From the course: Time Management Fundamentals

Narrowing your gathering points

From the course: Time Management Fundamentals

Narrowing your gathering points

“

- To reduce the amount of switch tasking in your day and improve your focus, strive to have six or fewer gathering points. Now, six isn't a magic number. You may have more gathering points or fewer. Just try to have as few as possible. I call these approved gathering points, meaning you'll choose and approve what you use, and every place else is unapproved. I've provided an exercise file that lists these gathering points. Refer to this worksheet as you start making choices. The first gathering point is a physical inbox. This is where you gather physical unprocessed objects. This includes paperwork, receipts, even cables, anything that hasn't been put away. The second gathering point is a portable inbox, the mobile extension of your workspace inbox. Ideally, it's something you take with you wherever you go. It's not the whole briefcase or planner but one spot or pocket within that. The third gathering point is your notepad, either digital or paper. Use whatever works best for you. Notepads capture both general notes and unprocessed action items. The fourth gathering point is one email inbox. Now, you may have multiple email accounts, however, we want them all to go into one inbox. This will save time lost to checking many different accounts. The fifth gathering point is your primary messaging app. Some workplaces require a specific app for messaging about tasks or projects within a team. Other people use text messaging as their gathering point. And finally, the sixth gathering point is not required but given to you as an option, it's the wild card, meaning you can choose a gathering point that fits your unique way of working. Now that you have the overview, let's take a closer look at each.

Contents