Getting Shit Done (in 20 Minutes)

A shortened version of Getting Shit Done, the productivity and GTD-like system for web professionals. This presentation was given at A Web Afternoon in Atlanta.

Design and development is a lifestyle choice for many of us, but that doesn't mean we don't want to get out and enjoy the other things in life. When most of your day is spent on trivial tasks rather than productive work, it's time to evaluate your process and improve it. In this talk, Patrick shows you how to focus your work day, reduce time spent on the crap you don't enjoy, and help you Get Shit Done. He talks about the tools and resources you can use to speed up your process, how to find the right routine for you, and when to unplug and get away from your computer.

Transcript

1. GETTING
   THINGS
   DONE
   Patrick Haney
   @notasausage
   shit
   in 20 minutes!
   

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5. MY NAME IS
   PATRICK
   And I’m a procrastinator.
   

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6. I WORK FOR MYSELF
   Don’t call me a freelancer.
   

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7. http://marketplace.veer.com/merch/vpr0001351
   

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8. http://youtu.be/_cZC67wXUTs
   

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9. THE INTERNET IS
   DISTRACTING
   Hey, stop staring at your iPhone.
   

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10. The problem with constant inspiration is
    that you're always distracted.
    - Rogie King, on the Twitters
    http://twitter.com/rogie/status/162542504636461057
    

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11. A LIST APART
    • Demos, examples, techniques, writing
    http://www.alistapart.com/articles/reigniting-your-creative-spark/
    

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12. http://designerscouch.org/view-design/Honest-logos-23220
    

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13. http://designerscouch.org/view-design/Honest-logos-23220
    

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14. http://onehourpersecond.com
    

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15. AN OVERVIEW OF
    THIS TALK
    Stay focused
    Find your (work)flow
    Stay organized
    Get some help
    Call it a day
    

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16. http://amzn.to/vatK9P
    

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17. Create a system of productivity to clear
    the mind of stress
    

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18. THE GOALS OF
    GETTING THINGS DONE
    Capture anything and everything
    Define actionable things
    Organize information
    

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19. GTD enables greater performance,
    capacity and innovation. It alleviates the
    feeling of overwhelm, instilling focus,
    clarity and confidence.
    GTD will attract members of the opposite
    sex, make you wealthy, and improve your
    physical appearance.
    

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20. GTD enables greater performance,
    capacity and innovation. It alleviates the
    feeling of overwhelm, instilling focus,
    clarity and confidence.
    GTD will attract members of the opposite
    sex, make you wealthy, and improve your
    physical appearance. I made this up.
    

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21. THE 3 R’S
    Record
    Return
    Resolve
    

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22. STAY FOCUSED
    Have a plan
    Start unitasking
    Capture and return
    

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23. UNITASKING
    Let’s focus, people.
    

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24. http://trentwalton.com/2011/09/20/unitasking/
    

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25. http://www.pomodorotechnique.com
    

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27. DISABLE
    DISTRACTIONS
    Hide windows you don’t need
    Turn off email notifications
    Ignore Twitter and Facebook
    

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28. SPIRITED AWAY
    Shhh. He’s watching us...
    http://drikin.com/2010/11/spirited-away.html
    

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30. defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden
    -bool YES
    

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32. USE FULL SCREEN
    TOOLS
    Ommwriter
    iA Writer
    Full screen mode in OS X Lion
    

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33. http://www.ommwriter.com
    

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34. CAPTURE & RETURN
    Quickly capture
    Stay on task
    Take care of it later
    

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35. http://instapaper.com
    

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37. SIMPLENOTE
    • Notes and to-dos
    http://simplenoteapp.com
    

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38. AVOID “FOMO”
    Fear of Missing Out
    

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40. FIND YOUR
    (WORK)FLOW
    Choose your tools
    Get into a workflow
    Create good habits
    Stick with it
    

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41. USE WHAT WORKS
    Don’t change tools without a good reason.
    

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42. TEXTMATE
    • My tool of choice
    

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43. ESPRESSO
    • And many, many others
    http://macrabbit.com/espresso/
    

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44. SHIT I GOTTA FUCKING GET
    DONE
    • Notepads
    http://shop.coolmaterial.com/products/to-do-notebooks-2pk
    

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45. AVOID THE
    LEARNING CURVE
    You could’ve been getting shit done.
    

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46. We shape our tools and afterwards our
    tools shape us.
    - Marshall McLuhan
    

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47. http://inboxzero.com
    

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48. STAY ORGANIZED
    Find a system that works
    File shit away
    Keep your shit tidy
    

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49. DELICIOUS
    

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50. DELICIOUS BOOKMARKLET
    

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51. http://www.realmacsoftware.com/littlesnapper/
    

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53. KEEP IT CLEAN
    Your workspace should reflect your system.
    

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54. defaults write com.apple.screencapture
    location ~/Inbox/
    killall SystemUIServer
    

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55. sudo rm -rf ~/Downloads/
    ln -s ~/Inbox ~/Downloads
    

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56. GET SOME HELP
    Reduce your own workload
    Pay someone if necessary
    Do the work you enjoy
    

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57. FLIGHT SEARCH
    • We don’t check every airline to compare prices
    http://kayak.com
    

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58. REDUCE YOUR
    COGNITIVE LOAD
    Computers are good at that shit.
    

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59. CALCULATOR
    • We don’t do math by hand, even though we could
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickgage/3736249034/
    

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60. DON’T DO SHIT YOU
    DON’T ENJOY
    Stay happy, stay focused
    Hire someone to do the shit work
    

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61. Being rich is having money. Being wealthy
    is having time.
    - Margaret Bonnano
    

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64. HIRE THE HELP
    Get an accountant
    Keep a lawyer around
    Pay someone to copyedit
    And to do other tasks
    

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65. http://taskrabbit.com
    

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66. CALL IT A DAY
    Keep regular hours
    Leave work at work
    Get out of the office
    

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67. KEEP WORK
    AT WORK
    Don’t take that shit home with you.
    

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68. Working more doesn’t mean you care
    more or get more done. It just means you
    work more.
    - Jason Fried, Rework
    

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69. GET A LIFE
    Work to live, not the other way around.
    

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70. THANK YOU
    Patrick Haney
    Designer/Developer at Hanerino
    patrick@hanerino.com
    @notasausage
    

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