2Time Labs Podcast

Episode 41: Ep. 64 Do You Need New GTD Contexts?

Francis Wade — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 18:44:07 +0000

Or should you stop using them altogether? Most GTD'ers struggle with the contexts suggested in the book. They just don't seem to apply to the challenges we face some 20 years later after David Allen published Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Some have moved on, creating their own contexts (i.e. tags) or abandoning their use altogether. In this recording of my article published at ScheduleU.org, you'll learn how to use the best tags possible for your needs, starting with a deeper understanding of why they are so valuable. Here's the link to the original article: https://scheduleu.org/do-you-need-new-gtd-contexts/. It's also available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/nKTht3huDzE

Ep. 63 How to Fix Digital Calendars and the Bad Meetings They Spawn w/Garrick van Buren

Francis Wade — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 02:21:54 +0000

Have you ever sat in a bad meeting wondering how why and how you got yourself stuck in that position? Sometimes, it has to do with people's habits, but it also has something to do with calendar software design. In this conversation, Garrick and I look at how both aspects could be improved dramatically. We argue that a better design would produce higher quality meetings. As a result of this episode, I developed a branched learning simulation linked here which focuses on the interplay between calendar design and meetings - http://2time-sys.com/downloads/meetings/CEOMeetings.html It will also be featured at the first Time Blocking Summit I'll be hosting on March 5-7, 2020 - https://timeblockingsummit.info If you like our work at 2Time Labs, please support it at Patreon - Make a contribution here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

Ep 62 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p3 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

Francis Wade — Mon, 20 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the third of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

Ep 61 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p2 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

Francis Wade — Mon, 13 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the second of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

Ep 60 Creating a Storage Decision Tool w/Ray Sidney-Smith p1

Francis Wade — Tue, 07 May 2019 01:15:06 +0000

Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the first of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

Episode 59 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 3

Francis Wade — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in the third and final episode in this series, I continue working with Dr. Michael Einstein to create an email health calculator. We take the lessons learned from the prior discussion and start by listing a hierarchy of concerns. They are listed here from 1-5 in rank order. 1. How many days of stored email are accumulated? (read vs unread, subscribed vs non-subscribeds) 2. How old are these message? (read vs. unread) 3. How unique are these messages? (subscribed vs non-subscribeds) 4. How fast are they entering? (incoming email) 5. How complicated are they by being threaded? During the hiatus since the last episode, I drafted a weight for each measure and after playing with the tool we would be using, producing the following formula which we discussed in this episode. 0.25 x Left Behind Index (i.e. (Total messages in your inbox - unread messages-tagged, read messages)/incoming email each day) 0.20 x Number of Days Surprise Index (i.e. unread messages – unread subscriptions email)/incoming email each day) 0.20 x Total messages older than a day)/incoming mail each day 0.20 x (Average age of non-Subscription messages/days) 0.20 x ( .50 x Average age of Subscription messages/days) 0.10 x Incoming Email each day / messages removed per day 0.20 x Threaded messages The final input into the calculoid app used the following weights which were simply scaled so that they would sum to 1.0: Field 1 - 18% Left Behind Index [i.e. (Total messages in your inbox - unread messages-tagged, read messages)/incoming email each day)] Field 2 - 14% Number of Days Surprise Index [i.e. unread messages – unread subscriptions email)/incoming email each day] Field 3 - 14% Total messages older than a day)/incoming mail each day Field 4 - 14% Average age of non-Subscription messages/days Field 5 - 7% Average age of Subscription messages/days Field 6 - 11% Max(1, incoming email/150) Field 7 - 7% Incoming Email each day / messages removed per day Field 8 - 14% Threaded messages x #average active participants in each thread Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link. Patrons receive a number of benefits including early access and followup conversations related to work like this.

Episode 58 Building an Email Health Calculator with Michael Einstein part 2

Francis Wade — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in the second part of LiveLab 02, I continue working with Dr. Michael Einstein by delving into the formulae that would be at the heart of a sound email health calculator. It's no easy conversation to follow - you will probably need a paper and pencil. Months before I called Michael, I devised the following formula in my very first attempt. Score = the sum of: 1. 5.0 max(0, [2 x (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages) [ 2. 0.5 x (total messages - unread messages - incomplete tasks recalled) 3. 5.0 x (unread messages - incoming email per day)]/10) 4. # minutes spent This is where our discussion started. It moved quickly and resulted in this formula which we produced in the first part of this episode. Score = the sum of: 1. (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages) [more importance] "BlindSpot measure" 2. # read messages * (age in days -1) [more importance] "Morgue Measure" 3. # unread messages/ # incoming email per day [more importance] "Backlog Measure" 4. # threaded messages / # total messages [moderate importance] 5. # raw threaded messages [high importance] 6. # subscription email older than a day / # total messages older than a day [low importance] We took a break for about a month, then reconvened to record the second part of this episode. During the discussion, we agreed on the following elements. Score = the sum of: 1. (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages) [more important] 2a. # read non-subscribed messages * (age in days per message -1) [more important] 2b. # read subscription messages * (age in days per message -1) [more important] 3. # incoming email per day / ((#unread subs--sqrd> + #unread nonsubsc) [more important] 4. 5. # raw threaded messages - for non-subscribes using geometric growth [high importance] 6. # subscription email older than a day / # total messages older than a day [lower importance] Our next and final conversation didn't take place until 10 months later. It's captured n part 3, episode 59. Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link

Episode 57 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 1

Francis Wade — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 11:00:00 +0000

Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in LiveLab 2 I invite Dr. Michael Einstein to help me build a brand new kind of tool - one that would provide users with an automatic diagnosis of their inbox health. In this episode (the first of three), we work on the underlying assumptions that such a tool must include...and discover along the way there are *many*. Plus we start to look at the elements we think should be measured in preparation for the next episode in this series which focuses on the actual formulae which the tool would use. It's a far-reaching, one of a kind conversation which starts off in wobbly fashion as we're not sure whether we will be successful. Here's the link to the original calculator I created which we used as our starting point. Can't wait until the final episode to see the end result? Here you go - a link to an interactive calculator of your email inbox health. Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link

56 Creating an Auto-Scheduler Comparison Part Two - Melanie Wilson LiveLab 01

Francis Wade — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 03:47:17 +0000

Part Two - No-one has ever made a full side-by-side comparison of existing auto-schedulers. In this episode we attempt to create the very first one, plus a decision tool for choosing between the 6 most popular apps in this genre as of December 2018. AI powered and cloud-based, these programs are gaining in popularity, especiallyamong productivity geeks and the busiest one-percent. Show Notes Can't wait until the end of Part Two? Here are the two outputs produced from the series of 2 episodes. 1. A Decision Tool 2. Comparison Table Plus check out Melanie's new book - A Year of Living Productively can be found here. Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link ScheduleU.Org Shownote links - https://goo.gl/m7gZxu, https://goo.gl/qpM8me, http://psychowith6.com/ayolpbook, https://goo.gl/HVLEY5

55 Creating an Auto-Scheduler Comparison Part One - Melanie Wilson LiveLab 01

Francis Wade — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 19:21:52 +0000

Part One - No-one has ever made a full side-by-side comparison of existing auto-schedulers. In this episode we attempt to create the very first one, plus a decision tool for choosing between the 6 most popular apps in this genre as of December 2018. AI powered and cloud-based, these programs are gaining in popularity, especiallyamong productivity geeks and the busiest one-percent. Show Notes Can't wait until the end of Part Two? Here are the two outputs produced from the series of 2 episodes. A Decision Tool Comparison Table Melanie's new book - A Year of Living Productively can be found here. Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link ScheduleU.Org Shownote links - https://goo.gl/m7gZxu, https://goo.gl/qpM8me, http://psychowith6.com/ayolpbook, https://goo.gl/HVLEY5

54 Introducing a New Format - a Live Lab!

Francis Wade — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 02:00:08 +0000

On this unique episode I introduce a brand new format here at the 2Time Labs Podcast. It's called a LiveLab and it's a recorded discussion between me and an invited expert as we attempt to create a new interactive product, service or aid which will make your life better. Listen in as I describe the reasons for making this very big switch. The ProductivityCast Show - The weekly show about all things productivity

53 Augusto Pinaud on Managing Low Priority Tasks

Francis Wade — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 21:46:27 +0000

It's tempting to spend all your time focused on your highest priorities, but in this episode Augusto Pinaud argues the opposite. For those very busy people with hundreds of tasks, managing low priority items takes a special approach. It's a technique perfectly suited for the top one percent of busy people. The ProductivityCast Show - The weekly show about all things productivity Support this podcast on Patreon, or by liking/rating/commenting on iTunes, Google Podcast or your podcast player of choice.

52 Interview with Penny Zenker on Energy Management

Francis Wade — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 22:21:03 +0000

Listen in as I interview Penny Zenker as we take a look at the essential elements of energy management: using your physiology, self-talk, purpose and focus. You can find more about Penny at http://pennyzenker360.com

51 Dr. Melanie Wilson Interview on SkedPal

Francis Wade — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 17:16:21 +0000

Join me in this one-of-a-kind conversation with Dr. Melanie Wilson as we explore how the two of us are using SkedPal Beta - the new schedule and calendar optimizer.She's a productivity blogger who tests out scores of app, approaches and tools and then writes about each of them. As a homeschooling Mom of 6, she has a very busy life - the pefect place to test new ideas.In this conversation we look at how we have adopted SkedPal to our very different lives.During the conersation we touch on a number of information sources:Melanie's post on SkedPal - http://www.psychowith6.com/automatic-scheduling-busy-people/My recent post on optimizers like SkelPal - Learning to Optimize Each Day’s Plan from the Controversy Between Listers and Schedulers [Research] My guest-post on Melanie's blog on "Why college students and CEO's manage their time the same way" If you'd like to join my private Beta, check here to see if it's still open: http://perfect.mytimedesign.com/are-you-an-advanced-scheduler-join-our-community-today/

50 Tanya Dotson Interview on Coaching in Time Management

Francis Wade — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:28:02 +0000

Tanya Dotson is an expert coach who focuses on helping clients implement new behaviors. In this interview she gives me some insight into one of my own practices and its source. Visit her website at http://180degreetimemanagement.com/

49 Michael Einstein on Managing Email Overload

Francis Wade — Sat, 09 May 2015 21:32:10 +0000

Michael Einstein, an expert in email overload, joins me for this conversation. We tackle the thorny question of what someone needs to do to manage all the channels of information we currently use, their proliferation and the demands they place on our time. We also look to the future and ask what mindset and techniques we must use to tackle new, unforeseen channels. To learn more about his work, visit his website: http://www.emailoverloadsolutions.com/ http://www.emailoverloadsolutions.com/

48 Dawna Ballard Interview

Francis Wade — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 00:20:31 +0000

Prof Dawna Ballard is a sociologist who is an expert in the connection between time and communication. In this interview we look at a number of issues related to changing productivity in corporations. We also examine what change agents who want to change their companies need to address if change is to stick.

47. Brigid Schulte of Overwhelmed - Interview

Francis Wade — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:51:00 +0000

How has the world changed so that life appears to be so much more hectic? Why aren't we coping? Should we be? Are women at a disadvantage due to inherited cultural expectations? These aren't easy questions to answers, but my guest Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No-One Has the Time tackles them all in this interview. http://www.brigidschulte.com/

46 Josh Lyman of IORG Interview

Francis Wade — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 14:17:33 +0000

Josh Lyman recently attended the Information Overload Research Group's annual conference in San Francisco - http://iorgforum.org/2014/03/09/overloaded-2014-june-7/ It's a fascinating group of like-minded professionals and this discussion takes us right into the heart of the event. Take a moment to visit his website at - http://www.joshualyman.com/

45 Time Demands II - The Advanced Model

Francis Wade — Fri, 30 May 2014 19:26:59 +0000

During the course of writing my new book, Perfect Time-Based Productivity, I was inspired by recent research to create an Advanced Model of time demands - a different perspective than the one shared in my last related podcast on this topic - Episode 35 . For more of our research, download my free special report from http://2time-sys.com - "8 Edgy Ideas from Time Management 2.0." To receive a free chapter from my last book and to hear about my new book, download access information at http://perfect.mytimedesign.com Visit my complete resource page on time demands at http://wp.me/PeenO-Bc

44 Interview with Jeremy Burrus of ACT

Francis Wade — Sat, 10 May 2014 08:39:56 +0000

Jeremy Burrus led a team of researchers at the Educational Testing Service that produced a report entitled "Examining the Efficacy of a Time Management Intervention for High School Students." Their project was one of the rare studies that focused on teenagers and their time-based productivity skills.

42 Maura Thomas on Attention Management

Francis Wade — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 18:39:35 +0000

Maura Thomas joined us on this special episode focusing on Attention Management. She works with corporate clients who are challenged by the distractions around them to become way at saying focused and producing results. Her book is available at amazon and her website can be found here.

41 Julie Dirksen on Adult Learning.

Francis Wade — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:17:56 +0000

Julie is an expert in adult learning and in this episode we looked at the challenge of time management training which so often consists of tell, tell and more telling. Should an instructor just hand out detailed practices and sit back and wait while the magic happens, or is there a better approach to instruct learners. She's a fascinating guest who has a wealth of knowledge. In fact, she was teaching with such gusto that I had to build a short glossary of terms she used: Hyperbolic discounting - This is a concept from behavioral economics that describes the tendency to discount a reward more the longer it will be delayed. Cognitive load - This it the idea that people have a limited cognitive capacity for information or mental activity at any given time, based on the limits of working (or short-term) memory. If you exceed that capacity, the person can't process or retain additional information. Cognitive bias - there are many different types of cognitive biases which lead to faulty decisions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases) but many of them are due to shortcuts in how we understand and process information. Implementation intentions - Implementation intentions are a way to create behaviors for yourself by mental associating a trigger with a response (If x happens, I will do y), and are based on the work of research Peter Gollwitzer.

43 Pat Brans of Master the Moment

Francis Wade — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 16:49:38 +0000

Pat Brans is a time management and productivity author who writes for Forbes magazine. He also the owner of the Master the Moment website. But one of his greatest achievements is the research that he completed to finish his book, which shares the name of his site. He interviewed 50 CEO's from around the world and in this interview, he shares what he discovered. In particular, I ask him about their scheduling habits and what they do to deal with the high number of commitments that come at them each day. Tune in to hear the results of his first-hand data collection.

40 Mark Horstman of Manager-Tools on CEO Productivity

Francis Wade — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 22:53:25 +0000

Mark is one of the voices behind the very influential Manager-Tools and CareertTools podcasts. In this episode we discuss the techniques that CEO's use to manage their time, and zero in on how they use their calendars to manage the time-scarce nature of their jobs

39 Dr. Melanie Wilson Interview

Francis Wade — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 20:50:54 +0000

in 2013, Dr. Melanie Wilson spent almost the full year testing one new productivity approach or method each week. She documented the results on her blog in a fascinating journey through some of the best ideas available for improving time-based productivity. Tune in as I interview her on this unique adventure and then visit her blog at Psychowith6.com

38 Interview by Jacob Paulsen of 12 Books Group

Francis Wade — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 20:30:34 +0000

In December 2013, I was interviewed by Jacob Paulsen of 12booksgroup.com, a reading club that tackles one business book per month. They discuss the contents on Goodreads, and invite authors in to interact with their members. While their interviews are accessed by members-only, he was kind enough to share the podcast with us here at 2Time Labs. We looked at the ideas underlying Bill's Im-Perfect Time Management Adventure, and why I chose to write a business fable as opposed to a traditional book.

37 Judith Kolberg on The Era of Endless

Francis Wade — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Judith Kolberg is a pioneer in the field of chronic disorganization and in this interview she shares the key insights from her book - Organizing in the Era of Endless. Listen in to learn how to manage the excesses and downside of endless information, interruption, work, and stuff, while reclaiming your time.

36 Interview with Tony Murphy on Diagnostic Tools

Francis Wade — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 22:00:00 +0000

What are the different styles in which people think about their use of time? Tony Murphy of Time Diagnostics has invented an approach to giving each of us some insight into one of 5 time perspectives that adults tend to use each and every day. Tune in to hear how his tool can be used in a team environment to improve the productivity of the entire team. Once again, he reinforces the idea: one size doesn't fit all.

35 Big Ideas! Time Demands vs. Stuff

Francis Wade — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

What is the difference between trying to manage time, struggling to manage stuff and managing "time demands?" A time demand is an individual commitment to complete an action in the future - but that definition is just the start. I share all that there is to know (at this time) about one of the key discoveries behind the work we do at 2Time Labs.