Can you help me figure out if GTD works with my style?

[Aspen]

I apologize for sounding like a total newbie, but I only heard about this system yesterday, have never seen the book, and am trying to figure out if this is a sytem (or no-system system :wink: ) that would work for me.

I'm preparing to buy my 2006 organizer and I think it is kind of a window into the way I organize. I am a wife, take care of all the finances for both home and our small business, I work part time (10-15 hours a week), and I volunteer about another 20 hours per week. I am very busy with full days so I tried 2-pg per day organizers and I was very ineffective--a lot of days I wrote nothing in because I was never sure what went where other than "to dos" and "actual appts". I've read Steven Covey's 7 Habits book several times and I do believe that working the habits expands your life and so I've mostly used FC planners (partly also just because I love them :-) I've never taken a Covey class and the only time I even bothered trying to do the ABC method was back in the 2-pg days when I was more concerned with filling in the lines than actually labelling my actions....I do what I am there to do and giving it a letter designation didn't seem to change that process (the order in which I wrote them in my planner was more effective as I tend to work top to bottom) My husband and I have made our family mission statement and we try to work better in the Quadrants--so far not extremely successfully partly because of the way our life goes and partly because we procrastinate more than we should. I tried digital pages with my IO pen, but again I don't do all my planning/organizing at once and it didn't work so well when I had ideas while I was out and my pen wasn't with me.

The most effective way so far for me to organize my life so far is a 2 page per week vertical organizer so that I see the entire week at once. I use colored highlighters to block off the time per day I spend in the different categories of my life and inside the blocks I write down my To-Dos for while I am in the block (most days I am probably in about 6-8 different areas each with their own things that need to get done). Once a week on Sundays my husband and I discuss our priorities for the week--kind of the master to-do list, and joint issues go on the fridge calendar while individual ones go in our own planners (his is a phone/pda combo).

We're going on a 10 vaction in about 10 days and I really wanted to spend some time near the end of our beach vacation discussing how we can work together more effectively in getting our priorities done (a major goal for both of us this quarter and into 2006). Here are my main questions: Is online the only place to get the book or is it in stores also? If we are going to try this, I'll need to read it right away and figure out the principles to share with him (he'll likely never read it). Secondly, from what I've read on the forum for some reason the terminology of this system sounds awkward to me...."next action" rather than to do, and "contexts" rather than locations. Why so awkward and can someone give me a general overview of the system? .....the mindmapping and workflow seem very interesting, but I'm not really sure how it goes and if it would be worth learning the system and overcoming the awkwardness. I'd just like to be sure its fairly easy to implement.

SORRY so long and thanks for any help you can offer!

[GJR]

Here is a broad overview of Getting Things Done:

http://www.davidco.com/what_is_gtd.php

"Here are my main questions: Is online the only place to get the book or is it in stores also? If we are going to try this, I'll need to read it right away and figure out the principles to share with him (he'll likely never read it)."

It is sold in book stores and is available in paperback.

"Secondly, from what I've read on the forum for some reason the terminology of this system sounds awkward to me...."next action" rather than to do, and "contexts" rather than locations."

I would not get too concerned about the terminalogy. Read the book and try the methods to see if they work for your situation. Eventually, the terminalogy will not be an issue for you.

"the mindmapping and workflow seem very interesting, but I'm not really sure how it goes and if it would be worth learning the system and overcoming the awkwardness. I'd just like to be sure its fairly easy to implement."

Give it a try. As the author, David Allen, likes to say, this is advanced common sense. The system is easy to implement; however like most things worthwhile, you need to commit time to set up and maintain the system. Also, do not be discouraged that you have not done the "perfect" set up and maintenance. All of us learn to refine and improve our systems.

Good Luck.

[marcia]

It sounds to me like you are getting a lot done already. You are keeping up with things and accomplishing a lot. 20 hours a week volunteering is awesome! You are reviewing weekly and blocking off time for activities by category. One thing to consider is do you need less stress, then I would definitely look at GTD.

[TesTeq]

First look at this (http://www.davidco.com/pdfs/gtd_workflow_advanced.pdf) Advanced GTD diagram. It is the essence of the methodology. If you like it then GTD is for you. Unfortunately the original GTD workflow diagram is available only in Spanish at DavidCo site but you can find it in DIYPlanner templates at http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official/classic.

You can buy the GTD (Getting Things Done) and RfA (Ready for Anything) books in bookstores too.

The context is not a location. It defines the technical resources available for doing Next Actions. If you have mobile phone you are always in the @call context. You can be in the @internet context at home, work or airport with wifi.

[mcogilvie]

The most effective way so far for me to organize my life so far is a 2 page per week vertical organizer so that I see the entire week at once. I use colored highlighters to block off the time per day I spend in the different categories of my life and inside the blocks I write down my To-Dos for while I am in the block (most days I am probably in about 6-8 different areas each with their own things that need to get done). Once a week on Sundays my husband and I discuss our priorities for the week--kind of the master to-do list, and joint issues go on the fridge calendar while individual ones go in our own planners (his is a phone/pda combo).


You can use any calendar that works for you. If you have a lot of scheduled events, you need a calendar that supports that. However, if you write todo's on the calendar in blocks, and you don't get them done, then what?
Everybody needs a way to capture incoming "stuff" and everybody needs a way to track actions and projects. The Franklin-Covey planners can do it, but you need to know how to use them. David Allen has a free download on this website on how to use a paper planner and another on using a palm. I think they are under "products."

One problem you may be experiencing: what happens to todo's that don't get done in those time blocks? Do you reschedule them?



Here are my main questions: Is online the only place to get the book or is it in stores also?


The book is routinely stocked in most bookstores. The first three chapters are a concise description of everything.



Secondly, from what I've read on the forum for some reason the terminology of this system sounds awkward to me...."next action" rather than to do, and "contexts" rather than locations. Why so awkward and can someone give me a general overview of the system? .....the mindmapping and workflow seem very interesting, but I'm not really sure how it goes and if it would be worth learning the system and overcoming the awkwardness. I'd just like to be sure its fairly easy to implement.


Todo's tend to be somewhat amorphous for most people. "Write report" sounds simple, but it is often something that can't be done in one sitting. Next action means the next physical action, often a next physical action to advance a project. A project requires more than one next action to achieve its successful outcome, and next actions are bookmarks telling us where to start when we resume work on a project. The Covey ideas can sit comfortably at levels above projects: roles, mission, et cetera.

Locations are often contexts, but contexts need not be locations. I have a context called computer, but I have computers at home and at work. I can do computer next actions in either place. Other next actions I have to do at work, so they go on an @Work list (that includes a handful of computer-related things I can't do from home for one reason or another).

I have to tell you one final thing: GTD is the easiest, most natural way I have found to deal with the "stuff" of my life. Much easier and more flexible than Franklin-Covey, for sure. Still, it is hard to acquire the habits, such as the weekly review, that you need. David Allen isn't kidding when he says that it often takes over a year to get everything functioning smoothly. This is not because GTD is super-complicated compared to something else; it's because our lives are complicated. However, you will see immediate improvement in your life even if you implement a few of David's recommened practices. Good Luck!

[Bill]

I'd just like to be sure its fairly easy to implement.

SORRY so long and thanks for any help you can offer!

Only you can say whether GTD will work with your style.

I think 7 Habits and GTD come at things from opposite directions.

7 Habits starts at a really high level and you try to figure out what you need to do based on what is really important to you. In theory, this helps you prioritize what you are going to do on a daily basis and ensure that you work on the important things first.

GTD starts off by getting some of the basic, practical stuff in order. Clean your files, clear your head, and find ways to lower your stress level by feeling secure that you've got a handle on the urgent things. It also gives you some tools and tricks to deal with the barrage of new information and potential demands on your time.

I'd say that it is well worth your time to read the GTD book. Worst case, you'll probably pick up a few good tactical moves but you might get a whole lot more out of it.

[pageta]

I use both 7 Habits and GTD. They work from opposite ends - 7 Habits helps me decide what I need to do, and GTD helps me actually get it done. As someone who is self-employed, all of my tasks are self-generated so I find Covey indispensible for that. But for years, I've always had trouble actually completing the goals I'd set for myself. GTD was the missing link. Now I complete 95% of the goals I set for myself rather than about 5%. Your success rate at accomplishing goals may not be so dramatic, but I am sure GTD could help you get more done and reach more of the goals you have set for yourself. I highly recommend it and think that you would find it very beneficial.

[andersons]

We're going on a 10 vaction in about 10 days and I really wanted to spend some time near the end of our beach vacation discussing how we can work together more effectively in getting our priorities done (a major goal for both of us this quarter and into 2006). Here are my main questions: Is online the only place to get the book or is it in stores also? If we are going to try this, I'll need to read it right away and figure out the principles to share with him (he'll likely never read it).
I would recommend buying and reading the book. I've seen it in bookstores which is where I bought mine. I also have had Covey's 7 Habits book for a long time. I would consider my own "system" to be heavily influenced by Covey's concept of making time for the big rocks, but I also keep track of the big rocks as well as all the other necesseties of life using strategies from GTD.

Sharing GTD with a spouse. . .well. . .I have experience with that too. I'm inclined to recommend that you read the book and implement the ideas that really hit you. But maybe implement them yourself first for your own commitments, including the joint endeavors that you manage and organize. If your husband becomes motivated to use GTD ideas as well, you'll be in a great position to help him; and if not, well, so be it.


Secondly, from what I've read on the forum for some reason the terminology of this system sounds awkward to me...."next action" rather than to do, and "contexts" rather than locations. Why so awkward and can someone give me a general overview of the system? .....the mindmapping and workflow seem very interesting, but I'm not really sure how it goes and if it would be worth learning the system and overcoming the awkwardness. I'd just like to be sure its fairly easy to implement.
You don't have to follow every recommendation in the book or system to benefit from it -- as the book itself says.

GTD tells you to keep track of all your commitments, every single one, no matter how trivial they may seem. And it gives you a systematic way and a whole bunch of "tricks" to do just that. And you turn vague goals into specific "next actions" that you know you can do, and you keep track of where you are in achieving them. That discussion alone is worth the price of the book, IMO.

For example, thanks to GTD I realized that if I told my spouse I would take care of the dry cleaning, then I have 3 separate actions to do, one at home and 2 errands. None of the actions seemed to be very important a la Covey, but they really are, because my spouse will have nothing to wear for an important presentation if I don't keep that commitment. And let's just say, my failure to follow through on that commitment will negatively affect my very important relationship with my spouse. I personally need a systematic way to keep track of that kind of stuff.

There are many possible reasons for having trouble accomplishing your priorities. For me, when I read Covey I was young and extremely idealistic, so I wanted to spend my whole life in QI doing deeply meaningful things. But life is also full of dry cleaning and vehicle registrations and cleaning up the rat that died in the attic. GTD helped me see realistically how much of life is filled with this stuff; how it's really more important than it seemed in my earlier Quadrant analyses; and how to keep track of it all so I'm not constantly putting out fires that really do interfere with Quadrant I.

I can't truthfully claim that GTD is easy to implement. Keeping track of all commitments is frankly harder than keeping track of just the most forgettable or the most important. But one payoff for me is that I know every single commitment I've already made, so it's much easier to say yes or no to new commitments. Otherwise, my Quadrant I ambitions were not realistic. Will it pay off for you? I don't know, but I think you'll know as soon as you read the book, so your only investment to find out will be a few bucks and an hour or two.

[bassdrone42]

I read Covey after GTD.

The real problem I found with Covey was assigning meaning to a project or task, ie determining if something was important to you or not.

It left me asking the question "If it's not important why would I want to do it anyway?"

GTD solves this problem when you are processing your inbox:

Do it, Delegate, Defer or Delete.

[avrum68]

GTD provided me with a system that works...and that's HUGE. However I found it to be very white-collar, dry and zzzzzzzzzz. Allen tries to spice things up with pop-zen shtick, but it seemed shallow.

I found 7 Habits to a be a huge inspiration...so much so, I've trained staff in the methodology/theory. And they found it inspiring as well.

If you're new to the whole self-improvement genre...Covey's work is a must read. Beyond inspiration, I'd read GTD as well as the Now Habit (if you're a procrastinator.)

[mcogilvie]

I don't want to offend anyone, but when I think of the 7 habits, I think of factory employees lined up in rows shouting "Synergize Principles of Creative Communication" , and I remember



One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.


I think "win-win" should be banned and "quantum" should be confined to science. Wait, I'm reconsidering "win-win": we can't do without the very useful "lose-lose.";) But "synergize" has got to go. Here's something from www.despair.com that might be relevant:

Consulting:
If you're not a part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem.

[tim99]

We're going on a 10 vaction in about 10 daysI recommend you get the book for yourself and the book on three CDs for your spouse to listen to. It will take you time to read the book, digest the information, and make your first attempt at GTD. I recommend you relax and read the book and listen to the CDs on your vacation...while thinking about putting aside two days after your vacation to make your lists and put everything into files as explained in the book. Enjoy your vacation, spend the next work week back purchasing desks and files and folders and inboxes and creating your separate spaces, and spend the next weekend going through all your stuff and lists.


...Secondly, from what I've read on the forum for some reason the terminology of this system sounds awkward to me...."next action" rather than to do, and "contexts" rather than locations.GTD Lingo: Everything you have *in your head* that you want done or want to do reqires a specific sequence of *action items* to move toward the *successful completion* or *successful outcome* that you want to acomplish. Each sequence of *action items* is a project or sub-project. The very next *action item* that you need to do is the *next action* to get that project moving.

The goal of GTD is to get all those things out of your head and onto lists, and to get them on to lists in a way that the required steps are separated out, and to identify the very *next action* that needs to be done.

Instead of putting "mow the lawn" on your "todo" list, you put "mow the lawn" on your *projects list* and the very *next action* you write down on the "mow the lawn" project action item list is "go over to Larry's house and get mower back". There will be other action items on that list that follow...BUT...think of this...on a typical Saturday you might procrastinate when you look at a todo list that says "mow the lawn" because you really can not mow the lawn because your mower is over at Larry's. But wait, on Thursday night, you COULD HAVE gone over to Larry's and brought the mower home, because that is an easy action item, maybe even fun...and required as the very *next action* to get that project moving. So on your weekly review, you identify "go over to Larry's house and get mower back" as separate from "mow the lawn" so during the week you have two or move action items that you can do as little steps toward your completing your projects...which is exactly what the good books on procrastinating recommend.

Oh, and contexts are more powerful than locations...@internet...@computer...@phone could all be done in the same location or three separeate locations, depending on your day and schedule. You could have one context for @phonechurch and another for @phonework and another for @phonegirlscouts that would allow you to plan for a blocks of time where you would call a specific group of people about separate things. What ever works for you.

tim99.

[tim99]

I am impressed with your current scheduling methods. I also schedule out my tasks based on days of the week. But people here are hammering on me to not do that. I agree with your scheduling blocks of your days to be at specific locations or contexts, but pure GTD would not recommend that you then write your action items into those blocks. The only things that GTD would have you schedule on your calendar is things that MUST be done on or by that date and time. Like a doctor's appointment.

If you have 20 action items that need to be done @bluedeskwork that will take 20 hours, and you will be @bluedeskwork four times this next week for five hours each, I believe that GTD would have you schedule and block out when you will be @bluedeskwork...but then would have you put those 20 action items in a separate folder marked @bluedeskwork for you to work on in sequence when you are @bluedeskwork. The action items would be in a continuous sequenced list or stack of note cards or stack of paper from the first to the last separate from your calendar. When you go to @bluedeskwork, you open that folder and do the very *next action* without looking at a list of five or six items. YOU LOOK AT ONE VERY *NEXT ACTION* and do that without thinking about if you are going to successfully complete all your "mondaybluedeskitems* for that day. And if you do three items, you were a success for doing three instead of a failure for not doing five.

tim99.

[kewms]

If you have 20 action items that need to be done @bluedeskwork that will take 20 hours, and you will be @bluedeskwork four times this next week for five hours each, I believe that GTD would have you schedule and block out when you will be @bluedeskwork...but then would have you put those 20 action items in a separate folder marked @bluedeskwork for you to work on in sequence when you are @bluedeskwork. The action items would be in a continuous sequenced list or stack of note cards or stack of paper from the first to the last separate from your calendar. When you go to @bluedeskwork, you open that folder and do the very *next action* without looking at a list of five or six items. YOU LOOK AT ONE VERY *NEXT ACTION* and do that without thinking about if you are going to successfully complete all your "mondaybluedeskitems* for that day.

I'm not saying you're wrong -- I don't have the book in front of me -- but my understanding of GTD is nowhere near this rigid. My understanding is that you should select which specific NA to do at the moment of decision, not in advance. The rationale being that it's impossible to say, at Weekly Review time, exactly how your priorities, energy level, and time availability will constrain what you can do.

Katherine

[tim99]

I'm not saying you're wrong -- I don't have the book in front of me -- but my understanding of GTD is nowhere near this rigid.Please do not take my attempt to come up with a specific example as trying to state one rigid method.

Ok...the original poster is highlighting blocks of time during a week to be at specific locations/contexts, and then writing into those time blocks todo lists to do at those locations during those time blocks.

So, if the original poster was going to be at the phone at five different times this next week they would have five different todo lists scheduled by time on a calendar. Or, in GTD lingo, if the original poster was going to be at the same @context five different times this next week, they are writing out five different @context NA lists.

My point is that if these NA lists do not have specific time appointment schedules, I believe that GTD would recommend one continous @context list instead of five.

tim99.

[kewms]

Yes, certainly you should assign contexts to each NA in advance, and certainly you only need to review the NAs for the particular context in which you find yourself. But beyond that, I believe DA explicitly avoids the kind of advance prioritization you're suggesting.

For me, though, the more important point is that I would be completely unable to follow such strict prioritization -- I've tried it -- so I don't really care whether DA advocates it or not.

Katherine

[tim99]

A general question for people knowledgeable in GTD, just to help me understand this: If I have a paper NA system, where each action item is on one sheet of paper, and I have 50 sheets of separate action items in my @workdesk context folder...do you believe that David's GTD would say that I should sit at my desk on Monday morning and sift through all those 50 NAs and pick one at that time, or do you belive that David's GTD would have me sift those 50 NAs into some order during my weekly review, so that later when I am at my @workdesk I open my context folder and start with the action item on top of the pile?

And what works for you?

tim99.

[kewms]

If I have a paper NA system, where each action item is on one sheet of paper, and I have 50 sheets of separate action items in my @workdesk context folder...do you believe that with GTD I should sit at my desk on Monday morning and sift through all those 50 NAs and pick one at that time, or do you belive that with GTD I sift those 50 NAs into some order during my weekly review, so that later when I am at my @workdesk I open my context folder and start with the action item on top of the pile?

I believe that you should never have 50 NAs in any context, because it's not realistic to expect to get that much done in a single week. At weekly review time, you should decide which ones you won't do this week, and move those to your Someday/Maybe list. Then, on Monday morning, you sit at your desk, flip through more like 5-15 NAs, and pick the one that is the best match with your available time, energy level, and priorities/interests.

If you happen to finish all 15 NAs by, say, Wednesday, congratulations! Hooray! Look over your other NA lists and decide which context to switch to, or go to your project and/or Someday/Maybe list and find more stuff to do. Give yourself a longer list next week. But I'm willing to bet you won't have this problem very often.

Katherine

[mcogilvie]

(D)o you believe that David's GTD would say that I should sit at my desk on Monday morning and sift through all those 50 NAs and pick one at that time, or do you belive that David's GTD would have me sift those 50 NAs into some order during my weekly review, so that later when I am at my @workdesk I open my context folder and start with the action item on top of the pile?

And what works for you?

tim99.

I think he would say that shifting priorities and changes in energy and time available make it very difficult to maintain a coherent sorted order, and it's not worth it for most people. However, if you have 50 next actions in a single context, each on a single sheet of paper, it's going to take a long time to do anything with them. Are you sure your system is really meeting your needs? A single list on one page or two for each context is a lot easier and faster to review. If you insist on prioritizing, electronic is really a lot easier, so perhaps you should consider that option.

What works for me: I set priorities, but do not display them. This encourages me to look at my whole list, but tends to keep important things near the top. I do quite a few quick items as little breaks from larger tasks in the same context. This is extremely effective for me.

[andersons]

I completly disagree. I believe that at the weekly review you DO decide your order of NAs, your contexts, maybe your energy level, maybe the time required...so then later in the week, when you are at a "context/energylevel/timeavailable" your *next action* given to you by your *trusted system* based on those filters.

OK, now I'm very curious where you got the idea that you order your NAs during your weekly review!





The book is quite adamant:
"No more 'Daily To-Do' Lists. . .Such lists don't work, for two reasons. First, constant new input and shifting tactical priorities reconfigure daily work so consistently that it's virtually impossible to nail down to-do items ahead of time. . .Trying to keep a list in writing on the calendar, which must be rewritten on another day if items don't get done, is demoralizing and a waste of time. . .Second, if there's something on a daily to-do list that doesn't absolutely have to get done that day, it will dilute the emphasis on the things that truly do. . ."


"Priority -- Given the context you're in and the time and energy you have, the obvious next criterion for action choice is relative priority."



This describes on-the-fly prioritization based on where you are now and how much time and energy you have right now. You can't know all that ahead of time during your weekly review.

The "next" in the term "next action" is in relationship to the project outcome, not to the previous action you just did. So, What's the next action you want to take to move a project forward? Not, What's the sequence of all my actions next week?

[Aspen]

I didn't want to order it because of how quickly we are leaving, but I have now checked with 4 stores and no one carries it. My husband said he'll check Books a Million tomorrow.

I downloaded some forms from the DIY site yesterday and at our week's review time tried to incorporate the "next action" idea into our lists of what has to get done. This week is obviously extra important as we leave out so quickly afterward and I do find listing "to dos" more realistically as projects has been helpful. I think my DH will benefit a lot from thinking this way because he really has a struggle trying to prioritize or organize his time at all--I'm not quite as sure about me, but I am sure I'll end up with some kind of hybrid system. I have so much to get done in a week that I use my big picture goals in each role to help me regulate what I'm willing to take on in addition. My Covey "compass cards" are a great help to me in planning and trying to balance my roles.

I do have one concern maybe someone can help with--and I understand actually reading the book should help with this--but I am looking to have less paperwork to deal with not increase it. I dont want 30 sheets of paper listing one project each in folders all over my life--is that what is advocated in this system? I listed one project this week as pre-vacation appointments, and then under that heading there were 6 seperate appointments to be made....most of them had more than one step involved (get the mechanics phone number from Dawn for example) which as I understand it "should" have made each of those things a project, but I like to look at one sheet and see everything I have to get done this week for our vacation. I just wrote in small print beneath each item what steps had to be done to complete that task. How am I looking at this system incorrectly?

[kewms]

I do have one concern maybe someone can help with--and I understand actually reading the book should help with this--but I am looking to have less paperwork to deal with not increase it. I dont want 30 sheets of paper listing one project each in folders all over my life--is that what is advocated in this system?

No. GTD does not advocate any particular organizing system. It is a method that can be used with whichever system you prefer.

Katherine

[andersons]

A general question for people knowledgeable in GTD, just to help me understand this: If I have a paper NA system, where each action item is on one sheet of paper, and I have 50 sheets of separate action items in my @workdesk context folder...do you believe that David's GTD would say that I should sit at my desk on Monday morning and sift through all those 50 NAs and pick one at that time, or do you belive that David's GTD would have me sift those 50 NAs into some order during my weekly review, so that later when I am at my @workdesk I open my context folder and start with the action item on top of the pile?

Definitely the former. You pick your action when you're ready to act. I base this answer on the book as I described in my previous post, and I'm assuming there's no second edition recommending something different.

And since GTD says not to order your actions in advance, then you gain nothing with the separate sheets of paper. Choosing among your actions on the fly, as recommended by GTD, will always take more time to sift through separate sheets than to scan a list of items. Every time.


But of course I may be wrong. If I am, this may be one of the reasons that I am struggling with GTD.
I've read all your posts, and yup, I think it is.

I think anyone would struggle with 1) keeping a current inventory of every multi-step project (GTD), 2) keeping a current inventory of every single next action (GTD), and 3) determining the order of all of them during a weekly review!

I saw earlier that you were trying to order all your actions ahead of time, but I assumed that you were adding that as your own personal preference. I didn't realize you saw it as a requirement of GTD. GTD leans more toward prohibiting it as opposed to requiring it.

[mcogilvie]

I didn't want to order it because of how quickly we are leaving, but I have now checked with 4 stores and no one carries it. My husband said he'll check Books a Million tomorrow.


Wow! I live in a major midwestern city, and Borders shows the paperback in stock in 4 of 6 stores within 25 miles of my home. It is not a rare, hard-to-find book by any means.

I'm going to give you some unsolicited advice. If you will be travelling by air, there is a fairly good chance that the GTD book is in stock at an airport bookstore you will pass by. If you see it, buy it and read it. If not, get it when you return home. GTD is best implemented in the middle of life as you lead it, anyway.

It's important to understand that GTD is rather neutral on how it is implemented. Basically, you have

Calendar: for scheduled events, due date, "hard" stuff
Project List(s): Things to get done with more than 1 next action
Next Action Lists: the next physical actions needed, usually for projects
Project Support Materials: project plans, information, et cetera

Stuff comes in, and can be unambiguously placed in one of these four categories, or it is reference material to be filed, or it is trash. GTD gives you an algorithm for processing stuff into categories. Don't put stuff where it doesn't belong. You don't want long lists of stuff that need to be copied from day to day on your calendar so you can feel bad that you didn't do it. During the day, your calendar places the strongest constraints on you. Discretionary time is devoted to a) doing work as it shows up b) doing predefined work c) defining what your work is. If you can, record a next action for a project when you stop working on it, to get you going when you start up again. The weekly review tidies everything up, and ensures all the projects are moving with doable next actions. David also highly recommends checklists for things like packing for trips, parties, et cetera. I have undoubtedly left out some important things, but that is a bare-bones description. No magic. But if followed with diligence, it turns just about every day into a pretty good day.

If you want to see what a working GTD system looks like, the $10 Outlook white paper will give you an example, and can be downloaded immediately. I paid more at the time, and found it valuable, even though I was not using Outlook at the time. Also you can download the free pdf's on setting up a paper system and a palm system.

[tim99]

And since GTD says not to order your actions in advance, then you gain nothing with the separate sheets of paper. Choosing among your actions on the fly, as recommended by GTD, will always take more time to sift through separate sheets than to scan a list of items. Every time.KA BOOM again. This is good stuff also.


I saw earlier that you were trying to order all your actions ahead of time, but I assumed that you were adding that as your own personal preference. I didn't realize you saw it as a requirement of GTD. GTD leans more toward prohibiting it as opposed to requiring it.Maybe I got off track when reading here about LifeBalance. I am working on making context folders tonight. But tomorrow is Wednesday...how will I know what to do without a "Wednesday" folder? Oh noooo Mr. Billlllllll.

tim99.

[fossicker]

I do have one concern maybe someone can help with--and I understand actually reading the book should help with this--but I am looking to have less paperwork to deal with not increase it. I dont want 30 sheets of paper listing one project each in folders all over my life--is that what is advocated in this system? I listed one project this week as pre-vacation appointments, and then under that heading there were 6 seperate appointments to be made....most of them had more than one step involved (get the mechanics phone number from Dawn for example) which as I understand it "should" have made each of those things a project, but I like to look at one sheet and see everything I have to get done this week for our vacation. I just wrote in small print beneath each item what steps had to be done to complete that task. How am I looking at this system incorrectly?

Very little is correct or incorrect in GTD, different things work for different people.

The goal of GTD is that you come up with a system that you can trust completely. With a trusted system, you don't need to store anything in your head because you have recorded everything, in a place where you can find it when you find yourself in the right time and place to take action.

The system you describe strays from the ideal in that your one sheet has many items to do on it that are impossible for you to do at a given time or place. some you can't do until the preceding tasks have been completed. some have to wait until you are near a phone, or near a computer. You have to read through the entire list to see what it is that you can do at a given moment. The idea is to do this kind of processing in advance, so when you are ready to act you know exactly what to do.

If you're getting ready to go on vacation, chances are many of your activities will be at home, out doing errands, or on the phone (if you have a cell phone, the phone can be a separate "context" so you can, for example, make a call or two while you're getting an oil change). It's fine to put all of these on one sheet of paper, as long as they are grouped together by context, so you don't have to read "get luggage out of attic" when you're at the shopping mall.

[andersons]

Maybe I got off track when reading here about LifeBalance. I am working on making context folders tonight. But tomorrow is Wednesday...how will I know what to do without a "Wednesday" folder? Oh noooo Mr. Billlllllll.
Ah -- LifeBalance is another story! The outcome should be the same whether you use LifeBalance or paper: usable context-based NA lists from which you can easily choose actions on the fly. But there's a big difference between the specific habits you need when using paper versus LB. Paper lists must be suitably short and focused.

GTD does not want to require specific software; and it's impractical to prioritize all your actions yourself (as you have found - right?); so GTD tells you not to prioritize all of them. Picking one intuitively at a given time should be easier than ordering them all in advance. Therefore, with paper, your lists must be short enough on Wednesday that you can intuitively decide what to do. So with paper I would have moved many of my actions to a Someday/Maybe list (basically the ones that are at the bottom of my LB list now). I would have figured that out during last week's weekly review, broadly prioritizing my projects and their actions into 2 categories: 1) next week ("active"), and 2) after next week (Someday/Maybe). If you are faithful with these decisions during frequent reviews, your on-the-fly which-action decisions will get easier.

But it's a different set of habits than with LB; useful action lists are achieved in a different way. With LB, I don't figure out exactly what's this week and what's Someday/Maybe. I let the prioritization model put the high-priority stuff at the top of the list, so I don't care how long it is; I can easily see what I want to do now near the top. Essentially, I have a long continuous priority ordering instead of a binary cutoff at some point. The advantage is that it's more flexible; I don't have to decide exactly what's next week and what's after that. I tend to keep the future on my radar more. I don't have to move things from Someday/Maybe to active; they rise to the top. I sometimes do lower-priority items further down because I have the perfect opportunity to do them, while I might have forgotten them had I not seen them right then. And I cut down my review time. But the disadvantage is that I could be less focused on or committed to exactly what I want to do this week. And there's a bit of a learning curve to LB.

BTW, you are not the first one to ask "How will I know what to do?" There must be 500 threads here about this.

My advice about ordering in the ListPro/LB/MLO thread on the Gear forum does not apply to paper at all. Those are specific habits for LB/MLO only. And my advice in your paper implementation thread on this forum does not apply to LB/MLO. Maybe we can continue discussion about those different implementations in those other threads so as not to mix things up too much in this one. :-)

[tim99]

BTW, you are not the first one to ask "How will I know what to do?" There must be 500 threads here about this.Yes. In this thread two posters basically said "read the book at it will all be clear to you". Well, I just do not believe that completelly. The problems that I am having I see other people having also. And all of us claim to have read the book.

tim99.

[tim99]

My advice about ordering in the ListPro/LB/MLO thread on the Gear forum does not apply to paper at all. Those are specific habits for LB/MLO only. And my advice in your paper implementation thread on this forum does not apply to LB/MLO. Maybe we can continue discussion about those different implementations in those other threads so as not to mix things up too much in this one. :-)Yes...but I think it is too late.

tim99.

[TesTeq]

Yes. In this thread two posters basically said "read the book at it will all be clear to you". Well, I just do not believe that completelly. The problems that I am having I see other people having also. And all of us claim to have read the book.

tim99.
GTD tells you what to do in a given moment (in microscale of minutes and hours) but first you must define what to do (what is the successful outcome) in the long term (in macroscale of days/weeks/months/years).

In his book DA discusses this problem (Natural Planning Model and 10k..50k levels).

[TesTeq]

Unfortunately the original GTD workflow diagram is available only in Spanish at DavidCo site but you can find it in DIYPlanner templates at http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official/classic.
Just found it in English at http://www.davidco.com/pdfs/tt_workflow_chart.pdf.

[izzy]

Hi Aspen!

I started with GTD a couple of weeks ago and find it really suits me. I'm just doing the basics at the moment, even though, I see a great improvement in my efficiency.

I have a set of shelves in my home office. On the top shelf I've got two in trays: the top one is "stuff" which I just chuck in as it comes to hand or comes to mind. This "stuff" gets be sorted through every Saturday morning (that's when the weekly bank balance comes in, so it's a good time to check "stuff" like bills that should have been paid).
If there's anything that can be dealt with immediately on Saturday, it comes out of the top tray and gets dealt with immediately. David says, "If you can get it done in two minutes, then do it."
Other "stuff" goes in to the next in tray down. This is the one for long-term projects, i.e. putting all these photos of the grandchildren into an album.
Nothing goes back into the top in tray. That's important. There's nothing left over, hanging around in that in tray and making me feel inadequate ;)
On the shelves underneath I have folders and papers related to the projects I'm working on, e.g. two big editing jobs and three writing jobs; moving house next year ...

I also have my appointment calendar, the kitchen calendar and my tickler (you'll find out about that beautiful thing when you read the book :D ). The appointment calendar is ONLY for my appointments; the kitchen calendar is appointments for both myself and my husband (so we don't make dinner dates or whatever on days when the other one has to be in a different town); the tickler is for GTD actions on a specific day.

As I said, I'm new at the game and think I may not be going 100% by the book. What counts, though, is that what I'm doing works for me. And that's how it'll work out for you, too, Aspen. Get the book and try out and adapt the first few steps to your life-style and needs. Have fun!

[Aspen]

Now we shall see if anything becomes more clear ;-)

[andersons]

In this thread two posters basically said "read the book at it will all be clear to you". Well, I just do not believe that completelly. The problems that I am having I see other people having also. And all of us claim to have read the book.
Now, now! I don't see that at all! We were all saying the same thing. And we didn't know exactly where you were coming from at first.

And we were all encouraging Aspen to read the book because we've all learned a lot of helpful things from it! You told her to read the book, too. :)

And no, you're not alone with the general problem you've been having. The priority question is extremely common, probably a Top 2 FAQ. Honestly, the book does not discuss it much. That's probably why it's such a FAQ. And that's why this forum can be a valuable resource. Many strategies have emerged since the book was first published.

You are unique, though, in my experience, in even attempting to prioritize 150 actions during a weekly review. I haven't seen that specific difficulty before. If I had thought GTD absolutely required that kind of labor, I would have tossed it in the trash immediately. I guess I'm much lazier than you are. ;-)