These tools are built around the concept of a tiddler, an element of information with a title, a body, and a collection of tags. These tags provide an implicit and dynamic structure to a group of tiddlers, relating them in multiple ways, allowing you to slice and dice your information in multiple ways.

I first started using a version of TiddlyWiki several years ago and found the tool quite effective in allowing me to manage several projects concurrently without dropping any balls. The entry and formatting of the tiddler is quick and simple. Tiddlers may be linked to each other to provide references and linkages to relevant information. Tiddlers may also link to external files and to URLs, allowing reference to documentation, mail addressees, etc. And as I mentioned earlier, tiddlers can be tagged with multiple tags.

In my personal use of TiddlyWiki, I used a collection of tags for the 6 areas that I map my life into: Physical, Mental, Social, Spiritual, Family, and Financial (Professional). I also used a collection of tags denoting importance: High, Medium, Low. Using built-in macros and plugins, I created a tiddler that contained a list of other tiddlers that had the same tag. Using these tiddler collections I could easily view my action items for my Physical life, or I could display all of my High priority tasks. During recent years, TiddlyWiki has continued to evolve and improve and now offers a robust feature set, CSS based formatting, and a huge collection of plugins that are easily installed to extend its capability.

Recently an associate at work asked for a recommendation for managing todo lists. Since the work environment is locked down, I thought of the simple html system that required only a browser, and recommended TiddlyWiki. I continued to look at extensions and variants of TiddlyWiki and found Simon Baird’s implementation based on TiddlyWiki.

Simon implemented the concept of a TagglyTag which I will let you read at his web site since I can not do it justice. And he has provided a way to group tiddlers that are tagged, allowing their classification based on other tags used to describe them. Now I can see my tiddlers tagged as Physical, grouped by those that are High priority and those that are Completed. I highly recommend Simon’s MPTW implementation to you if you are looking for a simple, powerful, tool.

Please post questions and comments here.

• Hello, this is Plain Simple Mangement, I am Craig Walters, and today’s podcast deals with Time ManagementThank you all for your responses to my poll, and thank you for visiting my web site. In the future the web site will become a more integral part of the podcast, so please visit here often.Time management has won the poll so far, so I will share with you my views on time management.Some thoughts on time
  • Time is man’s theoritical construct to measure the rate of change. What we are really interested in is change and the rate of change, not the passage of time.The change we seek is to progress from the current state to the desired state. All of our energies should be focused on making this transition.As I mentioned before, Asimov in “Time, Space, and Other Things” points out that we have been given the life we need. He calculates the heart rate time the life expectancy for several other mammals and man, and finds that all mammals except man have about 1 billion heart beats during their lives. Man and man alone has 3 billion. He concludes that we have the time we need to do what we need to do.Our issue is not having enough time, it is an issue of how do we spend the time we have.I conclude that there is enough time do do what is important.So what is important.
    • Refer to the mission and vision statements that you have developed for your lives.
    • If you have not done so, then do it now.

  The Mechanics

  • I have used manual systems and computer systems. I don’t think it makes much difference. Eventually I have to answer the question; “What is the best use of my time now?” I find that manual systems are just as good as computer systems in answering this question.Since I do not spend 24×7 in front of a computer, something that I can transport is more ideal–Maybe a PDA, maybe index cards.For the most part, calendars only manage the interruptions rather than support the accomplishment of objectives. We use calendars to keep track of the interruptions. Sometimes, we put entries on the calendar in our own interest rather than some one elses, but most of the time we are serving someone else.It does not matter what you do as long as you meet these criteria.
    • I can review what actions I need to take
    • I can record progress and other necessary actions.
    • I can record my dreams.
    • I can list those actions that will achieve my dreams.

  Examples

  • In the 70’s I thought that John Dean had his stuff straight, when appearing in front of the Watergate commission. I journaled everything, noted everyting and spend more time recording my life rather than living it. Do not be a John Dean.Cardio-vascular surgeon
    • He carried index cards in his pocket, 1 per patient
    • The relevant info for each patient and family was on the card.
    • He could scan them easily.
    • The totality of his current surgical doctor life was in the deck.
    • The deck went with him everywhere.
    • He used the cards to share with others. He probably used these cards to plan his surgeries.

    I really love the system provided during
    the 80’s or 90’s provided by Century Plastics.

    • ScanCards used a specialized card.
      • This was not good.
    • 20th Century used index cards. Yea!!
      • I have placed a scan of the page on the web site.
    • I accomplished more using the index cards
      than I did using any other system.
    • My calendar and my administrative assistant managed my distractions.
    • My index cards managed what I wanted to do and need to do
    • Century Plastics and their card system are no longer available.
    • An alternative approach
      • Buy 3×5 Post-it notes.Buy a nice notebook or portfolio that you might and will carry everywhere.Buy a set of Avery dividers that have sufficient partitons for your life.Identify these dividers as the sections of your life.As tasks, objectives, initiatives, gotta-do’s come up,
        write them each on a 3×5 postit and stick
        in in the appropriate section of your life.When you have a free moment or an hour or a day, review the post-its.Select the postit that you love most now.

        Put you heart into its progress.

        These post-its or index cards are youre agents.

        • Write on them as things change.
        • Use highlighters to call out actions.
        • Use different colored cards for different purposes, priorities, etc.
        • Move them to your accomplishments box when you finish them.

    The God box

    • I have to share this with you.I am independent and self centered, or have been. I think I can solve my problems. Some I can not.I can not solve them all.For those I can not, I take the card out of my stack and put in the box labelled “God’s box”.I do not dwell on fears.I do not dwell on things I can not control.I let God deal with it as he may and move on to addressing what I can do someting about.

      This is the most sane prayer I have ever prayed: “…move me forward in your plan for me. I ask not that You bless what I decide to do, but that You will lead me to do what You have already blessed.”

      Actually it is the second most sane prayer. The first most sane prayer is the Lord’s Prayer. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven>”

  Conclusion

  • We have all the time we need
  • We need to focus on what matters.
  • We need to minimize the distractions that keep us from getting there.
  • Simplicity is the key.
  • What is the best use of my time now??
    • I hope you felt this podcast was a good use of the last few minutes.
    • I hope that the next few minutes take you closer to your dreams!! Good luck!

Links to resources:

Here are the links I promised you in the podcast. Please note that I have no financial interest in any of these offerings and, as far as I am concerned, they are available as is. I hope they work for you if you elect to go down the low tech path.

• www.scanplan.com I found this link today in my preparation for this podcast. When I was in college, the scheduling people used a similar system each quarter to schedule students into classes, and it seemed to work quite well.
• http://www.executivegallery.com/Pages/SCIdx.htm Here is the old scan card system that I mentioned in the podcast. I used this system for a while and it did serve its purpose. I did not like the size and propriety of the note cards–thus I elected a 3×5 system.

I feel like I need to tell you some other rules for time management.

• Delegate anything that you can delegate.
• Try and minimize the urgent interruptions, focusing instead on the important aspects of the job.
• Set aside times during the day to return phone calls and to answer e-mail. However, if you are in the office and the phone rings, answer it. Otherwise you could play phone tag forever if you return or answer calls at a different time than the caller–who is also managing his or her time.
• Look for an minimize time wasters imposed by the system. You have to spend your time with people but you do not have to spend your time in mediocre applications.
• Plan meetings with an agenda and an expected outcome. Drive meetings to achieve the outcome. I can accomplish in 20 minutes what others take an hour in doing.
• Do not procrastinate decisions. If you have the necessary data, make the decision. Otherwise you waste everyone’s time.
• Read a good time management book but don’t get stuck to the method to the extent that it spends 30 seconds keeping you from what you need to be doing.

Good luck.

Craig

? ? How do you know when you have done a good job?
? ? We have asked this question in the past, re establishing plans.
• ? We contribute to the definition personally.
• ? Our boss contributes to this definition.
• ? Our users and customers do.
? ? Have to be able to quantify status and progress.
• ? gut feelings about status is wishful thinking.
? ? The measurements that matter.
? ? Identify the important measurements.
• ? Quality
• ? Financial: ETC, EAC, cumulative planned, cumulative actual.
• ? Satisfaction measurements
• ? Progress measurements
• ? Establish a mechanism to collect the data for these measurements
? ? Construct appropriate visual presentation of the measurements
• ? Spider charts, especially for targets vs actuals. Can present several measurements on one chart. The shape of things.
• ? Line charts and Bar charts, especially over time
• ? Pie Charts, especially for percentages.
? ? One Page Management
• ? Assemble visual presentation on one page.
• ? Produce religiously.
• ? Product periodically. The same time every day, week, month, whatever timeframe is appropriate.
• ? Make it visual
• ? Post it
• ? Use it everywhere.PSM 16: One Page Management Notes

? ? How do you know when you have done a good job?
? ? We have asked this question in the past, re establishing plans.
• ? We contribute to the definition personally.
• ? Our boss contributes to this definition.
• ? Our users and customers do.
? ? Have to be able to quantify status and progress.
• ? gut feelings about status is wishful thinking.
? ? The measurements that matter.
? ? Identify the important measurements.
• ? Quality
• ? Financial: ETC, EAC, cumulative planned, cumulative actual.
• ? Satisfaction measurements
• ? Progress measurements
• ? Establish a mechanism to collect the data for these measurements
? ? Construct appropriate visual presentation of the measurements
• ? Spider charts, especially for targets vs actuals. Can present several measurements on one chart. The shape of things.
• ? Line charts and Bar charts, especially over time
• ? Pie Charts, especially for percentages.
? ? One Page Management
• ? Assemble visual presentation on one page.
• ? Produce religiously.
• ? Product periodically. The same time every day, week, month, whatever timeframe is appropriate.
• ? Make it visual
• ? Post it
• ? Use it everywhere.
? ? Uses
• ? Periodic status reporting
• ? Ad hoc queries
• ? Personal guidance for assessment and change
• ? Keep historical pages for post-mortems, etc.
? ? Ref: One Page Management: How to Use Information to Achieve Your Goals by Riaz Khadem and Robert Lorber
• ? I never read the book but did grab onto the title’s concept and set out to solve the problem in my life.

? ? Uses
• ? Periodic status reporting
• ? Ad hoc queries
• ? Personal guidance for assessment and change
• ? Keep historical pages for post-mortems, etc.
? ? Ref: One Page Management: How to Use Information to Achieve Your Goals by Riaz Khadem and Robert Lorber
• ? I never read the book but did grab onto the title’s concept and set out to solve the problem in my life.

The podcast notes are here.