Is there anything besides GTD?
QUESTION: Is there something else besides GTD worth exploring in the area of personal process management? DAVID ALLEN: Frankly there is nothing in the area of “personal process management” beyond the GTD process itself. Many people mistake GTD as something that has to have all the suggestions in the book in some format; and most […]
The Easiest Hard Rule to Follow
If you pass one tiny piece of paper on the ground, without picking it up, you’re fired. At least, that’s the story I heard once about a standard for employees at Disneyland. Apparently they had figured out how many less human resources they needed to keep the place clean, if it was kept spotless. Think […]
New Getting Things Done for Teens book
The Challenge Teens Face Today The most interconnected generation in history is navigating unimaginable amounts of social pressure, both in personal and online interactions. Very little time, focus, or education is being spent teaching and coaching this generation how to navigate this unprecedented amount of “stuff” entering their lives each day. How do we help […]
Marx’s GTD Story
Your name Marx Acosta-Rubio What do you do for work? I own several companies and coach entrepreneurs how to be successful and happy. Where do you live? Near Dallas, Texas. How did you hear about GTD? A friend recommended the book and then I hired David Allen to be my first consultant for my first […]
GTD® & Things® Setup Guide
We’re excited to announce the release of our new GTD & Things Setup Guide! We know some of you have been wanting this one for years. Includes a ton of expert tips on implementing GTD in Things on your Mac desktop. Buy the full Guide […]
There is no “perfect” way to do GTD
Your name: Jodie E Francis What do you do for work? I work for a federal government department as the information management lead for our branch’s national scientific collections housed in Ottawa, and we are in the process of moving our collections to a more modern facility. Where do you live? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada How […]
Are you out of your mind?
Most people are trying to manage much of their life and work in their minds, but your head is a lousy office! Recent cognitive science research has proven its limitations for remembering, reminding, and prioritizing. In this humorous TEDx talk, David Allen emphasizes the need to keep track of any and every thing that we […]
Starting with where you are, not where you should be
Question: Why does Getting Things Done® focus on the “weeds” rather than the higher-level stuff? Why don’t we start with goals and vision and then make our way to day-to-day work? David Allen: I appreciate your question. The professional and personal self-help training programs consistently emphasize higher-horizon focus—clarity of purpose, values, vision, goals, etc. I agree that […]
The principles of GTD apply to everything
Question: Dear David Allen, Is there an adaptation of your method for writing a PhD? I find GTD helpful in life and at the job, but I have trouble adapting it to a research project. Do you have any tips? David Allen: The principles of GTD apply to everything, but they don’t engage with the […]
Where to find GTD Courses and Coaching
Whether you’re new to Getting Things Done, or already have a system in place and want to gain greater mastery, you’ll get value from GTD courses and coaching services offered by our global partners around the world. For example: United States and Canada – Vital Smarts (courses only) United States and Canada – Coaching – GTD Focus (coaching […]
Control or Spontaneity? The Paradox
When people discover the level of personal organization I work within, they often ask, “Wow, does this guy ever have any fun?! He’s so organized!” My response is usually, “Who’s not having fun?” Frankly, I organize for freedom, not for hard work. Much of my personal system of organization was built and is constantly being […]
GTD Setup Guides
Hello GTD enthusiasts! This is an update on the GTD Setup Guides that are currently available. If you’re new to these guides, they are the official GTD software setup guides from the David Allen Company to give you step-by-step coaching on applying GTD to some of the best software tools out there. We currently have GTD Setup Guides for: […]
Suzanne’s GTD Story
Your name: Suzanne Hawes What do you do for work? Chief Human Resources, Paya Inc Where do you live? Ashburn, VA How did you hear about GTD? I was working at SC Johnson in Racine, WI. The training department needed some guinea pigs for a GTD program they were planning to roll out. I’m always […]
New! GTD® & Trello® Setup Guide
We’re excited to announce the release of our new GTD & Trello Setup Guide. This Guide will show you how to: – Understand the fundamental GTD best practices – Optimally configure Trello in the way we have found works best for GTD – Integrate your actionable email – Create project and next actions lists in Trello […]
What Gets in the Way of Being Productive?
A typical question I get is, “What’s the one thing that we do that gets in the way of us being productive?” It’s not one thing, but five, all wrapped together: People keep stuff in their head. They don’t decide what they need to do about stuff they know they need to do something about. […]
Mark’s GTD Story
Your name: Mark Jantzen What do you do for work? I’m a Senior Investment Manager with Fidelity Investments Where do you live? Denver, Colorado How did you hear about GTD? I attended a David Allen seminar at Fidelity before he called it GTD. I believe it was MAP – Managing Actions & Projects. Obviously read […]
Why Getting Organized Usually Hasn’t Worked
I had another BFO the other day (that’s a Blinding Flash of the Obvious): one of the reasons most people are to some degree allergic to “getting organized” is the consistent lack of success they have experienced over the years with how they’ve approached the whole process of to-do lists. The reason those lists have […]
GTD and stress
How do you unhook from the pulls and pressures of your world? It would be nice if you could just shut your door, or go into the garden, and the harpies in your mind—all the niggling things to do and deal with—just went away. Or, if you could just finally get it all done, so […]
How things get done
It’s all connected. You can’t really define the right action until you know the outcome you’re after, and your outcome is disconnected from reality if you’re not clear about what you need to do physically to make it happen. You can get at it from either direction, and you must, to get things done. –David […]