Chris Jennings

For about a year now I have been on a quest to find a personal task and project management system that made sense to me and my lifestyle. Apps like Remember the Milk, Vitalist and I Want Sandy seemed promising, but with their abundance of features and over-complication of concept I ended up dreading their usage. Luckily I have found a system that I hope to stick to forever.

Getting Things Done

Upon expressing the short-comings I had found with the previously mentioned systems, I was introduced to David Allen and his Getting Things Done task and project management system. Getting Things Done, or GTD basically allows you to setup a trusted “queue” of tasks and projects, or tasks that require more than one action, to tackle almost anything life throws your way.

How I use the queue is simple. I start by listing out every project I have on my plate, then I break each project down to actions required to complete the it. After this, I consider other tasks I need to accomplish like my grocery list or things I need to fix around the house - some of these become projects, too. Eventually I have a makeshift inbox of things that need to be done and the steps I need to take to complete them.

In addition to the queue, GTD gives you another handy system on how to handle the tasks at hand. The process in brief is as follows:

• DO IT - If the action can be done in less than two minutes, take care of it now.
• DELEGATE IT - If this action needs to be done by someone else or needs someone else’s input, send it their way.
• DEFER IT - If the action can’t be done now, mark it on a calendar on when it needs to be taken care of.

The last step to completing the system is to put trust in the queue and review it regularly.

Omnifocus

Since GTD itself is only a concept, the brains at The Omni Group have developed a software-based solution to help you put it into practice called OmniFocus. Omnifocus gives you an Inbox where you can brainstorm your tasks, then file them digitally on your Mac as well as assign contexts - the physical location you will need to be to complete them.

Omnifocus integrates with iCal and lets you manage deferred actions on your calendar. You also can arrange your items and revise them as needed. If the task only takes one action, put it in the miscellaneous box. If it needs a few actions, make it a project. Projects can have sub-projects. I have a Freelance Project with sub-folders for each open project.

To get going right away, take 10 minutes of your time to watch the Omnifocus introduction video.

iPhone + GTD

With the release of both the App Store and the iPhone 3G, Omnifocus has developed an iPhone version of Omnifocus that syncs with your projects on your mac. The app itself works just like the original, but allows you to manage your tasks on the go and utilizes the built-in GPS or triangular location system if you’re still on iPhone 1.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of Omnifocus: iPhone is that depending on your action’s physical context, such as a hardware store, grocery store, mall, etc., the app will display locations nearby — I.e. “WholeFoods < 1 mile north” — in which you can take care of them.

Having such a solid system in place enables me to stop thinking about all of the things I need to do and allows me to just do them. With practice, this method can become part of your healthy lifestyle and will help your productivity and focus reach new heights - no matter where you are.

I’ve grown a lot over the past year. I’ve went from working full-time at a dead end job to running my own successful online business – and making twice as much, working half the time. Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty of room for improvement but I have total faith now that I can do anything I set my mind to.

One of the toughest obstacles for me has been focusing. I’m sure I’m not alone, but I tend to have at least 3 “million-dollar” ideas daily and sometimes end up wasting half the day sketching out site designs and business models. I wish I could say that even one of them has gone anywhere.

It’s only recently that I have realized what a complete waste of time all of this really was. I have a bad habit of wanting to be a part of every startup that crosses my path, just incase it’s the next Digg or Google… but in reality, this is just like playing the lottery. I could buy 1000 tickets and still never win whereas if I would had put the amount of time and money wasted into something I was passionate about, I would have invested in myself and came out much better in the long run.

The idea is not to cut out all of your streams of income; it’s about putting more focus on your solid bases and saying “I’ll pass” when you’re plate is full.

There are a few things that you can do to help you focus immediately.

Sell off your surplus domain names

I know that you’ve got them. I do. Unused idea domain names are filling my Godaddy account like Rosie O’Donnell in tight jeans, while also draining my wallet on a monthly basis. We need to get rid of these and give someone else a chance to bring them to life.

Limit your availability on Instant Messaging Services

It’s not rude to put an away message up while you’re working. It’s likely that if you have friends that are “entrepreneurs”, you are bound to get a few ideas pinged off of you from time to time. For me, other people’s ideas easily get my mind churning a bigger and better idea… and unfortunately, that could sometimes end in another domain, another site sketch and another business model. Did I mention another wasted afternoon?

Focusing is just another way to invest in yourself. Spreading yourself too thin is much too high of a risk when trying to survive online business. Find something that works for you and STAY AT IT.