you Analog or Digital? Or a little of each?

In Ready for Anything, David Allen discusses the value of using both paper and his computer for notes and planning:

“I love the high-tech/high-touch dance of handwriting notes and then assimilating and processing them into the computer. I often coach people who are looking for the perfect way to use only one or the other - all paper or all computer. I’ve found that doing both increases the use and value of both. [emphasis mine, ed.]

I carry a paper organizer and a project notebook, but I keep my project information on the web. I make handwritten notes for planning and brainstorming, then type them up into a text document or spreadsheet, or even load them into a mind mapping program. I have found that using a notebook or Circa PDA for my ubiquitous capture device or ubiquitous capture tool is just handier than using n electronic device.

I agree that using both types of tools increases my capacity for being creative, and allows for revision and editing as I do the transfer. Sometimes just the act of typing up quick notes will spark an idea or suggest a link that I had not noticed before. This method also allows me to use the initial notes as a ‘rough draft’ of my thoughts. The act of transcribing them into digital notes is a way of refining, magnifying and clarifying these thoughts.

Now it is your turn. What is your favorite writing tool? A paper notebook, or an electronic device? Why? And is there a way that you could do or capture more if you combined your system?

As the end of the year approaches it is time for the inevitable navel-gazing that productivity Pr0n addicts love. It is, of course, time to update my “Killer GTD Setup” post to reflect 11 months of learning, practicing, working and tweaking. Some things have changed quite a bit, others have stayed the same. So let’s get started!

One thing that has stayed the same is the most important part of my practice - my “home base”, the In-box and Tickler file. I used to have two of them - a Tickler at home and one at work, which I would carry back-and-forth far too much of the time. (Which sort of defeated the purpose of having two!) This is a picture of the In-box, Out-box, and (now defunct) Work Tickler.

Since my wife and I moved to the back woods of Maine in November, some of our routines have had to change a little (a lot!). Since there is no home mail delivery we must go to the Post Office for the incoming mail. And not every day either, because it is 6 miles away.

Going to get the mail has become a task that has to be scheduled. So, obviously the in-box does not have as high a frequency of inputs from the outside world any more!

The Tickler File has become indispensable to me. I just use the one now, at home, and it is where I file those papers and notes that are date-specific but will not physically fit into my calendar (which I refuse to load with notes and extraneous “Stuff”).

One of us will go to the Post Office for the mail, my wife will takes what she needs, and put the rest in the In-box.

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When I get to a point where I can process it, I will do so quickly:

• Tickle the bills for the date of the next Weekly Review,
• Toss the junk,
• Do what may need to get addressed immediately,
• and Defer the rest to an appropriate time (usually Weekly Review day again).

It is a very simple and user-friendly approach.

How does it work?

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest post is by Al at 7P Productions.

This is the conclusion of the ACE series, where I compare it with SMART and EASIER.

Part 1 of the series introduced ACE (Assess, Commit, Execute) which can be used for both simple and large tasks and goals, and part 2 of the series explained in more details of how ACE can be used for the larger tasks. The ACE system was something I created to help myself, and I was compelled to post it since I also came across SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistic, and Time-bound) and EASIER (Envision, Assess, Strategize, Implement, Evaluate, and Report), which were both similar to ACE.

The ACE steps are straightforward for smaller tasks, but can expand for larger tasks. From the previous post in this series, here is a summary of the full ACE system:

• Assess: Check the cost, then see if you can afford it under its TERMs (Time, Effort, Resource, and Money).
• Commit: Go through the 3 C’s. Does the task or goal fit into context with your master plan? Remember you have the choice to not commit. If you do commit, conceptualize a successful execution of the task.
• Execute: Do not hesitate and execute through completion. Use milestones for long-term projects.

SMART is a good acronym to help set goals, which is what is happening also in the Assess step above. ACE is more of an beginning-to-end system, which EASIER is also. The main difference I see between the two is that EASIER helps with the large goals and ACE is simple enough for small goals but can expand for big goals as well.

From a side-by-side comparison, I see each system being complete for what they are trying to do. Instead of picking the overall best from the three, I would say the best is the one that specifically suits your need. If you need help just to set goals, SMART is a popular acronym that other people may already know about. If you’re looking for something from beginning-to-end system, I’d say go for either ACE or EASIER. I think ACE is easier to remember (pardon the pun), and I like how ACE is a three-step process for simple tasks, but can be more involved for larger tasks when needed (however, since I’m the one who came up with ACE, I am a little biased).

Epilogue
It was also noted by Lisa Gates that there should be a “pre-assess” step as well, in order to establish core values as necessary anchors. I totally agree with this viewpoint, because setting goals without a master plan is basically being in a rush to get to nowhere. Some sort of long-term planning, even life-long planning, is needed before any of all this is meaningful.