NT: Fred Pryor Seminars

[Catherine]

Has anyone taken any of the seminars given by this group?

I keep getting email solicitations and some of them look good and/or intriguing. Just got one on managing multiple priorities with special features for folks (like me) who work by themselves.

But before I bite, it occurred to me that someone here may have personal experience with these folks.

Thanks!

Catherine

[TAXBILLY]

Some unsatisfied customers:

http://ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?...bmit2=Search%21

taxbilly

[Catherine]

Some unsatisfied customers:

http://ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?...bmit2=Search%21

taxbilly

Thanks. They seem to be mainly ticked off about the refund policy. One mentioned a waste of time - but if so, why did he sign up for more (which were the ones that ticked him off about the refund policy)? And frankly, no refund less than 10 days before seminar is still a lot better than the CCH/ATX "no refund, not ever, no matter what, nyah-nyah" policy.

Catherine

[RoyDaleOne]

Work smart.. etc... nothing new under the sun.

It is all a matter of personal motivation.

Nobody can motive you but yourself.

Think and be smart.

Is it that type of seminar?

[Catherine]

Work smart.. etc... nothing new under the sun.

It is all a matter of personal motivation.

Nobody can motive you but yourself.

Think and be smart.

Is it that type of seminar?

Possibly that type of seminar (that's why I was wondering....). Motivated -- yes. Think -- I do. But it still gets overwhelming sometimes, and I have yet to hit upon a really good way for dealing with the flood of paperwork that I have to deal with.

Sigh.

Catherine

[JohnH]

If you are serious about making huge strides in your productivity, look into "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I discovered his methods for mastering workflow about 5 years ago and haven't looked back. As far as I'm concerned, nobody out there even comes close to the GTD approach.

I discoverd GTD when I read an article by James Fallows in Atlantic Monthly in 2004.

Here's the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200407/fallows2

I' ve always admired James Fallows' intellect, so if GTD held some special sway for him then I decided it was worth investigating. The article made so much sense to me that I went out & bought the book the next day. About half-way through the book I immediately bought a CD series and spent the next couple of weeks listening to David explain GTD in more detail. I still play all or part of one of the CD's every now & then as a reminder or to review something important. This particular CD set isn't available any more, but I sometimes see it on ebay.

GTD deals with the unrecognized stress we encounter in life which saps our energy and causes us to spin our wheels. The biggest barrier to productivity is our mind - it can't remember but it can't forget, so we have a tendency to allow all our unfulfilled commitments to keep us in a constant state of anxiety. These "open loops" are nothing but distractions from the task at hand - just thinking about them interferes with our ability to accomplish as much as we otherwise could.

GTD suggests techniques to develop a safe, trusted method which allows us to "constructively forget", enabling our mind to temporarily lay aside future commitments so we can REALLY focus on the task at hand. David's ideas on email management are priceless (it's hard to describe the feeling when you see an empty in-box). GTD is simple, common-sensical, and it works. Conditioning your mind to make a good "Next Action" choice every time you encounter something new is priceless, and once it becomes a part of your work life it's hard to imagine doing things any other way.

http://www.davidco.com/

[Lion EA]

Thank you, John.

[Margaret CPA in OH]

I was so impressed by your description and in such great need! that I immediately ordered a used copy from Amazon. I hope it helps! Thanks for the suggestion, John.

[Catherine]

If you are serious about making huge strides in your productivity, look into "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I discovered his methods for mastering workflow about 5 years ago and haven't looked back. As far as I'm concerned, nobody out there even comes close to the GTD approach.

I discoverd GTD when I read an article by James Fallows in Atlantic Monthly in 2004.

Here's the link: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200407/fallows2

I' ve always admired James Fallows' intellect, so if GTD held some special sway for him then I decided it was worth investigating. The article made so much sense to me that I went out & bought the book the next day. About half-way through the book I immediately bought a CD series and spent the next couple of weeks listening to David explain GTD in more detail. I still play all or part of one of the CD's every now & then as a reminder or to review something important. This particular CD set isn't available any more, but I sometimes see it on ebay.

GTD deals with the unrecognized stress we encounter in life which saps our energy and causes us to spin our wheels. The biggest barrier to productivity is our mind - it can't remember but it can't forget, so we have a tendency to allow all our unfulfilled commitments to keep us in a constant state of anxiety. These "open loops" are nothing but distractions from the task at hand - just thinking about them interferes with our ability to accomplish as much as we otherwise could.

GTD suggests techniques to develop a safe, trusted method which allows us to "constructively forget", enabling our mind to temporarily lay aside future commitments so we can REALLY focus on the task at hand. David's ideas on email management are priceless (it's hard to describe the feeling when you see an empty in-box). GTD is simple, common-sensical, and it works. Conditioning your mind to make a good "Next Action" choice every time you encounter something new is priceless, and once it becomes a part of your work life it's hard to imagine doing things any other way.

http://www.davidco.com/

John --

This sounds great; my very next step is to look at the links and possibly do what Margaret did and order it straightaway.

Thanks so much. And here's a return giggle for you -- my husband is in awe of me that I keep my email inbox (personal, not business) _down_ to about 600 emails. His have upwards of 7 or 8 _thousand_ at any given time. Yikes!

Catherine

[JohnH]

I'm glad to help out. Believe me, if you really get into GTD and grasp David Allen's philosophy, it will absolutely change your work habits. And aside from the increase in income via increased productivity, it will definitely relieve a huge amount of stress.

Catherine, if I had 600 emails in my inbox, it would seem like 600 little voices all yelling at the same time "Finish me, Finish me!" With 7 or 8 thousand, I'm sure my head would explode. Here's a brief discussion about mastering inbox management from a GTD coach - it isn't complete, but it's a great primer on getting the inbox to empty & keeping it there on a day-to-day basis. http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner/Kell.../article81.html

[Catherine]

I'm glad to help out. Believe me, if you really get into GTD and grasp David Allen's philosophy, it will absolutely change your work habits. And aside from the increase in income via increased productivity, it will definitely relieve a huge amount of stress.

Catherine, if I had 600 emails in my inbox, it would seem like 600 little voices all yelling at the same time "Finish me, Finish me!" With 7 or 8 thousand, I'm sure my head would explode. Here's a brief discussion about mastering inbox management from a GTD coach - it isn't complete, but it's a great primer on getting the inbox to empty & keeping it there on a day-to-day basis. http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner/Kell.../article81.html

Thanks -- I'll read it tonight.

Catherine

[JohnH]

Just curious if any of you had read the book yet, and what your initial reaction might be.

For me, training myself to ALWAYS think in terms of outcomes was critical.

1) Does it make sense that Next Action thinking can always keep you in control?

2) Does backing off and "Looking at the Whole Game" make it possible to avoid operating in a reactive mode?

[Margaret CPA in OH]

You just reminded me that my book hasn't arrived yet. Gotta check on it now! I know it was charged already.