10 Tips for Better Time Management with your PPC

[Bruno Figueiredo]

I’m always interested in learning new ways to better manage my life and my ever diminishing time. So, now and then I stumble across some articles on it, and I even went to a small training on Time Management. With time, I found out what works and what doesn’t - at least for me. And, now I thought I could share them with you.

Is that a PC in your Pocket or are you happy to see me?
If your lugging around a PPC with you, chance is you bought it to better organize yourself. That, or you thought of it as a way to increase your geekiness status. So, even though we lug around our PPCs, most of us don’t use them effectively to manage our lives. Some knowledge is missing, and with the following tips, I’ll try to fill those voids and give you some insights in using your PPC more effectively.

1. The pebbles-in-the-jar theory
Do you start your day reading your blogs of choice and finish in stress of not being able to do what you were supposed to do? Looks familiar? Introducing the pebbles-in-the-jar theory: start by putting the big rocks (what you have to do today) in the jar (your PPC); then add some pebbles (small, recurring tasks), fill it with sand (e-mail check, PPCT readout) and finish with water (calling your wife, checking on the kids) until you reach the border of the jar. Try it the other way around and it will be impossible, not to mention that the jar will go overboard. So will your mind and accomplishments. So begin your day with the big tasks and end it blogging or whatever.

2. Imput everything
Input every appointment and task on your PPC (exception: tip 5). That way you’ll have a record and when you begin checking off your tasks you’ll begin to feel accomplished.

3. Categorize
Categories are a powerful way to organize what you have to do. Start by creating some custom categories like Work, Home, Shop, Call. That way you can filter them and, for example, when you’re at work you see only work-related tasks and appointments, when your shopping you see only your shopping list. This is a good way also to avoid being overwhelmed by a stretching list of tasks.

4. Decide what’s important and what’s urgent
When you have more than 10 tasks on a single category you’ll benefit from ranking them. Everything you do is either important or urgent or both. I’ll give some examples:
- Important and Urgent: there’s a typo on the company site; your boss is now Prick Jones and not Dick (rank these as High)
- Urgent but not Important: a colleague is going on vacation tomorrow and he brought the prized Schwarzenegger DVD you lend him (rank these as High)
- Important but not Urgent: everyday tasks, like going to the gym to loose that beer belly (do not rank these)
- Neither Important nor Urgent: alphabetization of your baseball card collection (rank these as Low)

5. If it takes less than 2 minutes to do, do it NOW
Why? Because you’ll take longer than that to write it down on your PPC, and as a bonus that task will be out of you way in the end.

6. Avoid procrastination with small tasks
One sure way to not get things done is to start with a huge task to begin with. Say you have a task like “Write a Book on Leeches”. This is one type of task that will be on your list forever. Instead, divide it up into small tasks like: “Compile documentation; Buy Leeches; Write Intro; etc…”

7. Precisely schedule your meetings
You scheduled a meeting with the marketing department and they showed up 40 minutes late? Because of this you arrived at your anniversary dinner a hour late? Your wife killed you? Does this look familiar? Your time is precious, so schedule a start and end time for the meeting. When you reach the end time, end the meeting. Doesn’t matter if it started 5 minutes ago. Next time, I promise the marketing department will be on time.

8. Just to say NO
If you can’t manage to squeeze a new task someone asked you to into your schedule, just say NO. If you don’t learn to say no, your schedule will begin to break and everything else will break with it: deadlines, work performance, your job…

9. Delegate
If you said NO, maybe you can delegate that task on a colleague or on one of your subordinates. Don’t act like superman. You CAN’T do it all for yourself. I promise that if you delegate, people will do a good job too. And if they don’t, their arses will be on the line, not yours. And learn to beam… That’s why they invented it for.

10. If you’re still too busy, buy a PIM replacement
If you input more than 20 appointments a week and your task list has more than 20 tasks in some categories, you need a PIM replacement such as Pocket Informant or Agenda Fusion. Even better, get a Today plugin to match like PiToday or PocketBreeze. You’ll find it invaluable.

Bruno Figueiredo

[acetuk]

Bruno,

I think that is a pretty good summary of Getting Things Done and The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, with a nice PPC slant thrown in!

I'm like you - I've read a lot about Time Management and the management of people and I'm always trying to find better ways of using my ipaq to help me with this 'project'.

Points 1 and 5 are very critical to my personal time management.

Nice work... anyone have anything else to add?

[Brad Adrian]

I noticed the "Seven Habits" features, too, and really like your ideas. I'm curious, though, about why you feel a PIM replacement is needed if you have a fairly large number of appointments or tasks.

[Darius Wey]

I noticed the "Seven Habits" features, too, and really like your ideas. I'm curious, though, about why you feel a PIM replacement is needed if you have a fairly large number of appointments or tasks.

Perhaps Bruno feels as though the standard WM2003/WM2003SE is too messy when you have appointments and tasks splashed all over the screen. Something like Pocket Informant helps sort everything out in a much-more customisable interface. While I still believe PI could do with a few improvements, it is generally seen as a good improvement over the standard Windows PIM system.

My thoughts anyway. 8)

[Bruno Figueiredo]

Well, because with a PIM replacement you have hierarchical tasks, category colors, other priorization options, templates...

Someone with a fairlow low number of things to do will get by with the default PIM, but when you have a lot o stuff in your hands it simply isn't enough and/or effective.

[Islander]

Bruno, good post, Thanks for taking the time.. Do you mind that I copied it into a Word .doc, and converted it using Mobipocket Office Companion, and put it on my PPC? :)

I really like #5 also. Reminds me a bit of "The Procrastination Handbook" which I keep putting off converting for my PPC...

Cheers from PEI :mrgreen:

[ppcsurfr]

Bruno,

That is just great!

Mabuhay! ~ Carlo

[webagogue]

1. The pebbles-in-the-jar theory
Do you start your day reading your blogs of choice and finish in stress of not being able to do what you were supposed to do? Looks familiar? Introducing the pebbles-in-the-jar theory: start by putting the big rocks (what you have to do today) in the jar (your PPC); then add some pebbles (small, recurring tasks), fill it with sand (e-mail check, PPCT readout) and finish with water (calling your wife, checking on the kids) until you reach the border of the jar. Try it the other way around and it will be impossible, not to mention that the jar will go overboard. So will your mind and accomplishments. So begin your day with the big tasks and end it blogging or whatever.

Bruno Figueiredo

Excellent post. I agree with almost everything you stated (and will definately be copying and pasting into a sticky note and putting in the "#Reference" folder of my iPAQ"). However, I would like to take issue with what you classified as Big Rocks and Water.

Big Rocks would most likely be things like calling your wife and checking on your kids. Big Rocks are supposed to be the things that matter most to you - not the most urgent or important thing. So, if I were to rearrange these, I would put wife and kids as Big Rocks and move everything else down one level.

...that is unless you hate your wife and can't stand your kids! :devilboy:

[Bruno Figueiredo]

I assure you that I LOVE my wife, webagogue. And I don't have kids yet.

So why I didn't consider them a Rock? I consider Rocks self-contained tasks that contribute to my long term goals. Water touches and reaches everything else. That doesn't mean it's less important. But certain things must be done and get out of your way and some are always there. Do you understand my POV?

[webagogue]

I assure you that I LOVE my wife, webagogue. And I don't have kids yet.

So why I didn't consider them a Rock? I consider Rocks self-contained tasks that contribute to my long term goals. Water touches and reaches everything else. That doesn't mean it's less important. But certain things must be done and get out of your way and some are always there. Do you understand my POV?

Absolutely. With that clarification I can understand why you chose water. I don't know if Stephen Covey invented it, but the way he explained the Big Rock, pebble, etc. etc., Big Rocks are the things that matter most in your life - the things that you should make sure fit in your jar/bucket.

[Evee Ev]

time management is such a problem for me. i've had a ppc for years but i've never really used it for managing my time.

but more recently for managing different tasks i make different categories such as: @work, @home, @bus, @computer, @lunch, etc. so when i'm at home and i can see things that need to get done , and when i'm at work i can see what i can while i'm at work...yada yada yada.

this really works well with pocket informant b/c PI does not double the task if it is in 2 categories, i.e. something you can do at work and home.

i got this idea from www.davidco.com.

[szamot]

The one true beauty of working for yourself - everyday is either a Monday or Friday. No cubilce chaos here. :D

[rhmorrison]

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

[shanipaqman]

Does anyone out there use the Outlook plugin from Getting Things Done?

I've been playing around with it, but don't see the benefit of anything I couldn't make without it? For example all the extra folders and such are easily creatable. True, you don't get to see emails on tasks or appts., but just curious about your experience?
thanks
shannon

[Jerome Carney]

I've never used the "Getting Things Done" add-in, but a few months ago I began using the FranklinCovey PlanPlus Outlook add-in, and the more I use it, the more I like it.

I first checked into PlanPlus because I'm a huge fan of PocketInformant, and was looking for some sort of desktop equivalent in order to circumvent Outlook's shortcomings, specifically the lack of "A1" style prioritizing.

But now I'm beginning to use some of the other PlanPlus features, like Daily Notes, where you can brainstorm your thoughts for the day, and then highlight words or sentences and drag them to the calender or task section to create an appointment or to do item.

I'm also starting to use the weekly planning module, where you spend twenty minutes at the start of the week reviewing your overall mission and values, and then you schedule goals, then roles, then tasks, based on the rocks-pebbles-sand paradigm.

My only major disappointment with PlanPlus is that the included PocketPC apps are clunky and slow, so I never use them. I guess my dream app for time management would be a PocketInformant/PlanPlus merger, combining the features of both apps that would work seamlessly on both my desktop and my PocktPC.

[fmcpherson]

I've been reading Allen's "Getting Things Done" and while I'm not finished, I would say it has helped me with task management and I have found it very compatible with Pocket PC, and I am sure the same can be said for Palm. Basically, the most important features are Categorization and Filters. You can do that with a base Pocket PC, though I use Agenda Fusion.

One thing that I did wish that Windows Mobile was separation of categories between Calendar, Contacts and Tasks. I don't find myself wanting the same categories in all three apps, which means the total category list is larger than I like.

Of course, the most, most important thing with task/time management is discipline.

[T-Will]

Thanks for the tips!

[iluvbeba]

I've never used the "Getting Things Done" add-in, but a few months ago I began using the FranklinCovey PlanPlus Outlook add-in, and the more I use it, the more I like it.

I first checked into PlanPlus because I'm a huge fan of PocketInformant, and was looking for some sort of desktop equivalent in order to circumvent Outlook's shortcomings, specifically the lack of "A1" style prioritizing.

But now I'm beginning to use some of the other PlanPlus features, like Daily Notes, where you can brainstorm your thoughts for the day, and then highlight words or sentences and drag them to the calender or task section to create an appointment or to do item.

I'm also starting to use the weekly planning module, where you spend twenty minutes at the start of the week reviewing your overall mission and values, and then you schedule goals, then roles, then tasks, based on the rocks-pebbles-sand paradigm.

My only major disappointment with PlanPlus is that the included PocketPC apps are clunky and slow, so I never use them. I guess my dream app for time management would be a PocketInformant/PlanPlus merger, combining the features of both apps that would work seamlessly on both my desktop and my PocktPC.

I agree with you. I currently use with my 6315, PI, PItoday v2.0 (just got it today... so far, I like) and the Daily Record. I have found out that the only functionality that I can't use with Plan Plus and Pocket PC is the task ranking feature. But I also find that it is not necessary with my lifestyle. I currently use the Quickprioritize feature of plan plus at the end of every day. It allows you to drag tasks that were unfinished today to another date instantly. It also allows you to assign it as a A, B, C type tasks by simply dragging it to the appropriate column.

In Pocket Outlook, it translates A as a high priority, B as a Normal Priority, and C as a low priority task. This is sufficent for me. And with my PItoday plug in, it ranks my task as such. I start at the top and work my way down.

I do NOT use the Priorized Task app for the PPC nor do I allow activesync to sync using it. I just simply use the regular task syncing method with ActiveSync

All in all, Plan Plus is great for those serious about time management and in my estimation intergrates with Pocket PC rather well with some minor adjustments.

[Brad Adrian]

I just with there was a "real" incarnation of The Seven Habits for Pocket PC. I know that FranklinCovey has come out with some PDA tools, but they're kind thrown together and don't relate as well to the principles as I would like.

But then again, I'm a bit of a "Covey snob." I was really a big fan of Steven Covey and his techniques for daily/time management. When he merged with Franklin, I felt he kinda sold out, because a lot of his ideas became watered down or adulterated. When he was on his own, you could sense a real deep-seated religious faith in what he said, and with FranklinCovey it's become too secular.

Just my opinion...(but I'm right!)

[bhkien]

Hi,

I think managing tasks only is not enough. Because, it is very hard to know what is best what is good.

I have an additional option to your time management, that called TimeMAX. For more information, please visit my website and let me know what do you think about it.

Thanks

[jkendrick]

I've finished reading a book called "Seize the Work Day" by Michael Linenberger and while it's aimed at the Tablet PC user his time management sections are excellent.

He has developed a system that is similar to the GTD and 7 Habits and simplified them into an easy to get started system. The angle he uses that I've found most useful is to stop putting end dates on most tasks. I used to always put end dates on just about every task and the end result was a feeling of being hopelessly behind at the end of every day.

Now I just put dates on tasks that absolutely have to be done on a given day- everything else goes undated. Every morning I look at the entire task list and bump up only the tasks that absolutely have to be done that day. During unexpected free time during the day I grab a few of the tasks that are undated and do those (such as phone calls, etc.). Now each day I feel like I've accomplished a lot as all of the high priority tasks (the REAL ones) are all checked off at the end of the day.

It's a great system and one that works very well for me even on the PPC with PI.

[buss]

My 2 cents on this topic. I always found time managment techniques to be very interesting, to the point that with some people that I had worked with over the years seemed lose productivity because of thier systems. Around 1990 a friend introduced me to the Franklin system and I was hooked. Later they released a desktop version of the system, but it was very buggy. When I started using my Palm in 1998 Frankin released a template package for MS Outlook and the related software for the Palm. Bad part was that the condits gave me more trouble that it was worth. PlanPlus seems to have solved most of the interface problems with Outlook and then when I moved to the PPC earlier this year I found the interface to be trouble free.

To me the time management concept in in my head and between my home computer, office computer and the PPC keeping both in sync I feel good about my productive.

[Thinkingmandavid]

Howdy!
Great topic Bruno. Ilike what was posted and I am big into TM myself:)
I currently have my Toshiba e355 being worked on using my Best Buy Service Plan, so I have been with out my ppc for over two weeks, not including the few weeks it was not working right before I sent it off.

I can tell you it has hurt my TM since I have not been using it. Two lunch meetings I totally forgot about. Running late, and not sure what is next.

Yesterday I went by Franklin Covey and bought another dayplanner since mine is old and used up. I have always liked the pocket size. I realize I should have a back up when my ppc is not available and not working.

Brad Adrian wrote
just with there was a "real" incarnation of The Seven Habits for Pocket PC. I know that FranklinCovey has come out with some PDA tools, but they're kind thrown together and don't relate as well to the principles as I would like.

I agree. I have always felt that FC does not really care about the pda user much at all. It is obvious by the selection of software. Seems hypocritical to me since it is all about not "letting things slip between the cracks" and "always having your day planner with you" which is exactly what my ppc is and does and a whole lot more.

[PetiteFlower]

You know what would really make my PPC help my time management? If I could outfit it with a lazer beam that could disintegrate all the cars in front of me when I'm stuck in traffic in the morning!

I have a 37 mile commute. Prior to last week it took me about 50 minutes. Today it took me an hour and 15. ARRRGH!

Where are those teleporters we've been dreaming about?

[Bruno Figueiredo]

That's nothing. A couple of years ago, in Lisbon, you took nearly 2 hours to travel about 2 miles. That seems insane, no?

Well, today our transit system is vastly improved. Still our medium bus travel speed is about 6 miles per hour!

About the time in your car, read this:
http://www.davidco.com/tips_tools/tip30.html