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Monday, October 14, 2013

Paolo Bellosillo's NU12 # 4 - Productivity - The In Basket

Productivity applies to all individuals in all situations, whether at work, in school, or at home. No matter what the situation is, you have to do an activity as productive and as efficient as possible.

Your brain is only capable of storing small amount of memory, and it will tend to forget all the input in a matter of minutes. You can't rely on your brain to collect and recall all the things that you have to do. You have to have some sort of an external collection of the things that you have to do and not to rely on your brain. So what do you do?

Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. For you to be productive, you have to have an "in basket"

An "in basket" is an external system outside your brain that helps you collect, recall, run though, and process all the projects and activities that you need to do, whether today, next week, or next year. It's the simplest way to be productive, and it's just a small invesment. All you need is, yes, a basket or a paper tray.

The idea is to put all the activities that you have do in the "in basket." If you have to call someone, set up a meetin with a client, buy a new tv, prepare for your birthday party, or do this and that project, make everything tangible by writing it in a piece of paper and put it in the "in basket." The idea is you collect all the things that you have to do in a centralized system. This will relieve your brain for thinking about so many things, and you are sure that you won't miss anything.

It is important that at the end of the day, you have tackled all the things in the "in basket" and if possible, empty it.

In this very simple way, you will never forget anything that you have to do. Improving your productivity is as simple as having an "in basket."

Paolo S. Bellosillo  3


   

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