Resource centre · RC series · 14 documents
Educational guides, reference documents and workflow recommendations. These are the written explanations behind the sheets: why a method works, when it stops working, and what to do at that point. Each document carries a reading time and a last-reviewed date, and anything older than eighteen months is revised or withdrawn.
RC-201 – RC-214guides, references and recommendations 5–12 minutes each
What to expect
Guide
Explains a method end to end, including the conditions under which it fails. Written to be read once and returned to when something stops working.
Reference
Definitions, intervals and thresholds, in a form you can check quickly. Supplied as a one-page PDF for printing and pinning.
Recommendation
Our editorial position on a contested question, with the reasoning shown so you can disagree with it in an informed way.
14 of 14 records shown
RC-201Guide9 min readreviewed 2026-07-10
Most planning systems fail in the first difficult week. This guide covers how to choose one that degrades gracefully instead of collapsing.
Covered in this document
RC-202Guide6 min readreviewed 2026-06-28
The difference between a task you complete and a task you avoid is usually the wording. A short guide to writing actionable entries.
Covered in this document
RC-203Guide11 min readreviewed 2026-06-26
Practical structure for meetings that end with recorded decisions, owners and dates rather than a plan to meet again.
Covered in this document
RC-204Reference7 min readreviewed 2026-07-12
The weekly review in four sections, with the prompts for each and guidance on what to do when the review is skipped.
Covered in this document
RC-205Guide8 min readreviewed 2026-06-22
Naming and folder conventions that stay usable as a collection grows, for both digital files and paper records.
Covered in this document
RC-206Guide10 min readreviewed 2026-07-03
How to build a schedule when concentration is not evenly available, including planning for recovery rather than around it.
Covered in this document
RC-207Guide9 min readreviewed 2026-06-19
Making domestic organisation visible and shared, including the planning work that is easy to overlook.
Covered in this document
RC-208Guide12 min readreviewed 2026-07-01
Turning a term's assessment dates into a study schedule that uses distributed practice and honest self-testing.
Covered in this document
RC-209Reference5 min readreviewed 2026-06-15
Definitions and entry conditions for the phases used across our project templates, for teams that want consistent language.
Covered in this document
RC-210Recommendation10 min readreviewed 2026-06-30
How three to eight people can coordinate work without adopting heavyweight process, and which conventions matter most.
Covered in this document
RC-211Guide7 min readreviewed 2026-06-13
Building a collection of notes and references you will actually return to, and knowing what not to keep.
Covered in this document
RC-212Guide8 min readreviewed 2026-07-06
What to do when the usual sorting methods fail because every item genuinely carries a deadline.
Covered in this document
RC-213Reference6 min readreviewed 2026-06-25
Why estimates run short, and a simple record-keeping method that improves them within about six weeks.
Covered in this document
RC-214Guide6 min readreviewed 2026-06-17
Physical and digital preparation that reduces the cost of starting, for both offices and shared home spaces.
Covered in this document
ReferenceRC-201 supplement
| Method | Works well when | Breaks down when | Effort to maintain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single daily list | Work arrives from one or two sources and the day is mostly yours to shape | Incoming work outpaces a day, and the list becomes a backlog with no memory | Very low |
| Weekly planning with daily selection | Commitments are known a week ahead and can be sequenced | The week is repeatedly overturned by urgent work you cannot decline | Low — about 40 minutes a week |
| Time blocking | You control most of your calendar and know your concentration pattern | Meetings are booked over your blocks by other people without negotiation | Medium — daily upkeep |
| Project-based organisation | Most work belongs to named pieces of work with end dates | Half your work is unassignable maintenance that no project will claim | Medium to high |
No method in this table is better than the others in the abstract. The useful question is which failure condition you are most likely to meet, and whether you could live with it for a month.