As soon as I got myself in front of the steps leading down to my basement, I could see the black smoke billowing up to the first floor. I rushed into the basement to see where the fire was. There were no visible flames, but from the black smoke erupting from the party wall separating us from the twin house next door, it was quite clear that my neighbor’s house was ablaze.

My pregnant wife rushed outside to see what was going on. With my wife and unborn child headed out the door, that classic question came into my head.

What do I save?Here is how quickly your priorities can be clarified. That party wall has probably a two hour fire rating, so I feel comfortable that I have at least 30 seconds in this house before that party wall lets any fire through or the smoke gets very dangerous (my estimate, not the fire marshal’s). I have 30 seconds to do whatever it is I should be doing at this moment.

What is my next action? Put on shoes? Grab laptop? Throw iPhone in pocket? Find grade school spelling bee trophy? Process my inbox?

I quickly decided that above all else, my next action was to make sure my neighbor was safe. I even pictured in my mind how I would heroically bust down her door. “Done” looked like me jumping out their window with the neighbor in my arms.

So I didn’t put on shoes or process my inbox. I got my butt out the front door. Luckily the neighbor was out safe. And we were standing outside @Waiting For the fire truck.

Many teachers, bosses, and coaches over the years have tried to, as they were so fond of saying, “light a fire under my butt.” What they really should have done is help me clarify what was important in my life, identify my desired outcome and determine what my next actions were.

When there was literally a fire under my butt, those were the things I did, thanks in large part to a getting things done mindset I’ve instilled in myself over the last several years. But it doesn’t have to be a fire that is the catalyst which helps a person clarify what is important in their life, identify their desired outcomes, and determine what their next actions are. It can be a teacher, a boss, a coach, a parent, a friend, or even a book.

Matt Handal is a marketing professional who offers actionable advice on marketing, business development, and productivity at www.HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. He is an avid GTD’er and can be reached by email. Read more from Matt.

For example, I was at a meeting where we were planning out a targeted mailing to a key group of clients. I asked a question that took everybody by surprise, “What does done look like?”The CEO said, “Well, we will never stop marketing to this group.”

“Yes, but for this mailing, what does done look like? Is it when the mailings are sent? Are there going to be follow up phone calls? Are we going to track who makes those calls and when they are made?” I continued.

We decided that “done” was when we had recorded that every recipient of the mailing had received a follow-up call.

There is also another GTD question to ask when planning a marketing activity or campaign, “What does success look like?”

Too often, marketers embark on a new campaign without defining how they are going to measure its success or failure. We refer to this as a metric. And because your marketing resources are always limited, it is imperative that you do what works and stop doing what doesn’t work.

Asking what “done” and “success” look like are two quick and easy ways to infuse GTD into your marketing processes and realize some immediate benefits.

These are just GTD elements that fall somewhere within the Defining Purpose and Principles and Outcome Visioning pieces of the Natural Planning Process defined in “Getting Things Done.” Revisit that part of the book (p.54) and try to implement the Natural Planning Process into your marketing.  At the very least, start asking what “done” and “success” look like.

Matt Handal is a marketing professional who offers actionable advice on marketing, business development, and productivity at www.HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. He is an avid GTD’er, regular community contributor to GTD Times and can be reached by email.

GTD for some is a life changer. I can tell you that I personally went from work drawers full of paper piles to an organized filing system and, every once in a while, a clear desk.  But GTD isn’t about organization. It’s about capturing your commitments in a trusted system and using your now free brain to make decisions about what you should be doing right this instant.

When people ask me to recommend a tool for keeping up with business contacts, I don’t have a piece of software I recommend, but rather a systematic approach that could be used in a variety of programs or even on paper.

Let me explain. You may find yourself at a business function. It could be a meeting, a local event, or a national conference. You will probably meet new people, have a few conversations, make a few light-hearted promises, and collect a pocket full of business cards.  The meeting is not where people experience the most stress, it’s the next day. The next day you get back to your desk, open your drawer, and throw in a pile of cards. You’ll deal with them later, right?

If you are trying to develop or grow a professional network, this is a huge mistake. What GTD teaches you is that each one of those cards is a mental commitment you’ve made with yourself. You’ll spend more time and energy worrying about , “who was that guy I met?” and “what did I say I would send her?” then you will if you just process the cards right away.

Instead of throwing those cards in your drawer, get yourself a card scanner (they are cheap). Scan those cards into whatever system you use (Outlook, Apple Address book, Lotus Notes, day planner, etc.)

As you verify the scanned information for each card, do a brain dump into the notes section. Where did you meet this person? What did you talk about? Capture every bit of information or minor detail about this person you can. Get it all out of your head.

Now ask yourself whether there are any “next actions” related to this person. If there are, capture them in your next actions list.

Example: “look for old boating book for Ned Smith”

If it is your desired outcome to develop a meaningful and productive business relationship with this person, create a project on your projects list called “Relationships: Ned Smith.” That way you have captured your desired outcome somewhere you can review it. During each weekly review, you can determine the next action needed to move that relationship forward.

The GTD system recommends that you have a series of lists you review on a regular basis. One list you should have is a relationship “hit list.” This is a list of your 10-15 most important business contacts. You should review this list monthly to make sure you “ping” each of these contacts (send them a note, call them, take them to lunch) at least once per month.

Using GTD will improve your ability to develop and maintain successful business relationships. Get those cards out of your drawer. Get those commitments out of your head. And get them into a trusted system.

Matt Handal is a marketing professional who offers actionable advice on marketing, business development, and productivity at www.HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. He is an avid GTD’er and can be reached by email.