When You Can’t See the Forest

It’s probably only natural to get caught up in details: the how and the what over the why. Big-picture or big-vision thinking is abstract, requires risk and assumption, course-correction and resolve, and it requires faith that something that can (for now) only be seen in your mind will manifest itself someday, if only you stay the course and do those things that will help you make progress for the long run.

Details are much easier. The payoff and turnaround are generally faster, and things are much more obvious. You know what you need to do. There are websites to build, team members to hire, tools and services to research and test, and so on. The list is endless, but with each of these tasks, we have a tendency to slip into perfectionism, procrastination, and avoidance of more important roles and responsibilities within the company. That’s the misstep many small business owners make, which makes it much more likely we’ll flounder or even fail.

Working On What Counts

I’ve been making myself do this exercise fairly often in recent weeks. Businesses are cyclical in some ways, and now is one of those times in my business where things are expanding and growing, so there’s a lot of temptation to forget the forest and concentrate on the trees. Stepping back every once in a while forces me to see if I’ve gotten off track.

I ask myself one simple question, “What counts?” I have a stack of to-dos and ideas I’d like to implement within the company, but when I ask this question, all of a sudden things come into focus and I know where my priorities lie.

Sure, there are still “odds and ends” tasks that need to be done, things like hiring more help and delegating responsibilities that still need to be done by someone; just maybe not by me or the other members on my team who have their own “What Counts” lists.

By doing this exercise, I see that I really have only a handful of responsibilities that count. These are things that have to be done every day, consistently, to move the big vision forward; these are the things I know will have the biggest impact on the success of the company.

Finding Your Own “What Counts” List

If you’re a small business owner, especially, your business is your baby, and it’s hard to let go of the feeling that you have to be the person to tend to it, that things have to be perfect, and that if you don’t obsess about every little detail, something terrible will happen.

Not only is this a good way to run yourself in the ground, it’s also a good way to run your business in the ground, because that kind of intensity will burn you out. You have to be willing to step back and allow some things to be less than perfect and to trust that someone other than yourself can do just as good a job (maybe even a better one) at taking care of certain responsibilities within your business.

As you sit down to make your own “What Counts” list, be willing to let go and be willing to call on outside help, if you need it. Be honest when asking yourself, “What counts?” Really, what counts?

Chances are, your responsibilities will fall into just a few categories: promoting your business; developing products and services; and creating and building relationships with others. Even with those, however, some things will still be handed off to other members of your team, so for instance, you may handle certain aspects of your promotion (writing guest posts, for example), while an assistant handles related aspects of those same tasks (pitching guest posts to bloggers). You have to find those few core activities where you add the greatest value to your business and then fill in the gaps with support staff.

At the end of the day, by ensuring that both you and your team members spend at least 80 percent of your time working only on what counts, you stand a much greater chance of seeing your business to success and building something sustainable for the long term.

What do you think counts most for a small business owner trying to build a successful business?

Photo by Flickr user .curt., licensed under CC 2.0

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):

• Enabling the Web Work Revolution
• Report: The Real-Time Enterprise
• Social Media in the Enterprise

First Step: Set Days for Set Projects

I had several main projects that were most important to me at the time, so I decided to reserve certain days of the week for each of them. Here’s a rough overview of how I set up my week.

• Mondays: Project A
• Tuesdays: Projects B and C (since they’re closely related)
• Wednesdays: Writing and Project D
• Thursdays: Projects B and C
• Fridays: Project A

Second Step: One-Stop Organization

It was important that I had one way of tracking what needed to be done, rather than using five different tools to manage bits and pieces of my schedule and to-do list, so I started condensing things down until I was left with just a couple of tools to keep me in line.

I started using Tom’s Planner (which I also use for managing my editorial calendars) for organizing my recurring weekly schedule: those things I have to do every week on a set day (for example, write my WebWorkerDaily article every Wednesday).

At the start of each day, my first stop is Tom’s Planner, which gives me an overview of the “big rocks” that need to be moved that day.

In addition to Tom’s Planner, I use Google Calendar for managing set appointments and events (for example, phone calls and birthdays), and I try to only book phone calls and other set appointments during specific time frames on certain days of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 PM, for example). This makes me far less likely to overlook something or get my days mixed up.

Great News, It’s Working!

Immediately, I can say that my mind is a lot clearer lately, but there are several other advantages I’ve found so far for compartmentalizing my days.

1. I’m focused and staying true to my priorities. A quick glance lets me know what my top priorities are, as well as the rough percentage of time I’m giving each one. If I want to take on a new project, I quickly think, “What do I have on my plate right now? Well, Mondays I have…, Tuesdays I have…,” which keeps me from over-committing and straying from my top priorities. If I want to take on something new, something else has to go.
2. I’m not constantly shifting gears. Before I started using this method of organizing my time, I jumped from one project to another and felt like I wasn’t giving enough time to any of them. Now, I don’t worry about not giving enough time to any one project. I know, for example, that I will work on Project A tomorrow, so there’s no rush to take my attention off the project I’m working on today.
3. I’m getting more done. At first, I was worried that this strategy might leave me working less on my top projects, and while that has proven to be true in terms of the absolute amount of time I spend on them, I’m actually getting more done for each project, since I’m a lot more focused.

I’m also way more particular about the things I do for each one. On a given day, I know I have to pick the top tasks and hustle to get them done, since I’m not going to pick this project up again for a few days. I’m a lot less likely to get distracted by email, lower priority to-dos, or other things vying for my attention.

The proof is in the pudding. In the past three weeks, here’s what I’ve accomplished.

• Designed a new logo/banner for a new project
• Created a business plan for the new project
• Built a website for the new project
• Wrote and published 13 articles
• Created and published seven audio pieces
• Created and published two newsletters

In the three weeks prior to starting this strategy, here’s what I accomplished.

• Wrote and published 12 articles

Big difference! Plus, I’m spending far fewer actual hours working on any given project, and I feel like I’m working less, even though I’m getting more done.

So, what’s your strategy? Do you have a set way of working to help you move more rocks in less time?

Photo by Flickr user Helico, licensed under CC 2.0

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):

• Are You Empowering Your Mobile Workforce?
• Report: The Real-Time Enterprise
• Who Owns Your Data in the Cloud?

1. Realign with your intentions. Stop everything. Close the social networks, the news feeds, and your email program, and give yourself a fresh start. Get a notebook and pen or open a Zoho or Google document and list your top priorities in life and business right now. What kind of life and business do you want to lead? What is most important to you? Rather than working in reactive mode over the coming week, commit to living proactively and moving your life and business in the direction you want them to go.
2. Choose your “Big Three.” Make a list of the three things that would make the biggest difference in your life or business if you could accomplish them. Think about it. What three things, if achieved, would have the biggest impact on your overall success? In your business, maybe you need to do more marketing and lead generation, or maybe you need to hire a coach, and on the personal side, maybe you need to take better care of your health or spend more time with family. We have a tendency to work on things that are easy, don’t take much time, or are lower in priority, instead of focusing on those few things that would cause the biggest change. This week, take an entirely different approach and spend at least half of your time working on the most important things.
3. Reserve time for your “Big Three.” You’ve listed your absolute top priorities. Now it’s time to adjust your schedule and to-do list to reflect your intentions. Open your calendar and set aside time each day over the coming week to work on each of your top three priorities (see sample calendar below). If possible, reserve the mornings for working on your “Big Three” so that, no matter what happens the rest of the day, you’re sure to make progress on those things that are most important to you.
4. Choose the tasks you will complete this week. In order to move each of your top priorities forward, you have to take specific action steps to help you achieve them. What could you do this week for each of the items on your list to move them forward as much as possible? List one to three specific tasks, depending on complexity, that you could do to make progress around each priority. Create a to-do list (on paper or within an online tool like Backpack), listing them out by day, if necessary.
5. Work from the schedule and list. When you start each day, the first thing you need to do is refer to your preset calendar and to-do list. Do not open email, news feeds, or social networks until you’ve completed your reserved time blocks and all of today’s tasks associated with your “Big Three.” Whatever is in your email inbox can wait.
6. Do a daily recap and setup. At the end of each day, recite your top three priorities so that you stay in alignment with those things that matter most to you. Run through your to-do list to see what you’ve accomplished and what’s left to do over the remainder of the week. Adjust your to-do list to reflect any changes or additions that will help you make even greater progress on your top priorities. Finally, clear your desk and your browser so that you have a clean slate for the next day, and open your calendar and to-do list so that they’ll be the first things you see the next morning.

While it’s not always easy to stay aligned with your priorities and remain proactive when approaching your days, by taking the time to plan ahead and by making a firm commitment to your goals in life and business, you’ll be far more likely to achieve them. Stay focused, remember what’s most important to you, and approach each day with intention and purpose.

What’s your system for staying on track with your goals?

Photo by Flickr user Joe Lanman, licensed under CC 2.0

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Enabling the Web Work Revolution

The Logic Behind Teamly

Scott Allison, the creator of Teamly, was scratching his own itch when he started creating the system: He’d gone from one employee to ten and was having trouble keeping track of the commitments each of those employees made. His organization was a little more loosely structured than other businesses might be, making most project management systems seem like overkill. All Allison needed was a clear picture of what his employees were doing and a way to comment on it. He wanted to make priorities a priority.

Teamly focuses on creating very short priority lists — just five things. The web application allows for setting daily, weekly and monthly priorities. It also allows managers and team members to review those priorities and provides real-time feedback for managers. The tool’s statistics make it easy to see how well an individual is doing at completing the priorities set on any given day.

Allison says, “Most to-do software suffers from the problem that they simply encourage very long and demotivating lists to be written, which you never get round to. By having a short list you think about what you are going to do, and what you are not going to do. Once you’ve achieved it you can be satisfied knowing you’ve done a good day’s work.”

The Right Place for Teamly

It’s unlikely that Teamly would be a good fit in a structured enterprise. Rather, its approach is better with loose systems because it allows for more self-direction for each team member. It can be a good fit for creatives or other professionals who have their own ways of doing things — Allison has gotten responses from GTD users saying it has been particularly useful for providing a high-level view for managers while allowing employees to work within the task management structures that work for them. The best indicator that Teamly would be a good fit for your team is if you’ve felt overwhelmed by the features built into more robust collaboration tools.

Allison notes that Teamly’s future growth will be constrained by the need to keep the tool simple: Additional privacy controls on individual team members’ priorities, a way to keep notes on tasks that aren’t priorities but shouldn’t be lost in the shuffle, and similar features are in the pipeline. Teamly’s creators are also looking at opportunities to integrate Teamly into other applications and create mobile versions.

Teamly is currently in beta and offers a free version for a single user.

Let us know what you think of Teamly in the comments.

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Report: The Real-Time Enterprise

Step 1: Prioritize.

The first step is to prioritize. This applies to deciding what projects you take on in the first place, as well as prioritizing the tasks you do each day.

You have to first decide what projects will get your attention. As a business owner, you might have a hundred different ideas for creating revenue streams or even new marketing strategies you’d like to implement, but you can’t do them all at once. The way I like to prioritize projects is using a real estate method called “highest and best use.”

In real estate, agents value property based upon its highest and best use. For example, a house might actually be better suited as a commercial property, thereby tripling its value. You can use the same technique to value your time. Not all projects are created equal when it comes to creating the most value or the most return on investment. You have to decide which project will generate the most value at this time.

Once you’ve selected the project with the highest likely return on investment, you have to prioritize your tasks and how you spend your time each day. For that, I like to use the “revenue line” concept of Julie Morgenstern, author of “Never Check E-Mail in the Morning.” You never want to be more than three steps away from the revenue line. For a business owner, the first step away from the revenue line are those tasks that are most likely to generate immediate (or more immediate) income. That includes things like working on client projects, creating new products, and even invoicing, since it will lead to revenue right away. Two and three steps away from the revenue include lead generation activities, those that more directly influence your revenue, as well as those that indirectly influence it.

Step 2: Take care of yourself.

When tackling a really big project, you have to take care of yourself so that you maintain your energy and creativity for peak performance. Although it can be tempting to neglect your health and well-being, this is not the time to cut corners. Be sure to set aside enough time for exercising, eating right, and getting enough sleep. Otherwise, you’ll lose your edge and won’t be bringing your best work to the table. You’ll end up sacrificing quality for quantity.

Another less-than-obvious thing to leave room for are all those nagging distractions. For each person this will be different, but if a dirty house or working in your PJ’s distracts you, then make time to take care of those things. Figure out areas you can tolerate neglecting so that you have time to take care of those that will slow you down or bug you.

Step 3: Focus on forward movement and progress.

For big projects, done is better than perfect. You don’t want to get caught up in details, perfectionism and procrastination, so keep your feet to the fire by enforcing strict deadlines.

By holding yourself to a schedule for rolling out this big project, you’ll be a lot less likely to allow minor things to distract you from making real progress. A trick I like to use is to actually cut down the time I allow myself to work on something, so I’ll either cut my deadline by 25 percent or cut my working hours by 25percent so that I’m more likely to focus on the most important tasks of getting a project to completion. If I know I only have six hours to do a job instead of eight, I’m more concentrated on results, rather than things being perfect or allowing myself a lot of down time to check email or for other distractions.

Moving big projects to completion really comes down to cutting through the fat so that you can concentrate on the real work at hand, and that starts with prioritizing the things on your plate, making sure to take care of yourself while you’re working so hard, and focusing on getting the project out the door.

What tricks do you use to help you get through big projects?

Photo by Flickr user Ivan Walsh, licensed under CC 2.0

You don’t need to create an account to start using the app. You can sign in using either your Google or Google Apps account, and you can get going straight away — the basic version of GQueues is free (certain features require paying a $25/year upgrade fee).

GQueues looks quite “Google-y” — if Google decided to make a standalone, more fully featured version of Google Tasks, it would probably look a bit like this. The bulk of the window is taken up by your current to-do list, while on the left-hand side of the page you also have “My Queues” (your to-do list, and any other lists you’ve defined), “Smart Queues” (lists such as overdue items, items due today — you can also define your own Smart Queues) and “Friend Queues” (lists your friends/colleagues have shared with you — sharing and assignment functionality is only available with the paid version of GQueues).

The app is intuitive to use; there’s quite extensive help documentation, including video tutorials, but you probably won’t need them to get going, especially if you’ve used any other task management apps. You can create a new list by clicking the “Add Queue” button, while adding tasks to a list is a matter of clicking the “Add Item” button. You can reorder tasks in a list (and move them between lists) just by dragging and dropping them.

GQueues also supports a range of more advanced task management/organization features, too. As well as being able to define different lists, you can create sub-tasks, add notes and tags to tasks, and assign tasks to other people. You can assign due dates and sync them with Google Calendar (Google Calendar sync is only available on the paid version of GQueues). You can also custom color-code each of your lists, which makes it easy to tell which list you’re working on — useful if you’re working on a number of projects. With its range of features and its Smart Queues, it’d be easy to set up GQueues so it worked as part of a GTD system.

In using GQueues, you get the feeling that the developer has paid attention to the details, the little things that make the app easier and faster to use. For example, regular readers will know that I love keyboard shortcuts as they can be a real productivity booster, so it’s good to see that GQueues has shortcuts for nearly every action. There’s no iPhone app, but you can use an iPhone-optimized version of the site to access your lists on the go. I’m also happy to see that you can export your lists as a CSV file, should you so wish.

I have a couple of features that I’d like to see added to GQueues. The first is task prioritization features — I suppose you can simulate them using tags, but having them built in would be useful, especially for folks used to having them in their current task management app. The second is email integration. One of the reasons that I love Google Tasks (and haven’t switched to a more advanced task management app in my daily work) is its integration with Gmail — I can add an email straight to my tasks list from within my inbox.

All in all, GQueues is a neat task management app. It’s nicely designed, easy-to-use and has a great range of features. If you’re looking for something more powerful and full-featured than Google Tasks, GQueues is definitely worth playing with — most of its features are free, and even those that require the paid upgrade, such as Google Calendar sync and sharing/collaboration, are available with a two-week trial.

Let us know what you think of GQueues below.

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Enabling the Web Work Revolution

(Via Lifehacker)

I often find that when I start spring cleaning my mind becomes flooded with open items that are unresolved. Open items are the tasks, to-do’s, projects, goals, ideas and actions (business or personal) that you need or want to do, but have not yet done. They may be things you need to get done today, or be as far off in the future as retirement.

A good dose of spring cleaning will often bring to the surface a whole slew of these open items. The trick then is to gather them together by writing them down so that you don’t have to waste valuable mental real estate trying to keep track of them.

Think of your brain like your computer’s hard drive – it can only hold so much information. When a hard drive reaches its capacity, it starts to slow down and wonky things happen. By capturing your open items on a list your brain is freed up to focus on what’s in front of you right now.

Just taking the time to capture all the open items in your life and write them down can dramatically improve your ability to focus and get things done. So to drain your brain for spring, do the following:

• Go through all your physical spaces at work and home. Look through your desk drawers, desktop, in-basket, office closets, cupboards, shelves and file drawers and make a master to-do list of anything that needs to be done based on what you see. For example, as you look through your file drawer, perhaps you need to: Clean out last years financial file and store the receipts; make file folder labels for the most recently added documents; follow up with a potential client, whose business card you found stuck in one of the folders.
• Go through your electronic spaces. Look through your email inbox, PDA and voicemail messages and add any action items to the existing master to-do list that you are not going to handle immediately and are not recorded elsewhere. This could include, for example: An email from a colleague requesting you make a few changes to a report you wrote; a voice message from a customer about possible dates for a conference; an email from your professional association announcing their fund raiser.
• Go through your own brain. Look through your own mind and using the source list above write down any relevant to-do items. Once you have done this final emptying out, you can keep this system squeaky clean by adding to your master to-do list anything that pops into your head.

Some people prefer to keep a master list of all these various and sundry to-do items and transfer them to a daily or weekly to-do list as needed. Others prefer a detailed breakdown of the master list into more defined categories.

While this is just a simple way to get started, if you get really into it – and find you’re running high on all the juice your generating from capturing your open items – you might like to consider using a system like Getting Things Done (GTD). GTD’s inventor, David Allen, also has a new book out, “Making It All Work.” I haven’t read it yet, but my husband has it by his nightstand and he’s been reading bits and pieces, here and there.  It contains a detailed process for capturing your open to-do items and a whole system for how to process them.

What tips do you have for getting unresolved open items out of your head and organized?

Photo by stock.xchng user lusi

I signed up for a free Nozbe account to check out the integration between the tools. Evernote replaces Nozbe’s note-taking component, offering a wealth of new options, including access though Evernote’s web interface, desktop client, and mobile device applications. Activating the integration follows a process similar to  integrating Evernote with Twitter (covered here) and Cliqset (covered here). The integration between Evernote and third-party applications is clean and easy for even non-technical users to complete thanks to the Evernote API.

The integration makes use of tags to tie your Evernote notes into your Nozbe account. You create tags in Evernote that correspond to a Nozbe project name or context, and Nozbe searches through your Evernote account for tags that correspond to your projects or contexts and makes the notes accessible in your account. For example, I created a tag “Nozbe Integrates with Evernote” in my Evernote account. When I synced my Nozbe account with my Evernote account, the tagged notes appeared in my Nozbe account in the “Evernote Notes” section. Your tag appears at the bottom of the note as the name of your Nozbe project. If you are new to tagging or still trying to formalize how you use tags to organize your data, just make sure your tags are descriptive and correspond with your Nozbe project names (including capitalization) and you’ll have no problems getting this integration to rock.

In Nozbe, you can only view your Evernote notes. However, you can put the notes into any contexts you set up for your Nozbe projects.

While I am not a card-carrying GTD user, I do use some its principles in my current workflow, so I find this integration useful and think that it improves upon Evernote’s already strong feature set and its ease of use. One last bit of advice: if, like me, you sometimes aren’t as strict about syncing as you should be, to make best use of this integration, you’ll need to get into the syncing habit.

Have you tried out Nozbe’s integration with Evernote? What do you think of it?

I spent the morning on a Windows 7 article that I needed to finish. Several emails came in. “No problem.” I thought, “I can handle them in the afternoon.”  Every Wednesday at noon, I have a weekly status meeting with a client. It forced the article and my eyes to take a break from each other.

At the end of the meeting, my day crashed with a thunderous roar. More email requests had arrived. Like the rain, the work started to pour in. This doesn’t happen often, but it turned this organized planner into a panicky gal. Plus, I managed to lock myself out of an important account, something I never do.

One of my worst habits is checking email too often. I do this because I don’t want my inbox to pile up. I scan my emails frequently and then delete, file, respond or or leave them for later if the message needs more than a few minutes of my time. On this day, many of the messages met the “leave” requirement. So they remained in the inbox where they caused my stress to climb even further.

So what do I do to stop getting overwhelmed like this? Here are the steps that I took to regain control:

• Pick the most urgent task. Complete the task, celebrate accomplishment and get a quick lift.
• Delete email newsletters and updates. You can always catch up on them later, but reducing the number of unread messages is a quick way to reduce the  stress that comes from an overwhelmed inbox.
• Add tasks from emails to the to-do list. Then, prioritize and assign them so I can see what needed doing now and what could wait. This way I can move the emails where they belonged and out of the inbox.
• Skip or postpone events, meetings, appointments, etc. You can always skip or move non-urgent meetings or events to concentrate on urgent matters.I had more meetings than usual that week, so I rescheduled one so I could have more time at the office.
• Let go of social networking. Not forever — just for the day. Though social networking is an essential tool in my business, I let it go that day because I knew it wouldn’t help my productivity or stress levels. Besides, if I had tried, I may not have communicated as well as I do on a normal day. I returned to it the next day.

Although following these steps didn’t completely cure that feeling of being overwhelmed (there were still a lot of email to deal with), it definitely helped to regain a sense of control and order.

How do you handle overwhelming situations?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

The days and weeks run together, and everything seems to be moving at lightening speed. Even though the impulse is to run as fast as you can to keep up, sometimes the best thing you can do is stop, see where you are, and adjust the course of a runaway train.

As a small business owner, it’s possible to have several projects going on at any given point, and unfortunately, there are many occasions where the one that makes the most noise and fuss is the one that gets the majority of available attention. Time goes by, and the most important things get pushed aside for the most desperate.

Getting it all back under control is actually pretty simple. It’s done with a weekly review.

Step 1: Stop

Pressing forward aimlessly just because there’s so much to be done can actually be counter-productive. Taking time to gain big-picture perspective and then purposefully resuming work can help you get more done in less time. Although it can be tempting to simply start fighting the next fire in your path, stop doing everything and commit to getting a better hold on your load.

Step 2: See Where You Are

You can’t evaluate and prioritize without knowing what’s on the radar, so you need to lay it all on the table for sorting. Go through your email, notes, open projects, and someday-maybe list to see what exactly has to be done. Next, make a list of what’s important to you. What is it that you want to do? What do you want to accomplish?

Be realistic about what’s on your plate. Assign deadlines to every project and decide what’s doable and what should be eliminated or delegated. Simply removing some tasks and projects from your to-do list can bring clarity around what’s left to be done.

Step 3: Re-balance Your Load

Now that you know what projects are left to be completed, figure out how to balance the load. Hire a VA to help with menial tasks or things that take you away from your core responsibilities and projects. Batch your work so that you reduce the times you have to switch gears throughout the day or week. Find tools and systems to streamline your work and make you more productive. One example, I do a lot of interviews for the Upstart Smart blog and podcast. Coordinating schedules is very cumbersome and requires a lot of concentration and care to avoid double-booking and overextending myself. By simply using TimeDriver, I’m able to set my availability once and then interviewees can pick the times that work best for their schedules, saving me tons of time and frustration. That one quick adjustment has made my life so much easier.

Step 4: Set Up a Schedule

Block out set times that you’ll devote to the big rocks you need to move each day. Create uninterrupted windows where you can give 100 percent of your attention to making progress on each project. This doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment. You’re simply deciding how you’ll spend your time for the coming week. You’re intentionally laying out a plan that will help you move things forward. If things mess up or don’t work perfectly, you can adjust the schedule and course again next week.

Step 5: Abide by the Schedule

A plan does you no good if you don’t look at it on a regular basis. Your schedule should stay open every minute of your day so that you refer to it often. If you think you’ll get sidetracked by email or surfing the Internet, be realistic about it. Put that in your schedule, too. Set aside dedicated blocks of time for email or simply checking your RSS feeds. That way, you’ll know that you have time for that coming up, too, but that right now, your focus is on the project at hand.

Step 6: Rinse and Repeat

Each week, set aside dedicated time to evaluate where you are and where you’re going. Figure out your most important projects and tasks for the coming week and hold them in your mind. By clearly identifying them, you can quickly check in with yourself and see if you’re focusing on the right things and moving your business in the direction you want it to go.

How do you ensure that you make progress in your business? What tools and tricks do you use to keep a runaway train on track?

Image from Flickr by by doug88888

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

One helpful tip was her organizational system: a box.

“Everyone has his or her own organizational system. Mine is a box. I start every [project] with a box. I write the project name on the box, and as [it] progresses, I fill it up with every item that went into the making of the [project].”

This resonated with me since I like to think of all of my work in terms of projects, and at any given point, I usually have several of them going on. I’ve modified the idea a bit for my purposes.

The box concept provides a way to become better organized so that capturing, processing, and actually taking action on information becomes seamless.

Step 1: Capturing Information

The first step in any organizational system has to be capturing information. I’ve tried almost every possibility, but the one that works best for me is simple pen and paper. I like to use a small binder (the kind that holds 8 1/2″ by 5 1/2″ pages) as my capture device.

Step 2: Purging and Organizing

Once I accumulate twenty pages or so (usually a couple of times per week), I purge my notes and put everything online into my favorite organizational tool Backpack.

• Article/Podcast Ideas. I use Backpack’s writeboard feature to file beginnings of article/podcast ideas. I put one idea per writeboard and title each writeboard by topic or idea. Then I write out any initial thoughts about the article or podcast within the writeboard. Once I’m ready to flesh out the idea further, it goes into a Zoho Writer document.
• Other Notes and To-Dos. Other notes and to-dos generally go into one of my Backpack “boxes” (see image below).

Within Backpack, my box pages are all tagged as “Boxes” and then removed from my sidebar so that I can just click on the “Boxes” tag and see all of them at once (plus, this keeps my sidebar clean).

I currently have eight boxes, and they’re based on my open projects. All other ideas go into my “Someday/Maybe” page. My open projects at this point are kind of context-based and fall into one of the three moving parts (or income buckets) for my business — coaching for solo entrepreneurs, web site design, and writing. I sub-divide the writing boxes so that I keep them separated by medium (blog, newsletter, podcast, writing gigs, etc.).

Within each “box” (or Backpack page), I have notes and to-dos related to each project. I generally create separate to-do lists for each sub-project within those boxes. In my radio page/box, for instance, I have each episode broken down into a separate to-do list, and I can then drag and drop the episodes so that I know which one is up next.

Step 3: Taking Action

Of course, all the organizing in the world won’t help, if I never take action on the information collected, so I use a couple of other tools to help me with this step.

• My Calendar. I have to take action on each of the boxes at some point each week, so I have time blocks to accommodate them within my Google Calendar (see image to right). When I get to a time block, I set an alarm for the time allotted, open the corresponding “box,” and get to work. I stop when the alarm goes off and move on to the next thing on my calendar. I’ve been leaving my calendar open all the time so that I check in frequently, which helps me stay on task.
• Gmail Folders. I also use Gmail folders (also known as labels) to organize action-related information (see image below).

For instance, I have an “Interviews” label, and when I line up a guest to be interviewed for an article or podcast, I mark that conversation with the “Interviews” label and archive it. Then I can go to my “Interviews” folder each day to prepare for upcoming interviews (without clogging up my Inbox). As I conduct interviews, I remove the labels and, thus, the conversations from that folder. I’ve been using red exclamation points to mark those that I must take action on before the interview, but I’ve started sending out standard guest packets, so I really take action on all interviews now and will eventually stop using stars within the folder.

Step 4: Polish and Refine

Naturally, it’s not completely flawless. It still needs some polishing, but it’s definitely working better than my previous organizational system. For now, I’m just trying to faithfully stick to the system, knowing that, in turn, it will faithfully keep me on track. As I see areas that can be improved upon, I know I’ll modify them, but so far, it’s working pretty well.

How do you “box” your information? What systems, tools, and techniques help you stay organized and productive?

Box image from Flickr by John-Morgan

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

1. Turn off automatic email check: Do you have your email app pop up or ping whenever a new message comes in? Turn it off. Most of us can’t resist checking email.
2. Close or minimize your email app: Whether you use Gmail or Outlook, close or minimize the app so you stop looking at it. I use Thunderbird and Gmail. As I write this, my browser sits in the task bar so I don’t keep looking at the second monitor to check for new messages. That little step of kicking the email app to the task bar works for me.
3. Close or minimize your browser: You may not use a web-based email app or keep it open all the time. But having the browser open when you don’t need it can turn it into a distraction. Seeing the browser, your eyes can’t help but look at whatever web site the browser has open for you. Again, send it off to the task bar or close it. A blank page can still act like a temptress.
4. Download a different browser: If you use Firefox for all your browsing needs, download Opera, Google Chrome or other browser to use as a “research browser”. Using a secondary browser will cut the temptation to visit your favorite sites since you won’t have bookmarks or saved passwords. Avoid using bookmarks and saved passwords in the secondary browser.
5. Install fun apps on a different computer: Most of us have more than one computer. Since I do game reviews, I install all games on my laptop rather than my desktop. Even though playing games is part of my job, it can take over my other work. With the laptop in another room, I’m not tempted to play even the most addicting ones.
6. Use a timer: If you can’t work for 10 minutes free of distractions, set the timer for 10 minutes and work on the task until it dings. Up it to 15 next time around and work your way to 25 minutes, the recommended time from the Pomodoro Technique.
7. Shut out noise: Way back in the day when I worked in a corporate environment, I had a neighbor who used his speaker phone every day. When this happened, I turned off my hearing aid to resort to my inborn silence. Few people can do that. Instead, try noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs or listening to music (Dawn outlines some of the strategies she uses here). If you’re a web worker, then you probably have a laptop. Take it and go somewhere quiet.
8. Set up a phone system: You may have people (family and specific colleagues, perhaps) that you must be available for at all times. Brainstorm how you can set up your phone to be open for those important calls, while shutting out the run of the mill calls. See the next tip for one idea.
9. Unleash the cell phone: If you need zero interruptions, then turn off the phone. Don’t just put it on vibrate, as you can hear that. If you must stay leashed to the phone for emergencies, how about modifying your cell phone’s profile? Set it up so that calls from emergency numbers have a specific ring tone, while silencing all other incoming calls.
10. Turn off the landline ringer: Home office workers may have a landline phone to contend with on top of their cell phones. Turn those off. Let the calls go to voicemail.
11. Leave the cell phone in another room: I had to stop bringing my phone with me to workouts because I’d keep check it. If something came in, I’d stop exercising and deal with it. Unless I’m expecting something, I leave my phone in a different room. Out of sight, out of mind.
12. Post instructions on the door: Do you frequently receive packages as part of your work? The doorbell ringing or door knocking can disrupt your work. Leave a note for the delivery services to not ring the bell or knock on the door. Make it a habit to check for packages at set times of the day, if you worry about theft.
13. Schedule social media time: Many of us struggle to limit the number of times we check on our favorite social media sites. If you have a bunch of tweets or notes you want to post, use an automated service to spread them out and keep you away from the site. Or, create a schedule for check-ins.
14. Go offline: C’mon, you must have some tasks you can complete without the Internet. Disconnect your computer or laptop from the network to force the issue, if you must.
15. Create habits: Because I never play games on my desktop in my home office, I never feel the urge to play the addicting ones. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. So pick one habit and stick with it for at least three weeks. Routines do make a difference.
16. Educate family: The school day doesn’t go on long enough for a full day’s work or a partner works in the home with you. Set up visuals that tell your family when they must not interrupt you. It could be closed doors or a sign on the door. Kids have different definitions of emergencies, so discuss what you consider an emergency.
17. Schedule household chores: Taking a short break from the computer is a must. This could be a good time to do brief chores such as loading laundry, marinate dinner or vacuuming one room. Save the longer chores for longer breaks, or when the family is around.

Many web workers rely on technology to get our jobs done. These tips help you draw the line so you use the technology for completing tasks without any sidetracking.

What other distractions do you face? How do you handle them?

Photo credit: Rajesh Sundaram

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Once you’ve recorded the procedure, keep the it in a binder, so you can refer back to it whenever you’re doing the task, and never need to worry that you might be missing steps or doing them in the wrong order.

Daryl has kindly made the list available as a 3 x 5, 300 ppi PNG, so you can download it, print it out and start using it today.

Share your pen-and-paper productivity tips below.

(via Lifehacker)

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

The Solution to Anxiety-ridden “Becoming”

The Pomodoro Technique aims to erase the uneasiness that come with “Becoming.” The “Becoming”concept is a tough one to explain. Yet, when you put it to practice, it instantly makes sense. At first, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but when I tried out the process, it clicked it. (More on that in a moment.)

So here’s the official definition of “Becoming” from Cirillo: “An abstract, dimensional aspect of time, which gives rise to the habit of measuring time (seconds, minutes, hours); the idea of representing time on an axis, as we would spatial dimensions; the concept of the duration of an event (the distance between two points on the temporal axis); the idea of being late (once again the distance between two points on the temporal axis).”

In general, the Pomodoro Technique shifts time away from the stressful “Becoming” to an approach that takes the pain out of working with it. The Pomodoro web site offers a free download of the book that explains all of this in detail. If it sounds complex, don’t worry — it’s actually quite simple when you start using it. The technique uses minimal tools and just five steps to help the mind focus better and get things done.

How to Use the Pomodoro Technique

Many of us probably fall into the trap that we find ourselves distracted by other things while working on a task that lasts longer than 30 minutes. The Pomodoro will slash these interruptions.

Want to give it a shot? Grab a kitchen timer, pencil, eraser and a sheet of paper before you get started. Apply the Pomodoro Technique by following these five steps:

1. Pick the task.
2. Set the timer to 25 minutes.
3. Do the task until the timer dings.
4. Take a short break.
5. Take a longer break for every four completed Pomodoros.

You won’t need to buy a timer if you use the free Focus Booster app, which applies the Pomodoro Technique with its built-in timers. You can try either the Adobe Air desktop or the web-based version.

My First Attempt

Intrigued? I was. I tried to write this article in several 25 minute sessions. I kept checking email during the first session. That’s one big bad habit I have there.  But my next session was much more successful: I worked on the article for the entire 25 minutes sessions after that without stopping — not even to read email.

Furthermore, I exercised for 25 minutes straight without letting myself stop for a minute to check my text messages or email. This approach does feel less stressful and offers a great option if I find myself in a rut. I can see how the Pomodoro provides a dollop of hope for those struggling with focus and time management.

Visit the Pomodoro web site for more info on the technique.

Have you tried the Pomodoro Technique? Does it work for you?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

@pistachio — Laura Fitton

“One of my tips is to try to understand why I’m procrastinating. Sometimes it’s because my gut is telling me the task is the wrong thing to do. In general I’ve always restlessly sought out my ‘right’ work. Stuff I’m so driven and compelled to do that procrastination is a non-issue. That way I can even plow through the boring parts of it. But I do procrastinate when writing. Trying to understand why and reduce my fears helps.”

It’s true that something may be holding you back. Maybe you fear you won’t do well. Maybe you don’t like the assignment. Maybe you’re feeling down and really need something else to help you before you can plunge in. Maybe you didn’t do a good job the first time around, and fear you won’t be able to fix it the next time.

@RochelleVeturis – Rochelle Veturis

“1) Pump up the caffeine. Iced coffees are refreshing and healthy when taken with non-fat milk. 2) Vent to your tweeps, and ask for ideas. The encouragement is invaluable and I’ve gotten my best ideas from them. 3) Jumping jacks, a short walk or stretch. Motion creates emotion. 4) Change it up — film a video, write a different kind of blog post. This one is fool proof. You’ve got to shake things up or even the most creative folks and be starved by the doldrums. 5) Connect with media/clients via LinkedIn. Send a neat article and take your unproductiveness and turn it into a new, possible opportunity. Plus, media/client relations is always time well spent.”

Can’t. Talk. Now. Ex … er… cis … ing. A good workout makes you feel like you can take on the world, or at least a tiny part.

@chrisguillebeau – Chris Guillebeau

“Sometimes I give in to it, to be quite honest. But otherwise… To combat ‘not-in-mood-syndrome,’ I’ll use a variety of methods, including using the carrot-and-stick approach on myself, i.e., no lunch until I finish this thing I’ve been putting off. I also try to use the GTD two-minute rule (if you can do it in two minutes or less, don’t put it off). Lastly, I try to focus on the long-term view. Most of the time if I need to do something, I know it will be in my best interest to do it and I’ll be happier if I just suck it up.”

Some days we have to admit that procrastination has defeated us. It defeated me last weekend, so I resorted to laundry and “Zuma’s Revenge.” When this happens, maybe you can get something else done that’s not related to work. Exercise? Laundry? Playing video games (hey, it’s eye-hand coordination exercising)?

@JasonFalls – Jason Falls

“The best thing you can do is plan and work ahead. If something is due on Friday, work a little on it Monday, then Tuesday. The more intimidating the task, the more lead time you should allow yourself. Working a little at a time cuts down the intimidation factor. I would also say that the best motivator I have to blow through the procrastination bug is knowing if I miss the deadline or the work isn’t as good as it could be because I put it off, I have no-one to blame but myself. If you have much pride at all, that can get you through it.”

That’s why I work well when I don’t wait until the last minute. Some people thrive on the last minute rush while it kills others. Know yourself and your working style. When you understand how you work, you can prepare and plan.

@thewritermama — Christina Katz

“How do I battle procrastination? One word: deadlines. When something is happening or due on a particular date, I have to get it done. I have to plan ahead. I have to think it through. Without deadlines, nothing would ever happen around here. Not one thing. I have been teaching email classes since 2004 and what’s the one thing that helps my writing students improve that they rave about? The simple deadline.”

Reminds me of the quote by Douglas Adams, “I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.” Most of us don’t like that sound, so we get it done.

@chrisgarrett – Chris Garrett

“My main procrastination issue is ‘analysis paralysis,’ it’s something I struggle with and talk about a lot. Some people are goal-driven, others are more motivated by avoiding pain. I get over procrastination by focusing on the consequences of not doing something. If there are no clear consequences then I set up a situation where there will be. For example I will call a friend and tell her what my actions are and that she should pull me up if I haven’t done what I set out to do.

“Another example is to say ‘If I do not do this then I will donate $100 to this charity’ (or an amount greater than you would donate anyway). Other people I work with prefer to set up a treat, ‘If I do this then I get to buy myself a new Wii game,’ and so on. My best results though have come from arranging an ‘accountability partner,’ we hold each other accountable and make sure we do not allow excuses!”

Bribe ourselves, eh? Sounds good!

@scottsigler — Scott Sigler

“I work with a production partner so I have someone to whom I’m accountable.  If I slack off, I’m wasting not just my time, but theirs too. Helps keep me focused on the task at hand.”

Even if you don’t have a business partner, try to find someone to be your motivation partner. Plenty of people working alone and would like to team up with others to help push each other.

@CharJTF — Char James-Tanny

“Give into it for an hour. Play games, walk, make a phone call, cook, bake. When hour is up, do something related to work.”

Maybe your mind and body long to play. Let them have their fun time and maybe they’ll cooperate when your hour is up. Playing can put you in a good mood and a good mood equals motivation.

How do you deal with procrastination? Don’t put it off; leave a comment now!

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

For this post, instead of quoting yet more theories from books, I asked some experts and fellow Twitter users to share their real life tips for getting things done.

@bradshorr — Brad Shorr

“Always ask WHY am I doing this task, and HOW could I do it more efficiently.”

Sometimes we turn into zombies and forget to pay attention to what we’re doing and its effect on our work. Make a conscious effort to ensure whatever you’re doing has value. Fun counts, of course.

@Dana_Willhoit — Dana Wilhoit

“Once an hour, take a five minute break and get up and walk around.”

Web workers tend to spend hours in front of the computer. Give your eyes a break, and your body a little reviving.

@JaneFriedman — Jane Friedman

“Getting things done: Turn off email; check it only one to two times (and if necessary, tell people the times you’ll be checking).“

This is one habit I can’t break even though I know it would add more time to my day. As a compromise, I’m organized in other areas to make up for the lost time I spend compulsively checking my email.

@AmberCadabra — Amber Naslund

“I’m a ruthless email deleter. And I break up my day so I keep my brain fresh.”

Breaking up your day can involve doing different types of tasks. Writers, for example, can do email, edit, write, read, research and network to shake up their day.

@skydiver — Peter Shankman

“I get up a half hour earlier than I have to. Every single day. AMAZING what you can do in that first half hour.”

Some folks accomplish the most in the morning — that extra half hour can make a big difference.

@jonathanfields — Jonathan Fields

“Slow it down to speed it up. Hair on fire speed leads to mistakes and omissions that take even longer to fix.”

This reminds me of a discussion with my 7th grade teacher. I can’t recall the exact quote, but the gist was to take your time to do the task right the first time because it takes more time to fix it and explain yourself if you don’t.

@shel – Shel Holtz

“Best tip for getting things done: Celebrate task completions before moving to the next task. Check Facebook, watch a video. “

Be realistic about the tasks you assign yourself for the day. Trying to get 10 tasks checked off the to-do list puts you at risk of failure, and losing self-confidence. Pick three doable tasks — not projects — and celebrate every check mark.

@PhilGerb — Phil Gerbyshak

“I’m old fashioned: I use pen and paper, and write my to-do list out every day when I start my day. Works great and n0 downtime!”

Pen and paper never run out of batteries, or put a strain on your back as you carry them with you all day.

@PRsarahevans — Sarah Evans

“Mom’s advice, ‘Take one thing at a time and the rest will fall in place.’ Also subscribe (or try to) 7 Habits principles.”

Instead of focusing on the 10 things you need to do all at once and wasting energy, start on one thing. Put one foot in front of the other.

@djwaldow — DJ Waldow

“Best tip for getting things done is to hold ‘power hours’ or contests. Real examples below:  1. Power Hour: ‘In the next 42 minutes I am going to learn how to use widgetware.’ 2. Contests: ‘First to clean out your inbox’”

Nothing like a good clean fun competition to motivate you to get moving. Just be a good sport about it, whether you win or lose.

@ConversationAge — Valeria Maltoni
“Best tip: focus on what’s important to advancing your business.”

This goes back to making sure the tasks you do matter to your business.

@iwearyourshirt — Jason Sadler
“Don’t over extend yourself. Schedule time to focus on email, focus on blogging, etc. Don’t do it all at once.“

“Just say no” isn’t just a slogan for kids to shoo away drugs. It’s also a phrase we should all use when we just can’t add anything else to our plates. It’s okay to turn things down as long as you do it nicely.

I bet you have some tips of your own. I’d love to hear them in the comments below, or tweet me @merylkevans or @webworkerdaily.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks