GTD: Getting Things Done

GTD - High-Level

• GTD Definition, from the source
• GTD Flow diagram
• Wikipedia

Five steps of GTD

1. CAPTURE - Collect what has your attention
2. CLARIFY - Process what it means
3. ORGANIZE - Put it where it belongs
4. REFLECT - Review frequently
5. ENGAGE - Simply do

Horizons of Focus

• Horizon 5 (AKA 50k ft level): Life; Purpose, principles, and values
• Horizon 4: Long-term visions
• Horizon 3: 1-2 year goals
• Horizon 2: Areas of focus and accountability
• Horizon 1: Current projects
• Ground: Current actions

GTD Concepts that have been useful / important to me

There is no carved-in-stone method or set of tools / technologies

• and it will not work until you make it your own, and actually use what works, for YOU
• start SIMPLE; suggestion:
  • paper & pen
  • OR plain text file
• if you move to an electronic tool, ToodleDo can be a useful place to start
  • there’s a highly-functional free level, to try it out
    • via browser, and app (ex: iOS)
  • it supports both import and export

Capture is critical

• make it quick
  • capture the essence only, and keep moving
• LATER, in a Weekly Review: Clarify & Organize the InBox, to get items to the appropriate “place”
• BOTH of these are critical, to a trusted system
  • and if it’s not trusted, it won’t be used

Weekly Review

• the “official” process
• a more narrative description

Context is key

• act, in the CONTEXT you’re in right now
  • no sense paging through Tasks that can’t be done in the current context
• what is a context?
  • the capacity to do some things (and not others)
  • not simply a physical location
  • can be:
    • the resources available (or not), in different situations; ex:
      • have internet?
      • can make a private phone call?
      • have the physical objects needed for a task?
    • your energy level
      • different tasks, require different types of energy
  • for many of us, Computer is far too general a context; probably want to slice more finely; ex:
    • screen (any device)
    • internet / broadband (when more bandwidth is required)
    • $SPECIFIC_DEVICE_X
      • when tasks require THAT device
      • AND there’s enough for this to be a separate context

Next Action:

• The very next thing to do, in a project or Area of Focus
  • MUST be an ACTION
  • MUST be small enough, to pick up and complete (if not: split)

Treat time as the limited resource that it IS

• if you don’t explicitly ALLOCATE time for something, it will likely not get it

Area of Focus (OR Responsibility, OR accountability)

• something continual; to be maintained (ex: health)
• without a finished state

Project

• has a start, and finish; can be checked off / completed
• (if it repeats, maybe a checklist?)