The dark side of collaborative cultures is the allergy they foster to holding anyone responsible for having the ball. “Mine or yours?” is unfortunately not in the common vocabulary of many such organizations. There is a sense that that would be impolite. “We’re all in this together” is a worthy sentiment, but seldom a reality […]
Speeding up by slowing down…
I want to talk about one of the more mysterious best practices in the GTD®methodology: the art of speeding up by slowing down. I am making the assumption that all of you reading this are on some track of improvement and growth to begin with. I mean, why speed up, instead of slow down, as […]
Managing projects with GTD
Having a complete and current projects list is one of the cornerstones to GTD mastery. To support you in getting there, here are 10 keys to defining and managing projects: 1. Projects are defined as outcomes that will require more than one action step to complete and that you can mark off as finished in […]
GTD Setup Guides
Our GTD Setup Guides give you step-by-step coaching on applying GTD to some of the best software tools out there. We currently have Guides for: Todoist Trello Nirvana Wunderlist OmniFocus Outlook for Windows Outlook for Mac iPhone/iPad OneNote for Windows Evernote for Windows Evernote for Mac Lotus Notes Google Apps You can get them and […]
Managing Work on a Vacation
QUESTION: While on vacation, how do you juggle work and play? How much time should you allot each day of your vacation to reading business email, checking up on projects, etc.? What’s the best balance of work and play? When is the best time of the day to spend on work? What organizational tools should […]
Refresh and reset with the Weekly Review
For more support on this essential GTD practice, check out the Weekly Review audio set.
Capturing Your Thoughts
10 Tips for Success with GTD
I was reading a great article about creating fitness habits and realized every key point the author made about exercise could be applied to GTD®—especially for anyone still trying to get their systems off the ground and build sustainable habits. Inspired by that article, here are 10 easy tips for success with GTD: 1. Start […]
Making Use of Weird Windows of Time
The concept of daily or weekly to-do lists is as outdated as rotary phones. We need to have a total, holographic view of everything we want to accomplish, and all the actions required to start any of them. And we need to have access to views of those actions whenever we actually might be able […]
How well do you know the GTD Fundamentals?
How well do you know the GTD® Fundamentals? Designed for newbies getting their systems off the ground and veterans looking to close any gaps, the Level 1: Fundamentals course is offered around the world: March 27 – Stockholm March 29 – London March 31 – Prague March 31 – Milano March 31 – Roma March 31 […]
How complete is your inventory?
Advice for perfectionists
Question: Do you have any GTD 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 […]
A Tense Muscle is a Slow One
A tense muscle is a slow one. This is a physiological and demonstrable fact in the martial arts. Could this be true in other aspects of our lives? In karate, the power that can be generated by a punch is primarily due to speed, not muscle. It is the snap at the end of the […]
Choosing a GTD system
Q: How should I choose which system to use (digital vs. paper) for GTD? David Allen: Pay attention to your intuition, or just simply: What do you feel like using as a system? We’ve discovered people tend to resist the GTD® implementation process enough as it is, so you need all the help you can get […]
Get help installing GTD
If you’re looking for a step-by-step manual for getting your GTD system up and running, our Installation Guide is a fantastic resource. The guide includes: Getting Started: Setting Up the Time, Space, and Tools Collecting: Corralling Your “Stuff” Processing: Getting “In” to Empty Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets Reflecting: Keeping Your System Functional Doing: […]
What does it mean to be organized?
What does it mean to be organized? It used to be the definition was clean and neat. You know the offices–you walk in the door and it looks likes no one works there. The desk has nothing on it, except for a cool object and a photo. Is this what being organized really means? My […]
GTD and Attention
Managing your projects with GTD
How well are you managing your projects? In the GTD Managing Projects audio program, David Allen and his senior staff share the GTD best practices and models for seamlessly managing your projects. Bonus materials include a rich set of PDF handouts and the GTD Live recording of David leading you through the Natural Planning Model®. […]
Why things don’t get done
In the work I do, I often see a dark side to organizations and relationships that have collaboration and being nice as values. It can easily become a smokescreen behind which people avoid accountability and clarity. I have noticed a tendency for people to spend a lot of time in high-energy meetings and discussions, and […]
Getting started with context lists
Q. What do you recommend for lists if I am just starting with GTD? A. One of the biggest challenges that I see when people are setting up their lists initial in their GTD system is they are not really sure what contexts to use. Typically what I recommend is starting with really basic contexts; Agendas to hold the […]