ProdPod: Episode One — Priorities

I’m Ray Sidney-Smith and I’ll be your productivity guide. A little bit about myself. I am currently the organizer of getting things done dc meetup & the founding organizer of the newly established getting things done nyc meetup. You can find me tweeting on twitter at g t d d c and at g t d n y c. Anything pertaining to prodpod will be hashtagged as prodpod.

And, so, on to the mission of prodpod, the podcast of productivity tips in two minutes or less. Prodpod was inspired by two email newsletters both of which offered tidbits of information on making efficient, effective decisions in your personal and professional lives. I thought, why isn’t there already a podcast like this? Since I’m a getting things done (a/k/a gtd) enthusiast, I thought…why not use the two-minute rule to give quick and substantive ideas and information that you can efficiently, effectively use to build a more fulfilled and enriched life. And, so…prodpod was born.

This episode’s tip: time is finite. Notwithstanding physicists’ arguments over the veracity of the space time continuum and the ability to travel through time. As of this recording, you cannot make more time. The only tools you have for managing your time are prioritizing, planning ahead and striving for being more proactive and active rather than reactive and inactive. I like to actually draw on my notepad or calendar when planning my week an x-y axis. The x axis running from proactive to reactive and the y axis as active to inactive; then placing each major project on the graph (represented by roman numerals, numbers or letters) to decide on what are my true priorities. Take today and think about one thing you can do at the present moment that will preempt more work on yours or someone else’s part in the near and long term future.

I hope you enjoy prodpod and I welcome thoughts and feedback and suggestions for future prodpods via email at ray at g t d users dot o r g or via twitter with the hashtag prodpod. Here’s to your productivity success…in two minutes or less. This is ray sidney-smith for prodpod. Thanks for listening!