Getting Things Done

Being organized and following a set plan as a way to effectively meet life's tasks and challenges is not a new idea. But for many people I do not think it gets past the concept phase and to an actionable process (to the point where it becomes habit and is done as a normal routine).

I, like most, am a busy person, juggling multiple, ever-changing work projects along with personal obligations and tasks, and managing my family duties and community events along with continuing my education. While I usually don't feel totally lost, I often think that I could do a better job of planning and organizing the tasks I need to complete.

The book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen offers five simple stages to follow to become more organized. I have listed them below, along with my current status and how each step can help me better plan and facilitate my activities to become more efficient:

1. "Collect" - Which is the act of listing all the tasks that need to be accomplished -- in one physical location (excluding your memory, which if like mine, is not always reliable!). -- I personally do collect and list my tasks out, but where I have failed in the past is not listing them all in one location. I'm great at writing something in my work calendar, adding some tasks to post it notes, etc. and then trying to find where I've placed everything. For the future I am going to list these using an online application, so not only will the list be in one spot, but I can access it from anywhere that I have Internet Connectivity.

2. Process - This is making a decision with the information that was collected in step 1: what does the task entail? Can it be delayed to another time, or is there someone else that can complete it? Can it be done quickly (in between other large tasks) or does it require devoting special time and attention to it? -- I have become quite good at this aspect, assuming I have properly collected all the tasks I must make a decision on.

3. Organize - This is determining the expectations/time frames as to when a task is to be completed. Sort the immediate, high priority/high impact tasks so they are worked on first. Tasks that have open dependencies may be able to moved towards the end of your list. -- I personally interact with my professional and personal contacts to ensure I know where each of my tasks fall in terms of when it is needed, who is benefiting from the completion of the task, and where tasks can be delayed without significant repercussions.

4. Review - This is where one regularly checks the status of their "To Do" list to see what has been accomplished, what is outstanding and what is (or will shortly become) overdue. -- I usually review first thing in the morning, and then at the end of the day, in case I need to make changes to the task order.

5. Do - As it implies, this is the actionable step of performing your tasks, using the steps before it to create a list that is efficient, effective and can be adapted based on how one's schedule or tasks list changes. -- Here's hoping this process may make your daily tasks easier to schedule and complete!

Social Networking

There are many practical applications for social networks. On a personal level, sites like Facebook allow you to stay in contact with family and friends, by receiving updates on where they are at and what (and how) they are doing. I find it very easy to track how my sons (who recently moved out on their own) are faring, which boy(s) my daughter in High School is corresponding with, and what my remote friends and relatives (scattered across the country) have been involved with.

On a professional level I coordinate software testing and support technical communications to faculty and staff at Michigan State University. I am currently looking for existing technical blogs and wikis hosted by MSU technical and support staff that I can join to, and be a trusted source of information for the software applications I have experience with. If there isn't a social media application for this at MSU, I will inquire about creating one. I've also used LinkedIn to find jobs and refer applicants to prospective employers.

There is much to benefit from, both personally and professionally, with using social networking sites to both obtain and share knowledge. The one objective I work towards is being selective with which social networking sites I subscribe to, and who I chose to trust information from. The goal to not overgrow my contacts and sites to the point that it is difficult to manage and effectively use them.

RSS Page Reflection (Image)

I've enjoyed the brief time spent so far researching blogs and the specifying of specific details/updates using RSS. While blogs may sometimes contain author opinion, this is usually based on the author's research and/or personal experiences and have a level of trusted data/information at their core that can be helpful and useful to blog subscribers.

Visiting my Reader page has turned up a couple sources of new information that I believe will be helpful as I am working on future project plans and scope at MSU. I will be spending additional time on filtering current subscription sites, and better searching for sites that are of interest and use to me. By identifying useful sites up front, this can provide timely articles and information and lessen my need to perform large search efforts through the Web.

My Blog comment/response is listed below, on the need to take the time to consider all factors that impact the ability to accurately perform software testing and instruct end users on how to best interact and use the software:

Technology: It's a Matter of Perspective

The ability to support technology may depend on one's perspective, as creatively indicated in Mr. Dvorak's blog posting below.

Technology Perspective

Blogs versus Web Pages

Many people find themselves wondering what the difference is between blogs and traditional web pages.

A web page tends to contain static information or data that a visitor to that site is looking for.  There typically is little, if any, direct interaction that occurs between the the entity that creates and maintains the web page, and the people that access the page.

While a blog is a form of web page, the content tends to be more dynamic, changing regularly to reflect new and updated information that the author chooses to write about.  Visitors may or may not share similar ideals and opinions as the blog author, and blogs support interactions between the blog author and their visitors via posts, messaging applications or other social media tools.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. 
I will be sharing information and my opinions on technology-related topics, as they related to the field of Education. I look forward to your comments and questions!