Viewing Category: Productivity
Managing and Scheduling Multiple Projects
After a year break, I'm re-introducing the Resource Time Tracking (RTT) forms I first tried out in 2006. At the time, I was trying to figure out a better way of visualizing future time to a number of different simultaneous projects.
This is a two-part form, consisting of a task scheduler and a task quantizer. The Task Scheduler is basically a calendar that shows what deliverables are due on what days of the week in addition to when production time is allocated. The Task Quantizer is a kind of worksheet to allow you to determine what those deliverables are in the first place, and how long it will take to to them. The Quantizer forces you to measure in standardized blocks of time, which comes in handy when it comes to fitting them into the Scheduler's time grid.
The 2010 update is unchanged from the original 2006-2007 form, other than some standardization of typography
Download 2010 Resource Time Tracking Forms
For more information about the use of the Resource Time Tracking forms, check out the original post. Enjoy!
Plan your day as it happens
The Emergent Task Planner (or ETP) is a Daily Planning Sheet that provides a way for you to lightly structure your day. By helping you visualize the time you have, you can get a sense of just how much work you can get done done. The ETP borrows some of the task planning methodology from the Task Progress Tracker to reinforce one idea: it's hard to get anything done on purpose when there are so many distractions. The ETP provides space for noting down the unexpected while keeping your big-picture tasks in view.
The 2010 edition is based on last year's pre-printed pad design, which is now available on Amazon.com for ordering. The free downloadable versions are available in black and white, blue, and green, in both US Letter (8.5x11) and International A4 sizes.
If you have any other form variation requests or miss an older version, let me know and I'll dig it up for you.
Download 2010 Emergent Task Planner Printable Forms
8.5 x 11 inch Letter
A4 International
For information about the Emergent Task Planner, the original post describes each design feature in greater detail.
Or Save Your Expensive Printer Ink
You can now buy high quality offset-printed pads of 75 sheets, using the new blue and orange color scheme, on Amazon.com. And yes, you can take advantage of that Amazon Super Saver Shipping when you buy more than $25 of stuff from them. Check it out! Your purchase helps me spend more time blogging and designing about productivity, and I appreciate it!
See where your time is going so you stay focused
The Emergent Task Timer (or ETT) is a Daily Task Focusing Sheet that works in conjunction with a simple 15-minute timer. Every time the timer goes off, you take a note of what you happen to be doing, and fill in a bubble marking the time. This simple action allows you to build a picture of how you spend your time during the day. The results are often shocking. Like all the Printable CEO™ forms, it's designed to provide maximum gain for minimum input.
Over the years, this form seems to be popular with people working in reactionary jobs (tech support, for example) and students who are trying to stay focused. The use of the 15-minute timer is useful for "pacing" the day; when it goes off, you'll know if you've been on task or off task. Even if you don't note a bubble for every single 15-minute interval, you can often infer how your day has been going from the overall pattern that has built. Some people use it as a simple daily time tracker for billable work. Others have used it to show their bosses that their time gets frittered away by useless meetings.
The 2010 edition is pretty much the same as last year's, with a bit of cleanup in the typography. If you're using the form to track time, be sure to use the Power User's version; there's a space at the right side of the form to enter in the total amount of time you've spent.
Download 2010 Emergent Task Timing Printable Forms
If you are looking for a 15-minute timer, you might try using the ancient online prototype of the Emergent Task Timer. It is not completely functional, but you can certainly use it to try the concept out. Sean Johnson has also created a web app based on the ETT design which is pretty slick. Check it out!
For more information about Emergent Task Timing, the original post describes each design feature in greater detail. Enjoy!
Project-level to-do list tracking
The Task Progress Tracker (or TPT) is a Project Task Manager, where "project" is loosely defined as a "set of related tasks". The idea behind the TPT is to provide a methodology to break down a project into shorter-duration subtasks that take under 4 hours. The design of the form encourages estimate then track use of the same piece of paper; first you write down all the tasks, then you make your estimates, then you follow through. It's like a To-Do list, except the forms also track effort made against each item, 15 minutes at a time.
The 2010 edition has had several cosmetic improvements to increase contrast when printing. The Power User Edition has been almost completely redesigned, using refined elements from some of the newer forms I've done.
Download 2010 Task Progress Tracker Printable Forms
For more information about the Task Progress Tracker, the original post has plenty to read. Enjoy!
Pursue Tangible Results to Achieve Greater Goals
The Concrete Goals Tracker (CGT) is the original Printable CEO™ form, created one evening in 2005 to alleviate my desire to have a "trusted personal CEO" that would tell me what to do. I figured since I couldn't hire anyone to do the job, I might be able to go the cheap route and print one up on paper :-)
Designed for Minimal Tracking Effort
The idea is pretty simple: every time you complete something on the "worth doing" task list, you award yourself points. ONLY things you've done that produce tangible benefits are worth points, and the point scale is weighted so the most goal-directed criteria earn the most. Goal-supporting achievements, which tend to happen more frequently, are weighted less. It's up to you whether a task "counts" or not toward your goal. You can even award multiple points for a single task if it makes sense to you...try your best to optimize!
The list shown here is designed to create a successful freelance practice, based on the idea that "showing and talking about your work leads to more work". It lists categories of tasks that can be framed as being productive relative to your overall goal. For a freelancer, that's making stuff and showing it to people, and also talking to people constantly so you are on their mind. It all pays off when you get that check. There's a small business version too in the downloads section.
As you accomplish various goal-related items throughout the day, fill in the appropriate bubble to log the points. At the end of the day, you will see how well you did (or didn't). Each CGT form tracks an entire week, so you will see how you did every day, and week-by-week...and most importantly, what you did to move yourself along your path. Since the items on the task list award points only for tangible results, you will have made actual progress.
The theory behind the form itself is described more in the original 2005 post on the Printable CEO and the followup Making of the Printable CEO; there is a good bit of video game design psychology embedded in this paper form.
Overall Application
The CGT has evolved into a bunch of other forms that help visualize different aspects of my workday, and I no longer use it daily because it actually did its job: it got me focused on some processes that actually deliver meaningful result; all I had to do was focus not on what they were, but how I could tell if I was on the right path or not, and whether my daily output was really helping me forward. The idea is pretty simple: by focusing on making things that people can see and counting what you've done in a simple daily manner, you plant the seeds for daily progress. This is a high level guidance tool, much like the way a good manager will tell you what she needs and you pick your own way of making that happen without a lot of micromanagement. With luck, this is a form you use to get started in a new direction, and then you will pretty much know what you need to be doing. I haven't heard much feedback about it lately, but the general impression I have is that people use it for 2 weeks to six months, then move on.
The concept is translatable to different fields too. For example, there was also some interest from a magazine, so I created a small business edition based on that.
Make New Year's Resolutions Printable Lists with the Editable Versions
There are "write-your-own" PDFs with suggested methodology for how I put together a good "worth doing" list, which is an art in itself. I've written instructions on how to create new year's resolutions using these forms. By using the make-your-own printable versions of the CGT, you can put together a pretty decent goal tracking kit using either 8.5x11 paper, index cards for you Hipster users, or mini-book formats (pocketmod compatible, even). There is also an editable Excel version.
Note: You'll need to use Acrobat Reader to modify the text fields in the editable PDF versions.
Download 2010 Concrete Goals Tracker Printable Forms
3x5" Index Card Printable Formats
PocketMod / MiniBook Format
Editable Excel Goals Tracker
- Download Editable Excel version. It isn't pretty, but it gets the job done. Use to create your own variations in points. Note that this is not an interactive calculator or tracker spreadsheet as is.
For an overview of all the forms available, visit The Printable CEO™ Series Page. Enjoy!
A few years ago I was in a McDonald's during the lunch rush, and after placing my order I observed the cashier arranging my order slip on a rail with the rest of them. Food preparers were already assembling orders, but fries were held up and a few special orders took longer to assemble. The check rail was the continual point of reference, allowing everyone not only to see what was in each order, but also providing a visual sense of just how backed up they were. There was an electronic version, glowing greenly in the corner, but it was positioned just a bit too far away from the actual bagging area to be convenient. The paper order slips were more permanent, and upon fulfillment they were taped to the side of the bag to tag its contents. I thought this was very cool, so I designed the Task Order Up to play with the concept at home. It was designed to collate the two important questions about one's work:
- What I am supposed to do?
- When is it due?
As originally envisioned, the Task Order Up implements a priority queue in a production environment. As tasks come in, Task Order Up slips are filled out and handed off to a worker who will handle it. The worker can then array the tasks over his workstation, knowing exactly what needs to be done. Each slip is like a mini job contract, a prop for discussion. The worker can arrange them by the order he is going to do them, and what's cool is that everyone else can see what's on his plate just by glancing at his desk: work queue becomes more transparent. I think this helps avoid those micromanagement situations, but I must admit the main reason for making these slips is because I just like check rails. However, I've heard of people using this in production environments...check out their photos on Flickr.
Download The 2010 Printable Task Order Up Forms
This year's updates make some cosmetic changes to the typography, including darkening some of the background tints which were printing too lightly.
Standard Format
3x5 Index Card Format
4x6 Recipe Card Format
For more background information about the Task Order Up, see the original article. Enjoy!
SUMMARY: While the Concrete Goals Tracker, Emergent Task Planner, and Emergent Task Timer PDFs are being updated, the more obscure forms may not get an update unless I hear that someone needs them. The current roster of forms is listed in this blog post.
>> READ FULL ARTICLE
The Compact Calendar is a printable calendar based on an Excel spreadsheet, designed to be easy to use in impromptu planning by yourself or with a group of people.
>> READ FULL ARTICLE
SUMMARY: I've been busy, and feeling a little overwhelmed by the sense that nothing was getting done. There are two ways I deal with that, and a few mind tricks that help the process go more smoothly.
>> READ FULL ARTICLE
Summary: A quick review of Matt Cornell's new e-book on establishing a productive methodology.
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