<p><b>They are frameworks that ensure everything fulfills the tasks required.</b></p><p>For example: <i>using a shopping list, so you won’t forget what to pick at the supermarket. Some use apps designed for that purpose, others go for pen and paper. Everyone is trying to get the same output - remembering what to buy at the supermarket. </i></p>

Personal Management Systems

Time Management

<p><b>Your system must mimic how your brain searches rather than setting up a new task that you must learn</b>. This way, it will<span> be easy to adopt, adapt and you will continue to use it in the long run. </span></p><p><span>You don’t want to spend time thinking about a system and setting it up only to stop using it. Or – even worse – make you do additional steps every time.</span></p>

Setting Up A Productivity System

<p>At its very core a productivity system must check 3 main points:</p><ul><li><b>Searchable</b>: find anything in 5 seconds or less</li><li><b>Easy to set up</b>: the simpler the system the easier it will be to set it up; aim for less than one hour</li><li><b>Easy to maintain</b>: don’t add complexity as you go, instead try to remove layers.</li></ul>

Golden Rules For A Great System

<p><b>What pain are you trying to solve?</b> It could be spending less money, making decisions faster or eliminating decisions at all. Whatever it is, make sure you know it: you will build your system around it.</p><p><b>The bigger the pain the more you will use your system.</b></p>

Identifying The Problem

<span>When setting your system for the first time you will need to <strong>process everything going backward</strong> - </span>categorizing and filling all the items that will be in your system.<p><b>The easiest hack is to follow the 80/20 rule: </b>Focus 20% of your efforts on 80% of the items so you clear the way to work on things that demand your attention. <b>Those are the 20% of items which are the really important ones.</b></p>

Setting A System For The First Time

<div>
<p>
</p><div>
<div>
<p><img src="https://www.dansilvestre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/igor-ovsyannykov-254187.jpg"> </p> 
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<p>People use management systems in their everyday lives without even noticing. </p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<p>Systems exist for many reasons. They can save: </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p><strong>A perfect system would then cover all the three since it solves three questions. </strong>However , most systems solve one or two reasons (and that's completely fine). </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>You might not realize some of these systems but they are there. I took notes of an entire week to discover repetitive tasks that I did every day or even several times a day. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>Let's focus the 'yes' answer to that question. Here's how I build fail-proof management systems every single time. </p>
</div>
<h3>How to Set Up a Management System</h3>
</div>
<div><img src="https://www.dansilvestre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/denys-nevozhai-154974.jpg"></div>
<div>
<p>You have completed the first step in evaluating the need for a management system. Awesome! Now it's time to set the ground rules. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>It makes sense to divide your clothes per type then. Divide by: t-shirts, polos, shirts, sweater, and jackets. Having everything coupled together by type means your only decision is in color. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Since the brain also has a sense of fashion there are only a finite number of colors you can use with red pants. That's why it makes sense to organize your clothes per color of some sort. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This ensures that in the end you only decide on a few items rather than your entire wardrobe. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>The same thinking is applied to any productivity system. Setting it up the same way your brain works will make it <strong>easy to adopt, adapt and continue to use it in the long run.</strong> </p> 
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<p>You don't want to spend time thinking about a system and setting it up only to stop using it. Or - even worse - make you do additional steps every time. </p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>At its very core a productivity system must check three main points: </p>
</div>
<h6><strong>1. Easy to Search</strong></h6>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p>In other words: the entire structure around your system must help you be more efficient. </p>
</div>
<h6><strong>2. Minimal Setup</strong></h6>
</div>
<div>
<p>You want to be able to set up your management system fast once and for all. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>The only reason you are creating a system in the first place is to make your life simple, not more complicated. Don't try to come up with the 'perfect system' that is at the same time super complicated to use and to set up. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Sometimes the simpler the system, the more efficient it will be.  <strong><a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/learned-minimalism/">Less is more</a>. </strong>Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.</p> 
</div>
<p><strong>3. Easy to Maintain</strong> </p>
<div>
<p>After setting up the system you will keep adding stuff to it - whether its clothes, notes or emails. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>What this means is that you will be affecting the system by inputting more content into it. Having a system that it's easy to maintain will ensure that it always stays organized. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Follow the rule of 'two actions': if it takes more than two actions to complete something, you are doing it wrong. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Digital life? Same rule, different naming: 'two clicks'. If you are looking for a specific ebook and you have to go through folders and folders to find it, then it's a broken system. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Folders are not how the brain works. The brain works by thinking of something and finding it. You should be able to go to your documents folder and search for it immediately. The organization should not rely on folders but rather on the names of the actual document. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>We have covered the essentials of any management system. It's time to think on a deeper level about your system. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Here's the question you want to ask yourself: </p> 
</div>
<div>
<blockquote><strong>What is the major problem I am trying to solve?</strong></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<p>Often we overlook the reason why we create a system: we just want to be organized for the sake of it. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This is normally the confusion with people that all of the sudden want to adopt minimalism in their lives . They want to own less stuff for the sake of owning less stuff. They 'join the cult' because it's cool, because everyone is doing it, because it's trendy, because <a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/life-changing-magic-tidying-marie-kondo/">Kondo</a> said so. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I am not a minimalist per so but try to live a that owning less will free me to think more and do more with less. I call it <a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/living-a-minimalist-life/">minimalist life</a>. The main reason is not that I don't like to own stuff. I actually love owning stuff as long as it adds to my happiness. I feel <a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/learned-minimalism/">learned minimalism</a>. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>To write a blog all you need is a computer: I write all my posts in Evernote and Google Docs and it works fine. I don't need fancy software for something I can do right now with what I have. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I decided to lose weight a couple of years ago. I was a little bit overweight due to college life, not sleeping well, eating junk food and drinking a lot of beer. My main motivation was to be fitter and sharper to do my job, to feel better about myself and boost my confidence. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>However , if I did it just to look good on the beach then it would have been for the wrong reasons. Today I still have a small routine that I follow every day that keeps me sharp and in good shape. I haven't gained my weight back because I still want to achieve that goal, continuously . </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>, at one point, it will <strong>The bigger the pain the more you will use your system. </strong>Hopefully <strong>replace the pain completely with happiness instead</strong>. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This includes thinking of the hierarchy that you will be putting into place. How many layers are you going to need? How many actions do you need to get to the deeper level of everything? </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Building a simpler system means that you will cover the three main rules to perfection. It will be easier to search, minimal setup will be necessary and will be quick to maintain. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This is far from ideal. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Making the system simpler will make your life simpler. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Why is this important? </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>It allows me to process them in batch and go through them in a couple of minutes. This is simpler than going through multiple folder and filters to read all of them. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>It's also simpler to search. If I am searching for a newsletter, I can search within that folder only. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I have other folders for Family, Friends and each of my projects. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>The same principle should be applied to your system. <strong>Start by thinking of what you can join by type and what big groups you need to create.</strong> </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>You can even do the initial architecture on a piece of paper or, if you want to be a little more fancy, using a wireframe app such as Lucid Chart of Balsamiq (paint will also do!). </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>It then makes it easier to get carried away and create hundreds of folders or actions when in fact we need only a couple. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Finally, if you are setting a system that will be used by more people than you, then you need to <strong>.</strong><strong>make it easy for other people to learn it</strong> </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Embrace the criticism: sometimes we are too close to the problem to see easier solutions to it. </p> 
</div>
<p>The First Cleanup </p>
<div>
<p>You have decided on the architecture of our system. Yipee! Let's move to do the first cleanup of all the existing items that will make part of it. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>To make life easier and start seeing progress fast - especially if you have thousands of items -, . Follow <strong>process them in batch</strong> <a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/80-20-rule/">80/20 rule</a>: <strong>focus the first 20% of your time into 80% of the items.</strong> </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Focus on everything that you can process in bulk. You want to find things that you can either archive or delete altogether. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>After that, I had around 20% of my Pocket links left, at which point I started opening and reading it. I would then decide to do two actions only: archive with a tag or delete. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>One piece of advice: don't make your system more complicated on the go because of past items. One or two modifications might be fine, but more than that and it's time to revisit the architecture of your system. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<p>The first cleanup can be mentally and physically draining, depending on the number of items you have . But it's a necessary evil to stay organized from day one. </p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<p>Up until now, we have been trying to correct the past. It's now time to look into the future and move to the final step: using and keeping your system moving forward. </p> 
</div>
<p>Keeping Your System Organized </p>
<div>
<p>The main mistake after setting a new system is to forget how to use it going forward. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>You make it more complex by<strong> adding layers, complicate search and don't process incoming items</strong> <strong>.</strong></p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Setting up more filters in Gmail because you now have a new kind of email that needs to go to a different place. Most of the times you can insert it into an already filtered label. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>You want to make your system simpler, not more complicated. Thus you should aim to remove filters, not add them. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Hopefully , they will inspire you to start decluttering your life and become more organized ! </p> 
</div>
<p>Examples of Productivity Systems </p>
<div>
<p>Here are a couple of productivity systems to serve as inspiration.</p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Ah, email, the corporate evil of the 21st century. I could only start with email in the examples.</p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I organized my inbox with only a handful of labels and I use multiple inboxes to view it in two columns. This turned my email into a <a href="https://dansilvestre.com/gtd-gmail/">GTD Gmail</a> Inbox. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Anything that is not currently filtered will make its way to my inbox. This ensures that all important emails will always be on top, without being cluttered with promotional messages . Whenever I receive an email I have only<strong> three actions: reply, archive or delete</strong>.</p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Add a couple of <a href="https://dansilvestre.com/gmail-tricks/">Gmail tricks</a> and you can tweak this system to your liking.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>I have a lot of ideas per day - some good, some bad and a lot of them terrible. I also read a lot online and sometimes find great stuff that I want to save. And I manage many projects, so I must stay organized to find all my blog posts and ideas for them fast. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I keep the organization simple: <strong>everything arrives in my inbox and gets sorted from there to either a notebook or trash</strong> <strong>.</strong> The inbox is my default notebook for screenshots as well. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I have three different separate stacks: personal, projects and work. It's pretty easy to understand what each one refers to, but I also try to keep the notebooks inside each stack to a minimal . This means using a broader category to aggregate different notes that are essentially the same type . </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Remember: less is more. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Currently, all the hoodies, shirts, polos and t-shirts are on a hanger, in that order. There is also enough space for the pants there. I then have a small drawer dresser where I keep the underwear and socks, sweaters and sports clothes. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Everything is divided by category - hoodies, shirts, etc. - and then organized by color - from black to white - inside that category . I simply ask two questions: how cold is it and what color are my pants? </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This system makes it super simple to find what I want to wear in the morning. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>However , I am fully aware that removing most of the colors altogether would be more efficient and even have repetitive clothes . </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I am not afraid to admit that I am vain and like to dress differently every day and find the idea of wearing the same thing every day a little bit extreme . But who knows, I might give it a try for one month and see what happens. </p> 
</div>
<p><strong>Tracking Expenses</strong> </p>
<div>
<p>A big one. You can do it using pen and paper, an online tool, looking at your bank statement or using a money management app. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Again, this doesn't have to be more complicated than it needs. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I use a simple spreadsheet. I fill it every weekend with the following fields: how much, when, what, what type, perishable or not. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Breaking down each section this is what I input: </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I don't differentiate between drinks, entries to a club, Karaoke or going to the movies. These are all under 'Entertainment'. If I see a big number in any category in a month then I can go one level deeper - to the 'what' - and see the main expenses. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I separate 'Food' from 'Eating Out' because I want to have an overview of how much I spend eating out. I sacrifice the creation of one more category to see a specific type of spending. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>This takes me less than 10 minutes to do by checking receipts and online bank statement. </p> 
</div>
<p><strong>Wrapping Up</strong> </p>
<div>
<p>Uff, that was a long read. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>I'm glad you made it this far and are now ready to put a system into place. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Remember the golden rules to build a great system: </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>When setting your system for the first time you will need to <strong>process everything going backward</strong> <strong>.</strong> This means categorizing and filling all the items that will be in your system. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>The easiest hack is to follow the <a href="https://www.dansilvestre.com/80-20-rule/">80/20 rule</a>. <strong>Focus 20% of your efforts on 80% of the items</strong> so you clear the way to work on things that demand your attention. Those are the 20% of items which are the really important ones. </p> 
</div>
<div>
<p>Let me know the systems that you have implemented by dropping me an email. I will be more than glad to review and suggest alternative simpler approaches. </p> 
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p>Then you should definitely join the weekly newsletter! I share the most interesting things I read during the week, new lessons and articles as well as other fun things I'm finding.</p> 
</div>

</div>

People use management systems in their everyday lives without even noticing. Systems exist for many reasons. They can save: A perfect system would then cover all the three since it solves three questions. However , most systems solve one or two reasons (and that's completely fine).

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Ultimate Personal Management Systems

Personal Management Systems

Setting Up A Productivity System

Golden Rules For A Great System

Identifying The Problem

Setting A System For The First Time

The Ultimate Guide to Note-Taking

A time management coach's surprising advice for the overly organized

The Ultimate List: 58 Time Management Techniques & Our Top 10 Picks (with mindmap) | Spica International

Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Ultimate Personal Management Systems

Personal Management Systems

Setting Up A Productivity System

Golden Rules For A Great System

Identifying The Problem

Setting A System For The First Time

The Ultimate Guide to Note-Taking

A time management coach's surprising advice for the overly organized

The Ultimate List: 58 Time Management Techniques & Our Top 10 Picks (with mindmap) | Spica International

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career