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Getting Things Done On the Run

Posted in Brownsville, Personal Site, Rio Grande Valley by editor
December 30, 2008

Originally uploaded by mraditus

Once of the biggest opportunities for people trying to implement a new productivity system is to plan ahead and simplify their processes to be effective anywhere they happen to be.

A couple couple months ago I wrote a post about my Ubiquitous Capture System that describes my use of a Blackberry and Outlook to manage my time. To make both work effectively I have taken quite a bit of effort to reduce the foot print of my tools to remain effective even when I’m out of the office.

I frequently travel between a number of production facilities and have found that it has become critical to make sure my laptop is functional no matter where I am–so I have replicated my office in my car by keeping my needs simple.

First and foremost, I have an inexpensive CyberPower AC Inverter to charge my laptop battery. I the AC both when I am working in the vehicle or to charge my laptop between facilities so I am less defendant on having other power sources. I have paired this with an extended (9-cell) battery so I can get approximately three hours of active use between charges.

Next, since am frequently working with Microsoft Office documents and need to sync my e-mail I have mobile data services activated on my Blackberry so I can tether and connect to my corporate network via VPN. Some of my co-workers have both cell phones and data cards but I have found that having a single device saves me the hassle of managing multiple devices. Of course, I generally try to find a free hot spot rather than my Blackberry to gain bandwidth.

Finally, I try to keep my workspace clean so I am not tripping over clutter.

Taking a minimalist approach allow me to stay efficient and effective regardless of where I am working.

Technorati Tags: Getting Things Done, GTD, life hacks, Lifehack, Time Management, Unclutter