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Getting Things Done Software to help you get things done using the GTD Methodology Getting things done is not as hard as you think. In fact, there is a whole methodology around “Getting Things Done” or GTD which was created by David Allen. His methodology is defined at http://www.davidco.com Essentially you can boil it down to a five step process:
The http://www.GTDSoftware.net site can help you with finding software that will support these steps. The goal of GTD is to free your mind to be more creative. Having it weighed down with all of the tasks you have and all of the incomplete commitments hinder your creativity. That is where the first step comes into play. Collect means to put everything you have outstanding, to do’s, tasks, open promises and commitments, into a collection system. This can be a pad of paper or it can be a software system. Most people prefer the software approach. Once you have everything written down (on paper or online), you can go through the items and process your outstanding tasks. This step is key to your success in GTD. First thing you need to consider, is it actionable? Can you do something with it? If not, then it is should be filed away as reference or perhaps something to handle in the future, or it should be trashed. Do not be afraid to trash items. If the item does have an action with it, then you should decide is this something that should be done now or can it be scheduled for later, or should you delegate this to someone else, or should you just do it. The rule that David Allen has set down is that if the task takes less than two minutes, you should just do it. If it takes longer, you set a time or date to get it done. The next step is to Organize. Things that are to be trashed are done so. Things that are to be filed out of sight are done so. Things that are in the Someday/Maybe category are filed. Things that are quickly handled should be done immediately. This is an area that you may also use various tools, your computer to manage the GTD Software, file folders, various plans, and perhaps even a mindmap. Start using your creativity here. There is a Review stage. The Review Stage should be done Daily, Weekly, and at other various occasions. Daily, you should review your tickler file, your calendar, your to do list, and any “waiting for” items you have filed. Weekly you should review Projects, any supporting files, organize any lose “stuff” from meetings or other notes, and finally, do a Mind Sweep, to clear your head. Lastly, there is the most important part of any organizational framework, the DO stage. Do the work you have defined. You should, as David Allen puts it, “Do it in the moment, guided by intuition, supported by the four previous phases, and influenced by the reality of the current situation.” You can do your tasks by Context, by Time Available, by Energy Available, and finally by Priority. Alternatively you can do any of the following at any moment; Predefined work, Defining your work, Do things as it shows up (although this is the urgency trap). You can also define your work based on David Allen’s runway analogy. The runway holds the current actions, at 10,000 feet you have your current projects, at 20,000 feet you have your areas of responsibility, at 30,000 feet you have your one to two year goals, at 40,000 feet you have your 3-5 year visions, and finally at 50,000 feet you have your overall life plan. Some key tips to the GTD methodology:
Using a software system will help you tremendously in defining your tasks, contexts, projects and calendar. The http://www.GTDSoftware.net site can help you identify the various software that are available and many of them you can try for free. All credit for this methodology goes to David Allen, the innovator of GTD.
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