A couple of weeks ago (during an In Conversation that will be posted later this summer on GTDConnect), David Allen asked me if I practice GTD with my kids. In response, I laughed and said, “No.” After all, my daughter is three years old and my son is just nine months. They can hardly do GTD, can they?!

But, in the weeks since we talked, I paid more attention to how GTD factors into our family life and realized that — though they are quite young — there are elements of GTD that I am already teaching my kids.

Of the five levels of control in GTD (capturing, clarifying, organizing, reflecting, and engaging), most of what my kids are learning right now has to do with capturing, clarifying and organizing. [Read more →]

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Like the desktop quest, many GTD’ers are searching for the perfect GTD list manager app for the iPhone.  The NY Times just posted a nice, simple article on organizing apps for the iPhone. While it’s certainly not an extensive look at the topic, nor will it cover all of what’s out there, or even your favorites (but I’m sure you’ll let us know!), it’s worth a read.

I’ve also written a few articles on my experience of GTD & iPhone over on my blog:

• GTD & iPhone – Part I – My criteria for choosing
  
• GTD & iPhone – Part II – My system evolves
  
• GTD & iPhone – Part III – Still looking for Lotus Notes sync
  
• GTD & iPhone – Final – Update on Chapura (it’s no longer an option)

Stay tuned to GTD Times for more on Getting Things Done with the iPhone.

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We love letters from GTD’ers.  Especially when we receive one that has so much heart, love and joy that makes us proud that GTD can have such a profound personal impact.  Here’s Tim’s story:

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Earlier today I listened to your “Problems or Projects?” podcast. Thank you for sharing this topic so succinctly and for including an example of how you’ve used this approach in your own personal life. I feel inspired to share how I created a project from a major problem that came along last year and the profound impact that having access to GTD had during the most challenging months of my life. [Read more →]

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Someone recently asked one of our coaches: Would you categorize GTD as a “Tactical” system as opposed to “Strategic”?

The answer: GTD is both tactical and strategic. The process of capturing what has your attention in a system that is external from your mind, deciding the outcome and the very next action, and listing those in contexts that match your work style, is tactical.  For example, if you think of a colleague that you need to call, [Read more →]

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As we all know, GTD is a tool-agnostic approach.  The tools you choose are up to you.  Some say it’s all got to be electronic. Others swear paper is king.  And many  of us will choose a hybrid of paper and digital. In our ongoing GTD Times series featuring GTD’er systems, we wanted to give you a peak into someone’s paper system.  Here’s Sam’s story (including some great photos of his setup):

[Read more →]

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One of the tools David Allen uses on his PC is ActiveWords, a tool often described as “solving a problem you didn’t know you had.”  It essentially streamlines the navigation and common tasks we do all day long; send emails, go to web sites, create new tasks, insert text, open files and more.  Recently, David recorded a podcast with Buzz Bruggeman, the developer of ActiveWords, to explore this tool in more detail for our GTD Toolbox series.

LISTEN NOW>>>

For those of you on Mac, you have a similar function through QuickSilver.  If you want to reach Buzz about ActiveWords or any of the other products he mentions, you can reach him at buzz@activewords.com.

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GTD Secrets: True Confessions of a GTD Coach – Episode 4

One of the things that I have seen over the years is a lot of incomplete Project Lists. And I think some of it is because we have a tendency to have a narrow view about what a project is. Years ago, David said in a seminar, “Hey folks, you don’t have problems; you have projects.” And one of the things that I see is people not necessarily bringing their “problems” into their GTD system. It just doesn’t really occur to them, and it was the same with me. When I’m coaching people now, and they start sharing about their “problems”, I’m like, “Look, it sounds like you’ve got a possible project with some actions.” And they’re like, “Wow, I’ve never thought about it that way.” [Read more →]

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