How much more creative could you have been in the last 24 hours? Are your tools working as catalysts for your creative thinking? Hear David Allen’s perspective on computers helping us think and why eProductivity for Lotus Notes is forging a new frontier.
Dear David Allen: You mention you only “think once a week”. Does that mean you have a script rule about planning out your weeks as opposed to day-to-day? Could you explain that a little more?
David: When I say I only think once a week, I’m making an exaggerated point that doing a thorough GTD Weekly Review sufficiently sets up my sense of priorities so that I don’t have to do a lot of re-thinking or over-structuring, as I go day to day. Usually we don’t have the time in the busy pace we work to stop and do “forest management instead of tree-hugging”. Because most people don’t build in that reflection time–regarding actions, projects, and commitments–they’re constantly thinking that they should be thinking about their priorities, but they never really do.
In response to our recent Productive Living newsletter, a GTDer wrote to David Allen and said:
Please provide a less complex version of the basic GTD chart/system for me and the hundreds of thousands of organizationally challenged managers just like me who have tried and failed to maintain the GTD system. Simpler is better.
David responded:
I empathize with desire for the “GTD for Dummies” approach. I suggest just not letting the visual chart get in your way… it’s as simple as:
Write it down
Decide what’s next about it
Park that somewhere you’ll trust you’ll look at as a reminder
Keep your head empty and your list(s) currentHope that helps.
Question: You say you shouldn’t write anything on a day when it doesn’t absolutely have to be finished by then. Furthermore, you tell that priorities are depended on time, energy and a lot more, but I miss one thing there: deadlines. What if I make a list of things to do, and find on Monday that there was something I should have done on Saturday or Sunday, but didn’t do it because I didn’t go through my entire list?
David Allen: Deadlines (especially “hard” ones that you have external commitments about) should be tracked on the Projects list, and any pre-warnings inserted on appropriate dates in your calendar (that’s “day-specific information”, e.g. “Budget due in 10 days” would be on your calendar 10 days ahead. ) That, plus regular Weekly Reviews, prevents what you describe — missing deadlines.
Q: Since college I have used the GTD System and continue to apply it as best as possible. I get slammed sometimes with multiple tasks and was wondering if you could comment on how best to prioritize tasks within the context of the System. Thank you for your help.
David Allen: The Secret Sauce for what you’re inquiring is the GTD Weekly Review. I guarantee you, if you do a thorough review of all your projects, actions, calendar (prior and upcoming), and (here’s the catch) all the content is relatively complete and current in your system), you would not have this question.
David Allen will only be doing 3 public seminars this year, so here’s your chance to learn the system with the master himself. The GTD Making It All Work course offers a higher level, more theoretical overview of the GTD concepts. It’s a fun, informative, and engaging day whether you are new to GTD or have experience with the system. You’ll get the big picture of the process, including prioritizing, applying the core GTD principles, and making change stick. Coming to San Francisco, London, and Washington, DC. Register before July 15th with the code TIMES10 to receive 10% off any of David Allen Company public events.
We know many of you follow David Allen on Twitter (if not and you want to, he’s @GTDGuy). He was named in the top 140 most popular Tweeters by Huffington Post.
Some of you have asked if DA does his own Tweets. Absolutely! Every one of them. You’re getting the man himself.
If you’re not into Twitter, you can also read his feed on GTD Times in the right column.
Dear David Allen: I am looking for a guide/product about using email so that one’s worklife does not become overwhelmed with email. We are an office of 30 people, and we have gotten in the habit of emailing each other rather than walking down the hall to talk. We don’t have time to talk since we are too busy doing email! We would like to adopt best practices about email to reduce the burden.
David’s reply: There are lots of articles and books written about some basic common sense stuff about email, including some of our own resources like our Setup Guides, Webinars on GTD Connect, and a free article I wrote on Getting Email Under Control.
Email is just like the phone or any other medium that takes a while for cultures and individuals to sift out their own best practices for their culture. If email has value, that’s what it’s for. If it doesn’t, don’t do it. Don’t shoot the medium. It’s just a channel for people communicating. For me personally, I don’t like interruptions, when it could be in an email that I can deal iwth in my own timing. If I want a warm fuzzy, email may not be the way to do that. All depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. People can use email to avoid work, just like they can walk down the hall to avoid work. The issue is avoiding work, not whether you’re doing it by email or by walking and talking.
