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    iain010100Gina Trapani
    6/06/07 12:12pm

    I have a lot of index cards filled with tasks I never completed. They're more a source of depression than productivity.

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    Brian SextonGina Trapani
    6/06/07 5:45pm

    This is a great tip; ignore the obnoxious and useless comments by the anonymous cowards going by "zarathustra" and "LightningCrash".

    I have actually been trying something similar lately-writing a few important tasks on 3"x5" cards and leaving them in front of my computer keyboard. Sometimes I finish the tasks on my cards and sometimes the cards grow into small stacks along with cards full of notes about tasks in progress (e.g., updating this functionality requires attention to these methods in these classes or the clients want their Web site to assume this information in this situation), but I like being reminded of high-priority tasks to keep me on top of them.

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    hnkelleyGina Trapani
    6/06/07 6:57pm

    This is news? Well, for some, I guess it is. I've been doing a variation of this for years and I had to learn it the hard way. I don't bother with 3x5 cards. I keep a stack of small Post-its on the nightstand.

    @iain010100: You're right about the depression part... and, being bipolar(II), that's a huge issue for me. What I learned that made this so functional for me is to keep the list short and don't put any big projects on it. If you have a big project you think needs to be there, break it down and only put a few key elements that currently need to be done, and can currently be done, on the list. Depression issues (from this problem) resolved. :)

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    zarathustraGina Trapani
    6/06/07 9:46am

    Maybe the other examples are better, but that one is just plain sad. If you're that concerned about productivity that you have to sleep with pieces of paper, then you have bigger issues than "getting things done".

    I bet that "3x5 card" is the only thing in this uptight guys bed every night? haha

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    seeandyspinGina Trapani
    6/06/07 11:17am

    i actually thought this was a great idea. i usually try to make a list in a tiny spiral notepad in the morning but its to easy to forget to do it in the first place. making it at night and leaving it with my keys is a great way of forcing myself to look it one way or another.

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    seawallrunnerGina Trapani
    6/06/07 11:44am

    I like to write a list of things to do for the next day, before I leave work at the end of the day. I'll spend a few moments thinking about the next day's meetings, deliverables, work in progress and write it down.

    Then I can have an evening without thinking about what needs to be done at work the next day. It's all committed in my work notebook, and waiting for me when I arrive at the office the next day.

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    bradnhGina Trapani
    6/06/07 11:50am

    I actually found it to be one of the best "summary" productivity posts I've read in a long time. Nothing really groundbreaking, but after reading so many detailed and sometimes complex GTD systems, it's nice to see one that distills a few essential principles. The other good thing is that they're mostly not web or even technology dependent. You just write some stuff down on an index card.

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    coffeemomGina Trapani
    6/06/07 12:58pm

    I thought it was a great article. I am a perpetual procrastinator and have mastered the skill of making lists of to do's that are so detailed, I never get to actually complete anything! Using the 3x5 index card is simple, cheap and gives the added bonus of seeing what you have actually done on the back. Will be trying it immediately after this post!

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    JamesFGina Trapani
    6/06/07 2:22pm

    @zarathustra wrote

    I bet that "3x5 card" is the only thing in this uptight guys bed every night? haha

    Andreesen is worth more than half a billion dollars, and is married to a "beautiful lady, with long blond hair and sweet smile,"—whose father is a billionaire. There may be benefits to being uptight.

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    zarathustraGina Trapani
    6/06/07 4:56pm

    haha, sorry my mistake, read "lay" and "bed" and "card" and jumped to a conclusion. I still think however that a happier life is more likely achieved by turning the computer off well before bedtime, and spending your time trying to worry less about getting things done than this guy.

    @James - just cos I suggested this guy was a lonely nerd bachelor, and you pointed out that he is married to a blonde billionaire, please don't think you proved me wrong. Well, erm, anyway I'm off to write my card for tomorrow... "read slower"..."marry billionaire" ..."use CSS instead of tables"...

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