TRO (Total, Relaxed Organization) is a fusion of best practices from GTD (David Allen's "Getting Things Done"), Covey, and other personal productivity systems. The resulting workflow is simpler, more powerful, and easier to maintain. These are the slides for a presentation given to a team of scientists at Philips Medical on 12/4/2012. The objective: help them set up their new personal TRO workflows for maximum efficiency. Each scientist also had a TRO Online Training credit and access to personal 1-1 coaching as needed to complete the transformation using the productivity tools of their choice. Includes: Principles of effective productivity (TRO) Why traditional productivity fails today The conveyor belt of productivity Practical recommendations for desk trays, portable offices, and other tools

1. Do more, in less time,
without the stress and mess.
(Group coaching session for Philips Medical)

2. Executive Coach, Contract Executive (CEO, COO)
www.kevincrenshaw.com
Twitter: @kcren

3. Hit some challenges and uncertainties:
• Financial/family pressures
• Curriculum
• Experimental or theoretical?
• Solid state? Astrophysics? Or ??
But it really boiled down to this:
I lacked a good mentor
• Practical mindset, perspective
• Eliminate misconceptions
• “Learn the ropes”
• “Tricks of the trade”
www.kevincrenshaw.com
Twitter: @kcren

4. Everyone faces time and workflow
challenges today.
You (and teams) need good mentors
• Practical mindset, correct principles
• “Show you the ropes”
• “Tricks of the trade”
• What methods really work?
• What apps/devices are best?
• Are team workflow changes needed?
www.kevincrenshaw.com
Twitter: @kcren

5. I’m Your Mentor, Starting Now:
• Productivity intervention
• Usually 7 hours/person
• Compress basics into 3 hours
You NEED to:
• Take detailed notes
• Do these exercises
• Start applying it right now
• Decide now and schedule your next
action as you return to work
www.kevincrenshaw.com
Twitter: @kcren

6. “[Tools and] processes that ... revolutionize the objective qualities of
space and time." — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity
Promises of Productivity &
Positive Compression:
• Computers
• Printers
• Internet
• Email
• Smart phones
• TXT
• Instant chat
• Cool desk & office tools
• Work away from the office

7. “Time is the longest distance between two places.”
— Tennessee Williams
Promises of Productivity & Instead, Negative Productivity &
Positive Compression: Negative Compression:
• Computers • Still have piles
• Printers • More distractions
• Internet • More choices
• Email • 3000+ emails in Inbox (or 88K!)
• Smart phones • More interruptions
• TXT
• Instant chat
• Cool desk & office tools
• Work away from the office

8. “Time is the longest distance between two places.”
— Tennessee Williams
Promises of Productivity & Instead, Negative Productivity &
Positive Compression: Negative Compression:
• Computers • Still have piles
• Printers • More distractions
• Internet • More choices
• Email • 3000+ emails in Inbox (or 88K!)
• Smart phones • More interruptions
• TXT • Fear, uncertainty
• Instant chat • STRESS
• Cool desk & office tools • Always working or “on call”
• Work away from the office • Neglect family, self, priorities

10. Average
Available
Time Gain:
• +1.6
hours/day
Avg Stress
Reduction:
• -59.6%
from all
sources
www.priacta.com

16. That’s what you
get with a TRO
workflow.

18. • Practices: Vary. “Just show me how to
work the problem.” (FAIL. One-off
solution, only works for this problem.)
• Principles: Fundamental
truths, packaged for application.
“Gauss’ Law says ... So that means ...”
(WIN. Applies to all E&M problems.)

20. • You must create/manage task lists daily.
• You’re forced to organize your task lists by
“Due Dates.”

25. 4. Your brain is not an acceptable
collection point.

38. Calendars with Handheld Task List
Paper Task Lists, To Office Physical Boxes
TASKS (paper, app (iPhone,
Do Lists, etc. (In, Out, etc.)
digital, apps, etc.) Android, etc.)
Computer Task List Whiteboard or
Paper Notepads Text Messaging
(Outlook, PlanPlus, Corkboard (if used
(Business, Personal) (phone, Skype, WM)
etc.) for tasks)
Desk Areas (each
Email Inbox (add Office Desk Drawers, Purse/Planner/Wallet
spot, under, inside,
1per account Inbox) Shelves pockets
etc.)
Assistants (“Remind
Voicemail (add 1 per Post It Note "Posting"
Clothing Pockets me to…:”) (spouse,
phone number) Areas
secretary, …)
Filing Cabinets (if Other office/work Outside Home Areas Areas in Car (glove
pending actions lurk areas (storage, etc. (garage, shed, yard, box, each seat,
there) with lurking actions) etc.) trunk, etc.)
Home Areas (Kitchen
Your Mind (always
Floor Areas Voice Recorder table areas, boxes,
count as 1)
etc.)
Home Physical Boxes Home Desk Drawers, Contact or CRM
Other (Paper scraps,
(In, Out, “Whatever", Shelves, Kitchen Software (ACT,
etc.)
etc.) Drawer Goldmine, etc.)
YOUR TOTAL: ______

42. • Complete list in TRO Online
Training Lesson
“Preparation: Gather or Buy”

43. (or)
(or)

44. (with)

48. Supporting Tools in Main Office
“backbone” of your filing system
b) Decide on desk trays. Your desk
trays are extensions of:
your backbone A-Z filing system.

55. Quickly toss junk, communicate (two
min. or less), enter tasks, file papers
You triage:
Everything in collection points:
_________________________________
email, voicemail, papers, notepad...
__________________________.

56. Then: Decide/Defer

57. Tasks Need “Homes” Too
tags, categories, or folders
In TRO (unlike GTD), tasks and steps need
multiple contexts because:
you may need to see a task in more
than one list: (Work), +Ops, 1Joe .

58. Define the “Homes” for Your
Processing Conveyor Belt
Create Your Master Contexts List:
a) Major life areas: (Work), (Family)
b) Automatic meeting agenda items: +Staff, +Ops
c) 1-1 or ad hoc meetings: 1Bob, 1Sheri
d) Other groupings for efficiency: Errands, Calls

59. (Hidden Benefits of
Deciding and Deferring)
1. Delegation means: asking .
2. Every “delegate out” is a W/F “in”
.

60. (Hidden Benefits of
Deciding and Deferring)
regular meeting with them
a) Schedule your follow-ups on
W/F steps automatically in your
_____________ using
regular meetings
your ______________________.
task list categories or tags

61. Meetings, Projects
and Next Steps
In Regularly-Scheduled Meetings, You’ll:
• Refer to +Meeting and 1Person contexts for
instant, zero-preparation agenda items.
• Follow up and ask for reports.
• Projects will move forward automatically
this way.
• “What we measure, improves . And when we
report back, the rate of improvement accelerates .

62. Important! Taking Initiative
“A” Takes action, reports back periodically
“B” Takes action, reports back immediately
“C” Suggests what should be done
“D” Asks what they should do
“F” Does it when asked (!)

63. Projects: Decide/Defer

68. Reviewing
previewing
a) Daily Review: 5 min., “Must Do” tasks
b) Weekly Review: 5 min., “May Do” tasks
c) Monthly Review: 5 min., “Someday” tasks
A coach (or TRO Online Training) will help
you schedule each review into your calendar
with simple steps. TRO reviews are easy.

69. Doing and Beyond
re-processing a next step
a) “Mind Dump” - Get all tasks off your mind
b) Strategic Calendar - Balance all life areas
c) Work Areas & Work Value - Focus on MPAs
d) Large Projects, Templates - Advanced needs

71. Decision Time
• Self-Training (included)
Online training at your own pace (~10 hrs).
Skim/work to “Accountability,” then do all.
• ½ Day Remote Coaching (upgrade)
1-1 remote coaching in your office to
perfect your new workflow and habits.
• 21-Day Follow-up (included with both)
Automated accountability and feedback.
www.priacta.com

72. Average
Available
Time Gain:
• +1.6
hours/day
Avg Stress
Reduction:
• -59.6%
from all
sources
www.priacta.com

73. Personal/Team Executive
Coach:
• Full productivity intervention
• Usually 3.5 more hours for you
• Team workflow analysis and design
You NEED to:
• Fully finish your TRO workflow
• Do a 21-day Follow-up (part of
TRO Online Training)
www.priacta.com
www.kevincrenshaw.com
Twitter: @kcren