Adapt your favorite app

- Every once in awhile a student of my Time Management Fundamentals course reaches out and says, "Dave, I like to use XYZ app. "How can I use Time Management Fundamentals "with this particular app?" And the answer that I give them often isn't what they want to hear, yet it is the truth. We're going to get a little philosophical here, so be prepared. My time management training, including the tips and this weekly course, are built in such a way that anyone anywhere in the world using any kind of software program or tool can still practice the principles of successful time management.

Let's focus on that word, principle. A principle is something that is true forever. It doesn't change over time. Like the foundation of a building, a true principle is the foundation of any successful system. If you study principles of success, you can reapply those principles in a variety of different situations. It's helpful to visualize the value of principles like a three-tiered pyramid. At the bottom are principles, the foundation.

Next come the systems, which are a way of doing things. And lastly, above those rest the tools, the implements we use to help us follow a system. For example, one principle that I teach in Time Management Fundamentals is everything has a home and no visitors allowed. That applies to any office or any home, any situation anywhere. To live this principle, we need a system, a process or procedure to follow.

Systems are more flexible than principles. In the example of everything has a home and no visitors allowed, the system we follow is the process by which we determine where things go. In Time Management Fundamentals, I provide a suggested system for filing away papers. Yet if a person wanted to modify that system, there's no issue so long as they abide by the principle of everything has a home and no visitors allowed. Which leads us to the last step, the tools.

Tools are implements that help us follow systems. So, in that example of putting something into its home, I might use a Tupperware container as the tool to store my cables, while you might prefer to use an organizer that you can hang on your wall. Tools are always subject to change based on innovative technology, changes in circumstances, or even shifts in your personal taste. Because tools change frequently, it's important for us to never become too dependent upon them.

Let's put that in perspective by returning to the original question, "Dave, how do I use Time Management Fundamentals "with my favorite app?" The app is simply the tool of the year. It's the implement you'll use today to live the timeless principle, yet you'll likely exchange that tool for another one over time. When I first began privately coaching in time management fundamentals, I personally used Microsoft for everything. Over time, I switched to using Google programs such as Calendar and Gmail, and I'm now thinking of switching back to Microsoft again.

But even with these changes, the systems I follow are relatively stable and the principles never change. I still follow a system of having roughly five hours a week of processing, and I continue to live the principle of having as few number of gathering points as possible. Changing the tool didn't change the value of the underlying principle. So, if you want help with using a particular tool for time management, improve your knowledge about how to use it.

You can search here on the library and find many wonderful tutorials to use a variety of different tools. Most major programs that people use for productivity have tutorials on this library. I'll let the experts in each of those tools focus on helping you learn to use them. But when you and I learn time management together, our focus will be on flexible systems and universal principles. Please bring your favorite tool and apply it in whatever way works best for you.