THE PROACTIME METHOD 2

2. Note everything to free your mind

Like computers brainworkers process data. A computer cannot process them if it lacks memory. Brainworkers cannot be productive if their mind is overloaded.

A cabinet maker needs timber to make his cabinet. A brick mason needs bricks to build his wall. Brainworkers need data to accomplish their tasks. An important part of their activities consists in collecting data. Then they can format and process them in order to produce the expected results.

They can just memorize the data they collect during the day. But they risk overloading their memory. At execution time they will not have enough memory to process their data. PROACTIME recommends therefore noting everything. Notes are their construction material.

Similar to computers data have to be entered before they can be processed. We can collect them in a systematic way. We look for data according to a specific goal, for example to pass an exam, to write an article or a blog or a book, to make a lecture or, to deliver a pleading. PROACTIME includes in menu RES the functions to take and organize notes.

But our brains, always active, produce data also in a non systematic way. Continually we get data as feedback or ideas or data from the external and our internal world. Our brains work in a multitasking mode. We are addressed, interrupted by external and internal events. Data are produced without our knowledge. And even if lots of physiological tasks are taken over by our sympathetic nervous system, they can interfere with our attention.

Confronted with these intruders during the productive phase we have two options. Either we remain focused on our task and repress the intruders or we are able to welcome them without really interrupting the pending task. PROACTIME advises to take a short note of the intruder and to continue the task we are dealing with. It is a purpose of tab Free your mind of menu ORG. Pushing back intruders is energy consuming and may be exhausting. On the other hand, welcoming these intruders opens, stimulates and frees our mind if we are able to maintain the impetus of the ongoing action. PROACTIME also recommends, for that reason, to proceed by short production cycles followed by a non productive phase to let our unconscious mind express itself. When we alternate productive and non productive phases we can more easily dedicate our attention to one productive task at the time.

The two context menus of the Dashboard, our main tool in the productive phase, give us some support in dealing with interruptions. When we accomplish our tasks in real-time, we can manage interruptions immediately and continue the productive task.

Noting everything is the creative approach. Creative people know how precious and ephemeral ideas are. They watch and capture them before they get away. Ideas can be related to tasks to accomplish, to solutions and innovations. But they can also simply concern things we do not want to forget, errands, phone numbers, mail addresses, keywords, passwords, the name of a new contact, the title of a document or a book. With PROACTIME everything is written down at one single place, tab Free your mind, continuously, and not on numerous post-its which cover our workplace. Thus our mind remains available for the productive and planned tasks.

In conclusion, with PROACTIME you can use the creative approach during the productive phase and the systematic procedure in the non productive phase to enter and complete your data, either as activities in menu ACT or as resources in menu RES.