Capture  
OK I was worried that would be a long process but I did the slice capture today. That is to say I collected them all and put the in the planner with their forms and each one has a time activation associated with it. That is to say the next thing I have to do is on a time somewhere in the calendar portion of the show. I will modify the form again now that I wrote like 10 of them and have a better clue as to how to best use them. I need more space for the sentence describing the success conditions of the slice and don't need the line to say where the action list is. If its not attached you'll just note that on the back of the form.

I will need to change the illustrations again... grrrr. oh well thats development. Now I know how the User Ed folks felt everytime we changed a feature...

Practice...  
My parents were in town so I neglected to well do anything productive at all.

So today I'm starting in earnest again. My latest step is to print out the forms and use them. I've started doing my collection of things. No, it didn't involve a really large dumpster of an inbox. I just made some lists. Lists of roles, commitements I've made, projects. Anything. I'll be filing forms for each one and putting them on the list of slices. Each thing is called a slice in my system. I chose the word slice because it is more ambigious than most words. It just means something that needs done and isn't done yet. It could be something that is constant need of attention or something you touch once a month or even less. As an example I have down home owner. I have the gutters cleaned (I'm not allowed to go up ladders) once a year. I do the furnace twice a season... etc.

Other things have more items but you get the idea. I'll have the website up with the first presentation and pdf forms you can print yourself on FC punch apart paper. The forms are only setup for compact size. As I said before if you are interested in trying my system for enhancing other time management systems then drop me an email. Right now it's really geared towards Franklin Planner, but as I look at it, it could work with any system at all.

You'll see a lot more from me this week.

A Birthday Song  
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
I ammmmm 33 so
Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
I gots me an XBOX
and it really rocks.

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
I ammmmm 33 so
its a physical for me

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
some-dude-at-a-party-said-there-is-no-glove-portion-this-early-at-a-physical SO
Happy BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I'm 1/3 of 99 today.

Show of hands.  
I know some of you are using the Franklin Planner. I know some of you are interested in using the Franklin Planner. I also know that at least one of you is really intererested in my new enhancements for the Franklin Planner. If you are interested in seeing the preliminary presenations as they come on line send me an email. Otherwise I'll post when the whole site is done. It will be password protected as I intend to reserve all rights to the material.

All Rights Unequivocally and Forcefully reserverd -- Jamy Ian Swiss. 1993/1994 from "Shattering Illusions" copyright notice.

What are you looking at?  
I'm still working on it. I'm becoming a powerpoint power user. I found a better way to illustrate in powerpoint with custom animations that get my point(s) much better so I'm redoing all the illustrations in the introduction.

you can't hurry love, you you'll just have to wait

Bigger than I thought.  
I'm working steadily on the new system. I'll share with you the plan, so you don't think I'm just resting here.

• Layout concepts in word


• Design the forms


• "Intro" Powerpoint presentation


• "Getting Started" presenentation


• "Planning" Powerpoint doc.


• Publish the presentations to a private website (Mail me if you want to get access)


• Collect the Presentations back into word to create a user's guide


• Polish the whole thing


• Print sample forms packs


• Beta test with trusted users I already know


• Integrate new idea from beta users


• Re Polish


• Repeat as needed.

It's never as small as it looks. I thought I could whip this out in a week. Looks like I'll have to use it to finish it!

Don't think I'm gone.  
I'm still sweating this new system out. I have the pieces of the package defined and I'm just working on the content. I have all of the forms designed in Illustrator.

The final package will include the forms, a booklet user's guide, a quick referecne card. I'm laying out a live presentation to use as well to go along with the hand outs.

The whole idea centers around the fact that we need to prioritize everything in the same context. Because of that we have to level the playing field from Roles, Goals, Projects and commitments. When we have a term that overlaps all of the "tugs on our time" we can begin to prioritize based on values not urgencies. Often big things look more important than small things.

Exercise for the reader. What is more important to me: Playing chess with Max or Creating this system?

If you know me you guessed right.

Features  
So I'm working on this set of enhancements to the franklin planner. so far so good. I've done layout on a few of forms, 4 to be exact. My biggest problem is keeping at this long enough to make it work for me. Onces its working finishing will be easy. It's like trying to bootstrap the system by using at the same time. Should be ready to go by monday. It is like I'm programming paper.

Begin with the end in mind
The final product will be a core package of forms, a power point presentation that explains the thinking behind them and the day to day use of them. That package will be the beta. I have a few testers around who will give me feed back at various levels of planner use. Should be interesting. The real main thing is I will have a system that works for me. Anybody else is icing.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. --Dr. Steven Covey

I'm excited  
So I started working on my "enhancements" today for the planner system. I feel like I'm adding features to it. I'm doing this with perf pages and Adobe Illustrator. I tried to use the forms wizard it just wasn't flexible enough so I got out the big guns. I tried Page Maker 7.0 but after about 6 crashes tring to get the "table" editor working. Screw that. People who crack on Microsoft for having bugs ain't never used PM 7 or 6.5 for that matter.

But I digress.

I'm still formulating the system so I'm not going to put it here yet.

It's hard to use the current system when I know I'm building my own upgrade. But I did a good job planning today. My DRE (Daily Record of Events) looks good.

Balance is key.  
I just read a book from the Bite sized learning that FC put out. Balancing your life. It was a nice refresher.

It causes me to add these goals to my revamp:

Will include a weekly review of what was planned and what happened.
Take into account roles including "self"

There is work here.

Wax on... Wax off.. --Mr. Miyagi of Karate Kid.
NO! "Do" or "Do Not" there is no "try" --Yoda to a yapping little jedi in training

Revamp Point of departure  
OK so the system I have is the Franklin Planner (Moments in time edition). I keep a daily record of events. I put stars on action items. If that action item is moved into the system it gets a check. I don't have to do it to get the check, just time activate it (fancy ass word for put it in the planner). I have an action file to store items that need future action. I denote them by saying (AF:x) Where "x" is the letter of the file the item is under. Pretty simple. I also have a reference set of files. I have an inbox (no I didn't just get one because of TDD I had it before). I have a reading box and a "to go" box that has tools that I take on the road with me to meetings etc. I am really good about keeping the planner with me. My good days have lots of Daily Record of events going on, bad days very little.

Goals

• The new systems will be better at vertical management of even the smallest of projects.


• Capture will be automatic. (Voice recorder)


• More seamless w/outlook. Way more. I drop things on the floor its because it was sent to me as outlook cal items and I don't do it right. Planning will help this.


• Paper based. I'm not buying a palm or a pocketwindows device.


• it will feel good to use


• Focus on QII activties


• Quicker more regimented planning

I will break down the details for the vertical management stuff. I really think thats the key to this revamp. By keeping my projects (roles as well) in line the horizontal will also be easier to track. Less reactive is always good. Always.

Coca Cola: It's the real thing!

What am I stupid?  
Well no. I'm not. But I am going to try and squeeze just a little value out GTD (by the way his name is David Allen.)

So I'm going to revamp my planning system. I think I can maybe get that little tiny bit of marginal juice out of what I heard.

Kurt and I talked about it, we think that GTD is really aiming at low hangining fruit for people who don't really organize at all. In that case perhapps his title should be "Next actions for Dummies" This would have been nice for me because I wouldn't have bought it.

Side note:
I never buy books for idiots or dummies. Why? Because I'm not. I'm not either so take your yellow book at shove it. In fact while you're at it, why not fold it up til it has nice sharp corners.... You know better yet. Why doesn't someone get off of their asses quit writing for dummies and start writing the series "xxx for The Intelligent yet uninfomed on xxx". I'd buy that shit.

Anyway. I have down to revamp my system. By this I really mean fine tune. I want to get a little more out of it. I will also reform habits while I do this. I think the key here is better project (veritcal) control while mainting to usual non reactive system of proactive beavior. Better vertical management. Better integration of TDDD. Some work with "Next Actions" from GTD (dammmit). I will keep posting as I fine tune.