Time (Life) Management, Ta-Da Lists, and GTD

Have you noticed how it’s often the simplest ideas that make the biggest difference?

This one is so simple you may be tempted to ignore it, I nearly did.

If you don’t know, GTD stands for “Getting Things Done”.  GTD is a productivity and life management concept developed by David Allen. Life management and productivity is a bit different than time management.

I got this idea from a blog reader who goes by “Colander”. This isn’t just another tip to get more things done. It’s about getting more of the right things done.

The nuts and bolts of what to do

1. Rather than using lists on paper per the GTD method, set up a truly free account (there’s not even an upgrade option) at Ta-Da Lists.
2. Create your to-do list but do not put all of your next action in it. Put just a handful of critical next steps on that list.
3. Make your Ta-Da List’s to-do list, one of your home page tabs.

Now if you’re one of those people who is resistant to change this all might make you a bit uncomfortable. Get over it! Because once you make this simple change your critical stuff will be hitting you in the face all-day-long.

Every time you open your browser to goof off with a game like Farmville, or visiting forums, or any one of thousands of time sinks, you will be reminded of your critical next actions.

Another plus about the Ta-Da Lists, you can make multiple lists, and the lists can be shared.

I hope you find this idea as useful as I did.

Your turn

Do you have any productivity tips to share?  Leave them in the comments below.

Resources

“Getting Things Done”, by David Allen

Ta-Da Lists

9 Steps To More Web Traffic

There are numerous techniques you can use to increase traffic to your web site. The most valuable to your visitors is to offer continuous and engaging value such as a blog or some other online discussion, perhaps a forum, that will keep your visitors returning time and again. Following are nine techniques to use. However, there are many other techniques available to you. Check out “Underground Traffic Secrets” to learn how twelve leading experts would generate traffic to earn $1,000 in thirty days if they started over with what they know now.

1 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

“Search Engine Optimization”, also known as “SEO”, is very successful for many web sites. In fact, an entire service industry has sprung up where people are being hired to optimize web sites for search engines, and make submissions to directories, all in an effort to make your web site rank better in the search engines. This is something you can do your self by using various on page SEO tips, submitting your site to the various directories, and writing and submitting some articles to places like E-Zine Articles, Hub Pages, and Squido. Of course, if you don’t have the or inclination it may be worth hiring a consultant or freelancer to help you.

2 – Get Listed in Directories and Search Engines

There are numerous directories and search engines that you can list your site on for increased exposures and possibly some link backs. Whiles some charge a modest fee, there are many that are free. The important thing is to enter your listings manually, in person, so you can optimize the listing to be the best possible interface to your site. Although an automated submission system will list your site in hundreds of directories at once, it is not a substitute for doing it in person.

3 – Link Exchange Participation

In a link exchange, you and another webmaster simply agree to exchange links. That is you each put a link to the others website on your page. This works best if the two websites are complimentary of each other. For example, a site that deals with business in general like this site would benefit by exchanging links with a site that focuses on a specific business niche.

4 – Paid Advertising

Paid advertising like Google’s AdWords, or banner ads, are effective ways to bring traffic to your site.

AdWords displays ads that are relevant to the content of the the viewer is reading. The page being read is often found through a search engine. With this program you bid the amount you will pay for a list of keywords used by people performing a search. Your gets displayed and you are charged for each “click” your ad receives. Your daily expenditure is limited by the what you set as a maximum daily limit. Learn the details by reading Google’s AdWords page.

Google is probably the largest contextual text advertiser out there, but there are other, like Yahoo, so you don’t have to use Google AdWords.

5 – Become published on other web sites

The Internet is insanely vast. The blogsphere is also incredibly large. There are at least two ways to get published on other sites.

First, you can leave meaningful comments on blogs. Perhaps reading a blog post makes you think of something that happened to you or someone you know. Put your story in the blog’s comments to add to the conversation. Be sure to have a link back to your own web site.

Second, offer to write articles to be published on another website. Again, include a link to your own site.

6 – Magazine and online reviews

When you are a specialist, or authority, on the subject matter of your site, start asking both print magazines and online sources to review you and your site. They need content too, and may use your site for their content.

7 – Post to forums, blogs, and chat rooms

This is pretty self explanatory. Get involved online in forums, chat rooms, and on blogs. Leave meaningful and on topic comments. Always include a link to your site, either in the comment or as part of your “sig file”.

8 – Have contests and give-a-ways

Similar to a customer rewards program, hold contests.

Maybe have an eBook contest for a hundred dollar prize. The contestants submit their eBooks and $100 goes to the winner and you get the rights to the eBooks that are submitted. Many off line photo contests work this way.

How about a give-a-way. Offer your own eBook (or something else of value) to people who subscribe to you newsletter.

9 – Join a business organization

You local Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Toast Masters, Rotory Club, and more, are often an overlooked benefit in your community. Membership in any of these organizations let other business people become aware of you and your website. Membership also puts you in a position to learn about new tools and concepts to increase you visibility and your bottom line.

Further Reading

• ”Link Building black Book”
• ”How to use AdWords”
• ”Underground Traffic Secrets”

It use to be that traveling was affordable and fun. That’s no longer so now that gas is near four dollars per gallon, and over four dollars per gallon in some places. Then when you consider how the dollar is growing weak it’s not a suprise that prices have gone up in the hotel and travel industries, regardless of the official inflation number says. However, business must go on and fortunately there are a many new technologies to help us do business without the expense of travel, like video conferencing.

I and definitely not advocating personal contact isn’t important. Sharing a meal, playing a game of golf, and actually shaking hands are still great ways to build a relationship and close the deal. But that has become a very costly way of doing business. Today there are many ways to stay in touch and connected while actually saving time and not spending a fortune.

It’s just a matter of choosing the best productivity tools for you and avoiding the pit falls. That’s all.

Cell phones, for example, allow you to stay in touch virtually anywhere on the planet, but productivity goes down the drain if you allow yourself to become a slave to them (think of the Crackberry BlackBuried Blackberry addiction of some of your colleagues).

Email is still a terrific way to communicate. However, if you don’t manage you contacts well you may end up spend a lot of time sorting through spam or you’ll risk losing an important message from the spam filter.

Instant messaging (i.e., texting) is great for quick answers and resolving issues. Just don’t let the conversation drag on, or get caught up texting with friends who have a lot of time to waste.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing using a service like Skype can have the warmth of personal contact and the efficiency of electronic communication. The interplay between you and the people on the other side of the connection is immediate. A video conference can be run on computer anywhere there is a connection.

A video conference ran well provides the same benefits of a face-to-face meeting but much more cost effectively. The current technology allows you to make presentations, provide a seminar (webinar), or have a one-on-one with electronic documents or multimedia, while seeing and interfacing with the other person (people) in real time.

Resources:

• Video Conferencing