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May 17, 2004
Validating the simplicity
Nice posting today from a GTD users group site that's probably better coming from someone other than me...
An observation -- much of this site seems to be devoted to finding all sorts of different methodologies/software/etc to implement the GTD program, and again--just an observation--much of this has little or nothing to do with the GTD system. I've read both of David Allen's books, and I've just returned from Boston where I attended his 2-day seminar entitled, appropriately enough: "Getting Things Done.' Highly informative, and well worth the expense. Attendees included Fortune 500 executives, various CEOs, Harvard Business School Profs and students, and a host of others who simply wanted to learn the GTD system.
One of the main things I learned is that David juggles an incredibly busy schedule, is on the road approximately 200 days per year, and manages everything he has to do with his Palm using the plain vanilla software, along with the PV Palm desktop. Lesson learned: if he can do it, so can I.
In reviewing much of what's on this site, I think a great many of us have been playing with different software--and then that becomes the game, rather than GTD. A few days ago, we had a thread dealing with Time Design. David spoke about it. it's wonderful stuff--but all it really is is a fancy list keeper, and the question is "Do you need a fancy list keeper?" If you like the toy, by all means. But as David defines it, it's a mid- tech solution to the GTD problem, and if you may need something more high tech than that--and high-tech doesn't mean more complex. David's message is easy to understand: "simplify." I realized that I didn't need all the fancy bells and whistles to get things done-- and in fact, they were becoming obstacles in the path, actually slowing me down. I'll spend the next few days processing my notes from the seminar, and in a week, I should have my office humming the way I want to. If you haven't read David's first book, "Getting Things Done," I'd recommend doing so--and taking its lessons to heart. The payoff is not merely getting things done, but more time for the really important things in life--like fishing and family.
best,
Dr. Eric A. Silver
Posted by David at May 17, 2004 11:46 AM
Comments
Does David really use the Palm desktop; I thought he used Outlook (given the Outlook offerings sold on the website)
As a copycat, if David can live with Palm desktop then so could I!
Posted by: chris at May 18, 2004 05:09 AM
I too have spent hours,weeks, and months pursuing the perfect system - all the while NOT getting things done. In the end, I always come back to the simplest possible solution. Why? Because it's the only one that I'll work, day-in... day-out.
Very nice thinking. Thanks for sharing it :)
Posted by: Greg at May 19, 2004 02:28 AM
I attended the seminar in Boston too. David said that he created the GTD-Outlook Add-in as many of his own clients use it in their day to day work. He believes that it is a powerful piece of software, but using Outlook for GTD is like taking a day cruise on an aircraft carrier. It is a little over-engineered for GTD. I use the GTD-Outlook Add-In as I'm fairly desk-bound and live in an e-mail environment. The Add-In is perfect for that situation. If you live in a virtual world like David, then the simplicity and elegance of the Palm Desktop Software may be more in order. David uses other tools to run his office. As I recall, he mentioned using both Lotus Notes and ACT. He uses the Palm for GTD.
My big "Ah-Ha" came to me when David was kind enough to share some of his lists with us. I was surprised as his lists were shorter than mine (by a lot). It became evident to me that I tend to say "yes" too often to requests (either from myself or others). This has left me with a feeling of being out of control and over-committed. In addition, it would take hours to do my weekly review and they soon fell to the wayside. At the seminar, I moved half of my projects to Someday-Maybe. I'm now feeling a bit more relaxed and better-able to review all of my commitments in a timely manner.
Thanks for sharing your lists David. They were an eye-opener.
Eric Hubbard
Posted by: Eric Hubbard at May 19, 2004 10:35 AM
I must agree wholeheartedly. David's continued frankness about this issue has been so beneficial for those of us with tendencies to get wrapped around gear-based solutions. I have made a sign for my office that reads, "It's not the gear, It's the habits!" The habit of the weekly review and the two minute rule, the habit of doing next actions and asking the right questions about project outcomes are the key technology innovations that the GTD systems offers. I call that High-Tech because it automatically builds altitude under our wings, gives us a higher perspective form which to work.
The day after I put the "Gear/Habits" poster up my daughter walked by and complained that it was directed at her, trying to talk her out of getting that new guitar instead of putting more time into practicing on her old one. Though that wasn't my intent, I'm glad I'm not passing my bad habits to the next generation quite as thorougly.
Posted by: Pack Matthews at August 14, 2004 08:42 AM
How do you use Palm software for lists? Palm's "to do" limits you to 15 categories, and truncates the names you give each category. It would be handy to create "sub-lists" (eg. Action, sub lists for office, home, etc), and of course to be able to create an infinite number of categories to accommodate the "make a list for anything" principle of GTD. Suggestions would be most appreciated!
Posted by: Edwin Paxson at February 26, 2006 09:14 AM
