Welcome to Master Your Time!
My name is Uwe and I’m quite into everything about productivity and self-management.
Grown up in the Cologne area, today I’m living in Munich, Germany working in a large German manufacturing corporation. Happily married and proud father to a little boy I spend the little leisure time that is left to passionately follow football matches of the 1. FC Cologne or try to shoot decent photos with my iPhone.
Why productivity?
It all started in my early twenties, when I was active in studying at the university, having a challenging students’ job in a communication agency and leading a youth group in my home town. And these were only my “official” jobs, not counting for sports, hobbies and friends. In brief – I was a very committed young adult but also a very busy one. I had to juggle different tasks and projects, overlapping and – of course – competing deadlines. During the peak times, I constantly had this nagging voice in my head and this dry pressure in my stomach telling me, that there MUST be something I’m missing right now. And that was exactly the time, when I started looking into the topics of productivity and self-management.
It was back then at the beginning of the century. Funny to look back sitting here, writing on my convertible notebook, my text directly uploaded to the cloud, where I will edit it further on my iPhone when I leave my desk. My first productivity experiences started with a stationary PC running Windows ME plus Office 2000 and a Siemens S25 mobile phone with three-colour-display, the hottest stuff available then. I couldn’t understand the need for WiFi as notebooks were heavy and expensive and with text messages and email I was very well connected.
What have I learned about productivity?
Honestly, writing these lines, it feels like a whole different world. During the last nearly twenty years many gadgets, tools and apps came and went. And I used a lot of them, including highlights like the Palm Pilots Vx and Tungsten (anyone remember?). But also some still used evergreens like Outlook and Onenote, which had a version count beginning with 19, when I first used them. In addition to that, I had the chance to experience very different working environments: agency, academia, cosulting and big corporate. They all had their benefits and boundaries when it comes to the use of productivity tools. Taken all together, I could and had to apply my productivity routines to different tools and setups.
What drives me to write this blog?
The turning point in all my mess was, when – after some time of reading, trying and learning – for the first time I had this feeling to be in control of my day. No missed deadlines, not being reminded of something I forgot, no last-minute actions after too much procrastination. Instead I had a clear plan of what will be done today, enough buffer to handle unforeseen requests and I worked proactively on my project outcomes.
Not only that I worked better in the sense that I produced better results, no I also worked better as it felt better. Having a setup in which I trusted it really came easy to focus on what I was doing right now . David Allen, in his famous book “Getting Things Done”, formed the phrase that resonated the most with me: “Having a mind calm like water“. Being in that state, where things just flow, this little shot of dopamin when ticking off the next todo and this feeling of reward when you go home after a successfully achieving what you resolved to do – this is what for me productivity is all about.
Until today, I constantly strive to be in this state. Of course, I don’t succeed everyday. But the majority of days. Having this positive experience, I would like to help you achieving the same.
I am deeply convinced that productivity is essentially an indivdual matter. I am not docmatic about digital or analogue, about MacOS or Windows, about Evernote or OneNote. As there is not perfect diet for everyone, there is no single setup, that works for everyone. Instead, you have – but also you are invited – to build your own productivity ecosystem (a term that Frank Thelen in his podcast phrased so tellingly). I know, there are so many options and opinions on how to be productive. When I started, I’d love to have had a navigator, who would have guided me. Today, with the experience and knowledge I have, I’d like to go on the journey with you and give you guidance and inspiration for your perfect setup.
I wish you to master your time, to find productivity in this world full of options.