One of the amazing things about the internet is the ability it gives to learn about topics in a diverse way, drawing on both systematic research and on the personal experience of people prepared to share what they have leaned. The area where I have personally benefitted the most in this regard has been learning about personal productivity and effectiveness. The things I have learned have helped me deliver in both my personal and professional life. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I have personal productivity cracked by any means, but I am so much better than I would have been had it not been for the great material that many people are prepared to share online.
But I haven't written about the subject myself at all. Sometimes I have felt guilty that I have gained so much from other people's sharing, while not contributing myself, but I have justified myself with two reasons. First, one of the key lessons that I have learned myself is that someone else's approach to personal effectiveness is unlikely to be 'the answer' to your own. The real answer is to find your own approach not to try to copy from someone else. The second reason is that the big danger in trying to improve your personal effectiveness is actually to spend too much time reading about it, and not enough time, well, doing stuff. I didn't want to contribute to the distraction.
From today, however, this is going to change. I have decided that I should share my thoughts and experiences on the off chance that they may be helpful to someone else. There will be occasional posts here in a new category, productivity. I will be writing about things that interest me, but also happy to hear about particular topics that people would like to hear about.
