My GTD Practices
by blogrdoc
Image of my ‘GTD’ sheet. It’s a weekly printout of my Outlook calendar along with Tasks and I can’t function (well) without it.
I’ve been a Steven Covey fan for a long time. So when I heard about how awesome ‘Getting Things Done’ was, I had to check it out. Despite a number of objections I have with GTD, I am overall extremely pleased with having read it. Buying it used on Amazon (4 bucks!) was definitely the way to go for me, since I like to mark in these kinds of books, where you know you will later want to refer to a specific passage for a nugget of wisdom.
I bombed through the book in 3 or 4 sittings. In addition, I listened to a bunch of David Allen podcasts and watched his presentation at Google on Youtube.
In summary, there were four main points that have stuck with me that I now naturally, actively practice. I didn’t really have to ‘work’ to make these habits. I was already doing things very similar, so the adoption of the practices took practically no effort.
1. Back of the envelope planning
2. Next Actions
3. Minimize your collection buckets
4. Contexts
1. ‘Back of the envelope planning’
As a (sometimes) overly analytical person, I’m often guilty of trying to get things ‘perfect’ or waiting till I have some time to set aside to ‘brainstorm’ the idea. I’ve now come to the realization that all that stuff is for the birds. Now, I try to start with a short list of whatever comes to mind, try to work with that and then go from there.
2. Don’t put non-directly actionable items on your lists: next actions
I realized that this is why so many things on my list didn’t get done. This was actually a huge ‘a-ha’ moment. So simple and so obvious. Once I started this, I got a much higher conversion rate on my weekly lists. Self-trust improved, as did productivity. The next actions are a direct result from [1] - back of the envelope planning.
3. Minimize your collection buckets.
Prior to reading GTD, I had a composition book for my car, one on my night stand, one at my desk, one in my backpack. My (erroneous) thinking was that I always wanted to make sure I had a scratch pad to write on. Now I’ve got 2 notebooks that I keep with me at all times (one for work and one for ‘blogrlab’) and I’m working on combing those into one notebook.
4. Contexts and batching
I really liked this since it fits well with my idea of conservation of time and energy. At work, I have two main contexts: in the fab or on the computer. I don’t find myself using this trick as often as I would like since some schedule conflict or ‘emergency’ shows up.
Postscript
Though there are many David Allen/GTD vids on Youtube, I think the one by far that is the best is his presentation at Google.
Acknowledgements: David Allen
Popularity: 47% [?]
10 Responses to “My GTD Practices”
By Alik on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
liked GTD book?
read this:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jmeier/archive/2007/02/04/my-personal-approach-for-daily-results.aspx
Or go over these:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jmeier/archive/tags/Productivity/default.aspx
I am sure you will find few gems that resonates with you.
After that in case you have one more minute, scan this one
http://practicethis.com/2008/01/02/the-secret-behind-gtd-getting-things-done-revealed/
:)
By Sam Crockett on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
I’ve tried the whole GTD thing of separating things into different inboxes, outboxes, etc. I find that just trying to keep the GTD system organized and running is more work than finishing whatever task, or tasks, you’re trying to keep track of.
Instead, I like to keep it simple. My GTD like system has two parts:
1. Moleskine Notebook: I write down all of my to-do’s, ideas, notes, contact info, projects, or just random thoughts. Note: This is also my wallet. Moleskine’s have accordion pockets that are great for holding cash, cards, IDs, etc.
2. Google Calender: I used gCal to keep track of regularly occurring events like my class schedule, paper due dates, project due dates, and any other long term dates. Then, I can set gCal to send me reminders at set times via email, or sms.
At least this all works for me.
By blogrdoc on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
@Alik: I scanned those links. I’ve definitely got some overlap with JD’s techniques. You keep a lot more lists than I do. I tried keeping different lists, but it didn’t work for me. I guess since you use outlook, that’s got to help with multiple lists. I love the ‘tasks’ in outlook and I do use it.
@sam: I really like your idea of using the moleskin as a wallet. I love multiple function stuff. E.g. I use my cell phone as flashlight, timer, alarm clock, calculator. And it’s even just a cheapo one that I got for free.
My moleskin is falling apart. I kept it in my backpocket too long. I do still use it a lot, though. I keep my bus passes in the pocket.
I’m with you on gcal. If I didn’t have outlook through work, I’d defintiely be using gcal.
I’ve tried so many different things for overall organization. My most exotic was emacs orgmode +svn version control + webdav.
In the end, I found what works best for me is a crumpled up, worn sheet of paper (see picture at top).
By blogrdoc on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
@Alik: ooh… I forgot to mention that I really started using ‘time boxing’ technique and I’m starting to get used to it. Thanks for that tip. it’s taking some work, but I think I’ll get the hang of it.
By Alik on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
Good to hear i was of help!
Time-boxing was one of the biggest a-ha’s for me.
Next one is prioritization. I use security threat modeling techniques - it is close to risk management but with security in mind. I must write on this one too soon.
alikl
By Shilpan | successsoul.com on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
I normally use long term goals to derive my daily tasks that are related to long term goals. I also allocate time to complete. Once I miss the deadline, I highlight those activities with Yellow color and eventually with red to signify importance of focus that these activities require.
It normally works well..
Once complete, if I miss the deadline, I try to put hones assessment to learn from it.
Shilpan
By blogrdoc on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
@Shilpan:
Hmm.. I like that idea of color coding. I’m a big fan of color coding. I can tell right now, however, that my problem would be having a correct color highlighter with me wherever I go. Hmm…
By Rx4Life.info on Apr 5, 2008 | Reply
Hey blogrdoc,
Thanks for outlining some of the principles of GTD for me. Believe it or not, I got the book but haven’t finished. The problem for me seems to lie with maintenance. It’s easy for me to start the program, but the continual maintenance is a drag.
That being said, I have started using a mindmapping program to some degree of success to stay organized. Let’s hope I can maintain this.
Loved the are you a YAC man post. I got to say, I seem to produce better under pressure. “yards after carry.” love that phrase. Didn’t realize there was such a thing. Thanks for that.
Tola
By blogrdoc on Apr 5, 2008 | Reply
@Tola:
The biggest biggest problem I have with any organizational system is maintenance. That’s why *anything* more complicated than pen and paper doesn’t work sustainably for me. It’s cheesy, but I’ve actually kept my weekly printouts for the past 6 months and to look back on those sheets bolsters my sense of self-actualization.
Thanks for the feedback on the YAC post. I *love* watching running backs break through tackles. When I was a freshman in HS, there was a kid that could bench press 315lbs (as a freshman!). I was on the receiving end of his force as I tried to tackle him. He ‘knocked me into next week’.