The Art of Stress Free ProductivityGetting Things Done

Productive State

Visualize the last time you felt highly productive Sense of being in control

No stress High level of focus on what you were doing Time disappeared (is it lunchtime already?) You made noticeable progress toward a meaningful outcome

Basic Requirements for Managing Commitments

If it’s on your mind, your mind isn’t clear

Unfinished business must be captured outside of your mind

You must clarify your commitment and decide what you have to do

Once decided on actions to take, keep reminders of them organized in a system you review regularly

Exercise TimeWrite down the project or situation that is most on your mind at this moment

In one sentence, describe your intended successful outcome for this problem

Write down the very next physical action required to move the situation forward

What resulted in the clarity you might have experienced?

TIME TO THINK

Managing ActionThis is the key to managing all of your “stuff” The real problem is lack of clarity and definition about what a project really is and the next-action steps required Projects are overwhelming because you can’t do a project at all; you can only do an action related to it

Clarify things on the front and not back end allows you to reap the benefits of managing action

Getting It All Out of Your Head

With a mind functioning like a computer, you have limited RAM

Focus is lost

Your mind reminds you of things when you can’t do anything about them

Paper, electronic, etc. - get them out of your head

Mastering Workflow

Collect

Process

Organize

Review

Do

CollectManage your open loops by capturing data into containers

Physical in-basket

Paper based note taking devices

Electronic note taking devices

Voice recording devices

Email

Collect

The three requirements of collection

Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head

You must have as few collection buckets as you can get by with

You must empty them regularly

Process

You can’t organize what’s incoming; you can only collect and process Organize the actions you’ll need to take based on the decisions you’ve made about what needs to be done

Review

Weekly review Gather and process all your “stuff”

Review your system

Update your lists

Get clean, clear, current and complete

DoTrust your intuition

Four Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment

Context

Time available

Energy available

Priority

Natural Planning TechniquesVision/outcome

Have a clear picture of what success looks like

Reticular activating system - create and focus on a clear picture of what you want View the project from beyond the completion date Envision WILD SUCCESS Capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in place

Brainstorming

Mind mapping

Distributed cognition

Don’t judge, challenge, evaluate or criticize

Go for quantity and not quality

Put analysis and organization in the background

Next ActionsWhat is the next action?

Decide on the next actions for each of the current moving parts of the project

Decide on the next action in the planning process, if necessary

The habit of clarifying the next action on projects, no matter the situation, is fundamental to staying in relaxed control

Time To Start Setting up Time, Space & Tools

Time - 2 days

Space - your own in-basket and place to process paper

Tools include basic office supplies, automatic labeler, file folders

“Stuff”

EVERYTHING that is not filed, left on your desk or work space goes in your in-basket

Trash what you know is trash

Be careful of the purge and organize bug

Write out each thought, idea, project or thing that has your attention; write it on a sheet of paper and put it in the in-basket

Getting “In” to Empty

Process the top item first

Process one item at a time

Never put anything back into “in”

Organizing/Setting up the Right Buckets

A Projects list

Project support material

Calendared actions and information

Next actions lists

A Waiting For list

Reference material

A Someday/Maybe list

Managing Email

Keep Your System Functional

Weekly Review Process your notes

Review calendar

Empty your head

Review Projects

Review Next Actions

SimpleGTD

iGTD

Tickler File

Helps manage non-actionable items for future

Holds agendas

Reminders

Additional Resourceswww.davidco.com

www.43folders.com

http://lifehacker.com/

http://www.lifehack.org/

http://www.lifeclever.com/

http://www.productivitycafe.com/

http://zenhabits.net/2007/05/massive-gtd-resource-list/

http://www.diyplanner.com/

http://simplegtd.com

http://lifedev.net/

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