Habit #4 Update + 1 Month extension

It has been one month since I started my planning habit. Today I feel like I have more planning abilities but I know I can do more, so I am extending this month to another 30 days to have the time to practice other things. I’m going to talk about these things later on this post, but first let me give you a solid update on what I’ve learnt.

First, I managed to move all my projects and tasks to a new software application, things, which is a task management application available both for mac os x and iphone. I only use the desktop version because I tend to spend most of my time in front of my computer, and if I am out, I can easily make a list with my ipod touch.

I chosen to use this software because it allow me to assign tasks to projects, and to assign a due date, or to automatically schedule repeating tasks. This is really important for me because I have some tasks that I need to do each week or each month and this way, they come up on my list automatically.

I also use a calendar to keep track of events that happens on a particular day, like a birthdate, an appointment, etc. The main difference between my calendar and my tasks management application is that on the calendar I write tasks that happens on that particular day only, while on my tasks management application, I write tasks that can be done anytime.

That’s all I’ve done for this month about planning. It’s not much and that’s why I decided to extend this habit to another month.

Planning Habit Extension

While I feel more organized now than before, there’s still something missing. For example my planning system does not allow for me to decide what I’m going to do on a given day. Sure, I know I have n projects where I could work, but I don’t know which one is the most important. This is going to change!

The Improved System

I will keep the system I already developed in this month, but I’m going to add a few techniques. In particular I want to develop a system similar to the one of Benjamin Franklyn, where he used a calendar to decide how to work on different area of his life while maintaining balance. I highly suggest you to read the article I linked before to get an idea of the system.

Another thing I want to do, is to write down a list of 3-4 tasks every day that I want to accomplish. This list is particular because it must be on paper (less distractions) and it will be with me all the times.

I believe that this system, along with my collect and process habit, is adding a lot of value to my productivity.

That’s all for this short update, check back often for other updates and killer articles on productivity and self development/lifestyle.

Posted on September 23 2009

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