The latest Productive Living newsletter included a great set of questions from David Allen on year end completions. It’s a great exercise to go through for completing 2009 and setting your intentions and directions for creating 2010. Here’s a sample of some of those questions: Completing and remembering 2009 What was your biggest triumph in …
Monthly Archives: December 2009
How much can the brain really hold?
Your brain is a great place to have ideas, but a terrible place to manage them. -David Allen A key principle within GTD is creating a system external to your mind–if you want the system to be seamless. In fact, there’s a good chance if you’re trying to hold more than about 7 things in …
What is or isn't a project?
A computer programmer implementing GTD asked David Allen about projects: I’m confused about (and I’m sure you are extremely bored with this question, but from the books I couldn’t work out the answer) – how do you size projects? I’m continually having problems working out what is or isn’t a project – and getting lost …
Radiate efficiency
Elle magazine chatted with David Allen. Read some of the timely tips for refreshing your systems. One item that came up in my sweep was that for weeks I’ve been putting off answering a publicist’s e-mail asking if I’d write about one of his clients—my failure to reply is gnawing at me. My hunch is …
Get a weekly dose of GTD inspiration
If you are still struggling trying to get the GTD Weekly Review to become a habit, you’re not alone! It’s why GTD Connect, David Allen’s online learning center, sends out a Weekly Review reminder email to our members. It’s a dose of inspiration, sent once a week, looking at a common speed bumps for people …
Making light of decision making
This article is a community contribution by John Lewis. Enjoy! As a follower of GTD, I am fortunate to receive many things, including the Productive Living newsletter. This particular edition included some “food for thought” about decision making, which I found extremely nutritious! Information and accuracy It brought to mind two things that I have …
What are the first steps in getting organized?
David Allen answers the timeless question, “What are the first steps in getting organized?” If by “getting organized” you mean getting relaxed and in control, it actually involves five steps, only one of which is actually the specific “organizing” component. 1) Collect the work. Corral everything that has potential meaning for you. 2) Process the …
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How can you trust your GTD system?
A new GTD’er asked: Once collected, how do you learn to trust the integrity of the system and not spend a lot of time trying to remember whether you put something down? David Allen’s reply: Trust comes with consistent use. The Weekly Review, plus reviewing the appropriate action lists when you have any time that …
Tips for taking meeting notes
Michael (who calls himself a GTD implementer for two years and counting), wrote to us with this question: Curious if anyone has any tips/symbols or shortcuts for notetaking. I tend to write circles next to actionable items when I’m taking meeting notes and starring important items, but always looking for a better system. Here is …
GTD for Educators
Tim, a high school administrator in Utah, sent us this letter about his experience with GTD: Four years ago, I left a job at a University Research Center and took a job as a High School Administrator. I went from a relatively relaxed job, to a high stress, high volume experience. It has been the …
Embracing Your Perfectionism
Q: Do you have any pointers for perfectionists? David Allen: Just focus on doing the next action perfectly, which is a lot easier than trying to be perfect about how you approach something bigger. Be as retentive as you want. The only problem is when it stops action. Be a perfectionist about the process, which …
Paying attention to the things that get in our way…
GTD simply emerged after paying attention to the things that get in our way… Mr. Allen. I am writing to pay a special tribute to my Grandfather – who passed away last week at the age of 94. He led a good, long life and was successful in many things. He was the first President …
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GTD – It’s All About Gratitude This Season
A Community Contribution from Stephanie Dickison During the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in the “stuff” of the holidays – buying, buying, buying, giving, planning, traveling, cooking, packing, etc. This season, I am spending my time on gratitude and simplifying the holidays so that I don’t burn out, so that I don’t …
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A GTD Year in Review
A Community Contribution from Sarah From My Year in Review, by Sarah From This time last December, I was working in an office crammed with stuff. Conference programs, old speeches, copies of travel receipts, notebooks brimming with ideas from half a decade ago, and drafts of reports long-ago published were filed and piled around me. …
Tracking Projects
Dear DavidCo: After working with the GTD system for quite awhile, I find tracking next actions in Outlook to be pretty easy. The harder part is tracking projects. Where do you do that and how do you move from the 10,000 ft. level to the runway? Wayne Pepper, a senior coach and presenter with David …
Put your office on the same path with GTD
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your co-workers? Out of ideas on what to get the boss who has everything? Still hoping your co-workers would just “get” GTD and make your life easier? Buy them the new GTD Workflow Map! We have a new “office bundle” that includes one large Workflow poster, one small …
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Finding Your Motivation
In David Allen’s latest Productive Living newsletter, he wrote about the tricky business of motivation. Here’s more sage advice from David on that topic… Q: How does one get motivated to do these things? Yes, I can put pressure on myself; know that I SHOULD do them, but there is pain and suffering that takes …
Tricks for capturing Waiting For emails
One of the key buckets in your GTD system is Waiting For. So what’s the biggest creator of Waiting For? Sent emails. Sure, you could slog through your Sent folder for which ones you actually need to make sure to track, but that’s like searching for a contact lens on the beach. Good luck having …
A day in the life of Fred
What’s it like to do GTD when you are an bioinformaticist? Here’s a community contribution from Fred, sharing about his recent week: After a monstrous review today, I felt compelled to sit down and write this: I started a new job a week ago squeaky clean. A review the Friday before got everything squared away. …
What are your killer apps for your GTD system?
Wikipedia defines a killer app as “…so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology.” So, what are your killer GTD apps? What do you use regularly AND find to be essential to your GTD implementation? Where do you keep your lists? Your calendar? Do you sync to a handheld? …
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