What is BLACK BELT MANAGEMENT?

Get it all out of your head. Collect any “open loops” from your physical area and from Psychic RAM into one area.

Decide outcomes and next actions. Process each item from the IN BASKET using the Workflow Diagram on Page 36 of Getting Things Done.

Plan projects sufficiently to get them off your mind. Distribute your thinking about any “large” projects by creating mind maps, PERT charts or some other project plans.

Put the results of your thinking (what we call “distributed cognition”) in a complete, current, total-life reminder system, which you review regularly.

Define your work at the appropriate level(s).

Trust your intuition on your action choices.


Pages 10-11 discuss the idea of working from “zero base.” This, for me, includes dispatching next actions to the calendar or lists as soon as the action is defined.

Pages 18-19 cover managing “action” as the main driver of getting things done.

For me, black belt management can be summed up as: Identify what you’ve said yes to, and have that available to you at all times. The power of the next action decision is outlined on pages 244-248.

*Note all page numbers come from Getting Things Done (hardback).