10 Ways to Get Started with GTD
May 11th, 2009 GTD Times Team - Staff ContributorsCategories | Getting Started | Getting Things Done | Training
In case this is useful for others out there, wondering where to start with GTD, here is a letter we received from a new GTD’er in Australia today.
Sean writes, “I have just been recommended to use Omni [Focus] project management software to assist me in managing my ever complex working and private life. I have looked at the software and I have found that they follow your principles. My question is How do I start? Do I buy the book, or buy the software or begin on some your other programs. Please advise me.”
This is probably one of the most common questions we get at the David Allen Company. A good way to think of GTD is that it is a systematic approach, not a system. If you understand the approach first, then applying that to the system tools (like OmniFocus, the Outlook Add-in by Netcentrics, or any of the nearly 150+ GTD-centric software programs out there), will make more a whole lot more sense.
Here are 10 ways to learn the GTD approach:
1. Read or listen to the Getting Things Done book. It is THE ultimate manual for GTD. Part One gives a great overview. Part Two walks you through coaching yourself through the process.
2. Go through the Getting Started Series on GTD Connect. If you’re not a member, try the free 2-week trial. You can access everything as a trial-member except download content. There is also a great video in the Connect GTD Cafe called, “I read the book, now what?”
3. Go to a public GTD seminar.
4. Get coached in person or by phone.
5. Find a friend or coworker who already does GTD and have them show you their setup and how they work it.
6. Read the What is GTD? overview from David Allen.
7. Listen to David do a full two-day GTD seminar on CD.
8. Grab this free article to learn the 5 phases of Mastering Workflow. Then apply that consistently to one area of your workflow, such as your email inbox. When that’s mastered, move on to the next area.
9. Read the DavidCo staff blogs on getting started, like this series from Kelly.
10. Listen to some of the free podcasts with the DavidCo coaches on the GTD best practices.
Obviously, these approaches range widely in time commitment, content and budget, but hopefully there’s something in there to kick start things for you!
Let’s be serious–just read the damn book.
Kudos for making this list, but come on people just get with it. Start reading!
I have the book (in print and audio) and it is essential. If you have the budget, attending a seminar, getting coaching or joining GTD Connect are great.
But before I spent any money, I found it helpful to read some of the many “getting started” articles and overviews available for free on the net. For example, if you use the iPhone, Google “GTD iPhone” and read how others are setting up their systems. This was tremendously helpful in my case.
Kelly Forrester’s “best practices” series is a great, concise resource. Download and internalize the two Mastering Workflow diagrams from davidco.com.
Once I got going in GTD, I listened to DA’s second book, “Ready for Anything” over and over. It offers loads of great higher level GTD thinking. Same goes for his current release, “Making it all Work”. It could even be read first, but there’s a good deal of mechanics that you’d better get from the first book to really get your system up and running.
One last but key “getting started” maxim: You derive benefit immediately, but it took me 2 years to really get my system optimized, and I am still making tweaks now and then.
I’m with Matt. Just read the darned book!
But read it cover to cover first – don’t implement without getting an overal picture first.
I blogged recently about this and I encourage people very much >> Book >> Book >> Book
Once you’ve read it right through, second time as you implement, things you didn’t understand first time fall into place.
But there’s extra steps involved. At some stage you’ve actually got to put time aside to actually start the thing!
I agree with what has been said. READ the book from cover to cover…NO MATTER WHAT!
Start thinking about how you want to implement the different pieces of GTD. Then READ THE BOOK AGAIN! If you don’t want to read it again, read our GTD Primer. I wrote most of it, and it was the first attempt at blogging over 3 years ago, but there has been a lot of good feedback from it. One of my upcoming projects will be a rewrite of it.
You don’t need GTD Connect, a seminar or coaching [although it would be cool]. EVERYTHING you need is in the 267 pages that make up Getting Things Done.
I have just started Making It All Work tonight and I am very excited to see what lies within.
My learning from GTD began first by covering all online material (especially the David Allen interviews), followed by the book, then material from GTD Connect (the quarterly David Allen seminars are really awesome), I received tele-coaching from Meg and finally got the chance to be trained by a David Allen Coach as well. If I had to learn GTD all over again I would do it no other way. Each time I encountered a different medium and teacher I learnt something new and critical to my implementation.
I have blogged about 5 Steps to Begin Learning GTD over here, which has links to lots of online material. Hope it helps.
I absolutely love Omni Focus as a core part of my own GTD system. But I would beware of using, or any software you don’t know stone cold, as you also start to learn GTD.
I began to use Omni Focus after already spending years with GTD. The software takes some getting used to. Nothing wrong with Omni Focus at all but just beware of trying to learn two things like that at once!
I’d suggest starting GTD with paper (my own suggestion) to get comfortable with the methodology.
You can easily migrate to any tool later (and I’m too much of an expert at migrating between systems).