Task Management & Time Blocking Podcast

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.

Ep 15 - Is it Harder to Fix Your Car Than Your Task Management System?

You want to make improvements to your system of task management. You want to intervene at just the right place to have a positive overall effect, but you don’t know where to start.
You already understand that you use a system to manage your tasks from the moments of creation to the point where they are completed. Some people say that making changes is easy, but you’re not so sure. The system you use is full of idiosyncrasies - those places where you do things your way…different from anyone else.
How do you use this knowledge to make the right improvements? Can you make things worse by tinkering in the wrong place? Is it anything like trying to fix a car or an appliance where the wrong intervention can make things go terribly wrong?
In this solo episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts about this problem and where we need to take ourselves so that the confusion disappears.

Ep 14 - Fixing Problems with Time Blocking w Mike Vardy

You’re a time blocker to some degree. This means you put tasks in your calendar…Not just appointments with people which can’t easily be changed, but solo time you commit to doing a particular task.
In other words, you make a promise to yourself that non-one else knows about to do something at a particular time and place.
It’s an easy concept to explain, But…most people who seem to start the practice have a rough time taking it to the level they want. Once they get past the beginner stage, when they are experimenting with a few tasks they want more.
And for a while, they schedule more tasks…and more…and more. Until they have too many and their time blocking becomes a problem. It should be easy, they think, but it’s not.
What are some of the best solutions available?
Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Mike Vardy, as we solve this challenging problem together.
 
Henry Cloud - Necessary Endings
Stack Method - Prasanth Nair
Stop doing productive.Start BEING productive. (productivityist.com)

Ep 13 - How to Arm Yourself with Great Personal Alarms

You use lots of apps on a range of devices. Many of them have built-in notifications which are jostling for your attention. But if you leave them all on, you end up with a mess -  a cacophony of alerts which do more bad than good.
What do you really want? To orchestrate them somehow into a perfect symphony that interrupts you at just the right moment, with the right degree of force.
Is that too much to ask for? In this solo episode, we’ll go past the work we did on Episode 11 which focused on the principles of skillful interrupting and look at the practical actions we must take to retain our sanity. 

Ep 12 - How to Allocate Your Time When Time Blocking with Trevor Lohrbeer

You are someone who time blocks. A quick glance at your calendar would show that you have put some thought into each day’s plan. But what happens when you get to the end of the year and realize that you haven’t accomplished your most important goals?
For example, some gurus at marriagebuilders.com recommend that you spend 15 hours per week in solo time with your spouse. You may block the time in your calendar with a recurring appointment, but realize after a year that you fell far short. Why does this happen? Is it even avoidable?
Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Trevor Lohrbeer, as we solve this challenging problem together.

Ep 11 - How to Interrupt Yourself Skillfully

You are someone who loves to focus on what is important in the moment. In fact, there may be few things more cherished than being in the Flow state, getting your best work done. When it’s happening, time flies by and sometimes you feel euphoric.
 
But too much of a good thing is never good, and if you have ever missed a mid-day meal because you were engrossed in your work you may know that you sometimes need a reminder, or interruption, at just the right moment. They keep you on track, and prevent you from making mistakes.
 
But how do you program them into your life? In this solo episode, I’ll be sharing my thinking about this problem and what needs to be invented for us to get some permanent relief.

Ep 10 - Can You Fix Your Time Optimism?

Have you ever wondered whether or not you're a time optimist?
So you're someone who uses time blocking as a regular technique... You put tasks in your calendar so that you can make realistic commitments.
But do you still run into the problem of time optimism, where you're allocating time, and things take far longer than you thought? This creates a ripple effect that affects everything you try to do.
How do you even tackle a problem that afflicts almost everyone? Even those who don't use a calendar at all? 

Ep 9 - Why Aren’t Simple Task Management Solutions Easier to Find?

You are a productivity enthusiast who wants to experience one improvement after another. This kind of progress is sweeet. Like dominoes falling. Or climbing from one level to the next in a challenging video game.
But once you know the problem you want to fix, it's hard to find simple solutions. The proof? Just check out someone asking for help in an open forum like Reddit.
Someone posts a question, and wants a simple answer they can actually use. What do they get back? A ton of answers. There is no way to make sense of the flood of opinions...some of them openly contradict each other.
Heck, I came across a big one the other day reading Getting Things Done. On p40 and 142 of the 2001 book, David Allen strictly prohibits time blocking. But on page 87 he says Quote "I recommend that you create a block of time to initiate this process..."
It ought to be easier to find simple solutions than this!
Well...our job in this episode is to ask the question "Why aren't simple task management solutions easier to find?"