GTD in a Nutshell
GTD - Getting Things Done, the productivity process by David Allen, is a powerful, yet incredibly simple, system to reduce stress in your life, get organized, and increase your productivity. There are 5 basic steps to the GTD process, Collect, Process, Organize, Review, and Doing. I highly recommend you get the book, but here it is in a nutshell (but really, get the book!)
Collect
Pay attention to what is grabbing your attention, Empty your head
When those nagging little thoughts keep popping up, you can't focus on the job at hand. Thoughts like "oh, yeah, I have to pick up milk on the way home", "Kiddo has a recital at 7 tonight", "dangit, I was supposed to get that proposal to Bob an hour ago". Instead of doing what you are supposed to be doing right now, you are stressing over the things you have to do, remember, and what you already forgot. Find a system that works for you to COLLECT this junk and get it OUT of your head. For some, its simply a notepad that is never out of reach, others use apps on their phones or computers. There is no right or wrong way to collect, as long as you find something you use consistently. Once you trust that system, you won't be stressing over those thoughts because you know the moment you have one, it will be on that collection list, and therefore wont be forgotten.
Process
Make decisions when things show up, not when they blow up
Your collection list is like your inbox - you have process those items and decide where they go next. Take care of the little things, get them done and off the list. Delegate what's not yours
Organize
The system suggests ways to organize your info - someday lists, action, 'tickler' files. The point is to get these things where they belong and get them back out again at the right time and place. Calendars are one of the organization points. If you have to do something on a specific day and it isn't on a calendar, then you have to worry about missing it when that day comes around.
Review
Keep current and “ahead of the game”
Regular schedule of reviewing calendars, folders, lists ensures you aren't missing anything, and helps you to 'tweak' your process.
Doing
Notice how you choose to spend your time, Make trusted choices
And of course, DO those things. Get them done, off the list, and continually evaluate your process of doing to make sure the important stuff is getting done and on time.
Focus on making small, continuous improvements.
Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small pieces.” The same concept configured as a question: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. This philosophy holds true for achieving your biggest goals. Making small, positive changes is an amazing way to get excited about life and slowly reach the level of success you aspire to.
And if you start small, you don’t need a lot of motivation to get started. The simple act of getting started and doing something will give you the momentum you need, and soon you’ll find yourself in a positive spiral of changes – one building on the other.
Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they arise. It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier. And that’s the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on bigger challenges.
Photo by RG
via 12 Things Successful People Do Differently.
SMART Goals
Successful people are objective. They have realistic targets in mind. They know what they are looking for and why they are fighting for it. Successful people create and pursue S.M.A.R.T. goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week for the next 52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished because it has defined parameters and constraints.
Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress of a goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is accomplished? etc. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal.
Attainable – To be attainable, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?
Relevant – Relevance stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. For example, an internet entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs overarching objective of building a profitable online business.
Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame, giving the goal a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.
When you identify S.M.A.R.T. goals that are truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to attain them. You develop the necessary attitude, abilities, and skills. You can achieve almost any goal you set if you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that once seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.
via 12 Things Successful People Do Differently.
Successful people measure and track their progress
Successful people are not only working in their job/business, they are also working on it. They step back and assess their progress regularly. They track themselves against their goals and clearly know what needs to be done to excel and accelerate.
You can’t control what you don’t properly measure. If you track the wrong things you’ll be completely blind to potential opportunities as they appear over the horizon. Imagine if, while running a small business, you made it a point to keep track of how many pencils and paperclips you used. Would that make any sense? No! Because pencils and paperclips are not a measure of what’s important for a business. Pencils and paperclips have no bearing on income, customer satisfaction, market growth, etc.
The proper approach is to figure out what your number one goal is and then track the things that directly relate to achieving that goal. I recommend that you take some time right now to identify your number one goal, identify the most important things for you to keep track of, and then begin tracking them immediately. On a weekly basis, plug the numbers into a spreadsheet and use the data to create weekly or monthly trend graphs so you can visualize your progress. Then fine-tune your actions to get those trends to grow in your favor.
via 12 Things Successful People Do Differently.
Focus on being productive, not busy
In "The 4-Hour Workweek", Tim Ferris says, “Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is often a form of mental laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” In other words, “work smarter, not harder.”
Take a quick look around. The "busy" outnumber the "productive".
Busy people are rushing all over the place, and running late half of the time. They’re heading to work, conferences, meetings, social engagements, etc. They barely have enough free time for family get-togethers and they rarely get enough sleep.
Their busy schedule gives them an elevated sense of importance. But it’s all an illusion. They’re like hamsters running on a wheel.
The solution: Slow down. Breathe. Review your commitments and goals. Put first things first. Do one thing at a time. Start now. Take a short break in two hours. Repeat.
And always remember, results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.
via 12 Things Successful People Do Differently.
How to Prioritize in 4 Simple Steps
1. Organize your calendar for anything that's important but not urgent.
Become consistent with your actions, building rituals that you do on a regular basis.
2. Set aside to reflect upon the day.
Take 15 to 20 minutes at the end of the day to outline the most important tasks to get done the following day. You'll not only prioritize while it's fresh on your mind, you'll recognize the sense of importance when you tackle it first thing in the morning.
3. Do the most important thing on your list first when you get to work in the morning
While it's easy to get lured into the fast pace of e-mail or social media, try keeping email closed and your cell phone on silent. The more focused you are, the more you'll get accomplished. When you're done, take a break. (It's just as important to your productivity as any other action you take!)
4. Take breaks
Take at least one scheduled break in the morning, one in the afternoon, and leave your desk for lunch. These are each important opportunities to renew yourself so that your energy doesn't run down as the day wears on. They're also opportunities to briefly take stock of your progress and get back on track.
Ask yourself a few questions to make sure you are prioritizing your actions:
Did I accomplish what I set to get done since the last break and if not, why not?
What do I want to accomplish between now and my next break, and what do I have to say "no" to, in order to make that possible?
via How to Prioritize in Four Simple Steps | Psychology Today.
Questions to help you review your goals and accomplishments & look ahead
What have you actually finished, completed, and accomplished?
You are making lists of the things you want to accomplish and HAVE accomplished, right? No? Then start now!
Review your accomplishments in a month, 6 months, and year:
- What was your biggest triumph?
- What was the smartest decision you made?
- What one word best sums up and describes your experience?
- What was the greatest lesson you learned?
- What was the most loving service you performed?
- What is your biggest piece of unfinished business?
- What are you most happy about completing?
- Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life?
- What was the biggest risk you took?
- What was the biggest surprise?
- What important relationship improved the most?
- What compliment would you like to have received?
- What compliment would you like to have given?
- What else do you need to do or say to be complete this cycle (these past 30 day, 6 months, or year)?
Now that you've looked back, start to think ahead:
- What would you like to be your biggest triumph in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What is the major effort you are planning to improve your financial results in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What would you be most happy about completing in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What major indulgence are you willing to experience in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What would you most like to change about yourself in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What are you looking forward to learning in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What do you think your biggest risk will be in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What about your work are you most committed to changing and improving in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What is one as yet undeveloped talent you are willing to explore in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
- What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that in 2012?
- Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving in 2012?
- What one word would you like to have as your theme in the next 30 days/6 months/1 year?
Photo by RG
via Questions for completing and beginning the year | GTD Times.
Be More Productive Tip 4: Tackling Your TODO list
The problem with not managing well normally boils down to:
- You don't collect everything in your head because you don’t always have your list available
- Your list is such as mess that you do not know which one to do first
- Your tasks are not well written and are so vague/"big" that you do not know how or where to start
- When you are at the place you want to do something you don’t have your list with you to remind what needs to be done
- Because you don't always have your list available to get everything gathered into one place, you don’t trust your list as the dependable source of all you have to get done
The "Getting Things Done" process is a way to relearn and improve how you manage your life's TODO lists. The smartphone and web are probably the best things that happen to task management. You can collect tasks wherever you are because you probably always have your phone with you.
The first item on a highly successful to-do list: Make a better to-do list. Your list shouldn't be another source of anxiety. And if you have a sloppy, out of control list of things to do, thats exactly what it will be: a huge reminder of what you have left to do instead of a roadmap to success. A well-maintained list is an essential tool for staying grounded, for saving your energy and for doing things rather than trying to remember what to do.
To start with, a successful, manageable TODO list should be limited to TASKS: specific things that can be tackled right away and finished fairly soon. For example, if Client X needs you to fix why they can't access their VPN, instead of listing "solve client x's problem" write, "update Client Xs VPN software" as your first task. If that doesn't work, add your next step task. don't leave such a vague item that you can't cross it off when you complete a portion of the event. For more difficult projects, this will help you see that you are truly making progress, otherwise "solve Client x's problem" could stay on your list for months and you will feel like its never going to be resolved even though you have actually completed many relevant and important tasks.
To help you keep from procrastinating tasks (and over-scheduling your day!), treat them like appointments. Set a time and date to do them, and do them. Just like you wouldn't blow-off a meeting with your manager or a client, don't blow off your task. Treat it just like any other appointment on your calendar: by attending to it promptly and within the time allotted.
Lastly, make sure you are using a system you TRUST. Your have to determine what bests for you, what method helps you to consistently add items to your list the moment they pop into your head or present themselves. Whather that's a small notebok and pen, or a smartphone app, then get to the point that when "oh yeah, the cake for Kiddo's party needs to be picked up this afternoon at 5!", you pull out that list and jot down "TODAY, 5 PM: pick up cake at Cake R Us." Your list should be something you trst, so now you can stop worrying about not remembering to get Kiddo's cake and ruining their 6th birthday party, which they will never forgive you for ...
By they way, they WILL forgive you, so forgive yourself, and make next year better by showing everyone, and yourself, that your TODO list is complete, manageable, and leads you to success!
More posts in the Productivity Tip Series:
Log Your Day
Plan Your Day
Prioritize, Delegate, & Do Quality Work
Be More Productive Tip 3: Prioritize, Delegate, & do Quality Work
Prioritize your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.
Only you can determine which tasks are most important, the exact same task for me may be at the bottom of my list, but you need to make it a priority because of our diffeent focus at the job. Regardless, the tasks that affect your career, your well-being, and your reputation need to be made high priority.
Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.
Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else. Perfectionists (myself included) have the hardest time with delegation because we are afraid no one else will do the job right. Some tasks don't need to be done to our specifications, they just need to be done. Delegate them. Review items on your list, are you truly the best person to handle them? Delegate them.
Do quality, timely work. Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall. Do it right the first time, and you won't have to do it again.
Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done. Don't keep putting off starting a task because it seems to large to complete in the time you have available. Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.
Limit distractions. Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, pager and e-mail.
Evaluate how you're spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for at least a week to determine how you're spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely. Note that this diary is not the work journal I referred to in Tip 1. This is a diary of EVERYTHING you do, from how long you spend getting ready for work each morning and how long/what you did on your commute, to how much time you watched TV when you got home. At the end of the week, review it. Look for ways to improve your habits to provide yourself more time for whats truly important to you. You may be surprised to find just how muh time you can free up for yourself each day.
Did you miss the first 2 tips? Find them here:
Tip 1: Log Your Day
Tip 2: Plan Your day
Be more productive & reduce stress tip 2: Plan your day
One of the most important things you can do to increase your productivity and reduce your stress is to plan each day.
Planning starts with your previous day. Review your previous day either at the end of the day, or the very first thing you do to start the next day. Start building today's to-do from yesterday's activities: (Read TIP 1 - LOG YOUR DAY)
- Are there items you need to follow up on? If you can close the task by sending an email or making a quick phone call, stop and do those items now.
- Did you complete all of the days tasks? Add tasks you need to complete to your todo list.
- Add todays calendar items to your todo list
Planning your day will reduce stress, over scheduling, and stop projects and tasks from "falling through the cracks". Experiment with tools until you find what works for you. For some, this will be a simple pocket notebook where they jot down everything they do all day (see "keep a work diary") and to-do lists, for others it will be integrating their Blackberry to-do lists with Outlook and calendars. There is no wrong answer, as long the system you choose works for you and you USE it.
As an example, my personal planning routine goes something like this:
- First thing each morning, read through my previous days journal.
- Update my journal with more details if needed to make the record more complete for future reference.
- Update my calendar and to-do list from items in the journal.
- Send emails and make phone calls for items I have to follow up on.
- Take care of all items on my to-do list I can do in less than 5 minutes.
- Start scheduling what tasks I will tackle at what part of the day
Now, if your work schedule is anything like mine, then its IMPOSSIBLE to say 'at 10 am I am going to call So-n-So and get this item resolved and then at 1 pm I am going to finish building the SQL report for the accounting department'. But, I can get that report onto my to-do list and make sure my managers know I have to have time to work on it. Since I work in customer support, the specifics of each day are up in the air, but I still have projects to be completed. By planning, I am not as stressed about them, and everyone in my department knows I have a schedule and tasks that I stick to (not only making management happier with my performance, but giving me a much better relationship with my clients as well, since they know I ALWAYS follow up.
Did you miss the first in this series? Catch up now by going back and reading "Tip 1 - Log Your Day"