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December 08, 2007
No system is still work
One of the perplexing things I run across in presenting GTD classes is people who want to defend their lack of system as taking less time and effort than the "work" it would take to maintain a system (GTD or otherwise). There are books out now about how organizing is a waste of time because it takes too much time. I do agree, to a point, that spending too much time organizing can be ineffective, but ANY system--and even lack of one--takes work and time. Why not go for the path of least resistance?
Leaving things undecided and stacked in amorphous blobs of stuff--because it would take too much time to decide a next action and put it in a trusted place--is a guarantee to have to reassess, reprocess and redecide what that thing means. I don't get it. With so many people complaining that they are too busy to maintain things like action lists, how can they afford to NOT have one? If it's coming in to you, you're going to handle it at some point. Why not handle it with as little effort as possible when it first shows up?
Believe me, if I could get away with not managing lists and be as effective, I would do it in a heartbeat. Over the years I've tried to cut corners in whatever way I can so that the maintenance of all this doesn't outweigh the benefit of doing. I'm inherently lazy. I don't maintain lists because I love spending the time doing that. I maintain the lists because it's faster and easier for me than not having any system at all.
If I can decide my action on an email when it first shows up, organize it in a place other than In, and put that action reminder in a place I know I'll see, that's about 10 times faster for me than leaving it undecided, and having it snap at my ankles every time I look at my Inbox--clamoring for my attention with the 200 other actions I also need to handle.
Why do people resist having a system? I'm curious to hear from the GTD community on this one.
Posted by Kelly at 08:33 AM | Comments (20)
December 03, 2007
GTD Live
If you have never been to a live GTD seminar, I highly recommend checking one out. No matter what your implementation has been, they can be a great way to bring your GTD system and mastery to a new level. I've been a student of this model for over 15 years and I still hear something new each time I sit through a seminar as a participant. As your life, job and interests change, so can your system. For you Connect members out there, there's a great David Allen video clip on Connect around "The Subtle Levels of GTD" that's worth checking out about how GTD evolves for you over time.
There are two flavors of live seminars you can attend:
GTD RoadMap - Taught by the man himself, David Allen. A great class for getting an overview of the whole picture of GTD.
GTD Mastering Workflow - Taught by GTD staff presenters, like me. A great hands-on class.
We tend to describe the difference between the two seminars as:
The Mastering Workflow GTD seminar, is very tactically oriented - how to get quick control using the fundamental thinking process and the five phases of workflow mastery. The RoadMap will include a condensed version of that material but will focus more on the whole picture of the self-consulting process, including prioritizing from multiple horizons, applying the core productivity principles, and making change stick.
Posted by Kelly at 08:55 AM | Comments (7)
