A System Only Works If You Use It

Posted on December 24, 2007 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Productivity

Originally published on 15 September 2006.

This week has been indescribably busy, and has shown up several flaws in my systems. And I’ve run up against the conclusion that I system only works if you use it.

I have found that I am not checking my to-do list. I have missed several phone calls I needed to make on a given day because I am not checking my PDA at work. At home, I use my checklist to guide me through the various tasks that I need to do, but I have ignored my to-do list, and missed various things I needed to get done, like sending out birthday cards.

On the plus side, I have managed to capture everything without resorting to post-it notes. Between Slap on the PDA and K7, I have managed to get everything in.

The lesson learned is that I have to work checking my system into the system itself.

Update December 2007:

I still have a problem where if I get terribly busy, I will forget to check my PDA for my actions. I have gotten around this to a certain extent by transferring all of the day’s actions into my All In One Tracking Form. The act of transferring to paper serves as a review of what I need to do. Plus the paper is always in front of me at work. Unfortunately, at home, the paper stays in the same place as the PDA: out of sight.

I also no longer use K7. It’s a great service, but I have very little driving time anymore. I instead use memory chains to help me to remember things during my short commute.