2Time Labs Podcast

Francis Wade

Looking to learn something useful from a productivity podcast? Tired of the stale "interview-the-author" format which just regurgitates stuff you have already heard? Join me at the 2Time Labs and listen in as we attempt to create a new product, service, tool or aid in real time. It's not an interview, but a joining together of minds where my guest and I use everything we can find to craft something new you can use to improve your productivity. Sometimes we hit the mark... sometimes we don't, but you be the judge! Along the way, we have a fun time reinforcing ideas you know and showing you a few you don't. Even when we don't quite meet the target, it's a hell of a ride whether we succeed or fail. It's like nothing you have ever heard!

  1. Ep. 64 Do You Need New GTD Contexts?

    01/03/2021

    Ep. 64 Do You Need New GTD Contexts?

    Or should you stop using them altogether? Most GTD'ers struggle with the contexts suggested in the book. They just don't seem to apply to the challenges we face some 20 years later after David Allen published Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Some have moved on, creating their own contexts (i.e. tags) or abandoning their use altogether. In this recording of my article published at ScheduleU.org, you'll learn how to use the best tags possible for your needs, starting with a deeper understanding of why they are so valuable. Here's the link to the original article: https://scheduleu.org/do-you-need-new-gtd-contexts/. It's also available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/nKTht3huDzE

    24 min
  2. Ep. 63 How to Fix Digital Calendars and the Bad Meetings They Spawn w/Garrick van Buren

    01/29/2020

    Ep. 63 How to Fix Digital Calendars and the Bad Meetings They Spawn w/Garrick van Buren

    Have you ever sat in a bad meeting wondering how why and how you got yourself stuck in that position? Sometimes, it has to do with people's habits, but it also has something to do with calendar software design. In this conversation, Garrick and I look at how both aspects could be improved dramatically. We argue that a better design would produce higher quality meetings. As a result of this episode, I developed a branched learning simulation linked here which focuses on the interplay between calendar design and meetings - http://2time-sys.com/downloads/meetings/CEOMeetings.html It will also be featured at the first Time Blocking Summit I'll be hosting on March 5-7, 2020 - https://timeblockingsummit.info If you like our work at 2Time Labs, please support it at Patreon - Make a contribution here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

    1h 16m
  3. Ep 62 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p3 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

    05/20/2019

    Ep 62 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p3 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

    Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the third of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

    1 hr
  4. Ep 61 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p2 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

    05/13/2019

    Ep 61 Creating a Storage Decision Tool p2 w/Ray Sidney-Smith

    Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the second of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

    1h 14m
  5. Ep 60 Creating a Storage Decision Tool w/Ray Sidney-Smith p1

    05/07/2019

    Ep 60 Creating a Storage Decision Tool w/Ray Sidney-Smith p1

    Have you ever wondered if you are using the optimal blend of storage tools: cloud, external hard drive, SD, device storage, etc.? How can you know? Are there gaps? Given the fact that each person is different, they may benefit from using the same principles? But how can they find them and use them? Tune into Live Lab #4 to find out how to design a tool on these specs. This is the first of a three part series of conversations with Ray Sidney-Smith. Try the Storage Decision Tool here. http://www.2time-sys.com/the-design-of-a-storage-decision-tool/ Make a contribution at my Patreon link here: https://www.patreon.com/francis_at_2timelabs

    1h 34m
  6. Episode 59 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 3

    01/25/2019

    Episode 59 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 3

    Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in the third and final episode in this series, I continue working with Dr. Michael Einstein to create an email health calculator. We take the lessons learned from the prior discussion and start by listing a hierarchy of concerns. They are listed here from 1-5 in rank order. 1. How many days of stored email are accumulated?  (read vs unread, subscribed vs non-subscribeds) 2. How old are these message? (read vs. unread) 3. How unique are these messages? (subscribed vs non-subscribeds) 4. How fast are they entering? (incoming email) 5. How complicated are they by being threaded? During the hiatus since the last episode, I drafted a weight for each measure and after playing with the tool we would be using, producing the following formula which we discussed in this episode. 0.25 x Left Behind Index (i.e. (Total messages in your inbox - unread messages-tagged, read messages)/incoming email each day) 0.20 x Number of Days Surprise Index (i.e. unread messages – unread subscriptions email)/incoming email each day) 0.20 x Total messages older than a day)/incoming mail each day 0.20 x (Average age of non-Subscription messages/days) 0.20 x ( .50 x Average age of Subscription messages/days) 0.10 x Incoming Email each day / messages removed per day 0.20 x Threaded messages The final input into the calculoid app used the following weights which were simply scaled so that they would sum to 1.0: Field 1  - 18%   Left Behind Index [i.e. (Total messages in your inbox - unread messages-tagged, read messages)/incoming email each day)] Field 2 - 14%   Number of Days Surprise Index [i.e. unread messages – unread subscriptions email)/incoming email each day] Field 3 - 14%   Total messages older than a day)/incoming mail each day Field 4 - 14%   Average age of non-Subscription messages/days Field 5 - 7%    Average age of Subscription messages/days Field 6 - 11%   Max(1, incoming email/150) Field 7 - 7%    Incoming Email each day / messages removed per day Field 8 - 14%   Threaded messages x #average active participants in each thread Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link. Patrons receive a number of benefits including early access and followup conversations related to work like this.

    57 min
  7. Episode 58 Building an Email Health Calculator with Michael Einstein part 2

    01/24/2019

    Episode 58 Building an Email Health Calculator with Michael Einstein part 2

    Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in the second part of LiveLab 02, I continue working with Dr. Michael Einstein by delving into the formulae that would be at the heart of a sound email health calculator. It's no easy conversation to follow - you will probably need a paper and pencil. Months before I called Michael, I devised the following formula in my very first attempt. Score = the sum of: 1. 5.0 max(0, [2 x (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages) [ 2. 0.5 x (total messages - unread messages - incomplete tasks recalled) 3. 5.0 x (unread messages - incoming email per day)]/10) 4. # minutes spent This is where our discussion started. It moved quickly and resulted in this formula which we produced in the first part of this episode. Score = the sum of:  1. (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages)  [more importance]  "BlindSpot measure" 2. # read messages * (age in days -1) [more importance]   "Morgue Measure" 3. # unread messages/ # incoming email per day [more importance]  "Backlog Measure" 4.  # threaded messages / # total messages  [moderate importance] 5.  # raw threaded messages [high importance] 6. # subscription email older than a day / # total messages older than a day  [low importance] We took a break for about a month, then reconvened to record the second part of this episode. During the discussion, we agreed on the following elements. Score = the sum of:  1. (total messages-unread messages-tagged messages)  [more important] 2a. # read non-subscribed messages * (age in days per message -1) [more important] 2b. # read subscription messages * (age in days per message -1) [more important] 3. # incoming email per day / ((#unread subs--sqrd> + #unread nonsubsc) [more important] 4.  5.  # raw threaded messages - for non-subscribes using geometric growth [high importance] 6. # subscription email older than a day / # total messages older than a day  [lower importance] Our next and final conversation didn't take place until 10 months later. It's captured n part 3, episode 59. Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link

    1h 32m
  8. Episode 57 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 1

    01/23/2019

    Episode 57 Building an Email Calculator with Michael Einstein part 1

    Ever longed for a tool that could give you feedback on the health of your email inbox? Listen in as I take on the challenge of creating one from scratch. Here in LiveLab 2 I invite Dr. Michael Einstein to help me build a brand new kind of tool - one that would provide users with an automatic diagnosis of their inbox health. In this episode (the first of three), we work on the underlying assumptions that such a tool must include...and discover along the way there are *many*. Plus we start to look at the elements we think should be measured in preparation for the next episode in this series which focuses on the actual formulae which the tool would use. It's a far-reaching, one of a kind conversation which starts off in wobbly fashion as we're not sure whether we will be successful. Here's the link to the original calculator I created which we used as our starting point. Can't wait until the final episode to see the end result? Here you go - a link to an interactive calculator of your email inbox health.   Want to support the work at 2Time Labs? Here's my Patreon Link

    1h 45m
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About

Looking to learn something useful from a productivity podcast? Tired of the stale "interview-the-author" format which just regurgitates stuff you have already heard? Join me at the 2Time Labs and listen in as we attempt to create a new product, service, tool or aid in real time. It's not an interview, but a joining together of minds where my guest and I use everything we can find to craft something new you can use to improve your productivity. Sometimes we hit the mark... sometimes we don't, but you be the judge! Along the way, we have a fun time reinforcing ideas you know and showing you a few you don't. Even when we don't quite meet the target, it's a hell of a ride whether we succeed or fail. It's like nothing you have ever heard!

Information

  • Creator
    Francis Wade
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2021
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Francis Wade
  • Show Website
    2Time Labs Podcast