Life management system (LMS) overview

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Developing a work approach that is adequate to the challenges ahead
a world moving toward new and different futureS

Current location: Time-Life Navigation :: See browser History ::: Life management (navigation) system Go next: Designed exploration path (sequence shown in topics list) OR Life management system site map OR Areas site map OR Master site map (Time-Life Navigation) OR see navigation bar above
My name is Bob Embry. If you need more assistance than is provided in the FREE blue print, I can help create a TENTATIVE PROFILE of your interests and then we can figure out WHAT'S NEXT. See contact info in navigation bar or Services Management planning questions (MPQ) I have a FAQ page where I answer reasonable questions There is also a similar page for each of the topics across the top row of my navigation bar and a biz site FAQ page. Suggestions are welcome What about a Yahoo group on this topic? Strategic radar System within a broader context Intel map Thinking resources Action	A free prototype blue print for CREATING a life management system in a world relentlessly moving toward unexpected and unimagined futures The following statement appears on the life design, career evolution, organization evolution and financial investing introduction pages: This page introduces one dimension of a synthesis—configuration or constellation—composed of: organization evolution; career (work life) evolution and management; life design; financial investing—see top row of the navigation bar above—sequenced by a life management system (LMS) or life navigation system (LNS). The element interaction introduction and diagram plus Time-Life Navigation page (symbol at the top of the site map) provides an essential insight foundation. The pages on this site are not just something else to read. They are designed to prototype* the core of a comprehensive healthy action system in a global, knowledge based economy and society.* These pages and their links are ATTENTION DIRECTING TOOLS that can lead to an informed, proactive work plan aimed at creating and maintaining world class management mental patterns. The action we take flows from our mental patterns. Shifting one's attention is the first step in doing something new or different and we can't get into the future without doing something new or different—tomorrowS are never a linear extrapolation of yesterday or today. Managing to get to the futureS requires new mental patternS. These pages are not an attempt to "fix" mental patterns but to repeatedly create new capacities. Having read the last three paragraphs, you've had the opportunity to shift your attention (from the events in your life and your world to the events and action flow in the larger time world) and to create new mental patterns—the essential foundation of an action system. "To know, and not to do, is not yet to know." This page introduces the mechanism for getting from an interest profile and strategic work plan in each of these areas to daily action. The approach here is the same as on the other pages. Explore the material, create an interest profile, create a work plan, and go to work. You'll never be bored again. Having a foundation for future directed decisions is essential. Related: mental patterns, life lines, a knowledge system view, thinking resources, about change, conceptual resources, life design Topics: Life management system creates and implements life designs Life management system overview diagram Strategic work plans and the master action list Master action list content thoughts Master action list screen shot Daily work plan Been doing Note pad (life area details) Supplemental work plans Synthesis view (This is my life?) Model week Model year (This is my life?) Multi-year radar Life area thinking Information acquisition
LMS creates and implements life designs:
LMS overview: (screen shots begin further down the page)
Strategic work plans make their way into the master action list (box 1 above) Master action list drives what we do. We need a reminder to work with this every day and every week (PDA) otherwise we drift. The following image presents some content suggestions.
MAL Content. Larger image or Text version. Master action list design help David Allen's Getting Things Done (summary and flow chart) could be integrated as a sub-system. In contrast I'm focusing on GETTING CORE CHALLENGES DONE (time-life navigation). Developing a work approach that is adequate to the challenges ahead. What needs doing?
The image to the right is a screen shot of my master action list MAL in the weekly planning view. Larger view. The four panes (starting in the upper left hand corner and moving clockwise) are a single day's to dos for a selected date; the outline view of all items in the MAL; a calendar view that can be configured by weeks or months; and then appointments for the same selected date.
The daily work plan (box 2 above) is a separate document that is prepared by deleting the entries from the previous day and importing the items with today's date from the master action list. It can be viewed as shown or just as a list. As we move through a day we need a thinking loop (mouse thinking) scanning for things to do (how, in what role or capacity) and not do (consequences). Related: Six action shoes; Six thinking hats; Teach Your Child How To Think; Effective Decisions; Balancing the short and long range; David Allen's Workflow diagram. A larger view
Been doing (box 3 above)	This document can be created in Microsoft Word or Excel. Mine is done in the same application as my master action list (MAL). It is simply an eight column table with a cell for each day of the week plus one column that summarizes any huge events of the week. I have a PDA reminder to update it several times a day. The entries for each day record life enhancing or desirable actions plus any major negatives. This is the feed back LMS
Note pad (box 4 above). This is a place to keep details that may find their way to supporting tools or thinking canvases. The document is structured using the same categories as the MAL
Project or supplemental documents.Rather than cluttering the master action list with the details of a lengthy or major project, it might be better to set up a separate project or life area document. The master action list then contains only an entry referring to project as a time block: "Project X work" or "Long-term fun planning."
Life design element blueprint. Larger view. Draft synthesis of the following views: model week, year, multi-year.
Model week. This is a design view. It serves a similar function to a blueprint—redraw until you're satisfied. My example was created in MS Word. The view draws on desired recurring routine actions and appointments in your master action list. Larger view
Model annual. Same function as model week. The view draws on desired recurring periodic actions and appointments in your master action list. Mentally connect to life area thinking and information acquisition in MAL content. Larger view.
Multi-year radar. Same function as model week and year, but looks further down the road. It is feed by and feeds the master action list. Mentally connect to life area thinking and information acquisition in MAL content. Larger view.
Life area thinking. Within each life area we need to decide what we are going to be and do. See MAL content. Larger view (may be added later). Thinking help from Edward de Bono: Thinking broad and thinking detailed and Teach Yourself to Think (pdf for adjacent illustration). We need thinking canvases in the areas of major consequence. See career work map as an example. Life area effort and result choices: maximize, optimize, minimize, or ignore. List of life areas may be added later.
Information acquisition in a life area. Tree chart view. It would probably be helpful to have your computer hard drive and Internet browser favorites folders organized in the same folder structure as the categories in your master action list. This gives you some feedback on the information at your disposal.
The foregoing needs to be on the right foundation Copyright © 2002 Bob Embry. All rights reserved.

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A free prototype blue print for CREATING a life management system in a world relentlessly moving toward unexpected and unimagined futures

A free
prototype blue print
for CREATING a
life management system
in a world
relentlessly
moving toward
unexpected and unimagined futures