The Instant Productivity Toolkit

Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Introduction: How Did My Life Get Out of Balance?......Page 12
Two Days to Chaos......Page 14
Countering the Advantages of Being Disorganized......Page 15
What You Will Learn from This Book......Page 16
Part I: The Twenty-One Techniques......Page 22
The Essentials......Page 26
Technique #1: The Purge......Page 28
Step Zero: Preparing for the Purge......Page 29
Step One: Purging Your Physical Space......Page 32
Step Three: Empty Those Boxes......Page 41
Step Five: Purge Your Active and Personal Paper Files......Page 43
Step Six: Empty the Rest of Your KEEP Box......Page 45
Being Proactive in a Reactive World......Page 50
Desk Position and Workspace Layout......Page 52
Technique #3: Virtual In-Tray......Page 58
Technique #4: Computer and Voice-mail Purge......Page 64
Your Document Files and Other Working Files......Page 65
Email Files......Page 68
Voice-mail......Page 71
End of the Purge......Page 72
Technique #5: The Turtle......Page 74
It’s Not a Turtle Literally......Page 75
Prioritizing......Page 78
Turtle Holding Area (THA) and Turtle Sheets......Page 79
What to Do Now......Page 84
Front of Your Head, Back of Your Head......Page 85
Completing the “Productivity Makeover” of Your Workspace......Page 88
Technique #6: "Clear 180"......Page 90
Technique #7: Computer Placement......Page 92
Technique #8: Focus on One Project at a Time......Page 94
Technique #9: Trash, Out-Tray, and File System......Page 100
Trash......Page 101
The Out-Tray......Page 103
Your Paper File System......Page 105
Technique #10: Pending......Page 112
Technique #11: Personal Organization System......Page 118
Where to Locate Your Personal Organization Terminal......Page 120
Using Your Personal Organization System with Pending......Page 123
Personal Organization System: Summary......Page 126
Technique #12: Reading......Page 128
Mastering Your Tools of Electronic Communication......Page 132
Virtual In-Tray, Electronic Version......Page 134
Email Folders = Electronic Terminals......Page 137
Getting the Most Out of Your Handheld Device......Page 141
Voice-mail: Love It, Hate It......Page 142
Proactive and Reactive Calls......Page 143
Keeping Up with Your Voice-mail, Always......Page 148
Technique #15: The Paper/PC Connection......Page 150
Technique #16: Mobility......Page 154
Mental and Procedural Tools......Page 158
Technique #17: Finding What You Need......Page 160
Technique #18: Constructive Optimism......Page 162
Technique #19: Interruptions......Page 166
Technique #20: Next-Step Mentality......Page 170
A Positive, New Approach to Starting Your Day......Page 172
1. Invert Your Turtle......Page 174
3. Process Your Voice-mail......Page 176
4. Process Your Email......Page 177
Part II for the Virtuoso: The Integrated Seven Terminals System......Page 178
From 21 Techniques to an Integrated Working System......Page 180
The Seven Terminals System......Page 182
Principles of Information Processing......Page 184
Your Turtle: The Center of Your Universe......Page 187
Tips & Tricks for Greater Working Efficiency......Page 192
Applying What You’ve Learned......Page 194
Part III Transcending the Workday World: Your Dreams and Goals Becoming Reality......Page 214
Be Realistic and Unreasonable......Page 215
Fear of Backsliding?......Page 216
Defining Your Goals......Page 219
From Idea to Goal......Page 222
From Goal to Plan......Page 227
From Plan to Action......Page 235
Conclusion: Transcend Your Workday World......Page 236
Dear Reader,......Page 240
Back Cover......Page 241