Time-Management & Productivity 1

Last month I realised how much time we loose doing things we don't need to do, trying to procrastinate (do anything but task we need to accomplish).  Many times I tried to begin using to-do lists, many different approaches  like Kanban, GTD, Eisenhower Box, The Pomodoro Technique etc.  But all this approaches failed for me (to speak frankly may be I'm too lazy and trying to find bad sides in everything). So I decided to find/set-up my own approach, based on other approaches learnt by me. I'll try to write new posts every time I used all things mentioned in the previous posts.

Lets start...
First of all you need to write-down (I'll use the Google Docs spreadsheets - for easiness of synchronisation across devices) all things you are planning to do. Write everything - you just want to empty your brain (as David Allen's GTD methodology suggests). Write even if it's not actually a todo-item, it may be just your thought on something - to the `backlog` (Kanban term) column.

Next make processing off items in this column (using Eisenhower Box) and make note in the `type` column (select B column then right click > Data validation...

• Cell range: > Add: 
• Sheet1!B2:B 
• Criteria > List of Items > Add:
• DoFirst,Schedule,Delegate,MayBeSomeDay,Done)

DoFirst (important and urgent) - must be done in day or two
Schedule (important but not urgent - things that you really need to do)  - write deadline in `note` column
Delegate (urgent but not important) - delegate this if possible (write name of person in `note` column)
MayBeSomeDay (not important and not urgent - at least for now) - if you can just delete this item from the backlog or it may be plan for future spare-time (i.e. make ASA config more readable - good but not too important or urgent to put it into schedule).
Done - mark all done items

Daily review your list and try to do all items with DoFirst and Schedule type, also check Delegate items. View MayBeSomeDay items when you have spare time.

PS I'll try to do things in this post for a period of one month and then do changes to this work-flow.

Update 1:
decided to use range for `Data validation...`
Created sheet `REF` with `DoFirst,Schedule,Delegate,MayBeSomeDay,Done` in an A column (each item in it's own cell).
Then removed data validation, and:
select B column then right click > Data validation...

• Cell range: > Add: 
• Sheet1!B2:B 
• Criteria > List from a range > Add:
• REF!A:A

Update 2:
have no more than 5 items in `DoFirst`, if you have more, then prioritise this items and move less important to the `Schedule`. Try to have as less items in `Schedule` as possible (move them to `MayBeSomeDay` if you can). When you full-fill `DoFirst` you can review `Schedule` items and choose most important to be new `DoFirst`. 

Update 3:
Added `DailyRoutine` to the `REF!A:A` for now I'll have only one routine - daily review of the items in the list.

Update 4:
Don't do daily review if you didn't do all `DoFirst` items. For now I have 3 `DailyRoutine`s (daily review, Amosov exercies and CCNA 100-105 cert prepare) and 1 `DoFirst` and 1 `WeeklyRoutine` (Choose DoFirst for weekedns and holidays and then take a photo of this. I do this because don't want to spend additional time on day-offs) item. This all helps me to avoid distraction

Update 5:
Added `PreSelected` to the `REF` using it for quickly selecting `DoFirst`s (first mark as `PreSelected` and then after doing current `DoFirst` selecting new one from `PreSelected`). Using conditional formatting to make easy understanding done and awaiting routines.