GTD a flawed system?

[Anonymous]

I started the thread "scheduling action items". I also reference the recent and related threads "too darn many todo's" and "comparing GTD to other systems".

I think the points in these threads identify serious flaws in the GTD system, or at least in the system as it is defined in David Allen's book (perhaps seminars and personal coaching offer additional information). In particular, while I like the principles the system is based on, I'm going to risk getting flamed here by stating that I think the system is lacking in its implementation prescriptions. Reviewing the board, I am clearly not the only one that sees a gap in the methodology and inconsistencies in guidance among the GTD staff when it comes to managing significant numbers of projects and next actions.

Quite frankly, I found the staff's posts in those threads to be vague and too high-level to be useful in any practical sense. I think all of the postings by users who have "adapted" the system and think its great because it allows you to "adapt" it are kind of humorous. Its not a very complex system; if you adapt it enough you've created your own system.

I think GTD needs another book dedicated solely to implementation of the system. I believe I saw in a thread that the next book may focus on principles. This is the wrong direction to head in. Enough about the principles and benefits and more on implementation.

[Anonymous]

Try something else, and see if it works better. If nothing works better, then go back to GTD.

Go in peace,
Mike Ogilvie

[Anonymous]

Barry,
I'm not sure what you mean by "implementation"? Is it that you've gotten your next actions staged in the appropriate lists, but can't seem to get on to the "Do" stage? Or something else?

[Anonymous]

Barry Glenn

I understand your frustration. GTD is the best system I've found, but I still havent found clarity on what to do next when there's a list of 200 todos and 70 projects. At best, it just gives me a clearer picture of how overwhelmed I am. Like you, I think it doesnt get down to the reality of day to day, moment to moment execution (you call it implementation).

There's alot I like, but there's also this big barrier.

[csweningsen]

"Implementation" is definitely where I struggle. The idea of this system is to "clear the decks" to support the implementing. It can't take away the struggles -- difficult decisions that need to be made; people who need to be worked with; information that is hard to find or to clarify; etc. My feeling is that it is not the system that implements; you do.

[Cikub]

"Implementation" is definitely where I struggle. The idea of this system is to "clear the decks" to support the implementing. It can't take away the struggles -- difficult decisions that need to be made; people who need to be worked with; information that is hard to find or to clarify; etc. My feeling is that it is not the system that implements; you do.

Hear, hear!

As much as would like a system that actually made the hard decisions and automatically provided me with the discipline to carry through consistently, I don't think such a thing exists. One of the most memorable sayings I have seen lately was on a PBS gardening show. It went something like "Even very best planning eventually degenerates into work."

If someone wants to find something to make those day-to-day decisions for them, they could try Life Balance--but then you simply trade one struggle for another. And it still won't do your work for you!

Cik

[andmor]

GTD is a great system for getting organized, but as previously posted, it doesn't do the Work for you. It may even exaggerate your existing faults! (Or as DM might say, it gives you a greater awareness of what you are not Doing.) I can be a procrastinator and use the "Incubate" bucket too much, and that just means bringing the items back into my Inbox when the Tickler date rolls around - back to square 1, except that my Inbox is getting bigger, not smaller. But sometimes I am too anxious to force an Action out of everything, so I can end up loading up a huge and unmanageable ToDo list - and still not get more done. So I feel that the most difficult part is "Processing", which really has been my problem all along, except that with GTD I have a larger inventory of items that need Processing because it includes Inbox, Calendarized Reminders, Deferred Ticklers and Action Items that shouldn't be on @NA Lists. I end up using the Weekly Review for re-Processing!

I think that the most important part of Processing is having the right buckets to Process into, and the right buckets should be Triggers to action. This is where I have played with my system altogether too much - changing the buckets, looking for Triggers that will work for me. One thing I do know is that Location is not the right categorization for me - I simply expand Appointment times to accommodate "in the vicinity" NA's. I use both paper and Palm to try to get the right agenda view, and I would be interested to know how other people get from "Organized" to "Do".

Andrew

[Anonymous]

What is the real meaning of "implementation" of a system?
What is the expected outcome?
The answer, I think, is : new habits.

Adopting new habits is a very difficult thing for any human being.

In the book David Allen describes it in a deceptively simple way: work hard a weekend and you are set.
Well, in real life that is impossible, because we are not able to change our habits overnight.
I have been struggling with the implementation for almost 2 years now, and am not able to follow 100% GTD yet.

I Collect well, my Processing is still very slow, my filing system is far from ready, my Planning is weak, the Doing is getting quicker at last. I feel I'm getting better every day, and that's a good feeling.

I have included in my weekly review an evaluation of my performance with GTD. The implementation of GTD is in itself a project, and has next actions also, like any other project. Isn't this a great system?

[Anonymous]

I don't know if I would be to quick to label the GTD system as flawed vs misunsterstood. My grasp is that it is organizational targeted as oposed to motivational. DA has ventured gingerly into motivational tips when lured, but the system's main focus from my view is to organize all the loose ends whether it be 20 or 200 projects. In any event, if we follow and implement the system we will be better off than we were before because of the simple fact that we will have all the loose ends identified and in their proper contexts.
To get motivated to accomplish the tasks and projects is another avenue that I don't perceive DA and company as outright staking a claim on. The GTD system is a positive component that will aide in the motivation process, but it appears by no means to be the driving force.
We have to find appealing motivational solutions to thwart procastination resutling from what apears an overwhelming list of tasks and projects, the overwhelming feeling that "there is no way I am going to do all of this"
In short, GTD will get it all in focus, it is up to the user to complete the picture.

Just my two cents worth,
George
Baltimore :shock:

[Bryan]

I "feel the pain" here. My wife (semi-correctly, IMHO) thinks I've gotten more stressed seeing all my work defined before me. (Part of the stress is that I fit well into the chief-of-staff w/ young kids example from the book...) A couple of semi-random thoughts:

Any system can only do so much for us. GTD is good at getting a complete inventory of "stuff", and then transforming that into work. What it isn't good at is making us focus explicitly on our top priorities. There's always the lure of "stuff" that needs to get done sometime (the water the plant example from the book). Yes, that gets us small wins, and at some level it has to get done. Where I see a challenge is that I tend to gravitate to water the plant--completely consistently with the decision-making criteria in the book (e.g., I have low energy and 10 minutes available)--but then not get around to important things (the major proposal isn't done yet; the contract isn't signed yet). Most of us only have so many high-energy hours in the day; other times, we're OK, and sometimes we're zombies. The challenge is most of us have more high-energy tasks (with deadlines) than we have high-energy time in the day. We have to find a way to cram high-energy tasks into zombie-energy timeslots.

Part of the answer is to not keep plants around (I say that in jest, but we have to get better about getting things OFF our lists once they're on them, and by that I mean deciding it ain't gonna happen and removing them. If that's too tough, at least move them to the someday/maybe list.

While I definitely agree there are some practices in GTD that seem to be applicable across broad-ranges of situations, the academic in me has often wondered if 1) there aren't probably some aspects that are more suited for certain personality types, or jobs, or, and 2) it might not be true that for many people, seeing all the work creates more "psychic" pain than simply saying each week, "Here's the most important things I need to do in each area of my life, and anything else that gets done is a bonus" (a la Covey)?

FWIW,
Bryan

[Anonymous]

I agree with Gentek and Bryan. No system, book, program, speaker, etc. is going to make the decision for us about what is the most important, rewarding, etc. thing to do at any given moment.
Similarly, no system, book, etc. is going to reduce our workload.

I too felt even more stressed after I converted my old "to-do" lists into project and action lists and completed a mindsweep. However, I realize that I didn't have one additional piece of work after that exercise than I did before. I had just made myself conscious of all the commitments that I'd made. And that feeling of angst and stress that I was then feeling consciously was always there subconsciously, giving me the heartburn, high blood pressure and waking me up at night!

At least now that I know what I'm fighting, I feel like I've got a chance.

[Anonymous]

this reminds me of statement that david makes on the GTD fast tapes,
"people get mad at me for their lists, but they had those lists allready--just in their heads "

GTD was very stressful to me when I looked at my lists as "things I've got to do or else " after hearing the seminar over and over again ..I realized "these are lists of commitments that I've made to myself and others" It's up to me to decide which of them need done when or if at all. I still deal with stress sometimes viewing the lists but that's just "how am I going to get this stuff done this week ?? " general stress :cry:

sometimes the commitments made to myself take a back seat to the ones made to my boss. :wink:

If progress isn't being made on the lists then you deal with frustration --and that's natural.

[Anonymous]

Just some general thoughts that I've come to realize about GTD.
(I used to think the system was flawed also)

but I can see some basic goals in the design of GTD, the way he describes it , it doesn't sound much like a design but something that developed over years of personal practice and coaching.

--it was supposed to move fast (and it can )
--it shouldn't require any special tools or software to implement (it doesn't )
--it shouldn't require a lot of upkeep from the user --if I'm sick today and don't work my lists the system doesn't fall apart because I havent' re-prioritized my lists or fwd'd all my daily tasks (ala franklin covey)
--it should be based on basic principles of thought/action (the next action thinking process and the natural planning model)

I think GTD does what it was designed to do very well.

If I want something to tell me ..where in my schedule I should try to do my tasks ...then I need Above & Beyond software and that requires a special tool (which doesn't sync well with palm)

if I want something to tell me if my life is in balance and arrange my tasks to do that ..then I need life balance software (which I use) but the decision on what to do is still up to me.

I think David could have made GTD system do all these things but then it wouldn't be as readily available and usable as it is. I don't think the system is flawed --I think it wasn't designed to do some of the things we wish it would.

just my .02

[tallmarvin]

Since using GTD, I get a lot more done.

And the stress levels still can get high sometimes...but when I look at what I am doing now vs. before, I see that the stress is because I am taking on more than I ever did...and am getting it done. So the stakes are higher because of my choices.

Gtd is about action, not planning. The biggest benefit for me has been that now I can focus better on what I have to do in front of me instead of fretting about the size of my -to do- list. Yes, sometimes it is frustrating to think that there aren't enough hours in a day, but that appears to be universally true for most of us anyway, regardless of what our lives look like.

We make up our own lists...and with action, we can shrink them.

[tom.miller]

Yes, sometimes GTD seems to be great at making lists and not so great at actually Getting Things Done, but in my experience this is not necessarily the result of the GTD system. I think that I am far better off with GTD than without and I do believe that I now get more things done. At the very least, when crunch time comes I know where to find everything and am not wading through piles of paper and notes.

I submit, however, that one reason many have trouble with "implementation" is that there simply aren't enough hours in the day. I find some days when it takes me most of the day just to process my inbox and emails (along with the unavoidable interruptions). This leaves very little time to actually do any tasks outside of the 2 minute rule. My workgroup is also so lean and mean that on many items there is no one left to "delegate" to. In the business world these days I don't think I am alone.

For me I just have to look at the situation and put the best face on it that is possible and "renegotiate" some of these items and decide to let them go.

Finally, I think the real beauty of GTD is that it makes it easier to do little bite-size pieces of many projects and keep them all moving forward. In the past, I would let projects languish until I had "enough time" to really work on them which meant that they either never got done or became a major fire before getting action. Now, while I have many. many projects that stay on the list for some time, I can honestly say that they are moving forward incrementally and eventually they will be complete.

[Kudzu2u]

Well Tom, I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. A person who has 200+ things on a list that they truly intend to do "this week" is living in some other world. GTD won't do your work for you, and human beings really do have limits. What GTD helped me to do was see that I had too much on my plate, and that I really would have to give somethings up if my family and friends were truly important to me. At the same time, it continues to help me move forward - at times incrementally - those things which I really do want to get done. In my view, that does not make it a "flawed system," but rather a "mature" system; that it, it encourages me to take reponsibility for my actions, rather than blaming my wife/kids/boss/stress or my system ;-). I find it a great help to know "on the front end" what I am getting into when I take on a new commitment, and what I would have to give up to do so. It is true, that scenario can be frustrating/overwhelming or uncomfortable in the beginning, but once you learn to make those choices, what an incredible liberation it is! As David has said, "You can do anything, but not everything."

...in Canada

[Anonymous]

doesn't GTD dictate that all independent next actions should be on your next action lists regardless of whether you expect to get to them in the coming week?

[Bryan]

Quoting: "Doesn't GTD dictate that all independent next actions should be on your next action lists regardless of whether you expect to get to them in the coming week?"

Short answer: Yes.

Some have argued against that idea. There are pros and cons. For example--

Pro: More focus. (I've often found this true. And if I include some "gimme" tasks in the shortened list, I find I can really fly through work by "oscillating" between more intense tasks, and the "gimme" tasks when I need a break.)

Con: Missed opportunities for synergy, serendipity, and learning curve. (Unfortunately, I've often found *this* true, too...) :oops:

[pd_workman]

A "next action" is the next action to move a project forward, which does not have a deadline but needs to be done "as soon as possible". So it should only be on your next action list if it is an "as soon as possible" item. You are also allowed to defer an action (tickler, calendar, etc.) but that, by GTD definitions, is not a "next action".

Pam

[Bryan]

Whoops...that'll teach me to post w/o sufficient caffiene...just to clarify:

In the post 2 above this one, the "pros" and "cons" refer to the argument that you should including only a subset of all ASAP Next Actions in your action lists, e.g., those you think you can get to this week.

[Anonymous]

I like the GTD system. Here are a couple of additional thoughts:
1. I believe the Covey system has a good suggestion that approx 20% of your time could be spent on Anything (hopefully quadrant 2 -Important but not Urgent). When faced with a 10 hour day I block off 2 hours for whatever I want to do.....
2. Julie Morganstein in her book on T. Mgt discusses time mapping. This is setting up blocks of time during the week for specific "contextual" tasks. You would work on the appropiate next action list category according to the block of time it's assigned to for that day or week. I really like this because when is "cleaning off my desk" ever going to be a priority compared to everything else? But on my calendar, say Thursday 2 to 4pm, "office organization" I am free to work on the tasks assigned to that category.
3. It's interesting to note that in implementing GTD, David Strongly suggests blocking out 2 days; clearing your schedule and avoiding interuptions. Hmmmmmm. Scheduling your priorites and projects...kind of like planning your day! (think about it!) Not trying to be coy here. Just wondering if you noticed it too!
4. GTD has gotten me off center in getting little things done. (and they're all little, right?) For example, when I think that I could get something done in less than 2 minutes, I go ahead and do it. (instead of adding to the list and maybe Never doing it) I so much like that!
The filing systems are excellent. The Next Action question is something I can really use. Got my Palm and I'm all set .......!
Mike C

[peaston]

I frequent the Science, Industry & Business Library in mid-town Manhattan almost every other week. I've checked out countless books and audio tapes on productivity, business organization, and similar topics, but David Allen and Stephen Covey are the only two on my shelf at home. Covey crystallized for me the link between my work and my principles and has helped me develop a life plan. Allen's magic is that he distills big ideas into daily processes.

Because GTD was written for a general audience, the focus is on processes and tips that can be more universally applied. But the system can not meet every contingency for every profession. That is why Allen makes good money as a consultant. I am sure that in his consulting work, he must alter his approach or help his clients conform his approach to their work.

I was practicing law when I first discovered GTD and after reading it I made some immediate improvements to my work processes just by implementing a next-action approach and organizing those actions by where I would need to be to do them so that I could better batch my work. I found, however, that GTD provided less guidance for project-based work that is as complex as legal work. Yet, I was able to take his basic principles and flesh them out to develop other processes necessary in my work.

When thinking of what additional processes I had to add to GTD, two come to mind.

(1) Priorities.

Generally, I don't like to spend much time prioritizing lists. The process is often abused and becomes counter productive. But for my law practice, it was absolutely necessary and even I am starting up my own company, I still find it help full to indicate an item's priority. As David Allen suggests, I treat all date/time-set tasks as events and put them on the calendar. "Call John at 3pm on April 5th" would not appear on my task list.

But I had to further develop GTD when it came to tasks that did not need to be done at a specific time, but had specific deadlines. I suppose that I could treat such tasks as events scheduled long before the deadline, but then why not just put all tasks on the calendar?
How one should handle these tasks will vary widely depending on the type of work you do.

The first thing I do is determine if the "task" is really a project. If not--if it really is the very next step--then what *I* do is put it on a next action list and give it a due date long before the actual deadline . Depending upon the PIM application I am using, I will be alerted if I don't do it by the arbitrary due date, at which time I carve out time and schedule the task as an event to make sure it gets done.

This gives me a period of time when the task is "soft." I will hopefully get it done when doing similar tasks. But if I don't get to it, I make it into a "hard" task (an event on my calendar), which I must do at the time I set, regardless of what else I might be doing. For example, if I have to call an adversary to discuss settlement before a trial conference, I will give it a due date a week before the deadline set by the court or rules of civil procedure and add it to my telephone action list. Most likely, I will make that call when I make time to make a batch of calls on my call list. But if for some reason I don't, then come that due date, I will make an appointment in my calendar to call at a specific time.

I also prioritize items with no deadlines. But I keep it simple: Hot, Warm, and Cold (a/k/a 1, 2, & 3, or Red, Black, and Blue). Hot items are those that have to be done or are very important to accomplish a personal goal, even if there is no deadline. I try to reserve this only for very important items. They will be the first I will attend to on any list. Cold items are those that don't really have to be done, but I would like to do them fairly soon. They are just shy of being in "someday/maybe." This could be a task to order a book from Amazon.com that a friend recommended, for example. Warm items are for everything else.

I prioritize my projects and goals in the same way.


(2) Incorporating Roles and Goals.

I find David Allen's 6-level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work useful, but I wanted a more concrete way to integrate it into my work flow. I did this by creating my Roles & Goals lists. In my palm, these are Memo-based lists, not To Dos. First I have a short and simple list of my roles: husband, lawyer, writer, entrepreneur, etc. Next I made three lists of goals: 1-2 years; 3-5 years; and lifetime (could also be 30,000 ft, 40,000 ft, & 50,000 ft). In each goals list I have a heading for each role, and under each role I list my goals for that role and for that time period.

I go over these four lists as part of my weekly review. First I see if I need to add or remove any roles, which is rare. Next I look over my goals and see if any have been accomplished or if I have any goals to add. Then I cross-reference my project list with my 1-2 years goal list, and make sure I have at least one project for each goal. Finally, I make sure that I create tasks and set aside time for each of these projects.

Note that nothing I've written really deviates from GTD. I am simply tweaking its processes to fit my life. I didn't expect a custom-tailored solution to my specific and ever-changing needs, but GTD provides a good framework onto which I can craft my own.

[Anonymous]

Peaston,
Thanks for your input. This is great stuff! I am a CPA so I need to pay close attention to due dates. I really like the next action list transfer to a scheduled time and day "hard" task idea. I am always amazed how quickly I get behind on self-imposed due dates. I guess subconsiously I know "it's" not really due yet. But practically I know that timeliness is the number one thing our clients want. And we need to beat their expectations. Thank again.
Mike C

[Busydave]

Reading this thread after my exhausting weekly review this weekend has been immensely therapeutic. Yes, I found it stressful and tiring to look at the size of my projects lists, both work and personal. But these are the responses I have picked up in this thread:

GTD does not create any more work: it just sets it out in an orderly manner – you may end up knowing that you have 300 – 500 hours of work to do, but you had that anyway, and it is still going to take 300-500 hours to do. However, we will now think twice about taking on new stuff.

Gate-keeping and renegotiating: at this moment I feel these are the MOST important area of GTD (in fact, I am clinging to them for dear life!). It should be easier to say "no" when we have a clear illustration in front of us of how much we have on our plates.

The “permission” that GTD gives us to renegotiate dissolves the misconception that our lists are carved in stone. I felt for a while that the current projects lists were irrevocable commitments to get the stuff done. But this would be out of synch with the real world. GTD is not a prison. Life and business will require us from time to time to reshuffle our projects, move some up, and jettison or transfer others. That is a reflection of how the world works and how we need to move with it.

In a work scenario it is harder and braver to say no. But it is also more dangerous not to say it. The effect of not saying no is failure, personal first, and then maybe corporate.

This puts us in a strong position. Like thinking up front, if we renegotiate with those to whom we have made commitments (even ourselves), then we are taking the initiative. It is an honest and moral path: just compare it with ducking and dodging, or downright lying after the promises have become overdue (not to mention the guilt!).

GTD doesn’t let us hide from life; it encourages us to deal with it fairly. “Commitment” is not just a technical term; it is rightly loaded with an inter-personal layer of meaning. It recognises that almost everything we do is intimately bound up with human connections.

[dnnichols3]

I disagree with the system is flawed. I am in the process of setting up telecoaching and Meg stated, GTD is Simple but not simplistic.

I don't believe there is a system out there that will make your life stress free. That is up to you and the choices you make. (As my husband reminded me while I was grumbling and working last night).

I agree more documenation would be nice in regard to implementation suggestions. However, I'm not sure you can document enough scenarios to make it useful to everyone else. Because bottom line when I am stuck I am stuck regarding "this particular thing" within specifics of my environment. I fight the "freak my self out trip" and struggle with avoiding blowing a fuse and thinking down to the true next action. I hear telecoaching will help with this. I think there are additional skills to develop but they all go back to
- defining the outcome
- defining the next doable action
:idea: Preventing yourself from accepting the assignment and being able to have a complete list of projects to explain why.



But make no mistake there will be work involved. Building habits takes time, but I believe it will be worth the effort.

[craigm]

Have you done the weekly review weekly? I know that I've not been good about doing it, but when I get the weekly review done, I feel like I'm back in the driver's seat. Without it, I feel like I'm still driving, but the longer and longer I get away from the review, the more my butt is hanging outside the window. The review is the key to making it all work. I think when people complain about the system not working, they're right: they're not doing a weekly review, and without doing the weekly review weekly, you feel out of control. Your lists are next action piles, not next action lists.

[Anonymous]

I think I heard this best from Jason Womack (a David Allen coach) when he said, "You can do anything you want in life, but you can't do everything." In my mind, seeing it all in front of me helps me determine what things I need to re-negotiate and what things need my attention now.

[Rainer Burmeister]

I think GTD needs another book dedicated solely to implementation of the system. I believe I saw in a thread that the next book may focus on principles. This is the wrong direction to head in. Enough about the principles and benefits and more on implementation.

I would like to read a book that deals with the appliance of the GTD method in different scenarios of profession, a book with chapters like "GTD at school", "GTD for laywers", "GTD in engineering", "GTD for the shop owner", "GTD in sales", etc. or a series of booklets or articles of that kind.

Rainer

[mochant]

I think GTD needs another book dedicated solely to implementation of the system. I believe I saw in a thread that the next book may focus on principles. This is the wrong direction to head in. Enough about the principles and benefits and more on implementation.

I would like to read a book that deals with the appliance of the GTD method in different scenarios of profession, a book with chapters like "GTD at school", "GTD for laywers", "GTD in engineering", "GTD for the shop owner", "GTD in sales", etc. or a series of booklets or articles of that kind.

RainerRainer - there are a lot of people writing about GTD and how they put it into practice. If you've not yet discovered RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feeds, I encourage you to take a look at a free web service like Bloglines. There, you can construct one or more searches that will generate an ad hoc subscription related to that term.

RSS is a tremendous tool for me. I have cut my surfing/searching time by more than 40%, have better information delivered right to my Inbox (I happen to use an Outlook add-in to do this - NewsGator), and am able to scan a vast amount of input with the ability to click into anything that looks interesting. That saved time gives me more time to either get things done or decide not to :wink:

[eez]

mochant,

Thanks for the tip.

I just subscribed to Bloglines and entered to my subscription David Allen's and Jason Womack's blogs.

My question is - how can I find other people'b blogs, dealing with GTD (I am especially interested in practicing GTD for lawyers)

thanks

[Rainer Burmeister]

Mochant,

thank you!

Ez,

at the "My Blogs" page you can search for the item you want. I typed "GTD" , checked the "All Blogs" button and found lots of entries about GTD.

Rainer

[mochant]

Mochant,

thank you!

Ez,

at the "My Blogs" page you can search for the item you want. I typed "GTD" , checked the "All Blogs" button and found lots of entries about GTD.

Rainerez and Rainer - that's exactly right. Construct a Blogline search and it will find new items on a regular basis. There are more tools you can investigate as well. Two I recommend are:

Feedster - http://www.feedster.com
Technorati - http://www.technorati.com

Technorati is particularly useful when you've found a good site and want to see who referenced (linked) it. Just enter the URL of the site you'vefound, click the search button and look at the "cosmos" for that site.

Also, if you're looking for a desktop aggregator (as opposed to web-based), you can get a free license for Scopeware's aggregator at their website: http://www.newswatcher.com/. This tool uses a sophisticated indexing engine to make your aggregated feeds searchable and uses a unique visual display to let you shuffle through the search results. It's free for a limited time (regular price will be $29.95).

[alsa]

If I had to pick just two things about GTD that I would want anyone to utilize it would be:

1. Write every little thing down for later review -- don't keep it in the brain!

2. Do a weekly (thorough!) review of all your commitments!

After a few weeks of following the above anyone can feel a significant difference between past and present organizational habits, and definitely much more peace of mind and self-assurance that things are under control at any time! At least, that's how I feel. Amazingly this system is easy enough to start slowly and progress to something that is hard to leave for anything more efficient!

[alsa]

Barry Glenn

I understand your frustration. GTD is the best system I've found, but I still havent found clarity on what to do next when there's a list of 200 todos and 70 projects. At best, it just gives me a clearer picture of how overwhelmed I am. Like you, I think it doesnt get down to the reality of day to day, moment to moment execution (you call it implementation).

There's alot I like, but there's also this big barrier.

I really doubt any more that there can be one perfect system for us all as we all have different projects and the number of them each week and month. I think we intuitively deep down know what our priorities should be -- so just following that gut feeling and getting the relief of knowing exactly what we need to do, could do, AND choose NOT to do (at least, not in the foreseeable future -- thus, we retire it to Someday/Maybe) guides us to our daily Next Actions. I have been doing this since New Year's and really have more confidence that what I am doing is well thought-out and purposeful. I find that I should not be afraid to writing all my "I need to..."s down -- I don't have to necessarily do it all -- I can just pick and choose later knowing what I am forsaking for what!

Thanks David, Jason, the rest of the GTD team, and everyone on the board!

[Jason Womack]

Thanks David, Jason, the rest of the GTD team, and everyone on the board!

Hello all,

Just wanted to make sure I said this "out loud."

It is an honor working with the David Allen Company, and working for all of our clients.

Already this month, I worked with clients in Boston, Washington DC, and San Francisco. The rest of the month: St. Louis, Anchorage, Los Alamos!

Thanks for the opportunity to spread this information...