Life Hacks

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Life Hacks

• An Introduction to Getting Things Done
• UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies . Professional
  Development Initiative
• http//www.grad.ubc.ca/gradpd/

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Life Hacks Agenda

• Introduction to Getting Things Done
• Exercise I The Mind Sweep
• Action Contexts
• Exercise II Process Your Sweep
• Practical Implementations for Graduate Students
• Creating Systems You Trust Examples
• Project The Hipster Nano PDA
• Resources

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Life Hacks Introduction

• Defining Getting Things Done for Graduate
  Students
• Getting Things Done rests on the principle that
  a person needs to move tasks out of their mind
  and get them recorded somewhere. That way, the
  mind is freed from the job of remembering
  everything that needs to be done, and can
  concentrate fully on actually performing those
  tasks.
• What are your competing networks of contexts?
• What kinds of personal information management
  systems or tools do you currently employ?

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Life Hacks Exercise I

• The Mind Sweep
• Identify and write down the largest tasks that
  you have facing you
• Write, in one sentence, your intended successful
  outcome for that task
• Write down the very next physical action required
  to move the objective closer.

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Life Hacks Goals of the Mind Sweep

• Capturing your stuff
• Understanding your commitments
• Dealing with your commitments

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Life Hacks Action Contexts

• What is an action?
• What is an action context?
• Defining your next actions
• Turn your tasks into real, actionable items
• Outcome thinking vs. To do lists

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Life Hacks No Next Actions

• Trash
• Incubate
• File as Reference

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Life Hacks Exercise II

• Process Your Sweep
• Apply a context to every task that you have
  listed from Exercise I
• Try to keep your contexts physical ones, if you
  are able
• Review
• Review your action lists daily
• Organize your future tasks according to the most
  appropriate context consistently

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Life Hacks Summary Processing Your Tasks

• Turn your tasks into actionable items
• Control your commitments
• Be consistent

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Life Hacks Summary Processing Your Tasks

• Trash
• Complete (two minute rule)
• Sort
• Identify further tasks

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Managing Your Open Loops

• In short form, you want to
• Capture
• Collect
• Clarify
• Act
• Remind

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Life Hacks Creating Systems You Trust

• Examples 43 Folders
• Reference Files and Support Information

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Life Hacks Google Calendar (http//www.google.c
om/calendar)
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Life Hacks Practical Implementations for
Graduate Students

• Course work
• T.A. work
• Comprehensive examinations
• Meeting submission deadlines for grants and
  program work
• Theses and dissertations
• Preparing for your defense
• Coordinating job searches

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Life Hacks Grading Rubrics and Note-Taking

• Implementations for T.A. Work
• Standardized marking guide
• Consistent marking criteria
• Facilitates grading process
• Implementations for Course Work and Research
• Cornell Note Taking System
• Google Notebook (http//www.google.com/notebook)

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Life Hacks Using mind maps
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Life Hacks using concept maps
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Concept Maps Vs. Mind Maps

• Concept Maps
• Sciences
• Focus question
• Context frame
• Linear
• objective
• Mind Maps
• Humanities
• Central image
• Radial
• Non-linear / spontaneous
• subjective

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Life Hacks In Your Pocket

• The Hipster Nano PDA
• Moleskin Notebook
• Sticky notes
• Zip lock baggies
• The space pen

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Life Hacks D.I.Y Planners

• Setting up your planner
• Cover
• Contacts
• Calendar
• Actions
• Project
• Potentials
• Read/review
• Reference
• Miscellaneous lists

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Life Hacks Resources

• Academic Productivity Blog http//www.academicprod
  uctivity.com/blog/
• Wikindx http//wikindx.sourceforge.net/ (a free
  bibliographic and quotations/notes management and
  article authoring system )
• Novel Writer (freeware, useful for academic
  writing as it allows you to link marginal notes
  to internal context) http//jerssoftwarehut.com/Ab
  outJNW.shtml
• Key Note (tabbed notebook program allows you to
  open one file which gives you access to multiple
  levels of notes attached to the primary file)
  http//www.tranglos.com/free/keynote.html
• Kinkless GTD (applescript plugins for
  OmniOutliner Pro to facilitate GTD
  http//kinkless.com
• Build an online research diary using weblogs and
  wikis, or using software such as Journler for Mac
  http//journler.com/ , Microsoft One-Note, or
  EverNOte http//www.evernote.com/en/