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March 24, 2008

Getting GTD off the ground

If I had to guess what the biggest challenge people have with GTD, it's not maintaining the system, it's building it. And you might feel that the task of building it seems daunting and undoable, given the world doesn't really slow down because you've decided to take time for yourself to get this thing off the ground. I doubt your colleagues are sitting back saying, "Hey, let's not send emails to him or pull him into this meeting. He's really trying to get his work defined and his GTD system built." Not likely. So right off the bat, unless you've got two days of uninterrupted time to dedicate to the building phase, as David suggests in Part Two of the GTD book, you're more likely going to build it in stages. It will take longer, but a great system can be built in stages.

1. Choose a list manager to track your projects and actions
2. Get a good reference filing system built for your non-actionable stuff
3. Get In/Pending/Out buckets/folders/trays to be able to move things through the system.

Once the constructing is done (your house is built), then you're in populating mode (move your stuff in.) Get everything from all of your collection buckets, processed and organized into your new system. Look for the major places you have stuff coming in. Likely the big "stuff" piles to go after first are your head, email, paper and voicemail.

In my GTD classes, I suggest people setup a project called "GTD Up + Running." Then assess and draft a simple project plan to capture all of the potential next actions to get the system fully setup. If you think doing this in pieces is going to work best for you, pick one or two to start that will give you the biggest payoff to get under control and add that to your calendar or next actions list or just go do it. Then move your way through your project plan until the system is up and running. I bet it will take less time than you think.

One tip on choosing a list manager: Don't let the quest of finding the "perfect list manager" stop you from getting GTD off the ground. Consider that there is no one perfect system. Nearly any list manager can be adapted to work with the GTD model, from spreadsheets to paper planners to corporate programs you're already using for your calendar and email. Choose one you like and you know you'll actually be attracted to use.

Posted by Kelly at 02:44 PM | Comments (13)

March 15, 2008

Step away from the inbox

A few times lately in GTD classes, people have asked me for recommendations on how often I process email. There are some approaches out there that suggest people only check email once a day. Sounds pretty extreme to me, especially if your world moves pretty fast and real work is getting done through email. I check email as often as I need to and at least once a day my Inbox is at zero. However, I do think stepping away from the constant stream of new input can be helpful, if not essential, to getting things done. Otherwise, it can be like standing in front of a fire hydrant with water blasting you in the face. You'll keep getting pelted until you step away from it.

Here are a few tips around processing email:

1. Only check email when you think you can process whatever you open to completion. Remember, deciding is not doing. Processing it to completion can mean you've decided your next action and parked that in a place you trust. It doesn't mean DO every email in your Inbox.

2. Give yourself offline time. For many of us these days, there's a constant stream of input. Even getting your Inbox to the holy grail of zero will only last until the next time you Send/Receive. Be willing to close your Inbox, go offline, turn off your Internet connection--whatever. I do this sometimes when I know the temptation of new stuff coming in will be too great and I'm trying to get some big project done, like writing or reviewing something that's outside of email. In Lotus Notes, you can change your location to "Island" mode to go offline. In Outlook, try File>Work Offline.

3. Get a general agreement going with your team about email response times. Is it within 15 minutes? 1 day? 1 month? I bet there are huge differences among your co-workers about the standard for replying to mail. Within our company, it's 24 hours on normal business days. Now, replying within 24 hours could just mean letting the sender know you got and you're on it--it doesn't always mean you've completed the action or whatever they're asking for.

There's also a new article I wrote for Coach's Corner about processing + organizing email.

Hope this helps.

Posted by Kelly at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)