Have a Place for Your (Mental) Things

Have a Place for Your (Mental) Things

May 15, 2022
You know that old saying “a place for everything, and everything in its place”? Well, it’s true not just for physical things, but also for mental things? What do I mean by “mental things”? Basically anything that pulls at your attention in some way is a mental thing that should be put in its place. Where or what the place…
Build in a Buffer

Build in a Buffer

May 14, 2022
There is a tendency when we build our task list for the day to view ourselves as completely efficient and knowledgable machines. We seem to think that we both know exactly how long each thing will take us, exactly how much free time we’ll have, and we predict that there won’t be any hiccups along the way. But how often…

Anything Can Go on the Card

May 13, 2022
Especially given how complicated our lives can get, we tend to forget the simple things. And we tend to do so at our own peril. So allow me to remind you of a very simple, yet powerful aspect of The Today System that I have to remind myself of pretty regularly. Anything can go on the card! Seriously, it’s not…

Feeling Overwhelmed? Ask Yourself 2 Questions.

May 12, 2022
It's easy to get caught up in all of the things that need to be done--or rather, seem like they need to be done. When there is a lot out in front of us, we can begin to feel like there's no way to get it all done. And we're probably right; there isn't a way to get it all…

You Carry Everything With You, Until You Put it Down In Writing

May 11, 2022
Your mind may not remember everything you think about or experience, but somehow it feels it all. And any stress, fear, apprehension, or a sense of urgency about something unfinished rides upon your back--so to speak--until you resolve things. That's why it's so important to address tasks and other open loops in your life as they come up. Your emotions are constantly…

The Card Should Reflect Your Real Priorities

May 10, 2022
It took me more than a year to fully embrace the power of the daily card and the scoring system. Over a year! And I created the damn thing! During that time, I consistently put work-related stuff in the top slots, with the highest point values. Whether it was stuff related to my day job or stuff related to building…

Thought for Today: May 8th, 2022

May 8, 2022
Nobody does it alone. Many times, it can seem like it's just you out there--filling out your card with today's tasks. It can make you think that everything is just up to you, and all the action and movement has to come from you. But that's not how the world works. We're hopelessly interdependent. Almost anything worth getting done either…

Thought for Today: May 7th, 2022

May 7, 2022
When you feel overwhelmed, aim to simplify the complex. There's a a quote from Confucius that I remind myself of quite often: Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated. I tend to remind myself of it whenever my list of things to do seems to have swelled to larger than I can manage. I also think…
Using Power-Multiplier Tasks

Using Power-Multiplier Tasks

April 16, 2022
As simple as it may seem to fill out your Today Card every day, it can also be very difficult. We often find ourselves with so many things to do each day it can be difficult to decide which things are the most important for us to tackle. Yes, the top items on your card should be the most important.…
The 4-Part Hierarchy of Personal Productivity

The 4-Part Hierarchy of Personal Productivity

April 3, 2022
Learning to be more productive can seem complicated. If you’re looking to get more productive, chances are you’re already overwhelmed by a lot things that need to be done, and not enough time to do them. It can seem like there’s no rhyme or reason to help you decide the next thing to do. But there is a rhyme, and…
The Very Definition of Productivity

The Very Definition of Productivity

March 28, 2022
For all of the definitions of "productivity" I've come across, none is as complete is a single word. productivity = intentionality It's as simple as it gets. Being productive means being intentional. It means being intentional with your use of your 2 most valuable resources: your time and energy. It means that you deploy those things in service of the…

Push Tasks, Pull Tasks, and the Importance of Self-Knowledge in Planning Your Day

March 7, 2022
Being productive with your days means being intentional with your time and energy. Your time and energy are your most valuable resources. But they're non-renewable resources, so productivity becomes all about ensuring they don't go to waste. And you do that day by day--by filling out a Today Card each day. But a Today Card is different from so many…

Making the Most of Your Day

February 1, 2022
Simple Rules to Help Better Fill Out Your Card The centerpiece of the Today System is the simple daily 3 x 5 index card. It is simple, but powerful. It serves simultaneously as the game plan, reminders, and scoreboard for your personal productivity. By ’productivity’ here, I really mean intentionality. How well did you make today into what you intended…

When Less Really Is More

January 24, 2022
How we simultaneously underestimate and overestimate ourselves, and how to avoid both Is there any more overused cliché than "less is more”? I guess that's kind of ironic, given the spirit of the saying. But I digress. There's an application for the aphorism that I don't think gets enough attention. It has to do with achieving goals and managing tasks.…
Make the Big Small and the Small Big

Make the Big Small and the Small Big

January 16, 2022
Easily one of my favorite books is the Tao Te Ching. It’s an ancient Chinese text that’s either the collected wisdom of many ancient sages, or the reflections of a single accomplished and revered old man as he left his village to live as a hermit in his old age. No one knows for sure. But either way, it’s filled…
You Need Certainty to Handle the Uncertainty Around You

You Need Certainty to Handle the Uncertainty Around You

January 10, 2022
The human mind craves certainty. It is our surest bet for dealing with the uncertainty around us that makes up the world in general, and our lives each day. That’s why core values are so important. Values are constant. Their constance gives us certainty. And our commitment to our values serves as the anchor of certainty which allows us to…
The Necessity of Feedback Loops in Personal Growth

The Necessity of Feedback Loops in Personal Growth

January 3, 2022
What gets measured gets managed.Peter Drucker Like it or not, you’re managing your personal growth. And you’re either doing it well or doing it poorly. Only you can say which. But if you don’t have a way to measure your growth, how do you know how well you’re managing it? Goals, Tasks, Etc. Writing down and monitoring goals is one…
The Lesson About Productivity it Took Me a Decade to Learn

The Lesson About Productivity it Took Me a Decade to Learn

December 28, 2021
There’s a very important lesson about productivity that it took me nearly a decade to learn. It came after multiple rounds of getting a lot of stuff done, but still feeling like I wasn't any better off. It seemed like I had done what needed doing. I had checked so many boxes, and crossed off so many items. I had…