Ready-Set-Do! not only helps you get your computer files better processed and organized, it also helps you have a little fun along the way.

There are ten belt levels of productivity in Ready-Set-Do!:

  •      3rd Degree Black Belt – Total confidence and knowledge of limitations
  •      2nd Degree Black Belt – Complete mastery of perspective and control
  •      1st Degree Black Belt – 1st level of stress-free productivity
  •      Brown Belt – Mastered the vertical dimensions of projects
  •      Purple Belt – Mastered doing the weekly review weekly
  •      Green Belt – Balancing reviews with more action
  •      Blue Belt – Mastered doing the weekly review
  •      Orange Belt – 100% clarity on projects
  •      Yellow Belt – Mastered Getting Inbox to Empty
  •      White Belt – Just starting out

The difficulty for achieving each new belt level increases exponentially, as users have to maintain the habits and skills they acquired with previous belts. Users can expect to be awarded their Yellow and Orange belts fairly quickly with regular use of the three main Ready-Set-Do! scripts: Empty Your Head, Get Inbox to Empty, Get Clear on Projects. Subsequent belt levels will be more difficult to achieve, as the better one becomes at collecting, processing, organizing, and reviewing, the more and more projects and tasks there will be to review and do. As David Allen says in his book Ready for Anything,

“The better you get, the better you’d better get.”

With regular use of Ready-Set-Do!, the blue and green belts can reasonably be achieved in about six months time. The purple and brown belts are likely to come after a year;  and the black belts will be the true test of whether users are actually cranking and getting things done with total clarity and presence to the tasks at-hand.

How can you find out what belt level you are? The first three belt levels are awarded automatically as you use the three main scripts. Subsequently, to discover your belt level, just run the “Generate Reports…” > “Productivity Report” to see what belt level of productivity you’ve achieved. When you get awarded your new belt, there will be a description provided of what it is you’ve been able to accomplish along with recommendations for how to achieve the next belt level. You will also see a chart that maps how well you are managing the balance between the vertical perspective on your life and career with the horizontal axis of control and action.

Whether you decide to use Ready-Set-Do! as your primary tool for getting things done every day or use it as a temporary coach to refine some of your productivity skills for use with your other preferred tools, these belt levels will put your efforts to the ultimate test.

Do you have what it takes to earn your Black Belt in productivity? Ready-Set-Do! will help you get there. Good luck! And feel free to keep us posted on your progress so we can celebrate some of these milestones with you!