Why do you GTD?

[dal1mdm]

I'm curious about something. I am not very good at GTD and I suspect it has to do with motive. GTD is a way for me to keep things out of my face at work and at home so that I can do something else (or do nothing).

I suspect that most of you who are better at GTD than me (most of you are) are better at it because you are using it to get ahead. So I'm taking a poll.

Do you use it to keep up?

Or, to move up?

[avrum68]

Your assumption that most are good...or enjoy doing GTD may not be true. I've been "doing" GTD for a couple of weeks now (spent a few months absorbing the book, these boards, etc). Am I much more productive now than before GTD? Not really. I mean, I had my systems in place, albeit haphazard, and used guilt, pressure and fear to motivate me to get things done. And for the most part, this is still true. GTD tied together all the loose ends. However I still need a kick in the arse every now and again.

[kewms]

What does "good at GTD" mean to you? And why do you care whether you are "good at GTD" or not? The goal is to get things done, not to master the minutia of a particular system.

As you suggested in your note, perhaps the problem is that you don't have a goal in mind. What things do you *want* to get done? What's the next action?

In answer to your question, I'm self-employed in a job I love. GTD helps me do that job well enough to afford to keep doing it, while still having a non-work-related life.

Katherine

[jkgrossi]

GTD helps me to stay clear and in control. With using the system, I feel like I'm able to spend more time thinking about things rather than trying to track them in my head.

I have peace of mind knowing that everything that has a piece of my attention is tracked and accounted for. I'm able to let go of things, and for all intent and purpose "forget" about them until the appropriate time. I can't tell you how great it is to be able to have something come into my world, capture it in my system, and then pretty much forget about it until the time comes when I can actually do something about it.

As far as quantifying the results, I can say that I haven't slept this good in years! No more waking up in the middle of the night with my mind racing about all of the things that I forgot to do, or forgot I needed to do, or trying to figure out what I need to do....

There's an old saying that goes something like "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.... After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water..."

I think that saying is also applicable to quantifying the results of GTD. Yes, I still have the same amount of stuff to do as I did before - the difference is that now, the "stuff" doesn't own me.

[dal1mdm]

Kewms asked:

"What does "good at GTD" mean to you? And why do you care whether you are "good at GTD" or not? The goal is to get things done, not to master the minutia of a particular system."

By good, I mean you capture everything, do weekly reviews, etc. basically use the system effectively. I get things done, but I know I'd get them done more thoroughly and timely if I were better with GTD.

[kewms]

By good, I mean you capture everything, do weekly reviews, etc. basically use the system effectively. I get things done, but I know I'd get them done more thoroughly and timely if I were better with GTD.

Even though I'm a fan of GTD, I don't think that's necessarily true. At least for me, my overall productivity doesn't seem to have much to do with what organizing system I use (or don't use). I'm more productive when I'm interested or otherwise motivated, less productive when I'm not.

What GTD does seem to help is the amount of stress involved. I can get a lot done without a trusted system, but only by forcing myself to ignore the background noise of unfinished tasks. GTD takes away the background noise.

On the other hand, when I'm not being especially productive, the background noise is what helps nudge me into motion. With GTD, I lose that nudge, which isn't always a good thing.

Back to the substance of your question, though... when I find myself avoiding my organizing system (either currently or pre-GTD), the reason is usually that I don't like my tools. It could be that a particular piece of software is slow and annoying, or that a paper tool is too small (or too large) to use comfortably. Even something as insignificant as the difference between a column-oriented and a block-oriented weekly planner can be like a rock in my shoe sometimes. I've learned to do something about these seemingly trivial problems. If I dismiss them as "silly" they can end up creating a disproportionate productivity drag. So you might try buying a cool notebook as a capture device, or thinking about better times to do your weekly review, or even just buying a box of colored folders instead of the plain manila ones. Find the thing that you're avoiding, and change it.

Katherine

[idyll]

GTD is important to me because of the terrible price of missing commitments.
When things fall through the cracks, I feel bad and I've failed someone.
I still procrastinate, but it's important to me to manage what I'm NOT doing.

[pageta]

Even though I'm a fan of GTD, I don't think that's necessarily true. At least for me, my overall productivity doesn't seem to have much to do with what organizing system I use (or don't use). I'm more productive when I'm interested or otherwise motivated, less productive when I'm not.

What GTD does seem to help is the amount of stress involved. I can get a lot done without a trusted system, but only by forcing myself to ignore the background noise of unfinished tasks. GTD takes away the background noise.

On the other hand, when I'm not being especially productive, the background noise is what helps nudge me into motion. With GTD, I lose that nudge, which isn't always a good thing.

Back to the substance of your question, though... when I find myself avoiding my organizing system (either currently or pre-GTD), the reason is usually that I don't like my tools. It could be that a particular piece of software is slow and annoying, or that a paper tool is too small (or too large) to use comfortably. Even something as insignificant as the difference between a column-oriented and a block-oriented weekly planner can be like a rock in my shoe sometimes. I've learned to do something about these seemingly trivial problems. If I dismiss them as "silly" they can end up creating a disproportionate productivity drag. So you might try buying a cool notebook as a capture device, or thinking about better times to do your weekly review, or even just buying a box of colored folders instead of the plain manila ones. Find the thing that you're avoiding, and change it.

Katherine


Well said!

The only thing I would add or change would be that with GTD, I suffer from far less guilt over the things I wanted to do but never managed to get done. I am getting more done because I am spending less time on guilt and being stressed (aka having stones in my shoe - excellent illustration).

I would say I am getting much further ahead with much less stress and guilt than before learning and implementing GTD.

[ADD GTDer]

To a certain extent, I do GTD 'cause after 2 years I can't remember how NOT to.

Janice