I’d heard so much over the past year about GTD this and GTD that. I had no idea what folks were talking about until Richard Poole began blogging about his desire for personal organization and how using the “Getting Things Done” principles found in David Allen’s book had helped him.

During his process, he also began reviewing several pieces of software that applied the GTD concepts. They included Thinking Rock, iGTD, and Omnifocus.

Since I am a fluid thinker and tortuous multi-tasker, I filed the book away mentally as something I’d like to get done… It wasn’t too long before a particularly overwhelming week hit that provoked me to finally order the copy of the book that had been sitting in my Amazon Wishlist.

I’ve been plowing through it for several weeks, and I must admit that it almost immediately began transforming my workspaces and habits. One of the primary points of Allen’s material is that our brains are profoundly able to retain information…. That’s not necessarily a good thing for many of us.

Every little to-do, project, honey-do, and urgent item that has ever crossed your mind is still buried in there somewhere. Over the course of time, you began to feel stressed and overwhelmed because you’re juggling so much mentally. Even things that carry relatively no weight – things that you just occasionally want to get to “someday” – occupy your mind with equal frequency as the need to finalize that big project.

So the first thing you do with GTD is simply to begin the collection process. Allen recommends setting aside an entire day for this. It’s a literal, physical collection process. Everything that lying around your house, office, in files on your computer, bulging email inbox, and floating around in your brain becomes part of this process. The goal is to simply empty it all into appropriate “collection buckets.” Whether file folders, trash cans or folders on your computer, Allen’s book guides you through this process.

As I’ve done this, I must admit that it’s mentally freeing to see accumulated piles of stuff – some things in them dating back a few years! – disappearing and being acted on, filed, or trashed.

The next step is “processing.” After collecting everything into one spot, now begins the time-consuming step of going through it all. He advocates a 2-minute rule in this step. If you come across something that you realize you could get done within 2 minutes, then stop and do it then. You’ll be surprised – I was – of how true that is. It’s also VERY encouraging to see things dwindling and getting done.

The next step is “organizing.” It’s this step that I’m still working on, but I’ve purchased a little file stand for my new filing system. Allen recommends the following broad categories: a “tickler” file (Someday/Maybe), Errands, Waiting (things that you’ve passed off to someone else but need to remind yourself of), Projects, and Reference (things you don’t need to act on but want to keep).

Obviously, you’ll also begin to create a more indepth filing system, but those are essential. Allen’s book is definitely not “pie-in-the-sky;” rather, it’s extremely practical and immediately useful.

After processing comes “reviewing.” You must carve into your weekly calendar a set time to sit down and review what you’ve filed. If you don’t, you’re in danger of simply getting things out of your mind and forgetting what you got them out of your mind for. You do the mind-dump in order to become more proficient and focused on what you begin to “do.”

And that’s the final step – “doing.” Start asking yourself about each project, task and floating idea, “What’s the next action step I could take on this that would advance it forward?” As you take that step, (and more like it as you then identify the next step after it), you’ll see even the largest, most daunting duties reducing in size and complexity.

I’m passing this book off to wifey, in the hopes she’ll digest it as well. It’s going on my yearly read/review list because I sense it’s one of those areas that in which I’ll need to be challenged again.

Here’s the process:

I tried to read this book before and never finished it. I’m going to try it again, as I find that things I am doing right now keep reminding me of it.

Great book!

Philosophical concepts as well as practical tips to improve your professional/personal productivity.

Ideas

• you can never be prepared for what is new
• open mind is open to everything
• think about the big things while doing the small ones
• if you’re not totally clear about the purpose of what you’re doing, you have no chance of winning
• imagination is more important than knowledge
• free your mind, your best ideas about work won’t happen while you’re at work
• the middle of every successful project looks like a disaster
• your tools are important (function follows form)

Tips

• stay relaxed (mind like water)
• clarify your commitments
• capture everything (into trusted system) and get it out ouf
  your mind
• describe successful outcome in a single sentence
• 5 stages of work: collect-process-organize-review-do
• clean up/review weekly
• review: actions-projects-areas of interest-2yr goals-5yr visions-life
• celebrate any progess, don’t wait to get perfect
• brainstorm (the best way to get a great idea is to get lots of ideas)
• project phases: survey-planning-implementation-review
• date everything you handwrite
• create context lists (at computer, calls, ...)
• focus on ONE thing
• learn to say NO
• trust your intuition
• plan from bottom and elevate the focus
• always ask “why am I doing this?”

Tools

• project manager
• task list
• calendar
• communicator (phone+email+im)
• inbox
• archive
• maybe list
• pencil + paper

There are only two nuggets of advice that I’ve been able to implement. (Well sometimes. It’s hard for me to change habits.) The first is the two minute rule. I have a lot of little 15 minute blocks. So I try to use these time cells for phone calls.

The second is to lower my expectations. It’s a bit challenging because I am quite obsessive about detail and I tend to work on something more than necessary so that it can be perfect.

What other time management books have others read and co-opted into their daily lives?

Also, I don’t think this book really serves its main target audience—busy multi-taskers who want to do it all and can’t say no. They probably have too much to do before they can complete the book in order to use and understand this system. It only works if the harried executive has a strong administrative assistant who can digest this book and then put limits on the boss for everyone’s sanity.

Maybe the author made this book more longer and wordier than it should be due to a hidden commercial agenda. I can see an executive barely squeezing the time to get through two chapters and then paging his secretary so they can make a personal appointment with the author.

Wny, why, why did I waste my time reading this? It was not intended for somebody with my lifestyle and temperament. I am not an executive. I am a slacker. I also have a bit of a packrat/Collier Brothers situation in my apartment. My home “office” area of my apartment is quite disorganized. The author states that one must begin by organizing your filing systems (virtual or physical) so that you can have easy to use inboxes. That’s an obvious first hurdle I must conquer in order for me to have an organizing system like this work.

My husband lost his copy so I haven’t finished it till now.

I’ve implemented GTD into my own personal life.

Great book! Great system. The best one I’ve come across yet!

I really love having all of my To Do’s organized by context (at computer, indoors@home, outdoors@home, errands etc.)
I can choose whatever I feel like at the time I’m in that context. I can also choose based on priority. David doesn’t and I still do but it’s made my life much simpler.

To Do lists will never go away or be empty but this really helps you get stuff out of your head and onto that list so you stop worrying or feeling guilty about it all of the time.

Great book! Better than I was expecting.

It creates a framework within which you can capture all of your responsibilities and plans and organise them efficiently. I was a little dismayed at times because some aspects were glossed over pretty quickly but David Allen writes quite generally to allow you to incorporate your own ideas and methods into the overall framework.

The unexpected benefit of using this system is how great it makes you feel to have things all written down or stored in some fashion and easily accessible. It doesn’t give you the energy to do everything you have to do, but it shows you how to use the energy you do have to its best advantage.

I can’t quite seem to find the time to get around to reading this.