Random Thoughts

When I was a young software designer, I ran across a great program for capturing random thoughts. It was a way to put sticky notes on your desk and recall them by keyword. It was pretty awesome, but was not available when I was not at my desk. When I traded up my computer I lost the software and have not found a comparable product.

When I became a manager, by mentor showed me the power of a bring forward file. He was relentless in following up on commitments, suggestions and directives as his BF file kept everyone on track.

When I became a consultant, my secret was to remain one step ahead of the client. Study was the game. I read more books in my first year as a consultant than I did in a lifetime of high school.

I found a great book by David Allen. It was definitely a winner. Getting Things Done is a national best seller about stress free productivity. In it is a flow chart that shows how to  get stuff done. It suggests that we ask ourselves a few simple questions about everything that comes into our life and then define some actions that keep us moving toward to get results. It’s solid gold. I’ve thought about it for years and finally figured out how to apply it practically. I’m not a strapped to a desk guy. I see young folks tied to their cell phones sharing their world on-line. Blink – a light went on. Lets take facebook and twitter to a new level.

Random thoughts + the power of the internet + a system to get things done + social media. Sounds like a winner.

Here’s the system; David Allen’s book says that stuff that comes into your world should be examined to determine if it is actionable. If not, it should be trashed unless you think that it may be useful some day, in which case it should be filed for easy retrieval. If it is actionable, you need to determine what the next action would be to move this toward completion. If that action can be done in less that a few minutes, then do it! Otherwise, delegate it or defer it to the appropriate time. If you delegate it, you better have a BF file to follow up. If you defer it, set up a reminder to tell you when to take care of it. That’s a pretty awesome model.

If you want to learn the nuts and bolts of the system, you can buythe book on Amazon.

If you want to learn how to apply it in real life, check this web site. Never forget that random thought and use a great system to make it happen!

The site is not yet compete. One thing I’ve learned is not to hold a good idea back while you perfect it. Let it evolve. So here it is. Feel free to give it a try!

Norm Bain

www.normanbain.com

Norm www.normanbain.com