thinkitcreative

I’ve been doing some research lately on time management to find some new ideas on how I can better organize my workflow. I have to confess that I’ve always been a bit reluctant to adhere to the advice offered in most books on the subject that is loosely categorized as time management, in which readers are browbeaten encouraged to cram activities into every precious waking moment of every day. I’m sure it works well in all kinds of professions, but it’s ill-suited when your product is creativity-based.

Nevertheless, there are some gems out there. One of the better books I’ve read on the subject is Dave Allen’s Getting Things Done. Granted, it still has elements of time-management absolutism, but there’s still plenty of good sense, too. GTD is heavy on prioritization, but with enough customize-ability to keep even a guy like me happy.

There’s a great summary of Allen’s key book posted at 43 folders that’s worth recapping:

Identify all the stuff in your life that isn’t in the right place (close all open loops);

Get rid of the stuff that isn’t yours or you don’t need right now;

Create a right place that you trust and that supports your working style and values (put a big star beside that one, if you write for a living);

Put your stuff in the right place, consistently;

Do your stuff in a way that honours your time, your energy, and the context of any given moment;

Rate and refactor mercilessly.

It’s a game plan of sorts. And so far, I have to say that it’s working rather well for me.

A client of mine recently made the big switch from PC to Mac and asked me if I had any handy tips vis-a-vis keyboard commands. So without further ado…

There are plenty of them, but for starters here the ones I use a lot.

command + n = new page
command+ s = save
command + h = hide (very useful but commonly assumed by Windows users that this quits an application, when in fact it leaves the app running in the dock so it can be used again in a hurry)
command + q = quit application
command + i = get info
command + w = close window
command + option + h = hide all other windows
command + shift + a = show the “Applications” folder
command + option + eject = put the Mac to sleep

Exposé
F9 = make all open windows miniatures (very, very, very handy when you have many things on the go)
F11= slide all windows to reveal desktop
F12 = launch widgets

Spotlight (search your computer)
command + spacebar = launch spotlight

Ottawa, ON—July 2006
For the second year in a row, executives with the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) have engaged the services of thinkit to provide communications and writing services in connection with preparing their annual report.