Task Management & Time Blocking Podcast

Ep 25 - Why is ”Emptying” Tasks So Difficult to Master?

Like most people who do knowledge work, there is a surplus of tasks waiting for you to complete everywhere you look. Your inboxes, todo lists, and task management software are full to the brim. You want to be on top, free of overwhelm… but there seems to be no way out.
Have you created a problem for yourself by writing down all your unfinished tasks? Does it make sense to save unread emails? Why can’t you just get rid of them all and pretend they never happened?
Maybe if you were a superstar in this area, you would never fall behind the job of emptying inboxes and todo lists. Is that even possible now…or in the future
In this solo episode, I’ll be sharing my most recent thoughts about the skill of Emptying and exploring new thinking that can help you make some headway.

Ep 24 - Achieving the Best Flow State

So you’re a creative person and getting into the Flow State is the key to your success. Like Michaelangelo or Leonardo, you use focused high energy times to do your best work. And you love it.
BUT… you have a Tik Tok account and the people you’re following are a growing distraction…and you can’t help yourself…you just want to take a peek…and another…
And when someone forcibly takes away your smartphone, you are able to focus, but then you overfocus and work for 15 hours straight, and then collapse. At that point you hate to return to your computer. 
Getting and staying in the Flow state is not so easy after all.
Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Manlio lo Giudice, as we solve this challenging problem together.

Ep 23 - Capture Points! What They Are and How to Manage Them

You’re a productivity AND technology enthusiast which means that you are managing lots of inboxes. Each time you sign up for a new one, they give you another.
But is that a good thing? Or just another loose end you need to account for in your weekly review?
If it’s the latter, then why? In this episode we tackle the problem of Capture Points - physical and digital places where potential tasks are sitting…waiting. We’ll talk about your need to handle each and every one of them…or else. That is, if you hope to develop a flawless reputation for being on top of all the stuff people send your way, wanting a response.
Join me on this solo episode as we explore this challenge that affects every single knowledge worker in the entire world. It’s a continuation of Episode 21 on Capturing.
 

Ep 22 - Task Management as a Non-Traditional Student

So you’re a career person who has a family…..AND you want to return to school. But in your mind you can’t see how to  reconcile the image you have of student life with your current obligations. After all, you have a job, a family, a commitment to your wellbeing, a spiritual life, friends, you belong to a community…all these things are not on the typical college students’ agenda.
In fact, most students seem to put these things on hold…on ice…while they focus everything on their studies. You cannot do that, to say the least.
Is there a way to have it all? You do know that people have done this before…you’re not the first. So there must be a way that can increase your odds of success. 
But what are they?
Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Emily Cordwell, as we solve this challenging problem together.
 
 

Ep 21 - Bad Memory? Or Just Not Strong Enough at Capturing?

You have noticed that as you make more promises to people to get things done, the risk of not delivering goes up. Sometimes, the fact that you made the commitment falls through the cracks…as if it were never made.
Over time, this reduces your effectiveness and your reputation for getting things done. People start to avoid you, seeking out others who are more reliable.
You want to intervene before this gets worse, but just trying harder to remember may not be enough. You want a real solution such that you manually capture new tasks flawlessly, regardless of the circumstances. You want to be someone who never forgets to complete a commitment.
Where can you start to create that kind of track record when it comes to your task management?
Join me on this solo episode as we explore this challenge that affects all knowledge workers.
 

Ep 20 - Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Failure

When it comes to task management, you know that one size doesn’t fit all. AND You are someone who has increased your workflow over the years - more tasks than ever, and a future of more task management, not less. At the moment your current approach works BUT…you suspect that it may run into problems as you add that project/child/hobby/elder-care/sport/travel/promotion/continuing education/high schooling-to-college-to-marriage to kids…
How do you adjust your approach when you realize that you need to change your methods as task volume increases…and you can only see a future or more tasks? Knowing that this is a problem isn’t enough - you want more.
Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Dr. Frank Buck, as we solve this challenging problem together.

Ep 19 - What Makes Email So HARD to Fix?

Like everyone else who does knowledge work, you receive a lot of emails - more than you’d like. You have harbored dreams of a world in which you could escape this hated chore, but over here in reality, there seems to be no way to alleviate the pain. Or is there?
Some people suggest that you simply ignore most of your email. Others say that you need to empty your inbox and even keep it that way all the time. In practice, most people spend more mornings, nights and weekends catching up on email than they care to admit. During the day, they prefer to do what they call “real” work. Not the fake work of reading and replying to email.
In this solo episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts about this problem and explore new thinking that can help us make some headway.

Ep 18 - Should We Design Peak Moments of Happiness?

COVID disrupted many of our regular routines, some of which have not recovered. In particular, if you work from home, you may notice that seeing the same people every day and working in the same space is quite convenient. But it’s also predictable - in the bad way. Many of us have lost a certain thrill that comes from being in close proximity to others and the surprises which go with it. They don’t invite us out as often, and we don’t meet up as frequently…outside of Zoom.
In a way, we don’t have as many new things to look forward to. Not surprisingly, this has an impact on our daily happiness. Having something – anything – to look forward to has an impact on our happiness.
Is there a sustainable solution to this dilemma?
I’m Francis Wade and join me and our special guest, Laura Vanderkam as we tackle this challenge.

Ep 17 - Controversy. Can You Ever Stop Using Contexts for Your Tasks?

You have tried using contexts for your tasks in the past, perhaps following the advice of GTD. The idea was a sound one, and made a positive contribution. But as time went on, the technique seemed to lose its potency. The question is “Why?”
And did this experience imply that you needed to stop using them altogether? This may not make sense, because when you applied contexts to a raw list of todos, it made things better. So is the idea a bad one?
In this solo episode we take a deep dive into the research behind contexts done by 2Time Labs. I’ll share my latest thinking which shows why contexts are unavoidable, and why you need to move way past the ones suggested by Getting Things Done published in 2001.

Ep 16 - Is Motion the Latest, Greatest Auto-Scheduler?

If you're interested in using online calendars you may have seen ads for the auto-scheduler called Motion. You have probably wondered what it might be like to use it, but you don’t have the time or bandwidth for a proper test.
In this episode with Dr. Melanie Wilson we share the results of our actual firsthand tests for you. We both have spent years using auto-schedulers so we have a few insights you won’t hear elsewhere. Tune in to find out what we discovered and you could save some time, stress and even money.
Clarification - In this episode we stated the Motion does not have time maps, a SkedPal invention. It doesn't, but their version is similar in functionality - just not as robust.