Weekly Discoveries 03.13.2015 – Ryan Duggan and The Dash/Plus System

Mahlon

Ryan Duggan

Ryan Duggan is a Chicago based artist whose work I stumbled upon while I was checking out Mike Mitchell’s work. In 2014, he did a series called “Poster of the Week,” a series in which, you guessed it, he created a poster every week for an entire year. You can still see some of them on his Big Cartel site. This year, Ryan introduced a new series which will feature 12 entries instead of 52. The series is titled “The 2015 Treasury the Shitting Dog,” and will feature 12 scenic prints that, true to their name, feature a dog defecating somewhere in the art. You can see the first of the series below.

 

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Alex

The Dash/Plus System

In 2006, while I was busy worrying about whatever it is 18 year olds worry about, Patrick Rhone was outlining a system that would allow him to make productive use of his paper notes. Today, my 27 year-old self is in desperate need of such a system, so I was stoked to find Patrick’s dash/plus system. The system is based on a simple dash that is extended and altered depending on the status of the accompanying note or task. Patrick outlines the system beautifully on his website:

“(Dash): Undone Action Item — Individual items (action items and ideas) are marked with a dash preceding them. All items, no matter what they are, are therefore treated as items to be processed.

(Plus): Done Action Item — If the item is an action item (todo), when the item is complete, a vertical line is drawn through the “dash” thus making it resemble a “plus”. This makes the dashed items stand out quite well despite the fact that the same color pen or pencil may be used.

(Right Arrow): Waiting – (i.e. for another action) — Drawing an arrow pointing to the the item denotes that it is something that is waiting on another action to happen or deliverable.

(Left Arrow): Delegated — Drawing an arrow pointing to the left of the item denotes that it has been delegated (with a note to whom and the date) .

(Triangle): Data Point — Turning the dash into a triangle denotes a data point (a fact or figure you wish to remember for instance).

(Circle) — A circle around any of the above means that it has been carried forward, moved to another list or otherwise changed status – i.e. a “Waiting” item has now become an Action Item elsewhere (with a note about where that item has gone).”

For more information about the dash/plus system and other productivity tips, read Patrick’s full whitepaper here.