Exploring Process

I like exploring process too! In fact, my productivity tools  began as experiments in process exploration. Here are a few starting places to mine for information!

Created Solutions for Specific Productivity Problems

Here’s a quick list of the original posts describing each problem. For the latest versions, visit the productivity tools page.

  • The Concrete Goals Tracker (2005) – The CGT was made so I could stay focused on what mattered as a self-employed freelancer. The implementation uses a point system to track effort across layers of supporting activity for the week. This supplementary post goes into more background.
  • The Task Progress Tracker (2005) – The TPT is a reframing of todo lists as “I did” lists, tracking effort spent on more ambiguous tasks to provide a sense of accomplishment.
  • Tracking Time in Excel (2005) – This Excel spreadsheet uses 2400 hour time for fast on-the-fly time logging. Instead of using multiple fields for starting and ending times, you put the times at the beginning and end of your text. The macro calculate hours in quarter-hour increments.
  • The Emergent Task Timer (2006) – The ETT is designed to show you where your time is actually going on a large grid. Write what you intend to do at the top, and then start a 15-minute interval timer to remind you to fill-in a dot indicating what you were really doing. As the day goes on, you have a visual diagram of your time usage (and you can use it as a time sheet).
  • The Task Order Up (2006) – The TOU is a “one task per card” system, with all the necessary project management information. They serve as physical markers representing your current workload. Inspired by restaurant order check rails.
  • The Emergent Task Planner (2006) – The ETP remixes the older Menu of the Day into a single-sheet day planner. Designed to keep options flexible, reduce data entry, and provide a “what was I doing?” focusing anchor.
  • The Compact Calendar (2006) – The Compact Calendar portrays the year as a solid block of days, and was designed for use in planning meetings. If you have Excel you can create a calendar for any day of the year by just editing the start day.

Managing Year-long Strategic Goals

Since 2007, I’ve been focused on year planning with my Groundhog Day Resolutions (or GHDR). While there are no official PDF downloads associated with GHDR, there are MANY YEARS of reports describing the different processes I’ve tried for the past 13 years.

Because there is so much material, I suggest looking at these posts:

  • The First GHDR (2007) – This started as an easy way to remember to do monthly reviews, starting on 2/2 and then remember 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, etc were report days.
  • A Quiet Reflection on Failure (2012) – After 7 years of pushing on goals and failing to achieve them, I reflect on what I might do about it (4 parts). Failure is part of the process.
  • GHDR 2018 Page – If you are interested in seeing what the process looks like, this page collects all GHDR 2018 articles and supporting tracking tools.
  • GHDR 2018 PDF – If you’d like to download a PDF, the Collected 2018 GHDR Posts (256 pages) is available for US$1.

Musings on Productivity and Process

My blog also has materials related to process that you might find interesting. Here’s a few starting places: