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May 24, 2007

The GTD Bellyflop

Does this sound familiar?

You read the GTD or took a class with one of us. You loved it, you got it, you were inspired. You had a month of bliss where your head was clear, your lists were current, your files were lean and mean and you were living the Productive Experience.

Then you ___________ (fill in the blank):
- went on vacation
- got a giant problem or project dropped in your plate
- had a bunch of urgent stuff show up
- got interrupted more than usual
- got sick
- got bored

As a result, your lists started to get out of date, your inboxes got choked up and you started waking up at 2am thinking about all the stuff you need to do. I heard someone describe this recently as the GTD Bellyflop. It happens to all of us. In fact, the Productive Experience that David Allen describes does not mean you are always in control, relaxed, inspired, focused, getting things done and have current system to maintain it all. Could anyone really maintain that productive experience ALL of the time? Not likely. In fact, sometimes it can be good to get out of control to have the reminder about what that was like and why that doesn't work. If you were once in that Productive Experience, it won't be hard to get back to it because you have a reference point. It's kind of like exercise. Have you ever been in great shape? If you get out of shape, it's not as hard to get back in shape because you know what that was like and what you need to do to get there.

The easiest way to get yourself back on track with GTD and to that Productive Experience is to do a Weekly Review. Carve out an hour for yourself to get as clear & current as you can. Update your lists, process your Inboxes down to zero, scan your projects list to make sure you've got all of your next actions captured, do a mindsweep to clear your head. Any and all of those can get anyone back on track.

It's natural to have starts and stops with GTD. Give yourself a break if you've been holding yourself to a standard that you will never be out of that Productive Experience. Really, it's OK to have the occasional bellyflop.

Posted by Kelly at 09:13 AM | Comments (3)

May 14, 2007

Catching fleas

Trying to manage incompletions in my head is much like trying to catch fleas on a dog. One second I feel like "I've got it!" and the next it's gone. Regardless of how important it is, the mind can only seem to manage a certain number of open loops before one of them is bound to fall through the cracks and get replaced by something else.

One of the keys to GTD is getting your head clear. I regularly do the GTD Mindsweep process (page 113 of the GTD book). Sit down and empty your brain of all of the "stuff" you've got your attention on. Put it down on paper or digital--whichever is faster for you to collect it. Don't analyze or organize it, just collect whatever pops into your head and allow yourself the freedom to add stuff to the Mindsweep without any commitment to doing what you write down. I bet you'll be amazed at what shows up. You might find walking around your office or living space will also trigger different things for the Mindsweep than staying in one place. Do it however long you want. You'll probably start to find a natural point where you'll feel like you've swept most of the mental post-it notes out of your brain.

Then, when you're ready, decide what each item means to you, if anything. I'd walk myself through these 3 questions:

1. What is it? Is it actionable?
If no, it's either trash, Someday or Reference.
If yes, it's likely a project with a next action or simply a next action not related to a project.
2. If it is a project, what's the desired outcome? Write that on your Projects list.
3. What's the very next action? Write that on your Action(s) list.

...then on to the next one. This may actually go faster than you think. I tell people to expect about 30 seconds per item to walk yourself through those questions. The Mindsweep is one of the 11 steps suggested in the Weekly Review process. I find I often do it more often than that because I just love the experience of a clear head. I can't say I've ever looked back after clearing my head and said, "Damn, I wish I didn't do that." I bet you won't either.

Get a purge for your brain. It will do better than for your stomach.
-Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

Posted by Kelly at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2007

The double-edged sword of waiting for

I have found an interesting dynamic takes place on work teams with the Waiting For list. Just watch what happens, especially if you are a manager, once you really start tracking people on what they said they would do. I bet one of these two reactions will show up:

1. Motivation - I liked being tracked ! It means I can get acknowledged for what I am doing. Someone gets to see how much I'm actually getting done. I get a chance to get some recognition for completing what I said I would do. Bring it on!

2. Resistance - I don't like being tracked ! It means there is a greater chance that what falls through the cracks will be noticed. It also brings attention to things I've agreed to that I really have no intention of completing.

Managing agreements effectively, yours and other people's that affect you, can be one of the most powerful things to come out of implementing GTD. It may not be easy, and some of your teammates might kick and scream for what they perceive as micromanaging, but you owe it to yourself to track actions that discretely. You might just find that what people resist will motivate in the end.

Posted by Kelly at 11:49 AM | Comments (6)

May 04, 2007

Tip for organizing foreign currency

For years I'd come back from a trip, take the extra currency from that trip (usually coins) and toss it all into a small bag for foreign money. That worked fine until the bag grew larger. Then when it would come time to take another trip to that place, I'd have to search through that big mound of coins to find the right ones. And what seemed obvious when I was in the country and handling the money will be a mystery a year later. Is this a coin for Jamaica or Canada? Ugh.

So here's my new system. Not rocket science, but useful nonetheless:

All of the coins & bills are separated by small plastic bags. Then I can take out the coins just for that particular country without that needless task of fishing through all of it each time. Much more likely to be used again with a whole lot less effort.

Posted by Kelly at 11:44 AM | Comments (5)

May 03, 2007

Stuff is stuff is stuff

Here's one of the easiest things to keep in mind with GTD:

Stuff is stuff is stuff

It all gets processed (decided) the same way. No matter what. Whether it's a voice mail, email, thought in my mind, scratch piece of paper in my Inbox, drive by delegation from someone, it all gets processed by asking, "What's my outcome? What's the next action?" That should be good news to you. It becomes like a game of objectively looking at your stuff and asking those two questions.

How it is organized will vary, but even that can be consistent enough that it becomes like second nature. For example, I have two folders in my email Inbox to organize my actions that have already been decided: "Action" and "Waiting For". I have two plastic folders that serve the same purpose and are called exactly the same thing.

For me, it all gets tracked in one central place: my Palm Desktop lists. I prefer the simplicity of going to one set of lists to show me all of my work. That means, whatever is in the Action or Waiting For folders, the action that represents has been captured on one of my lists. (By the way, other people don't necessarily do it this way and choose to have the folder be the reminder. It's personal preference.)

Posted by Kelly at 09:42 AM | Comments (2)

May 01, 2007

Can people "get" GTD in a seminar?

I was chatting with a reporter this afternoon who is doing a feature article on David Allen. I was sharing with him what my job is at the company (coach and seminar presenter.) He asked an interesting question, "Do people really get GTD in a seminar? Don't they need to experience it (KF: meaning back at their desks)?"

People do get to experience GTD in the seminar. I love that about our classes. I mean, who wants to hear just lecture for 2 days? Within the first hour of a GTD class we get people into the Fundamental Process where they see the power of getting stuff off your mind (collect), decide what it means (process), and park it in a place your brain trusts you'll get back to (organize). The cool thing about GTD is that you can do that at anytime, with anything and it'll probably take you less time than you think. Read Part One of the book and you can get value right away. The whole game is outlined in the first 81 pages.

In one of my seminars for a high-tech company recently, I set the participants loose in the room to process and organize their mindsweep lists. They had a chance to setup their lists in the class and get a real taste of GTD with their work. About 10 minutes into it, a participant shrieked with delight and said, "This is the best day of my life!"

There you go. Power of GTD at its best. I love my job.

Posted by Kelly at 06:11 PM | Comments (3)