There are some different ways in which I have been trying to compare 2Time to other ways of trying to improve productivity. When compared to other “systems” I think of the guru-driven systems as particular destinations on a path to greater productivity. 2Time is an attempt to describe the path, without saying that any one destination is better than any other.
Each system has its followers, from Covey to GTD® to others. They happen to attract (and keep) the users whose habits are probably most compatible with the system.
2Time sees them all as particular collections of practices. Each of them urges users to change their habits to match the system’s prescribed practices.
There is nothing wrong with that unless
- the user outgrows the system OR
- the system’s practices cannot be learned by the user (for any number of reasons).
Most users get stuck here and they stay stuck because they don’t know the fundamentals.
Once they know them, however, then they can pick and choose systems at will. Also, with the fundamentals in hand, they no longer need to chase down tips. Instead, when they hear a time management tip, it sounds to them like a new dessert.
They could try it, but they do so knowing that most tips are like candy – unsuitable substitutes for meat and potatoes.
Now and then however, they hear of a new device, system or planning software. Their response is simple – “How does this improve one or more of the 11 fundamental practices?”
They also ask themselves “Can I successfully change my habits to include this improvement?”
In this way, 2Time leaves these choices entirely up to the user, and does not attempt to be prescriptive in terms of practices and habits. It recognizes that there are costs and payoffs to every practice, and that users make better choices when they have more information.
This illumination is the essential goal of 2Time.