GTD for Moms

Community Contribution from April Perry

Mothers need Getting Things Done as much as (or more than!) any other group. Why? Let me show you a glimpse into my life “pre-GTD.”

My 7-year-old son, Ethan: Mom, want to see this cool toy lizard I got as a prize today?

Me: Yep. Ooh. That’s neat. (Then in my head) I need to buy paper towels, we have ants in the bathroom, it’s my niece’s birthday Friday, there’s a permission slip form somewhere around here I need to sign

Ethan: Mom, you’re not even looking!

Me: Sorry. Okay. Yes, I really do like that lizard. What’s his name? I didn’t even exercise today. I’ll remember tomorrow. Don’t I need a sitter for Friday night? How’s the laundry doing? If I could just get that laundry room organized, I would feel so much better. Where’s that book I was reading? I need to remember to get some chocolate chips at the store. The carpet needs to be vacuumed. Where’s the baby?

Ethan: Look, Mom! Right here. The lizard has cool eyes that pop out when I squeeze his neck.

By this point, I’m so frustrated with the dialogue in my head that I just ask Ethan to show me his toy later (which won’t happen), and I head off to find the baby and then make some progress (any progress) on my continually-growing list of “to do’s.”

Scenarios like the one above have a familiar ring to every mother out there. I wish the hospital would include a copy of Getting Things Done in every take-home diaper bag, but I don’t think the world in general understands how incredibly overwhelmed mothers are. We’re struggling every day to handle the PTA newsletters, the little feet that keep growing out of shoes, the fishy cracker crumbs on the couch, and the band-aids stuck to the inside of the dryer. We try to use our talents, nurture our minds, and save the world, but we end up discouraged when we realize there’s no way we can “do it all.” Mothers love their children and want to have a handle on all the “stuff” of life, so we can enjoy moments like the photo above.

No one likes living with stress, but many mothers simply don’t know there’s another option. Once they find out about Getting Things Done, their lives will change.

Here’s what Getting Things Done has done for me:

  • It has enabled me to REALLY enjoy my family. I like to be with them now because every “open loop” is captured in a trusted system. I’m not always worried about my task list, so I can savor our time together. That alone is worth the time it takes to implement the system, don’t you think?
  • It’s narrowed my daily focus to a simple calendar and an organized Next Actions List. When ten minutes open up while the spaghetti is cooking, I have specific, effective ways to use that time.

It has given me the energy and “brain space” to move rapidly toward my

  • goals while maintaining balance in my life. A friend of mine said, “If you could create a program to show women how to succeed in business while balancing a family, every single woman I know would buy it.” Well, David Allen’s already done that. It’s called Getting Things Done.
  • One final thing I’ll mention is that I’ve learned that organization is not about a perfect house—it’s a state of mind. I used to spend HOURS cleaning and organizing my house because that was the only means to feeling “in control.” Now we keep things generally clean and organized, but I’m so excited about life that the toys, fingerprints, and all the messes associated with raising a family don’t even phase me. My home is bliss.

If you’re a mother, and you want this same experience in your life, here are a few ideas to make it work:

(1) Read Getting Things Done. Order it online, check it out at the library, or borrow it from a friend. Just skip TV-watching for a couple of nights and read the book cover to cover.

(2) Translate it into your “language.” Don’t feel like you can’t use the system when you hear about people who take READING materials on airplanes while you’re packing fruit snacks and finger puppets. The principles of GTD will work for anyone…even you. (And I bet your plane rides are much more exciting anyway!)

(3) Invest an hour a day implementing the process. Most mothers don’t have huge chunks of time to get organized, but the bite-sized pieces will add up eventually, leaving you calm, happy, and excited about the possibilities ahead.

If you want to give the mothers in your life a GREAT gift, Getting Things Done is a wonderful option—because it’s more than a book, it’s a key to stress-free motherhood.

April Perry is the mother of four children and co-director of www.powerofmoms.com.

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8 Comments

  1. Great post on GTD and moms! Thanks!
    I use a GTD/FlyLady combo myself.
    I still have those moments so beautifully & painfully described above–but mostly because I’m still addicted to tasking.
    More than anything, I appreciate what GTD has done for the quality of marital time. There are many less “drive by” crises between us now that we keep a running inventory of open issues–and meet weekly to determine next action.
    Kelly

  2. Great Post! I’ve been trying to follow GTD for about a month now and this week I’ve realized that i really have to schedule in the time to practice implementing the system. I like the idea of setting aside one hour each day. I’ll give that a shot! I’m also a small business owner (just about to launch my business in the next month or so) and I really believe that GTD is going to help.

    @ Kelly: I’m also going to be mixing GTD with FlyLady for chores. I love how she splits up the house in to a focus area for each week!

  3. Thanks for the post, I just googled “mom” and “gtd” because I was wondering if it’d be of any use to me as a non-professional. DD’s just 4 months old, but I want to get organized now so I can enjoy our family, as you said.

  4. Thanks for all the nice comments! I get so excited when I see other moms trying the GTD system–probably because I can anticipate how much they’re going to love it.

    For all the women who are working from home or trying to bring in some extra money in this economy, GTD is absolutely the way to go (it keeps your mind from going crazy…).

    I run a website called The Power of Moms (www.powerofmoms.com), and hundreds of women from our community have been using (and adoring) GTD. I wish you all the best of luck getting organized!

  5. Each and every article I find on parenting and GTD I say to refer to often. This one has been the most inspiring excluding the part in the book about the desk drawer in the GTD book. I work at home so moving my attention to my son can be really difficult at times.

    thanks for sharing, I needed this boost today.

    Pam

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