Just wanted to say that I'm a teacher in rural Alaska that has begun to use GTD to try and get myself organized. Since I teach every subject I have started to introduce the natural planning model to the students so we can start designing projects. Getting teenagers bought in is a problem, just like Tim says, but there has been some progress. Thanks!

David - In your book you say we can't manage -
* Time
* Priorities
* Information

You say we HAVE priorities, we don't manage them. Can you please elaborate? In the context of keeping your head clear, it makes sense, but I don't understand from the view that I'm constantly managing multiple projects.
Thanks -Jon

Great comments on the un-cool challenge with our youth. As a sports consultant who is trying to use GTD personally, I have noticed that when you can create a "tipping point' from un-cool to cool then the kids do want to participate....it's just a challenge to gain trust and acceptance because of the un-cool front.

I really believe we all want to release our talents and skills to the world and I think that the GTD method is a real "friendly" but more importantly "honest" way to look at what we need to do without attaching the "good" or "bad" judgements as we journey day to day.

I will continue to use GTD as I navigate through trying to one day with the help of others create that tipping point that allows youth to say YES to being the best they can be NATURALLY!

You can't make something cool. What you can do is be so excited and passionate about it that others want to try. I think most people, and teens especially, have their radar tuned to anything hypocritical or manipulative. Use the system visibly and authentically, include them in it in real-life situations "what's the very next thing you need to do? Do you have everything you need to do it? Do you know what you want this to look like/do/be when you are done?" Any one of these questions will help move towards clarity. Tell them to "do this", especially when they see you aren't living it yourself, and the response cools considerably.

I would also caution that it be presented as a tool for yourself, not for others to use against you. It could be perceived as a nagging aid (Billy, what's YOUR next action? have you done YOUR weekly review?) or misunderstood that now you have a long list of things to do. Simply because you have a long list doesn't mean you have any more to do or need to finish it right now. You have the same stuff you already had - you can just turn off the internal nagging and stress now.

Another important point is that most teens (and others!) feel they can manage their work in their head. At least the hot stuff, anyway. 3-5 in-your-face projects, plus events that others remind them about. Self-evident work, much of which is controlled by others. But the real value I have found for GTD is the way it helps you deal with the warm stuff. You know, the stuff simmering on the back burner that will either come to a boil because you didn't deal with it, or will disappear because you forgot about it? Dealing with that stuff at least on a Weekly Review basis is the difference for me. A more proactive approach for those things that will come to a boil if unchecked, and fewer missed opportunities to keep moving on those things I really want to do, but keep pushing aside for the hot stuff.

What's the best way to make it cool? I think it is to just use the system, let others see you using it, and let them gravitate to the parts that speak to them. If it really is as great as you say it is, then people will see the difference and try it out. The outcome/next action exercises are so fast and clear, they really sell themselves, so give them a chance to try them (with no pressure or judgment). Start simple, fast, and fun. My 16 yr old can manage his entire set of lists (Next Actions, Waiting For, Projects, Someday/Maybe) on a single sheet of paper. And because of the cool factor, he doesn't even take it with him. I can't get him to write anything down. So we just do a 5-7 minute review every couple days, update the lists, and he goes on with his life. He has decided the next actions, and that clarity is priceless. He may forget or choose not to do them, but that is different from not acting because he isn't clear about what he needs to do. Delaying that thinking always leads to simmering stress and the last-minute dash, like to the library after he realizes that all he needed to do was rent a Chaplin movie so he could review it for his English paper. He just wasted three days because he hadn't done the 15 seconds of thinking that told him specifically what his next step was.

We actually got to the point where he liked the review, especially on Friday before he went out, because it stopped all the internal nagging. He knew everything he had to do, and that it could wait while he went out to have fun. And that is what GTD is all about for us. Tracking all the things we aren't doing right now, so we can fully give ourselves to the one thing we are. And I think that is pretty cool.

Thanks for the tip's Scott! You obviously have front-line experience. I shall store that for when my own sons are a few sizes larger.

I can always muster the enthusiasm: GTD helps me manage what I do every day and I delight in passing on the favour. I find it harder, of course, to mix that enthusiasm with some listening and respect.

I remember experiencing as schoolboy the freezing feeling of not knowing where to start, being overwhelmed because I had let things slide... If I can spare a couple of kids that feeling by getting them to look hard at outcomes and ONLY the next action then it will be worth every second.

Good luck passing on the methodology that has saved so many of us adults from drowning. Here's a thought that might work.

I often get so into things that I forget that most people don't want ALL the info, and esp. all at once. I get so excited that I turn them off by bombarding them (or even worse, miss the chance completely because I am waiting for when I can teach them everything at once). I have had much better success recently by picking a few key ideas and teaching them over time. Look for opportunities to apply the process in everyday life. "Daddy, I want to go see a movie" is a chance to say "Hmmm, interesting idea. What is the very next thing that needs to be done to make that happen? Who is going to do it?"

It works even better when the child is stuck due to lack of clarity. "Help me understand what this assignment will look like when it is done -- a poster, a paper, a presentation, or something else? Do you know?" This usually involves a little digging into backpacks for assignment sheets, etc. Once that is resolved into a single sentence "I need to give a 5 minute presentation with a poster on bunnies next Thursday", I love their faces when you ask them "What is the very next thing you need to do?" They wrinkle their noses, think, and then say something. I then ask if they have everything thay need to do that, and it almost never fails that they have to back up a step or two, and then the light bulb comes on. "I need to make my poster" becomes "I need to get posterboard", and suddenly they realize why they haven't been able to get started. Now they can actually DO something, and they are almost always immediately ready to act. The stuck has become unstuck. Now, if only it weren't due tomorrow...

Another technique that can simplify things is the PigPog method of GTD. It works well at the most basic level when the complexity is lower. You write the Next Action followed by the Outcome in brackets. Buy posterboard [bunny project has been presented]. This can be on a little notecard. As soon as the action is done, you scratch it out (very satisfying), look at the outcome, and decide the NEXT next action. It helps ensure there is a next action in place. They then need to just keep track of one notecard which you can review together. For more advanced users, the outcome in brackets replaces the Projects list. But that is another topic...

One thing to note: I write all my outcomes in past tense as if they have already happened. It forces thinking beyond the finished piece and looking back to see what I imagine success will look like [bunny project has been presented]. It also makes a review easy. Just add a mental question mark at the end of every outcome, and the open loops will jump out at you. Either the bunny project has been presented, or it hasn't, and there is a next action to be decided.

It is never too early to start, especially with the increased loose ends of today's school world. I cn't think of a better gift to pass on.