Editor’s Note:  This just in from DOW Jones…

IBM Offers Lotus Notes For Apple’s iPhone

Sep 30, 2008 00:01:00 (ET)

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)–International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) said Tuesday it was making its Lotus Notes tools, including email and calendar applications, available for Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone.

Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM said that the latest version of Notes would allow customers to access the software via the Safari browser on the iPhone.

The iPhone, which is still primarily a consumer device, has begun to attract the interest of corporate customers as a competitor to Research In Motion Ltd.’s (RIMM) BlackBerry device, since Apple launched a software developers’ kit allowing anyone to develop applications for the phone and making it easier for the phone to be connected to corporate IT systems. Network operators have begun offering corporate tariffs for the iPhone.

When Apple launched a 3G version of the iPhone in June, the company’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, said that 35% of the Fortune 500 companies had signed up to trial the phone.

Other business software companies including Oracle Corp. (ORCL) and SAP AG (SAP), offer software for the iPhone.

Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today’s most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=ssOOQJa0bVq17iQhEhuI6g%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2008 00:01 ET (04:01 GMT)

Image from TechShout.com

1 Comment »

If you’re a GTD’er (or want to become one) and you happen to live overseas, your opportunity to learn from the master has just come much closer to home.  Nathaniel Stott, a contributor to GTDtimes has reported that he and his associates at Life Architect have been working on the details for months and now, finally, they are ready to release the information.

From Nathaniel:

“Life Architect is about helping people get more done. Achieving more with less stress. More time for fun! And the things we love to do in life. With this in mind we (started the company) invited David Allen to Holland and Germany to present his GTD Roadmap seminars on 17th and 19th February 2009. We are jointly organising these events with the David Allen Company. Its about getting your blueprint to a new life. Getting things done is the foundation on which Life Architect intends to continue building.”

This is less than a month before the GTD Global Summit in San Francisco so a lucky group of people might have the chance to use the Roadmap in Europe as a tune-up and then could follow David back across the Atlantic to join us for the grand-daddy of all GTD events on March 11th through the 13th of 2009.

1 Comment »

By Scott Allen – Community Contributor

I love reading good prose, particularly a good narrative. Sometimes prose is called for in an email — to tell a story, explain your reasoning, provide some depth regarding your feelings on a topic, etc. Some people prefer the phone or face-to-face for those things, but in many situations, email is sufficient.

But many of the emails we send and receive every day aren’t this kind of content. They are instead heavily task-oriented — all about coordinating our work with other people. For these kind of emails, straight prose is generally a much less effective form of communication.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with people on communicating more effectively via email, I’ve observed that when people include more than one topic (even just two) in an email, all too often the recipient only replies to one of the topics. Then the sender has to reply back asking again about the overlooked issues.

Most people scan their email — they don’t read it closely. As a result, if there are action items, or items for which a specific response is expected from the other person, that needs to be clearly communicated in the email in a way that will still be effective knowing the recipient will likely just scan the email.

The solution? Numbered lists.

List each item that requires response or action with a number in front of it. You can then write a whole paragraph if you need to, but the numbered list accomplishes a couple of things:

1. Recipients are clearer as to what’s expected of them in terms of actions and responses. They can’t claim that it was buried in the email if it was specifically enumerated.
2. Recipients are less likely to skip an item when they respond. With the numbers, it’s easier to check for completeness of our response. If there are five items in the email, there should be five items in your response. I don’t claim this to be scientific — I just know it works.
3. If they skip an item, it’s easier to communicate back to them about it. “Thanks for your response, but what about item #2?” No retyping — just a single simple question.

A few tips:

1. Numbers work better than bullets. I don’t have quantitative data on this, but I can tell you that both for myself and with my clients, I first tried using bulleted lists, and that was a noticeable improvement over prose, but people still tended to skip items. But with numbered lists, skipped items in responses fall to almost zero. Apparently, without the numbers, our brain kind of loses place. Also, you lose advantage #3 above.
2. Bolding the start of each item helps. Whether it’s complete sentences or just a phrase as a pseudo-header, bold-facing the beginning of each item improves scannability.
3. Two items constitutes a list. How often have you sent an email with two questions for the other person and they only reply to one of them? It happens, and numbering them helps prevent it.
4. One list item = one action item. It doesn’t do much good to create a list if each list item has two or three questions or separate actions. Break it down.

This clearly isn’t appropriate for every email, even those longer than a paragraph, but in the proper context, this has been a great tool for me and my clients in reducing email traffic and confusion. Try it for yourself and see.

12 Comments »

Editor’s Note:  This is the first part of an article by David Allen.  The rest of the article can be found in GTD Connect which is a product that requires a subscription.  However as part of our efforts to expose people to this great GTD resource we are offering a free 14-day trial of GTD Connect for anyone that cares to sign up.  Not only will you get the full article below but complete access to an unparalleled collection of GTD information including original articles and videos by David Allen, the member’s only forums and so much more.  To register for the free trial click here

Make It Up and Make It Happen
By David Allen

There are only two problems in life. Isn’t that nice to know? You only have two things you ever need to be concerned about. Not only are there only two problems – they are really quite simple. Ready?

Problem #1: You know what you want, and you don’t know how to get it.

Problem #2: You don’t know what you want.

Anything you can define as a problem can be reduced to one or both of those statements.

Now, since there are only two problems, it follows that there are only two solutions that you will ever need….

Link to full article on GTD (remember this requires registration for the free trial of GTD Connect)

1 Comment »

I’ve got some big news for GTD enthusiasts and followers of David Allen’s Getting Things Done systematic approach to personal productivity.  David in conjunction with the David Allen Company have just launched a new YouTube Channel dedicated to Getting Things Done. This new YouTube Channel is a compilation of those videos that David or his staff feel are especially useful for helping people to put David’s GTD methodology into practice.

If you’re a regular YouTube viewer you may have seen some of these before but in any case this new channel consolidates these useful videos into one location making them easier to find and more accessible to the community.  Be sure to subscribe so that you get notifications as new videos are added and, if you’ve made any GTD videos of your own, be sure to let them know so that those too can be made a part of this new resource.

3 Comments »

Ahh…completion!

You know the feeling. Inbox…empty. Weekly review…done. Deliverable…delivered. Project…complete. That slight rush as you say, “It is finished.”

This can be a great additional motivation in getting things done. One little completion “fix” after another and pretty soon you’re on a major productivity roll.

But there can be a dark side.

See, the act of completion feels so good that it can become an addiction — to the point that we very easily find ourselves finishing something — anything — that we can finish quickly, rather than diving into larger, more difficult tasks.

We all know the joy of picking low-hanging fruit. On the up side, at least it’s productive — at least it’s doing something to help us move forward.I don’t know about you, though, but I could probably spend an entire month knocking out a backlog of low-hanging fruit without doing anything on any of my major projects. While a month might be a bit much, in reality I frequently find myself spending several hours – even an entire day — finishing things that are productive, but not truly the most important thing I need to be doing.

But that’s not the worst of it. When it becomes downright destructive is at the point that you start feeding your addiction by finishing anything. A game of Sudoku. Another level in World of Warcraft. Random house cleaning. Watching the last episode of the Monk marathon you recorded two weeks ago. Replying to all your Twitter and Facebook messages.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities, assuming they are truly at the top of your priority list. And yes, entertainment can be at the top of your list even when you have work to be done. Your brain needs a break in order to be at maximum productivity when you’re focused on work.

But the appeal of these things is in more than just their entertainment value. A big part of the appeal is the illusion that you’re actually accomplishing something — feeding that fix of getting things done, even if what you’re getting done isn’t at the top of your list.

So what’s the solution?

As with any habit or addiction, quitting cold turkey is difficult if not impossible. The best way to quit a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. It’s OK to be addicted to getting things done — just replace getting anything done with getting the right things done.

You don’t have to be perfect at it. In my own experience, I’ve found it just about impossible to leap directly from that completely wasteful time to maximum productivity. Just take one step up the ladder. If you find yourself doing something pointless just for a completion fix, start picking some low-hanging fruit instead. If you’re on a roll with low-hanging fruit and avoiding bigger tasks, choose just one. Pick the highest-priority task that you can get done in, say, an hour and do it.

No matter how good your system is, it’s still ultimately only as good as your ability to stick to it. If you find yourself having a hard time, this is one place to look. Watch yourself for a week and see if you may have an addiction to getting anything done, rather than getting the right things done.

Image: Missouri Bike Federation

2 Comments »

Greg Stevenson, an avid GTD’er recently wrote DavidCo to let them know about a new Meetup Group he’s started in Orange County, CA.  In the process of getting the word out about his meetup, Greg discovered Meetup.com and found out that there were actually 25 different GTD meetups taking place all over the country.  I think this is awesome.  People all over are getting excited about the profound benefits that GTD can have on a person’s life and they’re so thrilled by the positive impact that they want to share this with others as well as associate with like minded people.

Anyway, Greg wrote to let us know about this and to ask us to help get the word out too (which of course it is our pleasure to do, hence this post).  To see if there’s a GTD meetup near you, go to Meetup.com, and search “Getting Things Done”.  If there’s not a meetup near you, why not consider starting one of your own?  You can find Greg’s Orange County meetup here..

Another thought; if you’re attending one of these meetups, write up a report of what you did there and how you felt it helped you in your personal implmentation of GTD – we’ll gladly post accounts of the various meetups so that people considering attending one can get an idea of the value inherent in getting together with fellow GTD’ers to share ideas, help one another solve problems and generally just chill with like minded folks.

Finally, if the meetups prove useful and interesting, just imagine what the GTD Global Summit - which is essentially going to be a mega–meetup on a triple dose of steroids – is going to be like?!?

1 Comment »

Bloggers from around the net were in attendance and they were quick to post on David’s rather surprising dual appearances (actually the first appearance had been announced on the Office2.o website months ago) but David’s second appearance, sitting on the GTD Applications Panel was a delightful surprise made all the much more exciting for what David revealed… (we’ll get to that in another post). Among the bloggers that had something to say about David’s speaking at Office 2.0, Ed Brill was excited about David’s discussion of lotus notes and the fact David claims that the David Allen Company  has more Notes databes than it does employees.j

Meanwhile, Internet.com‘s Richard Adihikari wrote a comprehensive post on the entire event as well as the practice of GTD.  Richard’s in particular is a great read and I highly recommend you click on over to his site and check it out.

The team at the Enleiten blog and website has also written some nice material about David’s appearance  at Office 2.0.  In particular they’ve done a nice job summarizing the reasons why a person might need to use GTD and what that initial implementation looks like in the most basic terms.

No Comments »

Yes! I fell off the wagon this summer—I just had too much going on in my head. The summer holidays swept me away—not just the flooding we had in the cellar or even the rain and spectacular heights of the Swiss Alps—I simply had a lot of things going on. A lot to get done with more than the usual interruptions.

The kids at home

Why and how did I get into GTD? “Getting Things Done” was such an interesting book title, that it was the title alone that grabbed my attention. And that in combination with a huge period of changes—just moved, settling into a new country and then separation and divorce. Alone and at home with the kids.

There was more, but I needed to focus on the essentials.I have a lot to do and GTD gives me the peace of mind just to get on with it. That is why I think falling off the wagon is such fun–I mean when else do you get to roll in the grass? Or take a hike up the mountains. To really experience what it is like at high altitude. Breath taking!

Forgetting and remembering

Summer holidays are a time to reflect and to forget. By falling off the wagon—by forgetting everything—I get the chance to review everything anew. The kids get to do this too. They fall off all the time. And climb back on. And sometimes just run allongside the wagon. In fact it is part of the expected rhythm of a the year. Intensive periods of learning and of rest. The summer holidays are a time to forget everything and do something altogether different.

Wow! what a time in your life! The school day and week is fully organized and structured and then there are 6 weeks of chaos. Nothing. Actually the weekend can be a bit like that too.We have been back at school for 3 weeks now. And what a refreshing way to take stock and a new look at everything.For example our weekly review takes on a new perspective. Also new importance as commitments and structure take hold again. New projects are appearing everyday! Class trips to London, plays, music lessons and choir and then of course The Circus! The twins joined the Circus last year…

In growing up we acquire responsibilities and independence. Charlotte is taking on a review all by herself. Organizing her week, homework and practicing her violin. With some help new steps can be taken to independence.That is why we need time to play! Next summer I will jump off the wagon and roll in the grass. I remember now how much fun it is to play and just forget about things for a while.Where are you making time for fun?

2 Comments »

A Community Contribution from Arif and Ali Vakil

Have you ever found yourself in the situation where you’re completely overwhelmed with all the work that surrounds you? At those times do you then you catch yourself complaining about the outside world “I wish my job wasn’t so demanding”, “I wish there wasn’t so much competition”, “I wish my team would just listen to me” etc. What can you do to get out of this mental trap?

Here’s the secret:  getting things working for you doesn’t start by changing the outside world at all, but by changing ourselves and how we perceive our work from within. To change the world or the people around us, we must change ourselves first and then the world around us will change too. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  Nevertheless, if you have some faith you might be pleasantly surprised.

The next time you find yourself paralyzed by the amount of work on your plate and you catch yourself complaining about it, try out the GTD Mind Sweep exercise, followed by processing each item

Step 1: The Mind Sweep

The first step in the GTD Mastering Workflow cycle is Collect. Take 5 mins out, and capture everything that has your attention. Here are some guidelines:

* Go for quantity not quality

* Don’t analyze or organize

* Write everything

* Write fast

Step 2: Processing

Once you’ve an objective look of all the items in front of you. Process each item by asking:

1. What is the successful outcome?

2. What is the next physical action?

This is what the result might look like:

Taking these two steps will give you an immediate sense of relief & a feeling of lightness.

What changed?

Nothing from the outside changed, neither the boss, the competition or the clients. All that changed was the way we are now looking at our work and defining what we want and the next steps to take.

Before performing the 2 steps each item that had our attention was an agreement to complete something that  we made with ourselves. Since these agreements were not being managed it was a cause of stress to us.

By collecting what has our attention and defining what needs to be done with it, we begin the process of managing these agreements.  By identifying and clarifying each of the agreements that had our attention, we’ve taken them from being overwhelming and distracting  agreements in our head, and instead we’ve taken an objective look at them & decided  what  next action each required.

Change from within

One of the beautiful aspects of GTD is that it doesn’t look to solve the problem from the outside, but rather focuses on change from within and how we perceive our work.

We agree that there is just one world in which we live and die. Yet this one world is different for each one of us because of how we perceive it. Internally our pictures of the world are different even though externally it is just one world.  Thus if we change the way we perceive our work, the world outside changes for us.

1 Comment »