GTD
My experience with Getting Things Done (GTD)
Getting Things Done by David Allen is one of the best books I have ever read. I enjoy being organized and making lists but until reading and implementing the methodology of GTD did not have a structure to apply.
After multiple attempts to read the book a few years ago, I read the book beginning to end last year and beginning a new job in September set out to apply all of what I had learned to the new job and my personal life.
The main tenant of GTD is that your mind is for having ideas and not for storing them. If you read and listen to David Allen you will read/hear “… get it out of your head and into your system…” over and over. The system he refers to is GTD. In brief, it is a personal system you develop for capturing action items, projects, someday/maybe lists and reference material. The establishment, maintenance and contiuous review of this system allows you to have greater focus on your current task, trusting that you will be reminded later about anything else you need to do… via the system. There is more to the GTD methodology but the above provides the basics.
My system in brief:
Work I make use of Outlook Tasks to record action items, projects, and waiting for items. By making use of Categories (e.g. Project, Office, and Waiting For) I can quickly sort and organize based on what I can do and when. One of the ideas of GTD is that you should not worry about stuff you need to do when you cannot do it. If I cannot move forward on something until I hear back from someone, I put a note of that something in my Waiting For list and move on. It is out of my head and into my system.
Home I use a service called Toodledo.com After trying a number of online services (e.g. Remember The Milk, Google Tasks, and Zenbe Lists), Toodledo offers me all of the features I’m looking for and to be honest, a ton of features that I do not use. The web access is key for me as I keep a Toodledo window open at work in case I need to capture an idea or action item outside of work while in the office.
Weekly Review The weekly review is the biggest change I’ve made to using GTD. At the end of every week at work I block off 45 min - 1 hour and the same at home on Sundays. A Weekly Review article is available for free from David Allen’s website at https://secure.davidco.com/store/catalog/Weekly-Review-p-16165.php
At the end of the weekly review I feel the same way I do right before leaving for a vacation from work and home. Everything is organized, commitments are reviewed and you are ready to tackle the next week.
Learn more
If you want to learn more I would highly recommend the book Getting Things Done by David Allen. You can also download the audiobook version from Audible.com If you want to get a sample of his writing and the GTD methodology you can also check out the free articles from his website at https://secure.davidco.com/store/catalog/Free-Articles-p-1-c-254.php
Would love to hear from others that use GTD or what to learn more. Email me at Bryan.Sippel@gmail.com
