FranklinCovey Planners

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J.L. Allen

Puritan Board Sophomore
Folks,

I ordered a FranklinCovey planner today (classic, two-day, ring-bound, etc). Growing up, I never saw my dad without his. It's taken me a while to get to the place where I've realized how disorganized I am, but I'm taking steps to rectify that. Prayers please!

Anywho, do any of you use one? If not, what sort of ways do you keep yourself organized? For those of you who have taken up some sort of planner system, have you noticed many changes in productivity or otherwise?
 
I recently order a cool teacher one with the Mandalorian cover. I have been jotting down ideas for classes. Time will tell if it makes me more productive because I generally kept things bottled in my mind.
 
I recently order a cool teacher one with the Mandalorian cover. I have been jotting down ideas for classes. Time will tell if it makes me more productive because I generally kept things bottled in my mind.
FranklinCovey brand or another one?

How were you organizing before?
 
A company I worked for many years ago issued us Daytimers. I paid extra to get the bonded leather. Used it for a few years, and after I got married, passed it along to my wife. She used it for a number of years before swtiching to something cheaper. Last couple of jobs, everything has been calendared online.
 
Funny you should mention this. I just got a hardcopy student planner to organize priorities going into the new school year. Keepnotes and the calendar function in my phone are with me everywhere I go, but I felt like I needed to have a place to plot school and household plans. I'm going to set time on the first Monday of the month to get a 30,000-foot view of all that we need to do.
 
FranklinCovey brand or another one?

How were you organizing before?
It's Erin Courdan(?). The page designs can be girly but, it gives a lot of room and is a good set up for many classes.

I previously used Google Docs to brainstorm. I prefer something physical.
 
A company I worked for many years ago issued us Daytimers. I paid extra to get the bonded leather. Used it for a few years, and after I got married, passed it along to my wife. She used it for a number of years before swtiching to something cheaper. Last couple of jobs, everything has been calendared online.
I looked at their website and couldn't navigate it. I think it was partly down for maintenance.
Funny you should mention this. I just got a hardcopy student planner to organize priorities going into the new school year. Keepnotes and the calendar function in my phone are with me everywhere I go, but I felt like I needed to have a place to plot school and household plans. I'm going to set time on the first Monday of the month to get a 30,000-foot view of all that we need to do.
I started using a linked calendar and notes on my iPhone when I had it. It was a great way for my wife and I to coordinate. I just needed to get away from electronic attachment. I ended up getting the Light Phone II (an anti-smartphone). We still have the shared calendar since it's through Google.
It's Erin Courdan(?). The page designs can be girly but, it gives a lot of room and is a good set up for many classes.

I previously used Google Docs to brainstorm. I prefer something physical.
Ha! I thought the same thing when I initially checked them out. It still seems like a good system though.

Jean, and Trent,

both of you said something similar or at least alluded to it. That being that both of you are using a physical planner system and not just relying on an electronic version. I find myself wanting to be less and less tethered to electronic tech. Honestly, I'm sitting in front of this very laptop far too often. I wish it wasn't the air we breath.
 
everything has been calendared online.
That's me, too. I still use Outlook after all these years. It used to link to google calendar until a few years ago. I never could get a reliable solution after that.

But I can access Outlook from my phone, so no big deal. Tasks are easy to keep organized too.

As I scale back my work, I'll probably just rely on my phone calendar and back it up to the cloud.

For those of you who have taken up some sort of planner system, have you noticed many changes in productivity or otherwise?
I've found it more productive to keep track of time spent. For me, planners were meant to pin down can't miss meetings or deadlines. In my line of work, that is essential, as important as a hammer is to a carpenter. Basic tool.

But productivity comes from reflecting how you get through those deadlines or prepare for meetings.

The most productive I've ever been is when I figure out the right amount of time to concentrate on something, and allocate it ruthlessly. As in, ."5 hr to write a letter." If time runs out, go to next allocated task. When that allocated time is up, do do the next, or take your allocated break.

End of day, review what hasn't gotten done, put it on the list for the next day or work late.

Play around with the approach. The plan is to be ruthless when your self-set clock is running, and then relaxed and day-dreamy when it is not. I've found that as time goes on, you get better focused on how to allocate the time per task, and how to drop worrying about the task when the time is up.

I'll admit I'm lazy. In an 8 or 9 hour day, maybe 3.5-4 hours is devoted to the above. The rest of the time is spent putting out fires and taking calls. (Did I mention, ruthless? As in do not look at emails or take calls during the allotted times?--watch cat videos on breaks....)
 
The most productive I've ever been is when I figure out the right amount of time to concentrate on something, and allocate it ruthlessly. As in, ."5 hr to write a letter." If time runs out, go to next allocated task. When that allocated time is up, do do the next, or take your allocated break.

End of day, review what hasn't gotten done, put it on the list for the next day or work late.

Play around with the approach. The plan is to be ruthless when your self-set clock is running, and then relaxed and day-dreamy when it is not. I've found that as time goes on, you get better focused on how to allocate the time per task, and how to drop worrying about the task when the time is up.

I'll admit I'm lazy. In an 8 or 9 hour day, maybe 3.5-4 hours is devoted to the above. The rest of the time is spent putting out fires and taking calls. (Did I mention, ruthless? As in do not look at emails or take calls during the allotted times?--watch cat videos on breaks....)
This is precisely what I need to do. And ruthless is just the right word for it. I tried doing this last semester for seminary, but I wasn't diligent enough with it. I can't budge on it this time. Speaking of which, what was Boaz before he met Ruth?*







*He was Ruth-less.
 
I used a Franklin planner off and on in the late 90s to early 00s. It is a good system and occasionally I’ve thought of returning to it. When I’m on it these days I use more of a GTD system, electronically based. The wife and I keep a google calendar for our appointments and family activities. At work I use Outlook. I’m not anti paper but find myself using less and less paper as the months roll on. I do miss the psychological boosts from physically checking off tasks, crossing things out and writing down notes. I do still keep a paper journal though I don’t write in it often. Vic has some great points about increasing focus by creating artificial deadlines. That does work when you do it. :)
 
I used a Franklin planner off and on in the late 90s to early 00s. It is a good system and occasionally I’ve thought of returning to it. When I’m on it these days I use more of a GTD system, electronically based. The wife and I keep a google calendar for our appointments and family activities. At work I use Outlook. I’m not anti paper but find myself using less and less paper as the months roll on. I do miss the psychological boosts from physically checking off tasks, crossing things out and writing down notes. I do still keep a paper journal though I don’t write in it often. Vic has some great points about increasing focus by creating artificial deadlines. That does work when you do it. :)
Can you tell me more about GTD and how you apply it?
 
Can you tell me more about GTD and how you apply it?
GTD (Getting Things Done) is David Allen's productivity system. I think the Wikipedia article does well explaining the basics. It consists keeping projects and tasks distinct and largely out of your head unless you are working on them. GTD is largely a list management system. For about 10 years I've used an ever evolving system influenced by it. Many have labeled GTD as a 'bottom-up' system rather than a traditional 'top down' one. There is some truth to that. Allen has said in many places that GTD is the easiest wagon to fall off of but also the easiest to get back on to by clearing out your mind and update your lists. I like the system and benefit when I'm on top of it. In recent years I've found Cal Newport's work helpful on many fronts. Newport respects Allen yet thinks GTD is incomplete. Newport's "Deep Work" is a most helpful read. Allen relies a lot on intuition in deciding what task is best to address at the moment. Newport finds that inadequate and I agree. You have to take control and assign time to not only to meetings but projects with high attention/cognitive demands. I've had struggles with attention most of my life. Folks that did not used to have trouble focusing 20 years ago do so now due to all of the demands on their attention- artificial or otherwise. I have an extremely fast paced job which makes documentation challenging when I'm shifting attention so much in short periods of time. That has been my largest challenge keeping a GTD(ish) system afloat. Time blocking is difficult because my job is a mile wide and an inch deep with innumerable interruptions. However, in periods where I let my productivity system slide, my performance, attention management and overall psychological well being suffer. My two big take-aways- keep tasks and projects out of your head into lists AND time block meetings, other time sensitive things and of course cognitively demanding tasks/projects onto a calendar. GTD can keep track of the stuff but time must be dedicated to actually doing things. I recommend Allen's and Newport's work including Allen's GTD along with Newport's "Deep Work" and Time blocking. Newport also has a podcast "Deep Questions"
 
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GTD (Getting Things Done) is David Allen's productivity system. I think the Wikipedia article does well explaining the basics. It consists keeping projects and tasks distinct and largely out of your head unless you are working on them. GTD is largely a list management system. For about 10 years I've used an ever evolving system influenced by it. Many have labeled GTD as a 'bottom-up' system rather than a traditional 'top down' one. There is some truth to that. Allen has said in many places that GTD is the easiest wagon to fall off of but also the easiest to get back on to by clearing out your mind and update your lists. I like the system and benefit when I'm on top of it. In recent years I've found Cal Newport's work helpful on many fronts. Newport respects Allen yet thinks GTD is incomplete. Newport's "Deep Work" is a most helpful read. Allen relies a lot on intuition in deciding what task is best to address at the moment. Newport finds that inadequate and I agree. You have to take control and assign time to not only to meetings but projects with high attention/cognitive demands. I've had struggles with attention most of my life. Folks that did not used to have trouble focusing 20 years ago do so now due to all of the demands on their attention- artificial or otherwise. I have an extremely fast paced job which makes documentation challenging when I'm shifting attention so much in short periods of time. That has been my largest challenge keeping a GTD(ish) system afloat. Time blocking is difficult because my job is a mile wide and an inch deep with innumerable interruptions. However, in periods where I let my productivity system slide, my performance, attention management and overall psychological well being suffer. My two big take-aways- keep tasks and projects out of your head into lists AND time block meetings, other time sensitive things and of course cognitively demanding tasks/projects onto a calendar. GTD can keep track of the stuff but time must be dedicated to actually doing things. I recommend Allen's and Newport's work including Allen's GTD along with Newport's "Deep Work" and Time blocking. Newport also has a podcast "Deep Questions"
Ok, this is interesting. What sort of work do you do? I've also struggled with attention my whole life as well. I find that I work well when I ride a wave of "controlled" distractions. Meaning, I give myself a short amount of time to work on something (say 20mins), then I move through a bunch of small tasks, and return to the thing I was doing before. It's also good to take a few minutes to rest and refresh or even socialize briefly, too. Here's something that describes what I try to do. Emphasis on try! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

@VictorBravo described it well in other words.

I'm really hoping to use this next semester of seminary to hammer these things out. Part of it will also include keeping my laptop at the seminary in order to guard my time. I can't have easy access to electronics for extended periods of time without sabotaging myself.
 
Ok, this is interesting. What sort of work do you do? I've also struggled with attention my whole life as well. I find that I work well when I ride a wave of "controlled" distractions. Meaning, I give myself a short amount of time to work on something (say 20mins), then I move through a bunch of small tasks, and return to the thing I was doing before. It's also good to take a few minutes to rest and refresh or even socialize briefly, too. Here's something that describes what I try to do. Emphasis on try! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

@VictorBravo described it well in other words.

I'm really hoping to use this next semester of seminary to hammer these things out. Part of it will also include keeping my laptop at the seminary in order to guard my time. I can't have easy access to electronics for extended periods of time without sabotaging myself.
I've read about Pomodo but haven't tried. Once I finally get into the "zone" on something I really don't want to quit until that block of time is exhausted. I may try it someday. For example, I just finished early a discussion post for school that I had a time blocked before swinging back by the PB.

I work as a call center supervisor. I have up to 12 direct reports and an additional 20 or so indirect reports. The work involves taking escalated calls, coaching employees and managing support in person and in chat. Due to the constant interruptions, any part of my work that involves any depth of thought has to be done outside of my actual shift. I am also going to school studying data science and finishing in a few months. By this time next year I hope to Lord willing be well into a different line of work. I serve as a deacon at my church. Of course I am a husband and father with a young family. I am not so young. :)
 
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I've read about Pomodo but haven't tried. Once I finally get into the "zone" on something I really don't want to quit until that block of time is exhausted. I may try it someday. For example, I just finished early a discussion post for school that I had a time blocked before swinging back by the PB.

I work as a call center supervisor. I have up to 12 direct reports and an additional 20 or so indirect reports. The work involves taking escalated calls, coaching employees and managing support in person and in chat. Due to the constant interruptions, any part of my work that involves any depth of thought has to be done outside of my actual shift. I am also going to school studying data science and finishing in a few months. By this time next year I hope to Lord willing be well into a different line of work. I serve as a deacon at my church. Of course I am a husband and father with a young family. I am not so young. :)
Sounds stressful, my friend! I don't blame you a bit for looking into other career paths.
 
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