Patience and Humility

In the same week that David Burkus suggested I share a “manual of me” with my team to help them better understand how I work, Cal Newport highlighted the significance of having a core systems document for me to comprehend the same. Taking advantage of the ample downtime I had while relearning how to fly airplanes in October and most of November, I completely revamped my personal technology stack and documented it. As a tribute to my career field, I created a process guide (somewhere between a manual and a wiki) that I will continue to update over time, hoping that my coworkers will find it not only useful but also slightly interesting.

This effort forced me to consider my technology usage from a broader perspective, examining how it fits into my workflow preferences and advances my goals. I eliminated duplicate solutions, introduced automations and AI, and hid less frequently used apps from view. Ultimately, I believe I have achieved a better alignment between my technology usage and my values and goals. Enjoy!

Editor’s note: I posted the live version of below at The PG of Me (notion.site)

Guiding philosophy

Personal preferences

• I see the world through the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and believe that work coordination and execution are distinct lines of effort that sometimes overlap like a Venn diagram. I thrive when my day is time-blocked and includes dedicated time for focused work.
• I only check email twice daily and I am at my worst when I am late for meetings or deadlines.
• My personal interest is the intersection of workflow and leadership (hence the name of my LLC).  You can count on me to step back and consider how we perform our work.
• Doris Kearns Goodwin says the hierarchy of communication consists of nodding, speaking, and writing. What I require from you are clear expectations.

Core habits

• Multi-scale planning:
  • Digital for annual, semi-annual, quarterly, and weekly
  • Analog BUJO for daily
• Morning prayer, afternoon devotional, and evening meditation (logged).
• Nightly “homework for life”: what went well, did not go well, and what I could do different (logged).
• 30 to 45 minutes of exercise five days a week: bike, run, strength, and yoga. Triathlon focused warm ups and hip focused stretching.
• Sunday “dadmin” to review finances, tasks, calendars, and grades with the family.
• Sunday family dinner (including those out of town via FaceTime) followed by a State of the Union with Deb.
• Monthly creative writing, alternating between a story pitch to The Moth and WFLD blog post
• Monthly scheduled quality time:
  • Annual values review
  • Semi annual mentoring
  • Semi annual adventures with the boys and daddy daughter dinner dates
  • Quarterly overnight getaways with Deb
  • Weekly date nights

Core processes

My personal productivity system combines Cal Newport’s Attention Capital Principle (ACP) and Tiago Forte’s Building a Second Brain (BASB). Both authors build on Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints, applying it to knowledge work and the management of the overwhelming amount of information we encounter today.

ACP centers on “the deep life” and managing our focus in an “increasingly distracted world.” To me, this is optimizing work coordination. BASB centers on capturing, organizing, distilling, and expressing (CODE) notes across projects, areas, resources, and archives (PARA). To me, this is optimizing work execution.

While ACP focuses on general productivity principles, BASB delves deeper into the related technology. The graphic above illustrates how ACP guides the value added to the information managed within BASB, as well as the allocation of time towards the related goals:

• Projects have a defined goal with a due date (BASB) and are organized by status in a task board (ACP).
• Areas of ongoing responsibilities (BASB) are organized by the components of a deep life (ACP).
• Resources are interests (BASB) organized by my Biblical gifts and personal values (ACP).

One adaptation I have made from ACT and BASB is having two repositories for managing my obligations. For simple tasks, I use Things for easier input and sharing with the family. For larger projects, I use Notion which is where my notes reside and has AI assistance. Another adaptation is that instead of separating obligations by roles (ACP), I separate them based on relationships with myself, my work, and others.

I also created a database to list all the apps loaded onto my iPhone and MacBook, along with their intended use, but I won’t bore you with that!