I hate saying “no” to people. In fact, I don’t know anyone who enjoys it. So to make the process less painful, I have developed a series of email templates that I can use for these requests. Here is my list of requests by category with my boilerplate text.
Archive for gtd
Before You Create a To-Do List
How to Create a Master Task List
or several years now, I have profited from using a “Master Task List.” This is a way to group your work-related activities so that you do what you were hired to do and keep from getting side-tracked by “trivial pursuits.” It is something you should develop before you start throwing together a to-do list.
How to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail
I often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. Sometimes, to be sure, it is because the person they are waiting on is inept. The simplest request gets lost in a sea of unprocessed e-mail.
The Importance of the Weekly Review
How to Stay Focused on What Matters Most
In his book, Getting Things Done he writes: If you’re like me and most people, no matter how good your intentions may be, you’re going to have the world come at you faster than you can keep up…. We book ourselves in back to back meetings all day, go to after-hours events and generate ideas and commitments we need to deal with, and get embroiled in engagements and projects that have the potential to spin our creative intelligence into cosmic orbits…. If the item requires me to take action, I can: Do it if it takes less than two minutes or add it to my Outlook task list to do later;Defer it by actually scheduling a time on my calendar to deal with it; orDelegate it to someone else for action and enter it into my Outlook task list using the “@WaitingFor” category.
Do You Have a List of Non-Negotiables?
He said, “View this list as the ten disciplines that if practiced faithfully would make the biggest impact on the quality of your life for the upcoming year.”… Daily, first thing when I get up 2 Prayer Pray for my life, my family, my church, my work, etc. Daily, on my commute into the office or, on the weekends, immediately after reading the Bible 3 Aerobic Exercise Run 4–5 miles, four days a week…. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30 a.m. 8 Life Plan Review Review my written life plan (a seven-page document) Weekly, on Sunday evening with my weekly review 9 Solo Retreats Get off-site for 36 hours a quarter to review my business vision, business plan, master task list, and time block.
Goal-Setting: The 90-Day Challenge
I have been setting goals in one form or another for years. Every now and then, I stumble across an old list of goals. I am always fascinated by how many of the things I write down come to pass. And, I must confess, it often happens despite the fact that I do nothing more than write it down.