I am a reporter researching a story for Wired News about Getting Things Done and I would very much like to interview you by email. May I ask a few questions...

Can you tell me what GTD is all about - not just the book, but the philosophy (seems like it's not just a book but also a way of living and doing).

GTD is both a very specific methodology for managing the inventory of our commitments and "work" (in its most universal sense) and a representation of a life- and work-style that is positive, productive, and sustainable.

What is the story of this book? Where did it come from - what was the
inspiration behind it?

After twenty years of researching, clarifying, and testing for myself and lots of others the best practices for getting things done and getting rid of stress about it, I realized that what I had synthesized and come up with was indeed unique, there was universal growing demand for it, and so far there wasn't a "users manual" for it. So I figured I should write it. In case I got run over by a bus, it might take a while for someone else to come up with it, and the world could use it. Plus, I was interested in spreading the education and leveraging my role in it, and a book would be a great way to do that. I needed to raise the flag a lot higher, and I was curious who would salute.

Why is there a need for this book? Why has it been popular - are we so disorganised?

The most productive and relatively organized people are the ones most attracted to the book. They are the ones who are the most aware of drag on their psyche and in their systems, and the ones who experience the most pleasure and power when that drag is eliminated. I think I uncovered why some things that are common sense make so much sense, and there was a need to understand the deeper principles at work so that the tools and techniques for managing ourselves could be updated to map to the complexity and speed of the worlds many people are experiencing.

I understand the book was first published around three years ago, but has recently reappeared and flourished - what does the sales chart for the book look like; when did it start pointing upward again?

Sales were steady at one level with the hardback, during 2001-2002. Then when it came out in paper (2003) it jumped, grew steadily, and seems to have plateaued at a nice clip over the last year (generally between #100 - 160 on the total amazon list.

To what can we attribute the resurgence in popularity for the book? Perhaps the volume of conversation about GTD on weblogs (like 43folders) has been a significant factor? ie. What has the web done for your book?

I think there are several factors. First, as a veteran in the business publishing world told me when the book was first published this kind of book is likely to take about three years to "cook" in the market. I suppose if it sticks around with popularity past the short attention spans of the buzzword-du-jour type of concepts, it starts to take on a solid, "classic" kind of stature. It might be similar to Getting to Yes, which became something of a mainstay as a business reference for negotiation. Maybe there is a subliminal perception that Getting Things Done is the definitive work in this area - there won't be another one that will outdate it. With so much noise in the time-management/organizing space out there, something that sticks out with universally perceived value by such a wide range of people (as GTD has) probably has in-built momentum. It didn't hurt, either, to have James Fallows do a big and positive piece on me in the Atlantic last year, nor having Forbes list me as one of the top five executive coaches. Also, very practically, the book in paperback made it a lot easier for a boss or manager or entrpreneur to feel comfortable buying twenty copies for their staff; and, if you catch GTD at all, you tend to want everyone around you to "get it" as well. I have no idea what the web specifically has done for the book, though the accessibility of information about it, through our site and lots of referals from other sites, has certainly impacted on its visibility and popularity. When well-read bloggers like Robert Scoble and Buzz Bruggermann and Marc Orchant and Merlin Mann start spreading the word, too, it certainly enhances the viral nature of the buzz.

It certainly seems that the web is abuzz with many new converts to the GTD way. Do you think so?

Seems so. Of course a few visible people may mean there's only a few people. But my guess is that the web is full of all kinds of lurking that one never sees, but which represents the 90% of the iceberg. And when there's as much talk about GTD as you actually see, there's certainly a lot more that I don't. Lots of people refer to having heard about me/us and the book through various kinds of web connections.

Why in particular do you think web users (and, in many cases,
avowed "geeks") have taken to GTD with such aplomb?

Geeks are early adopters and usually at least slightly more ready to try new behaviors and models ('cause that's what geekdom is really about). They also love coherent, closed systems, which GTD represents. I've had some KM experts tell me that I actually created a knowledge management algorithm, from scratch, and that was enthralling to them (especially since I had no idea at the time what "knowledge management" really was!) Because GTD is system-neutral, it also gives geeks a great model for plugging into their own favorite geek-mobile toys, so they create a lot more of what they're purported to do anyway - increase productivity. Additionally there's probably a common denominator between geeks and the ADHD world, which also has significantly bought into GTD - the need for an effective and systematic approach to self-manage highly creative and distractable processing styles.

Perhaps they see in GTD their own desire for organisation? Perhaps it is the condition created by the excessive data that is a hallmark of our modern digital lifestyle that GTD sets out to solve? (What is GTD a cure for? Doing more work better, creating more time for life?)

All the above. Geeks are usually the laziest creatures around, and I am too, and I think they recognize a kindred spirit.

How much of GTD is about computers/technology?

Nothing, really, other than a good model for using the technology most productively. But GTD relates equally to paper or any other medium. Most personal productivity software and hardware is simply about data management and transmission - not really about the thought process required to generate and evaluate and utilize that data.

What kind of software is out there that people are using for GTD? Are there any particular things you would recommend or that you use yourself?

We've seen people use just about anything, because anything that can make reviewable lists works for GTD. Outlook, Lotus Notes, Palm Desktop, Excel spreadsheets, Word tables and outlines, ad inifinitum. Even the new version of Blackberry works now (because 4.0 has categorization capability on the Tasks). I also would include anything used for project thinking, planning and organizing (Access, MS Project, MindManager, etc.), because that's also part of GTD.

Have lives have been changed by GTD and whose? Got any stories?

The anecdotes are way too numerous to cite. We get testimonials daily. Everything from "great tip that's made a world of difference in my workflow" to "totally changed how I think, work, and live."

What about negative stories? Ever heard of anyone who takes it too far, for example?

Never heard any, because GTD by its very nature is about getting things done with the least amount of psychic and physical effort. How can you take that too far? Someone might misinterpret GTD as "getting organized" and sure, all kinds of people "get organized" as a way of avoiding their life and work. A certain kind of ordering and categorization is a critical component, but organizing per se not what GTD is really about.

It's been observed that GTD has become a kind of "cult". It has many devoted followers who are evangelical about he cause, unflinching in their quest for total organisation and regard Getting Things Done as a holy book in that respect. Logically, you would be their leader in this journey. What do you make of this? Why does GTD stir this passion in people; how do you account for the devotion of so many people? Perhaps the need for simplicity and organisation is an innate property in all of us? People bookmark GTD-related links, share them, write software that can make good on the GTD philosophy - there's a level of devotion that has raised the book's prominence and given the philosophy a life of its own; that must please you. So what do you make of your cult? Do you participate with your followers in any way, online?

It's been fascinating to watch the phenomenon. I think anyone who tries something that creates a real experience of heightened awareness, greater clarity, reduced stress, along with real things getting done that happened because of it, is going to "convert" to some degree. Those events are rare for most people, so they'll tend to put it on some sort of pedestal and want to communicate it to everyone else around them. People truly love to feel like they're really helping others, and if there's something that they benefited from that they can easily pass on to someone else, there will be some juice out there being spread around.

It's been said that geeks are searching for a digital Martha Stewart, an online lifestyle guru. Sounds like you're being fingered for this role by many - what do you reckon?

OK with me, but not necessary. To some degree I'd rather just slip away unnoticed (who was that masked man?), because the message is really the process, not the person. But a while ago we discovered that it's easier for people to buy into a personality than a process, so what the heck... if that's what will turn them on to the value, who am I to get in the way out of some false humility? I think my personal proclivity for the sort of zen wink approach to things while still being highly effective is a needed message, style, and energy that people are hungry for these days. But my favorite gurus are the ones who are least concerned with being a guru, and I aspire to that for myself as well. The myth is usually better than the reality anyway, and even if I don't hold up to my own image, don't shoot the messenger.

What's next for GTD? I read that you are trying to trademark "GTD" - what's that all about? Any other products coming out on the back of the book's success? Perhaps a full product line, a la Atkins Diet?

Several things. Indeed, we're launching a line of cool gear in 2006, mostly low-tech, for which we're partnering with Levenger for some of it. I'm creating a membership model for the fall of 2005 - GTD|Connect - to give people who want more touch-points with me on a consistent basis to be able to stay the course toward what we call "black belt." The best and brightest get it, and get that they don't yet get it, and they've been asking for a more on-going way to participate and play. I've redesigned a public one-day seminar (GTD|The RoadMap) which will be a high-level overview and application of the whole GTD model, giving people an effective framework for self-coaching at any time, place, and situation (check web for cities and dates). We're also moving fast to meet the demand now for educational tools and formats for installing, spreading, and supporting the GTD thought process throughout whole organizational cultures.

Are there any core rules, processes or practises required if one is to live by the way of GTD?

Pay appropriate attention to what has your attention. If you don't, it will take more attention than it deserves. If you do, you're get more things done with minimal effort and maximum success.

I'm interested in running a separate piece on the doctrines you
have to abide by in order to simplify your life. What are the key
workflows/procedures?

Capture everything that has your attention. Decide what your commitment is, and what you need to do to move forward on it. Organize the results, mapping things to what they mean to you. Engage with the system regularly to keep it current and maintain trust in what you're doing, when.

Many thanks for your time; I look forward to your reply, which I would need to receive by this weekend.

Regards

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Robert Andrews
Contributor, Wired News