Search Results for: evernote

A better way to plan your day

April 23, 2020 by David M. Ward

Most of us make lists. Tasks we need to do, projects we need to work on, errands we need to run.Â

The process of making lists helps us to think about what we need to do; the list itself serves as a reminder of what still needs to be done.Â

The problem with making to-do lists, however, is that weÂ often haven’t thought through why we’re doing the things on our list. We might keep busy but we aren’t necessarily productive.Â

We can flip the switch on this by adding one additional step.Â

Before writing a list of tasks, think about your desired outcomes. At the end of the day, (week, year, etc.), what do you want to have accomplished?

What would that look like? How would you feel?

Write that down.Â

Then, write your list.Â

Without thinking in outcomes, your to-do list might include an assortment of calls, letters, meetings, and documents you need to prepare. Will doing these things help you achieve your goals?Â

Maybe, maybe not.

On the other hand, outcome thinking, or starting with the end in mind, helps you get clear about your purpose and helps you make a better list.Â

If your desired outcomes for the week are to settle two cases and sign up one new client, for example, your list would prioritize tasks likely to achieve those outcomes.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how busy you were. All that matters is that that you achieved your desired outcomes, and how good that feels.

Have you read Evernote for Lawyers?

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: lists

How much time do you waste looking for things?

February 3, 2020 by David M. Ward

If you spend just 5 minutes per day looking for things–on your computer, in paper files, on your desk–over the course of a year you’re wasting more than 20 hours.

Non. Billable. Time.

How can you reclaim some of that time?

I do my best to organize files logically so I can find things by drilling down through file category but documents are still filed in multiple directories and use different naming conventions so I still “misplace” things.

So, I use a program called “Everything“.

According to the site, “‘Everything’ is search engine that locates files and folders by filename instantly for Windows. Unlike Windows search “Everything” initially displays every file and folder on your computer.”

I’m sure there are similar tools for other OS’s.

For notes, I use Evernote and Workflowy, both of which have robust search capabilities. I search by tag and/or keyword to find names, dates, emails, phone numbers, and project-specific keywords.

I also make sure to add details to my notes that I might otherwise not record, so I can search and find what I’m looking for when I recall only random snippets of information, e.g., the client drove a Yugo and used to live in Paraguay or opposing counsel wore bow ties.

Paper? Physical files? Not anymore. But if I did, I’d set up a digital index that told me which file, which drawer, which box, contains the document or information.

How about you? How do you find what you’re looking for?

Asking your secretary or assistant to find it for you doesn’t count.

Check out Workflowy; use this link to get extra space

Filed Under: Productivity

How’s that ‘weekly review’ thing going?

December 20, 2019 by David M. Ward

No matter what kind of productivity system we use, we can all agree that some kind of weekly review is a good idea.

Examining what we’ve done recently and planning out what to do next just makes sense. A well-planned life is a well-lived life, or something like that.

But. . . it’s so easy to fall off the wagon. (Ask me how I know.)

If you’re thinking about re-starting your weekly review, or cleaning up a list that has become unwieldy, I have a few ideas that might help.

If it’s been awhile since you did a weekly review, if you routinely ignore the appointment in your calendar, scheduling a different day and time for your review might help you jump start a new habit.
If this is your first day back, don’t try to do everything at once. Limit yourself to reviewing a segment of your list, e.g., current projects, “this week” or “this month,” or limit yourself to a 10-minute perusal to get your feet wet. Easy to start, easy to continue.
Consider setting up two new tags or labels: “Defer to do” and “Defer to review”. This will allow you to move tasks and ideas out of sight (for now), giving you more visual space and mental clarity to deal with more important or immediate tasks.
If your someday/maybe list is massive, give yourself permission to aggressively delete items. If that makes you nervous, move them to a “probably never” list, and tell yourself you will “probably never” look at that list.
If things are totally out of control and you dread getting started, consider the nuclear option: set up a new inbox, move your entire list into it, and start from scratch.
Another idea: choose a new app or system and re-enter everything manually. It makes you re-consider what’s important and helps you create a more manageable list.
Once you’re back on the wagon and your lists are in decent shape, consider adding a brief “daily review” to your schedule. A few minutes at the end of the day can help you keep your lists tidy and reduce the amount of time needed for your weekly review.

If you use Evernote for your lists, my book can help you get organized

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: getting things done, gtd, weekly review

Inbox zero problem–solved

September 27, 2019 by David M. Ward

I’ve been pretty good about maintaining inbox zero, that is, cleaning out my email inbox every day (or two).

Things I can do quickly, I do. Things that require more time or I want to save I forward to Evernote. Everything else gets trashed or archived.

Lately, I found myself getting behind. A lot. To the point that I didn’t want to look at my inbox anymore.

Last night, I took action. I added a label to 415 emails (from one guy) and archived them, leaving me with just 39 emails that I’ll handle today.

Yes, that’s a lot of emails from one guy. He writes seven days a week, more when he’s promoting something. I didn’t want to delete them because I get a lot of value from his emails and I want to be able to read them.

Never met the guy but I feel like I know him and I welcome his counsel.

Maybe you feel the same about my emails. You like them, you get information and ideas from them, but you can’t always keep up with me.

You might want to do what I did: label and archive (or put them in a folder) so you can read them later.

You won’t hurt my feelings.

And, if you write a newsletter, you might suggest this to your subscribers, in case they find themselves falling behind.

They can read you later, when they need your help, or when they see the boring dreck written by your competition and miss hearing your “voice”.

It’s not important that your subscribers read everything you write. What’s important is that they see you are still writing to them. See that you’re still helping clients, and still available to them when they need your help.

So, go ahead and write often. Just don’t write dreck.

My email marketing course shows you how to write emails your clients and prospects want to read.

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters, Productivity Tagged With: inbox zero

Too much to read? Here’s what I’m doing

July 23, 2019 by David M. Ward

In days gone by, I used to have huge stacks of unread magazines piled up in my office. Every once in awhile, when I was tripping over those stacks, I would spend a couple of hours and go through them.

I tore out the articles I wanted to read, staple the pages together (or fold the corners to hold the pages together) and throw out the rest of the magazine.

Much better.

The “to read” pile was more manageable, but the pile was still huge and more often than not, I didn’t read anything.

I knew there was gold in those articles so I started doing something to lessen the load. Every few days, I’d throw a handful of articles in my briefcase, to read at night or waiting in court or at the doctor’s office.

I’d read them and when they were gone, I’d grab a few more. Eventually, that huge pile of articles was gone (until I added more).

It’s been a long time since I subscribed to a paper magazine (or newspaper), but going digital has made things worse. Until recently, I had hundreds of unread articles and blog posts and pdfs in a reading list in Evernote.

I did something similar to what I used to do with magazines.

I set up two notebooks in Evernote. (You can do the same thing with tags, folders, labels, or briefcases if you have paper.)

I put (no more than) 20 articles in the first notebook. Everything else goes in a second notebook.

When I’ve read those 20 articles, I go to the second notebook and move 20 more to the first notebook.

If I find myself with more than 20 articles in my first notebook, I move the overage to the second notebook.

I still have hundreds of unread articles in Evernote but I don’t see them. I only see 20 (at a time).

My reading list is manageable and I get a lot more reading done.

My ebook: Evernote for Lawyers

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: evernote, reading list

Let’s play tag

June 25, 2019 by David M. Ward

I add tags to all my notes and tasks and projects. They help me identify things and find things and organize everything into a workable system.

I have action-related tags, contextual tags (for people and places, etc.), tags for each Area of Focus, e.g., Work, Personal, and reference tags. Each project has it’s own tag.

I use @ and # and other symbols or numbers to group tags together, allowing me to nest tags under top-level categories (in Evernote).

I often experiment with different tags, to see which ones I like best, which ones I use most, and which ones fall into the “it sounded good at the time” category.

Sometimes, and by sometimes I mean all the time, I find myself having too many tags. I create a new tag for something only to discover that I already had it, or something very similar. For this reason, I periodically go on a “tag cleanse” to tidy things up.

Anyway, if you’re into tags like I am, or if you do something similar with labels or notebooks or folders, I thought I’d share a few of the tags I use, or have used, because you might find something you like.

For the sake of simplicity, I won’t include reference tags and I’ll use only #hashtag symbol:

#incubate (something to think about and come back to)
#decide (similar to #incubate)
#checklist (#weekly-review, for example)
#daily, #weekly, #monthly, #yearly, and #recurringÂ
#emergency (if I get locked out of the car, I can quickly find the number for road service)
#needs-reply
#remember (things I want to remember–quotes, mantras, habits)
#r/r (read/review)
#defer-to-do (something I plan to do later and don’t want to look at until then)Â
#defer-to-review (something I don’t want to consider until later)
#wip (work in progress, so I can find things I haven’t finished)
#bm (bookmark; external or internal, ie., within the app.–links, sites, phone numbers, etc.)
#due, #pay, #buy, #amazon
#mit (most important task)
#on-hold, #pending, #planned (for projects)

I also use (or have used) some of the usual gtd-type tags:

#today or #tÂ
#next or #n
#soon
#later
#now
#waiting
#s/m (someday/maybe)
#errand
#call
#name (people I know or work with)
#computer, #home
#tickler and #calendarÂ
#do
#doing
#done
#mon, #tues, #wed, etc.Â
#jan, #feb, #mar, etc.Â
#5-min, #15-min, etc.
#high, #medium, #low (energy level needed for the task)
#1, #2, #3, #A, #B, #C (priority)

So, there you go. I’ve shown you mine, how about showing me yours? Because you can never have too many tags.Â

My Evernote for Lawyers ebook

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: evernote, getting things done, gtd

What’s next for you?

June 19, 2019 by David M. Ward

It’s the middle of the year. It’s also the middle of the month and the middle of the week. For some, it’s also the middle of the day.

You’ve accomplished some things this year, yes? The question is, “What’s next?”

What project are you working on now? What do you plan to start soon?

It may be vacation time for you and your clients. Things may be slow. But that won’t last. Before you can say, “motion granted,” the holidays will be here and we’ll be on the cusp of a new year.

My advice: use this time to figure out what’s next for you (if you haven’t already done that) and begin working on it.

Get thee ready for the coming storm.

You should do this even if things aren’t slow right now because you have to stay ahead of the game.

Where do you start?

When I start a new project, the first step I take is to write down the desired outcome. What do I want and why do I want it. Nothing fancy.

This may change. The project may expand in scope, contract, or the entire idea may become something else.

Then, since I’ve probably been thinking about this for awhile and have some notes, I gather up those notes and divide them into three categories: Tasks, Resources, and Notes.

Tasks are things I have to do or might have to do, even if that means thinking about something or doing a little exploratory research.

Resources are links and docs or people I might need.

Notes is for everything else.

And with that, the project is begun.

I give myself permission to put it aside, however. If I’m not ready to move forward on a project or I find something else I want to (or need to) work on, I put the project aside.

I have more than a few of these residing on my hard drive, ready for me to pick them up again.

Grab a legal pad or digital device and flesh out a project to work on over the next few months. If you have several options, choose the one that excites you (scares you) because that’s probably the one you should be working on.

If you decide you’re not ready for it, put your notes aside and flesh out another project. And don’t dillydally. It may be the start of summer but I can already hear the sound of sleigh bells in the distance.

I keep my notes in Evernote. Here’s my Evernote for Lawyers ebook

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: Project planning

I’m up!

June 6, 2019 by David M. Ward

I really don’t like “push” reminders. When I’m in the middle of doing something and I get a text or a pop-up from my calendar or an app (or both), reminding me that I should be doing something else. . .

Kinda annoying.

Like your dad reminding you to get up and get dressed for school. Or you’re watching your favorite show and your mom barges in and reminds you to finish your homework.

Yeah, that kind of annoying.

I still use reminders, but I’m thinking about turning them off for everything except appointments (and maybe for those, too.)

What’s the alternative? To do what I do every day for all of my tasks:

In the morning (or the night before if I remember to do it–hmmm, maybe I need a reminder for this. . .), I go through my calendar and task list and my projects and decide what I’m going to work on that day, and put this on a “Today” list.

I usually have 3 to 5 items on the list. Today, I have 7 tasks on the list. Some days, I have only one or two.

Once I have my “Today” list, I close up everything else and keep that one list in front of me. Keeping it visible is the only reminder I need. If I go out, I have that list available to me on my phone.

If I finish my list and I want to do more, my “next” list is always nearby, but not in front of me.

One list, no distractions or interruptions.

It’s a digital version of what I used to do in my law practice with file folders. I’d make a stack of what I needed to work on that day, start at the top and work my way through it.

I also had a desk calendar to see the day’s appointments.

No annoying reminders.

Yes, my secretary would remind me if I forgot something, but only if I forgot something (which I usually didn’t).

As I write this, I think I’ve convinced myself to turn off reminders.

And with that, I’m off for another cup of coffee. No reminder necessary.

Evernote for Lawyers ebook

Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With: list making

Chalk?

May 7, 2019 by David M. Ward

As a kid, I had a favorite pen–the Parker Jotter, stainless steel with a thick barrel.

I thought it was cool looking, like something James Bond would use. I liked the way it felt in my hands and the way it wrote.

I just checked Jeff’s store and sure enough, they still make it.

That was a long time ago. Now I buy whatever’s on sale.

Probably because I do most of my writing today on my computer and yes, I have my favorite writing apps.

But I don’t want to talk about pens or apps right now. I want to talk about chalk.

Chalk?

The other day, a video came up in my feed with the curiosity-inducing title, Why the World’s Best Mathematicians Are Hoarding Chalk.

I had to know.

Do people still use blackboards (and chalk?)? I thought everyone had moved to whiteboards and markers.

Is chalk on the endangered species list?

What’s going on?

It turns out that a certain Japanese company makes the “best” chalk in the world and the company is going out of business.

They make a chalk “to die for”. Okay, that’s me speaking. It writes better and is easier to use than anything made by anyone else and when it was announced that it would no longer be sold, math folks started hoarding it.

One mathematician had put away enough chalk, he reckoned, to last him ten years.

That’s a lot of chalk.

We love our favorite tools, don’t we? Our favorite pens, our favorite apps, our favorite chalk.

Do we work better when we use them?

I think we think we do and maybe that’s all that matters.

Evernote is my favorite note taking app

Filed Under: Productivity

Search Results for: evernote

A better way to plan your day

How much time do you waste looking for things?

How’s that ‘weekly review’ thing going?

Inbox zero problem–solved

Too much to read? Here’s what I’m doing

Let’s play tag

What’s next for you?

Chalk?

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