I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, ever since reading Getting Things Done. The underlying outcome of this blog is that you can learn things that will make you more productive and cheerful whilst taking action. There are two principle schools of thought in this, I am discovering.
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a popular book in the field of personal productivity. This review assesses the GTD system, gives a broad explanation of what the system is designed to do and what it is good for and what it is not good for. This article is approximately 1500 words long and will take 5 to 6 minutes to read.
A big frustration at work is when you send out emails to colleagues asking them to carry out tasks and get either no response or a heavily delayed response. There is a way to get much faster responses without resorting to coercion, yet it does require you to go the extra mile. For those times when you can’t afford a delay then the principles outlined in this article will get you a fast response in most situations. This article is approx 1200 words long and will take 4 to 5 minutes to read.
There are only four types of officer. First there are the lazy, stupid ones. Leave them alone, they do no harm… Second, there are the hard-working intelligent ones. They make excellent staff officers, ensuring that every detail is properly considered. Third there are the hard-working, stupid ones. These people are a menace and must be fired at once. They create irrelevant work for everybody. Finally, there are the intelligent lazy ones. They are suited for the highest office. - General Von Manstein on the German Officer Corps
Much has been written about the magic and the mystery of The Beatles and their success. One overlooked factor is that in their early days they were able to leverage their use of time with incredible effectiveness. This speculative article puts forward the case that this gave them a spectacular advantage over the average rock and roll band. It also shows how you can use the same effect in your life.
