My Technology Based Productivity System

Photo By:  FotoBart

A colleague posed a question to me recently.  She asked “Is there an app that we can use that is true to FranklinCovey’s Time Management methodology?”  The quick answer is no, at least based on my research.  There are any number of apps that help you to accomplish parts of the methodology, but nothing that is a complete system.  The question caused me to begin to think about what I have been teaching these past six years and how I have personally adapted my own planning tools to accommodate my planning needs but also to help me to be able to teach FranklinCovey’s Time Management concepts with integrity.  

For those perhaps unfamiliar with FranklinCovey’s Time Management concepts, let me first summarize them here.  The method I am describing is based on the Franklin Planner.  The planner has been the planning tool for individuals world wide for more than 25 years.  While there remains a significant number of users of this powerful tool, in my work I often encounter individuals that will say “I used to use a Franklin Planner but then I bought this.”  At this point the person is always holding up and waving a smartphone of some type and explaining that they are now using a digital system. Usually after a few questions though they admit that their system is lacking a number of features that they could use. 

The FranklinCovey methodology is based upon the combined work of both Stephen Covey and Hyrum Smith.  At the core of the system is a view that we want to achieve meaningful if not extraordinary results in both our professional and private lives.  The view is that our lives are an indivisible whole and that we are incapable of effectively and completely separating the two.  Put simply, we do work at home and we sometimes do personal things at work.  So the system asks us to be clear about what we view as our mission.  From a clear sense of mission one can develop a number of roles that are defined by that mission.  The roles are varied, they cover our work/personal lives and serve as a reference point whereby we can ask ourselves about our performance in each individual area.

Once the core concept of mission/roles is established the methodology then uses a weekly and daily planning approach that acts as the rudder of the system.  The system is then complimented with a note taking approach and filing system.  While this is a very broad summarization of the methodology, it describes the essence for our purposes here.

I believe in this approach as an effective method to assure that you stay focused on accomplishing those things that are important to you.  And yet while I remain true to the approach, the technology tools I use have caused me to long ago abandon a Franklin Planner.  I am upfront and unapologetic about this.  I have adapted a system that is dependent upon the technology tools I prefer to use, but my approach to FranklinCovey’s Time Management methodology is what I consider to be “Tool Agnostic.”  By this I mean that given one’s tool preferences you can employ the methodology using whatever set of tools suits your individual preferences.  What follows is my approach:

The foundation of my system is my view that you must decide how you will handle all incoming information.  This is an expansion of FranklinCovey’s Core Four concept.  In that concept it is assumed that information may be translated into four distinct areas.  These are Tasks, Notes and Documents, Calendar entries or Contacts.  While I agree with this concept I view it from a three part perspective.  My three parts are what I refer to as Capture Systems, Processing Systems, and finally Synchronization Systems.  Your developed planning system must contemplate all three.  I would describe each of these systems as follows:

Capture Systems:  This is the preferred system you use to capture incoming information whether that information is digital, verbal, or thoughts/ideas.  The key to this is to develop a consistent system for capturing all types of information.  As an example, I use Evernote as my place for capturing ideas, thoughts and information that comes to me digitally (usually via news feeds or blogs).  For email I use Gmail.  It is my view that this is one of the most robust email systems available.  The storage space is substantial (for about $50 per year I have email storage of 25gb plus cloud storage of 100gb for files).  Within Gmail I can employ drag and drop techniques and shortcuts to process information.  But the real power of Gmail for me is the ability to search email extensively.  Further, Gmail provides cloud storage of information which is then easily accessed on every device I use (MacBook, iPhone, iPad and still a BlackBerry).  I also have one bit of old tech that is a significant part of my capture system.  I use a simple Moleskine hard cover notebook which is indexed in a manner similar to a Franklin Planner.  I still take hand written notes and I make no attempt to digitize those notes as the index makes my notebook fully searchable.  Also, I can still write notes in all environments where using an electronic tool is either inefficient or impractical.

Processing Systems:  Processing requires the development of a series of habits.  Here I think action.  The actions are condensed to a few key verbs.  They are Delete, Do, and File (Delete is my favorite).  I add to these verbs a certain amount of automated processes which are rules and labels.  This sorts and processes information as it arrives saving time but also providing visual clues when needed.  Again, sorting and processing without having to open the email is the key.  The Processing System essentially causes you to handle all incoming information just once whenever possible.

Synchronization Systems:  Synchronization makes everything work.  Through synchronization you eliminate the need to input information multiple times.  Here you must decide what will be the method you choose to make sure that everything is in every place.  You may have multiple synchronization systems as long as you can avoid duplicates.  To synchronize the Core Four noted above I use iCloud.  iCloud also synchronizes with Reqall which is where I tend to create and track tasks.  Evernote is my second synchronization system as I can access information maintained there on any of my devices and they remain synchronized at all times.  My final synchronization system is Google which connects to my Google Drive, iCloud, and Reqall.  I rely on this to move information so that I can see it on all of my tools.  

Finally, I add to all of this a significant use of Cloud services.  I use DropBox, Google Drive and Box.net as my Cloud storage systems.  I have about 250gb of storage space in the cloud using each service differently for certain types of information and files.  The cost are not insignificant at this point but will likely fall over time.  All of these services have free storage usually in the range of 2gb or higher.  Generally, for many people the free storage is more than enough.  My High School age sons just use their free Box.net storage which is adequate for their school needs.

I still work from a core and perhaps foundational belief that you must determine what is important to you (your mission) and from your mission you must identify your most important roles that will help you to fulfill that mission.  After that it is simply a matter of deciding what tools and technology you will use to get it all done.  I would love to hear your comments about how you do this.