The Best Use of Your Time

Posted on May 2, 2008 by Bruce Keener

In my reading of David Allen’s Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life, I occasionally come across a real gem. While the book is slow-go for me, because it is painfully repetitive, David does have some good stuff in it. For example, in Chapter 18, he notes that he frequently likes to ask himself the question: What’s the best thing I can be doing right now?

That’s a powerful question, and I really like how carefully he has chosen its wording. For instance, he does not ask what is the most important thing, or what is the most valuable thing, or what it the most loving thing. He asks what is the best thing, and that could be answered as either the most important, valuable, loving, etc thing.

After my first reading of David’s RFA, I had integrated this question into my daily thinking. But, I have gotten away from it, and am glad that I realize it’s time to put it back into my thinking.

Are you asking yourself this question often enough? Do you have other questions that are equally powerful for you? If so, please share them with us.

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  • http://findingyourvoice.blogspot.com/ Harvey Young

    Thanks for the information Bruce. I have been reading your posts as they relate to a project of mine that has been “stuck” which I think you can identify with from your previous posts in April. I have been trying to apply what I teach (I am a Franklin Covey Senior Consultant) with my thoughts around helping people that want to make changes in their lives (such as your How I Retired). My theory is that we need some basic ideas and principles such as GTD or Covey methods, but we also need to add the proper tools and apply them properly. You have helped my thinking and I appreciate that.

    Keep writing Bruce as there are people watching and reading.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Harvey,
    I thank you very much for your comment and encouragement to keep writing. You are certainly spot on that proper tools are essential for accomplishing our projects and missions. Sometimes I think we worship the tools and the technology a bit too much, but we certainly must have good tools.

    I read a few of the posts on your blog and was very impressed with your thinking. In fact, on the front page of my blog, I have added a link to yours. I think many of my readers would enjoy and benefit from your thoughtful content. My best wishes to you!

  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    @Bruce: ” Sometimes I think we worship the tools and the technology a bit too much, but we certainly must have good tools.”

    That certainly gives me something to think about. I just cleared a bunch of programs off of my PDA because I felt I was serving them and not the other way around. But using good tools properly can make one more efficient, and it’s probably as simple as learning to ignore the functions that are not value-adds for me and to focus on the ones that are.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    @Bill: “But using good tools properly can make one more efficient, and it’s probably as simple as learning to ignore the functions that are not value-adds for me and to focus on the ones that are.”

    Good observation, Bill. And, a lot of times, that can lead us to clearing a lot of stuff off of our PDAs, and a lot of clutter out of our lives.