Filling your day.

Google Groups : 43 Folders: "His categorization of the different types of procrastinators is spot-on. I sometimes fear that using a GTD system has turned me into the world's most efficient type-B procrastinator, with the cleanest house and most well-stocked pantry because my little popup alerts and running lists never let me forget to sweep out behind the fridge or pick up that gallon of milk. Meanwhile, I still don't get any more 'important' work done than I did before when I kept one to-do list on a legal pad."

While I've contributed to this thread I'm going to summarize some thought here.

There are so many systems of doing things:
Covey seems aimed at Senior Execs so they usually have clear goals
already.
GTD seems aimed at middle management who have restricted areas of
influence but a clear place in the hierarchy.
Time Management for SysAdmins (which I saw above) is aimed at totally
interrupt driven jobs.
Simpleology is a system not unlike GTD that seems aimed at
entrepreneurs.
Paul is highly experienced as a startup founder and his article matches
that experience.
Extreme Programming is focused on developers
Even Automatic Wealth has a info management system.

There is a great link in that thread to the parableBig Rocks

The idea is to fit in the big stuff first and fit the smaller stuff in as you can.

That is a very good idea. I try to do the important things first in my day. Working for an hour or two on the Big Project, and then on the next most important thing that needs doing, and so on.

This is how I try to make sure I do the important things rather then let the small stuff get in the way. Things like email, feeds and news just bombard me with information, not all of which is useful and important right now. They tend to fill my brain with all kinds of flotsam that defocuses my day. If I save those things for later in the day I am getting more done.

The little things are friction in my day. I am using von Clausewitz definition which (paraphrased) is, the things that slow down and delay an action.

Another thing that is helping is to chunk my day. We only have limited amount of slots for things we can think about at a time.

Adding some of the small chores to be a part of my routine to keep them out of the way in my mind. As part of breakfast I empty the dishwasher that I ran overnight, then eat, and make sure to put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Other things can be:
Wiping down the bathroom sink with the washcloth after washing up.
Tossing in a load of wash before taking a shower so it'll be done before you go and can toss it in the dryer.
Cleaning up you desk before going to lunch.

Chunking these chores together allows your mind to fit a lot more into one memory slot then all of them individually. Or rather dump them in the routine or reflex area to open more of your mind for real thinking.