This is nothing original or special, but perhaps it will offer a brief bit of clarity for someone!
When it comes to saving time and being efficient, I very much appreciated the advice given in David Allen’s TED talk focused on being productive and efficient.
That said, I have found my own best practices to be insufficient simply out of lack of organization. As many will testify, the best methodology for to-do lists and the like is that which allows constant access any time, from any device. Of course, I am defaulting to technology tools, but with the universal connectivity they provide, I find it to be a safe default.
I selected Google Docs (among many others) by which to organize myself simply because everything I do is google-related (personal email, cloud storage, etc. as well as work and school).
Here is what I have found: Google Docs does not always load nicely on mobile Apple devices (iPhone and iPad users beware: Apple and Google are somewhat at war and do not play nice). This can actually add to my stress and anxiety (not ideal).
However, the ease of access and the ability to collaborate make for an interesting option when tying in my family (spouse, specifically). By giving more people access to my lists and action items, I find that accountability becomes one of the most sure guarantees of success. Think about it: even with a nice list of things to do and simple “Next Step” action items, one can always choose to just not do them. We are imperfect people and do not always make right choices. Even so, by adding in the attentive eyes of a select few, I become accountable to my lists and action items and am that much more likely to make the right choice every time knowing that a wrong choice will be noted by others.
It is a simple strategy used by just about every human being who is willing to acknowledge that we are not as strong as we would like to be. I know this about myself, and I would bet that many of you know this about yourselves, as well. My suggestion: find accountability!
Defending Learning 