Today I received an email from a friend who had been flirting with the concepts of Getting Things Done for quite a while. He had followed Lifehacker off and on, read a few articles elsewhere, and even tried implementing some of the concepts, albeit minimally, in his own life. What he observed, however, was that most GTD-users seem to be hyper-organized, hyper-busy, and lacking in perspective. He was right, and that’s exactly what David Allen observes in his new book, Making It All Work, albeit not quite as bluntly as my friend put it. GTD can, however, work wonders, if you remember to work the whole system. In fact, it’s pretty simple…
Continue reading “Why GTD Works, and What to Do When It Fails”
I fell in love with Getting Things Done about two and a half years ago. I was planning for an extended, six-month stay abroad in Germany, and I had too much to do and too little time to do it. The simplicity of disecting projects at the action level and sorting those actions by context helped me minimize stress and maximize productivity. Although I thought I knew how to work the system, I didn’t keep up with it after my trip. Now, after reading David Allen’s new book, Making It All Work, I finally understand that weekly reviews are the secret to keeping it all together.
Whether you use GTD or not, spending an hour or two each week on a weekly review will save you significant amounts of time and effort, and it will help you stay on track with your goals and avoid distractions. What makes the weekly review work so well its ability to give you perspective. Here’s a breakdown of how to conduct a weekly review and why the weekly review process works so well. I’ve included the template I use, so you can try (or retry) the weekly review yourself without too much effort.
Continue reading “An Ounce of Perspective: How and Why to Complete a Thorough Weekly Review”
I travel every week, work an average of twelve hours per day, and don’t get nearly enough sleep. Chances are that I remember that I need to call a friend when I’m supposed to be working on a proposal, that I remember about the groceries I need when I’m on a business trip and away from my home and the store, and that I think of a great idea for work during my scarce “free” time. The concepts in David Allen’s Getting Things Done have helped me keep the commitments I make to myself and others without going too crazy in the process. Sometimes, however, I need to remind myself not to get caught up in the system itself and to remember the ideas that really make the system work.
Continue reading “Planning… It’s All in Your Head”
