Because my good reads post is scanty this month, I offer you some band name suggestions culled from search terms bringing people to this blog:

Friendly Dinosaurs
Obnoxious Venn Diagram
Thoughts to Sleep On

And this might possibly be my new blog name: Shannon In Between Blog.

On my books blog, folks seems to be enjoying What Now? A Post-apocalyptic Reading List. I guess it’s those winter blues spurring them to read depressing novels about the end of the world (they’re my favorites too!). In fact, several people got to the list after searching for “how to rebuild society after the apocalypse.” I’m glad somebody is thinking ahead.

If you’re interested in the apocalypse, you might want to check out An Empty Earth, which is essentially my research notebook where I mix together a soup of vaguely apocalyptic thoughts, links and other resources. The Ruins of Detroit is a popular example.

Here, you guys seems to be enjoying learning how to give Google Wave invitations and how to create a GTD project list. (Does anybody actually use Google Wave? Because I haven’t found a use for it.) I have posts that are so much more entertaining, but the public likes what it likes, I guess.

I’m skipping my cooking blog, because it’s always the same posts that are popular (their titles are so Google-able).

Not even the great guru of getting organized, David Allen of Getting Things Done fame, can claim to have the one solution to all of your organization woes. He has developed the perfect system to meet his specific needs, and in his book about it, he shares a lot of good ideas, some of which may work for you or me. The trick is to identify and borrow those ideas that are workable for you, and leave the rest. There’s no need to go to extremes: to either adopt the system wholesale even if it causes you pain or just abandon it altogether and declare it evil. Take what works for you, leave the rest and thank Mr. Allen for sharing.

This is the best approach to all new subjects you are learning about, whether it’s parenting or self improvement or how to manage a project effectively. Read widely and absorb what many people have to say on the subject. Try out those aspects that make sense to you and see if they work for you. If they do, adopt them. Leave the rest. Keep learning and tweaking and adapting as you go along. You are not obligated to all or nothing.

Unfortunately, this is just what proponents of a particular system would have you believe. Take attachment parenting, for instance. If you get at all involved in the community, you might think that if you don’t practice co-sleeping or baby wearing, you aren’t doing “real” attachment parenting. And probably you aren’t, not the way it is defined by its fanatical adherents. However, you can adopt only those aspects of it that make sense for you and your family, and you’ll be doing quite all right. There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. And I don’t mean to pick on this one particular community. All “movements” seem to have their extremely rigid adherents who claim that if you don’t practice by the book, you’re not really practicing (even hula-hooping).

I propose that it is better to question, test and draw your own conclusions — in other words, think for yourself — rather than blindly follow any system set down in a book or website.

One aspect of the system that I do like a lot is keeping a master list of projects. The projects list helps me keep focused on what I have committed to work on and keeps me from inadvertantly spreading myself too thin. It’s also proved helpful when I need to report on what I’m doing to my boss or colleagues, write up a workplan for future work or re-evaluate my workload and priorities.

I use SharePoint‘s lists feature for my projects list, but a spreadsheet would also work. It helps to have an electronic version for sorting and filtering and to make updating easier. I wouldn’t call my list format ground-breaking, but one purpose of this blog is to record my systems so I won’t forget them and can build on them. So if you’re bored by this minutiae, move on now.

Here’s what I put on my Projects List for each project:

• Name: I try to use the same name consistently whenever I refer to the project to simplify searching for related project items.
• Link: The majority of my projects have an electronic knowledge base, usually on SharePoint but possibly using Web-based project management tools. I prefer electronic storage of files over paper for many, many reasons. It’s handy to have a link right to the knowledge base in the Project List so I don’t have to remember it.
• Area of Focus: I try to link every project to one of my areas of focus. This helps me recognize work projects that truly fall under my umbrella and keeps me from agreeing to everything I’m asked to do, especially if it falls outside of my primary interests and job responsibilities.
• Notes about the project that I need to reference immediately.
• Status: I don’t like to delete projects off my list, so I use a “status” field to sort and filter them instead. I’ve also often found that when a project is technically completed, I still have to do tasks from time to time to maintain that project, so I created an “in maintenance” status (which Allen doesn’t really address). For status, I can select
  • Active — a project for which I am actively working on tasks and have a project plan or tasks list to complete
  • Someday/Maybe, so my Someday/Maybes can easily be converted to Active projects if and when appropriate
  • Completed
  • Abandoned/Reassigned, to distinguish these from completed (and I never know when a reassigned project might come back to me)
  • In Maintenance, for projects where I am not actively working on tasks but may occasionally have a triggered action or a requested action from a co-worker

It is very important to me to separate my work tasks, calendar and email from my personal tasks, calendar and email. I guard my free time jealously, and I know myself well enough to know that any work-related actions I see during my off hours will either have to be addressed immediately or  niggle in the back of my brain until they  get done. So I just don’t look at work stuff when I’m not working.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t looking at my personal lists except for once a week, usually on the weekend when I wasn’t very interested in “getting things done.” So things weren’t getting done. I identified these problems with the system:

• There were too many actions on my Next Actions list. It was overwhelming, and I tended to ignore the list rather than address it.
• Because my calendar and task list were confined to my home computer and weren’t in front of me every day, I wasn’t checking them, so things were slipping. I need reminders that are more “in my face,” particularly in the contexts where I am most likely to take the actions.
• I don’t want to spend a lot of time maintaining my personal system. I do too much of that kind of management at work, so I want my free time to be as free as possible.

Here are the solutions I came up with:

1. When I review my Next Actions list, I will identify the 3 Most Important Things (MITs) I want to accomplish (thanks, Zen Habits, for this tip!). I give myself a week to accomplish them. When they are all checked off, I identify the next 3 MITs.
2. I write the 3 MITs in one of two places: the dry-erase board in my kitchen (@home context) or in Google Notes on my Google homepage, which is the first thing I see each day when I open my Web browser (@computer/@phone context). The dry-erase board is also magnetic, so I can attach any papers I need. This ensures that the action is “in my face,” and I am reminded to do it in the appropriate context. I can also record urgent actions that come up between reviews in these places and not forget them.
3. I transferred my calendar appointments from the calendar confined to my home computer to Google Calendar, which is also displayed on my Google homepage. This ensures that I will check my personal calendar at least once a day, when I start my computer.
4. I still carry a Moleskine notebook, but instead of relying on it to remind me of next actions or appointments, I use it to record inputs into the system: new actions, ideas, appointments, needs, notes, contacts — whatever I need to remember. I also record in my notebook the completed MITs both to update my Next Actions list and for the sense of accomplishment.
5. I still keep my Next Actions, Someday/Maybe and Projects Lists on my home computer. Once a week, I do a more thorough review, record any new inputs and update finances.

In addition to these changes, I’ve focused on simplifying my finances as much as possible. I automated every payment I can or enabled online bill-paying and scheduled Quicken to automatically deduct the payments when they hit, so that my accounts are always up to date. I actually cancelled a credit card because it didn’t allow me to automate payments.

Finally, I know GTD exhorts us reduce our number of inboxes as much as possible. But I also know my email-checking habits. If I see an email in the Inbox, I have to read it and deal with it right then, regardless of its urgency. That’s why I had to separate work and personal email, so I wasn’t dealing with work stuff during my free time. I moved all my personal email to my Gmail account, so I can check it even if I am not at my home computer. Finally, I set up a throwaway account for businesses to send emails to, such as when I make online orders, which I only check once a week or so. When there gets to be too much noise in that account, I’ll turn it off.

Of course, no system is going to work right out of the box for everyone, not even one with so many adherents as GTD. But part of the fun is tweaking and refining the system, right? I’m sure I will have to make more adjustments as I go along.

When I started listing my work projects, I realized I needed an Areas of Focus list as a way to get a handle on what my projects actually were. I could have decided a project was something very broad, such as “Human Resource Information Systems,” but in truth, that was an area of focus under which I had several projects cooking.

When I wrote down my areas of focus for work, I came up with 10 very large areas. I could see right away that this was a really big list. No wonder I felt overwhelmed at work. I was trying to “focus” on too much. This was a key insight, and writing out my Areas of Focus list crystallized it for me.

My first question was: What could I drop? The two most obvious candidates were SharePoint and Website Development. These were old hangers-on in my job, and even though I was still interested in both, I didn’t want them to be the focus of my work. We were already developing skills in these areas in others, both in IT and in other parts of the organization, and we could easily hire to fill in any gaps. So once my remaining commitments are fulfilled and the resources needed are in place, I can remove two items from my Areas of Focus list.

I think my list is still long and probably more weeding is needed to be done. But what remains on my list is either a) clearly part of my job and/or b) something I have a passion for. Still, I have already identified another couple of candidates that can either be scaled back or dropped entirely.

I also used my Areas of Focus list when I drafted my Projects List. I wanted every project on my list to be clearly tied to an area of focus. So I was going through my calendar and I saw a meeting titled “Helpdesk Summit” coming up in a couple of weeks. What project was that? After a little thought, I remembered that it was a meeting to think about ways to expand our helpdsk system into other support services beyond IT. Now, this was clearly not even remotely related to any of my areas of focus. Worse yet, I had scheduled the meeting, so I would be responsible for prepping for it as well as (probably) managing any actions coming out of it.

Why had I scheduled that meeting? Probably because I recognized there was a need and no one was addressing it. It is a tendency of mine to jump in there and try to solve problems when and where I see them, regardless of whether I am directly responsible for coming up with the solution. There is too much need in our organization, and I could be endlessly distracted from my core job responsibilities if I tried to address every one of them. I simply have to stop doing this.

I cancelled the meeting. What a relief to guiltlessly remove things off my plate.

I have learned from writing out my Areas of Focus list and seriously looking at how what I was actively doing every day fit into my areas of focus that one reason we are not getting things done is because we’re trying to do the wrong things. Allen makes this point in his book, but this exercise brought it home for me. So one of my resolutions from now on is to say no to anything that does not fall under one of my areas of focus. I am also going to work on focusing (ha ha) the list even more and not adding a new area of focus without figuring out a way to remove an old one, so that my job does not mushroom exponentially out of control.

Now I just need to get my boss to do the same thing!

I figured it wouldn’t take too long to implement because I’m already pretty organized. I was wrong. Allen’s recommendations of two full days to implement the system is spot-on. Collecting all my stuff, organizing it, setting up my lists and weeding my files took pretty much all of Saturday and Sunday. I’m glad I chose a weekend when I would be alone and had nothing else pressing to do for this project.

Here are some things I learned this weekend:

1. I had planned to use Web-based software to organize myself electronically, but I started working with Microsoft Entourage – the Mac OS version of Outlook — and it suited my needs perfectly. Entourage has a Project Center that lists all my projects and links them up with related emails, calendar items, actions, notes and files. Entourage creates the email and desktop folders I need automatically when I make a new project. I used the Categories list for Contexts, so I was able to assign a context and a project to each item, if I wanted. I used the Notes list for my Someday/Maybe items. I don’t know why Microsoft didn’t put some of these same handy features in Outlook, but maybe version 2007 will. The only thing I don’t like about using Entourage is that all my stuff is only available through my home computer, and I have to record items in the notebook I carry around to make them portable. But at least that ensures I will have my action list on me even when I don’t have my computer.
2. Allen’s simplest tips are the best — don’t overlook them! I highly recommend buying a label maker. I invested in one(and a shredder) before I started, and it made all the difference. It is amazing how printed labels can transform a junky file drawer and supply cabinet into a neatly organized space that’s easy to work with.
3. Allen’s suggestion to file everything in one alphabetical system is a life saver. Before I had everything grouped by category – insurance, finances, house, computer — all in different places. So much of my mental energy was going to trying to remember what categories I had where. Putting everything in one filing cabinet, with all the files neatly labeled and in alphabetical order by name, was actually a relief.
4. Part of what took so long, I think, was realizing the system won’t really work unless everything has a home. Of course, there is the Inbox, the Pending area, the Read/Review basket, the Reference files, but I couldn’t stop there. All of my supplies needed their own home too, and I needed to decide what went in the kitchen, the garage and the office. I couldn’t believe how many places we had batteries stashed around the house. Now the discipline comes in continuing to put things back in their proper homes. I think I can stick to it, but can my husband? Maybe the labels I put everywhere will help.

Now that I am finished, I can’t believe how neat and organized my house looks. Everything is in its place, and most of the flat surfaces — the tables and counters — have been cleaned off as a part of this effort. My house already feels more relaxing and inviting with the clutter cleaned up.

I can’t wait to transfer the system to the office, but when to do it is problematic. Given what I’ve learned about how long this all takes — and how once you’ve started, it’s best to plow through until you finish — I know I’ll need some significant free time in the office. But since we’re pushing toward a deadline on a couple of major projects, there is no free time in site. Ironically, I think I would be much more productive in getting those projects finished on time if I had the system working for me.

So what should I do? Should I go ahead and take the time to get organized at the office, or should I wait until (gulp) late April, when I next anticipate some relatively free time?

I have been reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done (late on the bandwagon, as usual), and his chapter on project planning really resonated with me. My job is pretty much planning and managing projects. Officially, I manage software development projects, but I find myself managing all kinds of projects for the organization, some related to my role in IT, some not. So I am constantly on the lookout for a more effective way of planning projects, which often seem to get frustratingly stuck before we really get started doing things.

David Allen’s description of a natural project planning process makes perfect sense to me. The reason we get stuck is that we’re trying to do something unnatural. Usually we start with trying to figure out what to do rather than why we are doing it. Or we get caught in the trap of defining the problem with no ideas for how to solve it. And Allen is definitely right when he points out that when you don’t follow the natural planning process, eventually you fall into reactive mode, where you go through the process anyway but in reaction to a failing project.

The following is my summary of Allen’s natural planning process, with a couple of additions based on my own experience and learning in planning projects for an arguably dysfunctional nonprofit for the last four years.

First, what is a project anyway? A project is any desired result that requires more than one action to complete. A project could be development of a system or website, planning a meeting or conference, deciding on a new type of laptop or installing a software upgrade.

Project planning can effectively be done in one, two or three meetings, as long as the meetings follow the natural planning process in the order outlined below. This should result in all the output needed to produce a vision statement, project plan and outlines for other necessary documentation, such as business rules and use cases.

The seven stages of a natural planning process are:

1. Define the purpose of the project.

Why are we doing this project? What are our intentions? What problem are we trying to solve? What untapped opportunity are we capitalizing on? Be as specific as possible. The purpose will provide the focus for the project and also help guide you through the actions to complete the project successfully.

2. Set the givens of the project.

What are the constraints, such as time, budget, resource, technology, geography or legal constraints? What policies — internal or external — do we have to adhere to? What standards do we have to uphold for successful completion of the project? What expectations do we have of people working on the project? What other boundaries can we identify?

3. Craft a vision of a successful outcome for the project.

What will the project be like when it successfully appears in the world? How will we determine success? What will have changed when this project is completed? The vision should include clear, specific outcomes by which to measure success.

4. Determine the stakeholders of the project.

Who is affected by the project? Identify everyone who has an interest in the project, including all members of the project team. What are their goals that they want to achieve with this project? Are all stakeholders represented (if not, perhaps call another meeting)?

5. Brainstorm tasks and requirements for completing the project.

How will we accomplish the vision? This is a time to get all ideas out of people’s heads and captured. Do not critique or organize ideas at this point. Document every single idea. The goal is to figure out all the things that won’t work as well as all the things that will.

6. Organize all output generated into a project plan.

First identify the significant pieces generated during the brainstorming session and weed out anything that is not feasible. Then sort by one or more criteria: components, sequences and/or priorities, for example. Detail each to the required degree. This may be done during the planning meeting or by the project manager for presentation later.

7. Identify next actions.

Next actions are any specific, discrete tasks that can be accomplished now to move the project forward. There may be several next actions that can be done in parallel, or there may be only one upon which all subsequent tasks are dependent. Next actions may include additional planning sessions. Each action should be assigned to an owner with a timeline for completion, or an owner can be given responsibility for a component of the project and then determine the next actions for themselves.

When one action is completed, the next action should be identified and assigned, if necessary. Assignment or review of next actions should be done at the end of each project team meeting.

Not all of these stages need to be conducted in a formal planning meeting or documented; that depends on the project. More formal or complex projects require the project planning team to complete and document each of these phases.

If a project is stuck, revisit these phases to determine where the blockage is occurring. For example, if you can’t determine next actions, you probably need to go back to a previous phase and make sure it is specific and complete. If you don’t have a vision of how the project will be successful, it is very difficult to determine what needs to be done to move the project forward.

Related articles by Zemanta

• David Allen: The Project Management Problem

The first idea I incorporated from GTD was carrying a small Moleskine notebook that I could use to immediately record actions, needs, appointments, notes and other little bits of information so they wouldn’t get lost in the morass that is my brain. (Thanks to the Creating Passionate Users blog for the idea, which I immediately adapted to my own needs.) By the way, carrying a Moleskine notebook with you everywhere you go is sure to make you feel very literary, even if all you’re recording is your need to buy flourescent lightbulbs.

My notebook represents one Action List, mostly personal actions. My goal is to check off one per day. But the bulk of my work-related to do’s are stored in my Outlook Tasks list (see my post about how I use Outlook’s Tasks list to organize all of my actions). Inspired by GTD, I have worked out a system that helps me transform my emails into my actions using Outlook.

When an email comes into my Inbox, I read the email only once and then I take one of the following 4 actions:

1. Delete it.
2. File it — I use Outlook’s rules as much as possible to do the filing for me.*
3. Do it, if it will take under 2 minutes to complete.
4. Flag it and send it to the Waiting List.

*I use one of Outlook’s Search Folders — the Unread Mail folder — to read all my emails, so even though they are pre-filed, I don’t have to dig through all the folders to find the new messages. The Unread Mail folder is like a virtual Inbox, except once you’ve read something, it disappears. Cool! (I really hope the Search Folders remain in Outlook 2007, or my whole system will be compromised.)

I use Outlook’s flags to create a Waiting List where I can park every email I get that is waiting on some kind of action. The flags are different colors, and each color has a specific meaning:

• Red is for emails that require a high-priority action be added to my Action List.
• Blue is for emails that require a medium-priority action be added to my Action List.
• Yellow is for emails that require a low-priority action be added to my Action List.
• Green is for emails that require a response from someone else before I can take an action.
• Orange is for emails containing information that I will need for a scheduled meeting.
• Purple is for emails containing information that I will need soon but I am not sure when.

If an action really needs to be done that day, I will skip the flagging and turn it into an action when I read the email, with a due date of today, so it will my immediately appear on my to-do list.

Another one of Outlook’s Search folders — For Follow Up — organizes all of my tagged emails into one place. I sort the flags by color, so the highest-priority (red) items are at the top of the list. Once a day, usually first thing in the morning , I go through the Waiting List and turn the red, blue and yellow items into actions on my Tasks list.

The next thing I do is open my Action List and pick the 3 Most Important Things I need to do that day. I assign them as due that day. That way, my day’s to-do list is short and sweet when I view it next to my Calendar on the Outlook Today screen. If I get through all 3 tasks and still have time, I can return to my Tasks List and work on upcoming actions in any order I like.

When I work in Outlook, I usually have the Outlook Today screen open so I can keep referring to my calendar and to-do list. (I understand that in Outlook 2007, Outlook Today will be the default screen, making things even easier.) On the left, under Favorite Folders, there are only 3 items: Inbox, Unread Mail and For Follow Up. Everything I need, available at a glance — this system keeps getting leaner and meaner the more I work on it.

Another point I am trying to make with this post is that you can make software work for your personal organizational system, whatever it is. You don’t need software specially designed to support your system. As long as I work where I do, I am going to be using Outlook, so I just made its features work for me. If you use another email or PIM program, you can probably do the same with it. It takes some time to learn the software well so you can put it to work, but it’s time well spent.