THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED: See Remember Everything with Autofocus 4
You may remember reading some months back about the Autofocus task management system created by Mark Forster. Since February I’ve been using this system exclusively, and have found it exceptionally good at managing both business and personal tasks. Mark has made some slight updates to the system based on feedback received on the Autofocus community forum. This new system, Autofocus2 or AF2, is even better than the original Autofocus and is highly recommended.
You should consider using Autofocus 2 if…
- You are a project manager, or
- You attend many meetings and/or have many tasks coming at you throughout the day, or
- You have specific activities you need to do on a particular day, or
- You struggle at times with procrastination, or
- You worry that you are forgetting things or otherwise “dropping tasks”.
Advantages
- Free
- Low overhead – your time is spent doing the work rather than maintaining the system.
- Requires only a dedicated notebook, pen and highlighter.
- Electronic implementation possible (though paper system is more flexible and fun).
Why I like it
- Single place for all your tasks (business and personal).
- It’s a “trusted system”. Things will not get lost.
- Compatible with the principles of Getting Things Done (GTD).
Little and Often
Mark is a firm believer in the “little and often” approach. This means that you work only as long as you care to on any particular item.
Dismissal
Autofocus and Autofocus 2 have a wonderful concept called dismissal. Dismissal is a concept I’ve not found in other time management or organizational systems. Dismissed items are highlighted and removed from your active list. This keeps things moving, encourages work on older items and eliminates “dead” items from your list. You can read more about dismissal here.
Learn how to do Autofocus2 Time Management System
Mark Forster’s Original Autofocus Time Management System
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New Post: Autofocus 2 Can Help You Manage Your Tasks like a Master [link to post] #pmot
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Reading: Autofocus 2 Can Help You Manage Your Tasks like a Master [link to post] by @alecsatin
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Autofocus2 Time Management System Project Management [link to post]
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Thanks Alec, I just saw this post in my reader and did a post on pmStudent.com about it, and set up a page with a video interview about AutoFocus (original) for people to watch.
Very interesting, I think I’ll be giving it a go myself! Shall I start with the original version, or jump right to AutoFocus 2?
Josh Nankivel´s last blog ..Business Task Management System
Twitter: alecsatin
Hi Josh,
Great! Hope you find it worthwhile. My recommendation would be to start with Autofocus 2. The consensus seems to be that it is quite an improvement to an already good system.
Email me if you have any specific questions.
Alec
Alec Satin´s last blog ..Autofocus 2 Can Help You Manage Your Tasks like a Master