In my configuration I have a personal laptop and a work laptop that I keep in sync. However, Things offers no native way to keep 2 computers in sync.  But I stumbled across a post on how to do just that using DropBox.  Earlier this week I got it implemented in just a few minutes and sure enough, it works like a charm.  As an added bonus, I can now sync my iPhone to Things on either laptop.  You will, of course, need to purchase an additional copy of Things from Cultured Code,  (I purchased an upgrade to the family pack).  So if you need to sync Things across multiple computers, this should help you Get Things Done!

One of the things I really appreciate about GTD is it’s flexibility.  It doesn’t require a specific system or specific piece of software.  You can use notecards or a notebook computer, it really doesn’t care.  Over the years I’ve tried a few different approaches but here’s how I’m using GTD today across multiple computers, without duplicating effort.

Tasks & Projects

The core of my system is Things on a Mac and iPhone.  It’s simple and elegant and allows me to keep up with tasks and projects.  Since it syncs with my iPhone, I’m never without the “next thing”.

Calendar

I’m using Apple iCal to sync both my personal and work calenders–my personal calender via moble.me and our office-wide project management software, Workamajig via exchange and CalDAV.  These are both pushed to my iPhone so I always have my personal and business schedules at hand.

Contacts

I use Apple’s Address Book and sync via MobileMe across all my computers and pushed to the iPhone.

Email

I use Apple Mail on both my office and home computers.  On my office computer I have a single business email account.  At home I have multiple email accounts that I maintain.  Apple Mail is simple, elegant and searching is soooo fast.  Again my iPhone has both my personal and corporate email accounts.

Documents

I use Dropbox to keep shared documents available and in sync across multiple computers.

1Password

I have a lot of passwords, identifies, log-ins to keep up with, for these I use 1Password.  (Dropbox.com keeps 1Password in sync across all my computers.)

Bookmarks

I use MobileMe to keep my Safari bookmarks in sync across all my computers and the iPhone.

Back Up

By virtue of keeping multiple computers in sync, much of my critical data resides in more than one location.  But in addition to that, I also do at least 1 back-up for each machine, 2 or 3 times a week.  I use SuperDuper, which creates an incremental, bootable back up.  These means that if one of my machines go down, I’m never without my data.  At home I also have a couple of automated back up solutions including Apple’s Time Machine and an off-site back up to Mozy.

I love GTD and I really enjoy the flexibility and ease of use of my current system.  It’s simple and flexible while allowing me to access the same information across multiple machines.

So that’s what I’m using.  Do you use GTD?  If so, how are you implementing it?

I’m sorry to say that I’ve experienced that mentality on the job more times than I care to admit.  Not being prepared can create a lot of headaches for you and those around you.  I have found that when my clients or I are in too big of a hurry, it usually takes longer and costs more than if we had taken the time to do it right the first time.  Based on those experiences, here are 5 questions you should ask yourself before your next project.

1. What’s the objective?

As simple as it sounds, a clear agreed upon plan of attack will save you a lot of time.  Ending up with a beautiful cabinet may be great, unless you were trying to build a table.

2. What’s your budget?

Can you accomplish your objective with your available budget?  If not, you’ve got to either adjust your objective or your budget.

3. What’s your timetable?

Create a realistic schedule and give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.  Be aware that a project that normally takes 6 weeks to accomplish can sometimes be done in 2 weeks, but at an additional cost.

4. Is this job within the scope of your expertise?

Have you tackled a project like this before?  If not, surround yourself with people who have.  That’s why they’re called professionals.

5. What’s the plan?

Take a few minutes to map out your plan.  Determine the very next thing you need to do to keep things moving, then do it.

Don’t get yourself in trouble by skimping on the planning because you’re in a hurry.  Trust me, it’s always better to measure twice and cut once.

Years ago I had an employee who’s name was Amy.  Amy was great, but I knew Amy could be even better if I could challenge her to be more efficient.  I encouraged her to learn a few keyboard shortcuts and begin regularly using them, which she did.  From time to time as I would walk by her desk, I noticed she had slipped back into her well-meaning but misguided use of the mouse.  So I would gently remind her that the mouse was not her friend and I would encourage her to kick the habit.  After a while she got so good at it that she could actually finish her work before she started. 

Many years later, after Amy left my employ, my wife saw her and asked her about her new job.  She told Lorri how much she enjoyed her new position (probably just the freedom of being away from me) and laughed at how her co-workers in the new office admired her speed and productivity on the computer.  While she didn’t want to admit it, (and actually told Lorri not to tell me), learning all those keyboard shortcuts made her more productive and efficient.

If you know me at all or if you’ve every worked with me you know I’m all about organization, productivity and efficiency.  So here are 4 simple ways I’ve found to increase your computer productivity.

1. Commit to learning and using 2 new keyboard shortcuts a week.  I would suggest you start with “The BIG 5″, Open, Save, Print, Copy and Paste.
2. Keep a running list of those shortcuts on your monitor for quick and easy access.  You can make a simple 2 column spreadsheet or if you must, even a Post-it Note.
3. Use a program like TextExpander for the Mac, (my favorite) or FastFox Typing Expander for Windows.  These allow you to type your name, email, address or anything else with just a single keyboard shortcut and the fun part?  Text Expander actually tells you how much time you’ve saved by using those shortcuts. (I’ve saved more than 11 hrs!)
4. Finally, just do it.  Don’t over-analyze, don’t make it difficult.  Just start the process.

I promise that if you start using keyboard shortcuts, you’ll not only save yourself a lot of time, you may find that your co-workers admire your speed and productivity–just like Amy.

I sometimes worry that all my inputs push me towards S.O.S.  There’s voicemail, the web, email, Twitter, FaceBook, and a Blog, just to name a few.  What I have to guard against is losing my focus and becoming ineffective by swatting at everything that demands my attention.  Do you have the same problem?  Try this.  When you get an email, do you have to check it immediately?  When your phone rings, do you have to answer it immediately, even if you’re already in the middle of another conversation?  Do you live on Twitter or FaceBook?  If you answered yes to any of those, then you, like me, may need to work on your focus and minimizing interruptions.  You can do simple things like, set your email so you have to check it manually and turn your phone on vibrate when you’re in another conversation.  Do you really need to immediately answer every call and respond to every email as quickly as it comes in or do you have a little S.O.S like me?