“What tools should I use for GTD?” That question usually comes up early when someone begins implementing GTD. And in our tech-focused world, they usually mean, “Which software is the best?” But it’s also important to ask which tools will help us stay physically motivated.

An obvious but rarely noticed tool may be my key to ultimate productivity.

At David Allen Company, we consider many things when setting up a workspace. I recently reconstructed my workspace in a way that has stepped up my energy and focus to a whole new level. I made this improvement by switching to a stand-up desk. This is an amazing tool that has helped me to be more productive and ergonomically correct; a win for my company and for me.

The benefits of a stand up desk have really surprised me. [Read more →]

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I was leading a GTD class recently, and one of the participants was asking me how to be better at delegating. In my experience, issues with delegation typically come down to some common factors:

• It’s not clear who should do it (i.e. unclear Areas of Focus)
• If the person delegating is not clear on their own inventory, in their integrity and confidence they won’t feel like they can hand off things to others (doesn’t quite fly to say, “I can’t do this because I have a gnawing sense of overwhelm–but can you?”)
• If the person delegating doesn’t have a clear way to track what they are handing off (a la Waiting For or Agenda lists) they won’t feel confident in handing things off
• Perfection (anyone ever have the feeling “I can do it better/faster myself?”)
• People often feel funny using the word “delegate” with peers or their managers–so just call it “hand off” instead (truly–tricks that like can work)
• The person delegating is not clear what they are even delegating

My Agenda and Waiting For lists are often my longest lists. I have Agendas for all of the key people I meet with or report to on a regular basis. My Waiting For list (currently 68 items) tracks anything and everything I may want to rein back in at some point.  To me, these lists are like fishing lines off a boat and I just need trusted and easy ways to reel things back in when I need them.

How well do you handle delegation? Do you ever hesitate to delegate something to others? If so, why?

Kelly Forrister is a senior coach and presenter with the David Allen Company

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David Allen’s essay in the new Productive Living explores three reasons why “list” is often considered a dirty word, and three things you can do to change that for yourself.

DAVID’S FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Why “list” is a dirty word

What’s wrong with lists?  Most people haven’t had a lot of success with lists, especially the ones they’ve tried to use to “get organized.”

You are either attracted or repelled by your lists and everything on them. There is no neutral territory. When you look at any one item . . .

Keep reading David’s article.

Subscribe to Productive Living.  It’s free and sent about every 3 weeks.  You’ll find essays from David Allen, thought-provoking quotes, and productivity tips you can use every day.

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GTD creates more space in our thinking, so we can manage the surprises of an increasingly complex world.  That’s what Tony Schwartz said in the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company, following up on his talk at the SXSW Conference.  He advises readers to develop sustainable practices for productivity.  We’re more effective navigating the whitewater of our busy lives when we make sure that there are enough of what he calls “purposeful pauses” for review and reflection in calm water.

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A new PC Magazine article lists “The 100 People You Should Follow On Twitter.”  Yes, David Allen @gtdguy is one of them.  Here’s what they said:

David Allen
@gtdguy
Followers: 1.3 million
If you haven’t heard of the “getting things done” or GTD time-management and productivity movement, you’re probably not really getting things done. Author David Allen created GTD and uses Twitter to dispense advice and tips to help people get the right tools to work smarter and get motivated.

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David Allen Company has immediate openings for Business Development Directors in the Washington D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Seattle markets. The David Allen Company is a professional training, coaching and management consulting organization. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life by providing the world’s best information, education, and products that enhance personal and interactive productivity. Please visit our website.

The ideal candidate will have 10 -15 years of successful professional services sales experience. Major job responsibilities include managing existing accounts in the Business Development Director’s territory and being proactive in managing new sales opportunities. Prospecting is a very big part of the job. This position exists primarily to create new demand for company products and services. Compensation is a blend of salary and commission. Qualified candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and their resume to jobapplicants@davidco.com.

Required competencies include: consultative sales skills, account management, executive presence, strong business acumen, and strategic account planning.

David Allen Company is a values-based company, for which our internal culture and how we represent ourselves to the world are as much a statement of our business as our services and products. Interested candidates are encouraged to read our company principles on our website to confirm alignment with our rules of engagement.

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This is a Community Contribution from Meghan Wilker.

In an earlier GTD Times post, I talked about some of the basic ways I use the principles of GTD with my kids. That post focused on Capturing, Clarifying, Organizing and Reflecting at a high level.

This week, I spent the better part of an evening on a Clarifying mission with my kids, and it struck me that the act of processing an inbox with kids is vastly different from how we do it as adults.

If you are a parent who works outside the home, your kids probably generate a lot of artwork during the day. And by “a lot” I mean levels that will wake you up at night with hoarders’ nightmares of having to dig tunnels through the piles of coloring sheets and construction paper stacked floor-to-ceiling in your house. Or maybe that’s just me.

At any rate, Capturing & Clarifying can be particularly helpful in dealing with kids’ art projects. Here’s how I handle it.

[Read more →]

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Thanks to those of you who responded to our poll about Outlook for Mac.  Now for those of you who use Outlook on a PC – please cast your vote about which version of Outlook you are currently using.

This is helpful for us in our long-term planning for GTD Setup Guides.

We appreciate your help!

David Allen Company Education Team

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If you’re an Outlook user, have a look at these Setting Up for Success videos. They describe the best practices for using the Getting Things Done® Outlook® Add-In. Meg Edwards, the Director of Coaching Services at David Allen Company, created the videos with Dean Hering, Chief Innovator at NetCentrics, the developer of the Add-In. There are seven videos, which cover the best practices for using the Outlook Add-In with your calendar, tasks, emails, and notes. There are also detailed video tours that show how the Add-In works with different versions of Outlook.

If you’d rather use Outlook just as it is out of the box, you’ll get value from our downloadable GTD and Outlook Setup Guides, written by David Allen and the Coaches. There are guides for Outlook 2003 and 2007. A guide for Outlook 2010 is on the way this year. GTD Times readers will be among the first to know when the release date is announced.

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David Allen was on MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown,” giving tips on how to stay productive in a fast-paced, high-tech world.  True to form, David condensed elements of his Horizons of Focus and 5 Phases of Workflow models into this short video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(The video is streaming from MSNBC, so you may need to give it a moment to load.)

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