Here’s a great reminder of how helpful GTD is for any project, personal or professional.

Our team at the David Allen Company is planning a baby shower for  a co-worker.  We met today to do the following:

1. Brainstorm and mind map the project
2. Decide on next actions
3. Assign people to the identified next actions
4. Decide when to loop around again for further planning

Here was our simple mind map that helped clarify the tasks:

Our 20-minute meeting allowed everyone to move forward on this fun project with their own clearly-defined tasks.

GTD can help integrate your professional and personal life. Simple, easy, and fun planning — that’s a “GTD” baby shower!

From long To Do lists to overcommitted schedules, we tend to take on too much.  When is the last time you said no to someone when they asked you for something?  It can be hard to do.

Most of us want to help others when they need it.  There are times, however, when we need to say no.  I know I don’t like to say no.  I like to help people.  It feels good when someone wants you to do something for them.

It may help to start weighing that commitment against what you’re trying to accomplish in other facets of your life.

Here are three questions to ask yourself when faced with saying yes or no:

1. Do you have the capacity to say yes? If you have the capacity, great, go for it.  Say yes.  Make sure you can commit 100% though.  Committing and not delivering is much worse than not committing at all.  You’ll know if you have capacity because with GTD, you already have an inventory of your projects and actions, the things you’re already commited to.

2. If you say no, do you know how to do it eloquently? Saying no could seem harsh on the surface, so sometimes you need to explain why.  An example is simply saying, “I have a lot on my plate and I don’t think I can give you 100% of my attention right now.  I’d love to help in the future if you need me.”  There’s not a lot someone can say to that.  You’re being honest.  Most people will respect that.

3. Are you the right person for the job? Just because someone asks you for help doesn’t mean you have the ability to help them.  If you have no idea how to fix your mom’s dishwasher would you commit to fixing it?  I don’t know the first thing about fixing dishwashers. (My expertise pretty much stops at changing light bulbs.)  Telling my mom that I can help would be doing her a disservice.

Same goes for work.  Your boss asks you to compile some information on an upcoming project.  He tells you he needs it by tomorrow morning.  You’ve got three other projects you’re working on that are equally important.  Do you have the courage to tell your boss no?  Again, explaining how you can’t give 100% to it and offering a different solution will help.

Knowing when to say yes or no is a big part of stress-free productivity.

What’s your plan for a summer vacation? Or is it a staycation for enjoying your home? And how connected will you be to work, while you’re on vacation?

How Vacations Help the Business Brain

In exactly 12 days, I will be going away on a 10-day vacation. The thought of this impending time off from the daily in and out of work exhilarates me — and worries me.

On the pro side is the anticipation of rest, renewal and relaxation. Weighing in on the negatives are preparing to go in the first place and a heavier workload when I return. 

I have been practicing GTD for about 8 years. I use the word practicing deliberately, because it takes time, effort and patience to improve my skills.  Early last year, I made the bold decision to go from a paper-based system to using tasks in a computerized system.  I had observed how much of my work was generated on the computer.  It seemed that I ended up never fully capturing the totality of my work in my paper system because of this. I thought switching to a computer-based system would be the perfect way for me to finally get on top of all my work, get clear on my projects and their outcomes, etc.

I was so very, very wrong.

I have spent the last year in agony, enslaved to an elegantly designed system, which had me sucked in at such a minute level that the whole thing revolted me. I almost never did a weekly review. Looking at my lists happened sporadically. I dreaded trying to locate something in the system. I was miserable.

Then about 2 months ago I chucked it. I went back to paper, and a sense of calmness has enveloped me ever since. Am I perfect in my weekly reviews? Hardly. But happier? You bet. Here is what I learned through all this:

• GTD takes hits as being overly complex/proscriptive. I say this is solely “user error.” I did this exact thing for the last year. I captured way too much in the system, then couldn’t handle all the details and thus got stuck.  Don’t allow this to happen to you! It masks GTD’s beauty.
• My experiment finally drove home for me the importance of the project list, which I now supplement with a weekly priority list. If this is all I learned from my run amuck with technology, then it was worth it.  
• I need to do my work where I do my work. I don’t have my laptop with me everywhere. I don’t have an iPad. But I carry my notebook with me always.  So having to transfer information from my paper notes into the computer was painful and virtually never happened. Now, I easily flip a few pages, find the right list, and off I go. Ironically, I find that I have gotten that much better at listing “to-do’s” generated in email onto my paper list, more simply. Imagine that.
• I need to slow down. There is something about pen on paper that soothes me, brings clarity. It makes me more intentional when I have to take a few minutes to write something.  With software-based tasks, three clicks and I created another something to do, which just added to the never-ending pile of things I kept meaning to look at but never did.
• Being 100% complete is just too much for me. I do much better at 90%. Have I captured everything I need to do? Not really. There are several small things that if I thought about it are missing. But you know what? I am okay with that. I just don’t think about them, they don’t take up psychic RAM, and I don’t get overwhelmed with my ginormous work plan.

I invite you to listen to the voice in your head as you journey with GTD. Do what feels right, not what is the coolest.  This system/process/approach should be in service to YOU and what works for YOU. There is enough in our lives we have to do—processes that are forced upon us, unreasonable timelines, and more. GTD shouldn’t be one of those. It should make you feel good.

Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed. Not because I can’t process all the tasks, projects, and goals on my plate, but because I keep forgetting that I only have one plate.

As I’ve applied GTD strategies to my life, opportunities to “live the life of my dreams” have literally exploded in front of me. My website is growing, creative ideas are spilling into my colorful assortment of spiral-bound notebooks, friends and associates are jumping on board to support the vision I’m helping to create, and my family life is exactly what I always hoped it would be.

However, along with all this excitement, my emails have quadrupled, my project load has significantly increased, and my stress level has been rising beyond my comfort level. (Once you experience “stress-free productivity,” there’s no going back . . . .)

So today I decided to apply the Natural Planning Model from GTD to my overall life plan. The point of getting organized isn’t to simply “get more done.” The point is to get the right things done–and that takes some serious decision making.

I figured that as long as I’m doing this exercise, I might as well document the process and share it with others who also might be trying to cram too much onto their plates.

Step 1: Defining Purpose and Principles

This was a fun one. I got out a blank sheet of paper and wrote at the top: ”If I were to feel thrilled about my life each day, what would it look like?” I know this list could go on and on, but I tried to keep it simple, basically entailing things like having a healthy, clean environment, building strong relationships, spending my time on meaningful projects (that can only be done by me–delegating everything else), nurturing my mind, body, and spirit, and living a life filled with purpose.

Step 2: Outcome Visioning

As I looked over the list from Step 1, I started envisioning how this “new life” would be (and how it would not be). For example, I pictured our closets and cupboards containing half as many things as they currently do. I pictured my children happily completing their responsibility charts. I pictured our family going on more walks together, cooking new recipes in the kitchen, and snuggling together for story time and bedtime. I imagined myself responding to emails twice a day, when I could actually sit down and process them calmly (instead of rushing through them whenever I had a free second in the kitchen). I also pictured myself breathing more, smiling often, and feeling more deliberate about my daily routines.

Really seeing these things is empowering.

Step 3: Brainstorming

With this vision fresh on my mind, I started seven small mind maps–encapsulating all the actions and characteristics I want to translate into habits.

The seven mind maps (for my specific needs) were as follows: Spirit, Environment, Routines, Recreation, Relationships, Power of Moms, and Other Pursuits.

As I did this, an interesting thing happened. I started to see how a few basic changes would transform my entire life.
I need firm boundaries. As a mother who is working on lots of projects from home, it’s enticing to squeeze work into every open minute. I need more space in my day, and that means keeping “extra” work separate from “family” work.
I need to be deliberate about making time to read and think. That’s what fuels me, and when I stop doing those things, the person inside starts to die.
I need to delegate or defer as many projects as possible. There are some things that can only be done right now–like making podcasts with my children, photographing their childhood, recording what I’m learning about motherhood, and building a family that I adore. A lot of the “urgent” things can wait.

Step 4: Organizing

Here’s where I took all those principles, dreams, and brainstorms and translated them into a very doable list. I first identified eight components of my “ideal” life. As I prioritized them, I realized that half could wait awhile, so I put them onto next month’s trigger list. I also realized that the four remaining items were the essence of my stress. (Kind of fun to figure that out.)

Step 5: Identifying Next Actions

Before placing these four items onto my “Current Projects” List, I identified my Next Actions and put them on my context-based list. It is one of the most liberating things in the world to see a broad, theoretical plan become something doable and focused.

This week, I don’t have to think about every little thing I’ve ever wanted to accomplish. I simply need to keep my work hours within predetermined slots of time, spend 30 minutes moving those “I’ll-sort-someday-but-these-really-belong-in-the-office” boxes out of my bedroom, take 15 minutes to research a landscaping company, and invest one hour evaluating my Routines and Responsibilities List. That can be done.

Not everything in life can be controlled, and there’s no way I can plan for every single distraction or opportunity. However, GTD has helped me realize that I can create the life I’ve always wanted–even if I DO only have one plate.

April Perry is the mother of four children and co-founder of www.powerofmoms.com.

Watch this special video presentation to hear what David has to say about GTD and the two keys to sustaining a healthy life and work style.
.

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

Aside from the fact that the volume of what people need to organize is often light-years beyond what they imagine, there is much more to getting a grip on your “work” than most realize. Managing the flow of work can be approached from many altitudes, as there are many different levels of defining what your “work” really is. Whereas we may have some lower levels in control, there are often incomplete and unclear issues at higher levels that can and need to be addressed, to really get it all under control. And often there are issues about the nature and volume of work that cannot be resolved viewing it from an inappropriate level. We have roughly categorized “work” into six levels, or horizons of focus.

This is admittedly a somewhat arbitrary delineation, but it has proven valuable for many clients to frame their conversations, questions, and issues within this context. We use an airplane model:

Runway:
This is the ground floor – the huge volume of actions and information you currently have to do and to organize, including emails, calls, memos, errands, stuff to read, stuff to file, things to talk to staff about, etc. If you got no further input in your life, this would likely take you 300-500 hours to finish. Just getting a complete and current inventory of the next actions required at this level is quite a feat.

10,000 level:
This is the inventory of your projects – all the things that you have commitments to finish, that take more than one action step to complete.  These “open loops” are what create most of your actions. These projects include anything from “look into having a birthday party for Susan” to “buy Acme Brick Co.” Most people have between 30 and 100 of these. If you were to fully and accurately define this list, it would undoubtedly generate many more and different actions than you currently have identified.

20,000 level:
What’s your job? Driving the creation of a lot of your projects are the four to seven major areas of responsibility that you at least implicitly are going to be held accountable to have done well, at the end of some time period, by yourself if not by someone else (e.g. boss.) With a clear and current evaluation of what those areas or responsibility are, and what you are (and are not) doing about them, there are likely new projects to be created, and old ones to be eliminated.

30,000 level:
Where is your job going? What will the role you’re in right now be looking like 12-18 months from now, based on your goals and on the directions of the changes at that level? We’ve met very few people who are doing only what they were hired to do.  These days, job descriptions are moving targets. You may be personally changing what you’re doing, given personal goals; and the job itself may need to look different, given the shifting nature of the work at the departmental or divisional level. Getting this level clear always creates some new projects and actions.

40,000 level:
The goals and direction of the larger entity within which you operate heavily influence your job and your professional direction. Where is your company going to be, one to three years from now? How will that be affecting the scope and scale of your job, your department, and your division? What external factors (like technology) are influencing the changes? How is the definition and relationship with your customers going to be changing, etc.? Thinking at this level invariably surfaces some projects that need to be defined, and new action steps to move them forward.

50,000 level:
What is the work you are here to do on the planet, with your life? This is the ultimate bigger picture discussion. Is this the job you want? Is this the lifestyle you want? Are you operating within the context of your real values, etc.? From an organizational perspective, this is the Purpose and Vision discussion. Why does it exist? No matter how organized you may get, if you are not spending enough time with your family, your health, your spiritual life, etc., you will still have “incompletes” to deal with, make decisions about, and have projects and actions about, to get completely clear.

What formats are available for David Allen’s books, like Getting Things Done?
Formats for David Allen’s books are established entirely by his publisher, Penguin Group, and through the agreements Penguin makes with each foreign publisher.  We are so sorry, but we have no influence over distribution and we are not involved in the process of determining where the books are released.  We do know that availability varies widely by country and distributors. For example, in the U.S., you will find paperback, hardcover, Kindle, ePub and audiobook versions.  This is not the case at all for other countries and download versions in particular are restricted by territory (e.g. someone outside the U.S. cannot download a book from the U.S. Audible.com site.)

Why is the download version more expensive than the paperback version?
We’ve noticed that too!  Unfortunately, pricing for David’s books is out of our control and is entirely set by the publisher, Penguin Group, with the distribution channels where they have released the book.

Can I buy David’s books as a PDF?
No, PDF is not a format that has been created by Penguin Group, the publisher of David Allen’s books. Downloadable options include ePub (very common and compatible with iBook for iPhone, iTouch and iPad users,) Kindle (for the Amazon Kindle devices and readers) and Audiobook (spoken versions, as read by David Allen).

Where do I download Kindle versions?
The Kindle versions of David Allen’s books are available from Amazon.com.  A search for the books will show you the paperback, hardcover and Kindle versions if available in your country.

Where do I download the version of Getting Things Done for iPhone, iTouch, or iPad?
The “ePub” version is compatible with the iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices. You can purchase and download this version through the iBookstore in iTunes, if available in your country.

How come the Getting Things Done book isn’t available for download in my country?
Distribution rights for David Allen’s books are established entirely by his publisher, Penguin, with each foreign publisher.  We are so sorry, but we have no influence over distribution and are not involved in the process of determining where the books are released.  We do know that availability varies widely by country and distributors. For example, in the U.S., you will find paperback, hardcover, Kindle, eBook and Audible.com versions.  This is not the case at all for other countries and download versions in particular are restricted by territory (e.g. someone outside the U.S. cannot download a book from the U.S. Audible.com site.)

How is the Audiobook different than the iBook or ePub version?
The audiobook versions of Getting Things Done (abridged and unabridged) are spoken versions of the book. You will hear David Allen literally reading the book.  The iBook versions in the “ePub” format are for you to read–there is no audio component. ePub simply means electronic version.  Audiobook is spoken version.

How do I contact David’s publisher to share my feedback or request to have Getting Things Done available in my country or in other formats?
You can reach the Penguin Group through their website. You will find many helpful links on this page.  If you want to reach our team, to ask a question, please contact customerservice@davidco.com.

The international translation of Getting Things Done has errors. Who needs to know about that?

We appreciate when customers let us know about errors in the international versions of Getting Things Done.  We are not involved in the translation of David’s books, but we will pass along the feedback to his publisher, Penguin Group, who handles the translation process.  You can also give Penguin Group the feedback directly through their website.

What’s the difference between the abridged and unabridged audiobook versions of Getting Things Done?
Unabridged means you will hear the entire book, just like the printed version. Abridged means you will only hear a condensed version of the book (not all chapters are included.) The most comprehensive version, by far, is the unabridged version, as it covers all of the GTD content. The abridged version is more like the “Cliff Notes” summary of the key concepts and does not go into detail on the implementation phase.

The iBook format of Getting Things Done has poor formatting. Who needs to know about that?
We have been told by some customers that the iBook version is not formatted very well and we have passed along this feedback to the Penguin Group.
You can also give Penguin Group the feedback directly through their website or to Apple, their distribution partner for the iBook version.

How do I know if there is a version of Getting Things Done in my language?
We keep an updated list of foreign language editions of Getting Things Done on our website, as we are made aware of them by the publisher Penguin Group.

I had a problem downloading the book. Where do I go for help?
Please ask for assistance with downloading issues from the store where you purchased the download.  Unfortunately, we are only able to assist you with the versions available through our online store (hardcover, paperback, and audiobook.)

We hope this helps!

David Allen Company Products Team

Click this link to watch David’s presentation now.

Or click this link to download or play an MP3 of the audio only.

I joined GTD Connect a week or two ago, and I’m discovering that it is an excellent resource. The amount of content is awesome, and you have developed an active community. (Initially I thought: $48/month is a lot of money. Now I realize it’s worth it.)

I read Getting Things Done about three years ago, and although much of it made sense, I missed a lot of it. I’m now reading Making It All Work, reading articles on GTD Connect, and listening to Connect webinars, and I’m developing a much deeper understanding of GTD and how to apply it.

Thanks!
Bruce

(please vote and submit separately for each one)

Looking to join a book club to discuss David Allen’s books?  We have lively discussions about all three of these on GTD Connect, our online learning center.  Read what your fellow GTDers are learning, challenged by, inspired to try and more.  Going on now on the Connect Forums.  Free for all GTD Connect members.  Not a member? Check out the free guest pass.

Learn more…

If you are in the Minneapolis area next Wednesday, David will be doing a book signing that is free and open to the public. Here are the particulars:

When:

Wednesday, April 21st from 11:30am – 1pm CDT.

Where:

Barnes and Noble Downtown
Midwest Plaza, 801 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-371-4443

• 50,000 – Purpose
• 40,000 – Vision
• 30,000 – Goals
• 20,000 – Responsibilities
• 10,000 – Projects
• Runway – Calendar & Actions

We got a letter from Mike who has been reading the Getting Things Done book and shared his experience with us of what David’s means by “keeping the runway clear.”

A few years ago, I took some classes in New York. A guy came in who had just finished a book on The Beatles–Bob Spitz. He talked to the class for maybe an hour or so about his writing. He managed a big name rock star band then wrote for Rolling Stone. One of the things that has stuck with me, these past few years, is that he said that he always needed the house to be clean before he could write. He said he’d Spic-n-Span the whole house/apartment/condo (whatever he had) before he’d write a word.

This comes to mind today because Chapter 9 goes back to the basics. David mentions Chapter 2 at least a couple times, so this is a “don’t forget” chapter. Specifically: don’t forget to keep the runway clear. For Bob, his runway was having nothing in his writing area that he could possibly construe as out of place. In fact, I’ve heard about a lot of writers that need everything clean before they write. At first, I thought the writer was always Bob, but it turns out that tidiness is an important state that keeps a lot of people from distraction.

I did my own cleaning today. I did in just a couple hours, what I haven’t been able to do in the past month: clear out all the junk from my ski trip and clearing a spot in the basement to write. I focused first on the end result; I need a clean area to write. Then I thought about what that clean area would be like. I decided that I needed a table, chair, and a computer. Moving my desktop seemed like a serious hassle, so I decided that my laptop would do fine. Once I knew what I wanted, it was easy to push aside what I didn’t need and set up a nice writing area.

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,

and make a note of that call on your Calls list, along with the person’s number, you have captured the thought externally so your mind doesn’t have to keep reminding you of that.  When you have a phone and time to make calls (the context), you can review your calls list and handle that action.The strategic part is the way that you align your higher level purpose, long-term and short-term goals, and areas of focus, with your projects and actions.  For example, each of your projects would fall within a defined area of focus, which would be in support of a goal that fulfills your purpose.  In that way, something as tactical as making a phone call can be tracked back up to the strategy for achieving a long-term goal.

A great way to see how these tactical and strategic models intersect is in David’s book, Making It All Work.

In this 90-minute interactive webinar, David Allen will describe the strategies, tools and specific behaviors that dramatically upgrade individual and organizational productivity. In particular, he will focus on:

1. The 5 stages of control and the 6 horizons of focus necessary for personal self-management
2. How to get immediate control of “current reality”
3. How to keep track of the total inventory of your commitments
4. Why organizational issues are often personal process issues
5. Why it’s so challenging to change the simplest habits
6. How to continually self-consult to get back on your game

Register here.  David also does free events like this for GTD Connect members.  If you’re not a member, you can check out the two-week free trial, or join for by the month ($48) or year ($480).  If it’s not for you, canceling is easy. Really.

Chris Taylor, editor for Goose Educational Media, wrote up a detailed book review of Making It All Work that we thought you may find helpful. He wrote:

We broke the review into two parts, as I felt Making it all Work really lent itself to that format.

Part 1, focusing on control
Part 2, focusing on perspective

You can also read their review of GTD. Enjoy!

Our kick-off event for Breakfast, Business, and Books presents three Los Angeles-based authors who were recognized recently in The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. These business experts will share their knowledge about meeting the challenges we face in the current economic environment. We expect this once-in-a-lifetime event to sell out, so please make your reservations early.

GUEST AUTHORS
David Allen is the internationally best-selling author of Getting Things Done,
Ready for Anything, and most recently Making It All Work.
Warren Bennis has written or edited 26 books, including best selling Leaders and On Becoming a Leader, which was translated into 21 languages.
Karen Berman, founder and president of the Business Literacy Institute, wrote Financial Intelligence with co-author Joe Knight.
Todd Sattersten is the co-author of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time and the moderator and inspiration for this event.

Learn more

Asking myself “What’s the next action?” recently resulted in a wonderfully positive experience in my life. In 1970, I was a passenger on a Eastern Airlines flight that was hijacked. During that hijacking the co-pilot was killed and the pilot was shot in both arms yet he landed the plane miraculously in Boston. I was 19 at the time. The recent Miracle on the Hudson got me thinking how miraculous my own experience was but I had never thanked the pilot or crew who flew the flight.

Asking what the next action was prompted the answer, “Sit down at  the computer.” I did, googled retired eastern airlines pilots, and with the hour had his name and address. In addition, thanks to another interested retired pilot, I learned much more about the flight and the courageous actions of all involved especially the co-pilot who died. I have finally been able to send my thanks to the man who saved my life and the life of many others that day.

Thank you David Allen for helping me move forward and finally make this important connection.

Peggy McLoughlin

David shared with her that it seemed like “there are principles here bigger than the story itself…”  Peggy was sweet enough to update us on the final outcome:

In a subsequent “next action”, I received a call from the pilot now 75 years old and living in Florida. When he received my letter he said his wife told him he should sit down and write a nice return letter. But he decided instead to call and make the connection right away. Was it an example of the ingrained habit of clear thinking and decisive action that also contributed to his skillful landing of the plane at only 35 years old? In any case, it was the first time in 39 years I had ever spoken to someone who shared the experience of that flight. I was able to fill him in on what was happening in the cabin and he told me more about the gunfight  in the cockpit. Most of our conversation however involved him asking about my life and my children. He was clearly in forward thinking mode. The 39th anniversary of the flight was yesterday.

I had been reading Making It All Work when I decided to take the next action on contacting the pilot. Letting you know how grateful I am to you for helping me make this important connection seemed the absolute right next action.  Thank you very much for all the ways your work has encouraged and inspired me.

If you have a GTD story to share, please let us know!

David did an hour-long podcast this morning for the Leadership Coach Academy for their members.  Listen as David describes GTD, Making It All Work, and his approach to “elegant lazyness!”

“Making it All Work:  Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life” is that something. And I’m not just talking about the book, either.  David has worked for years to clarify, refine, broaden, deepen and in some ways complete the work he began with his original program of GTD.

For most people I suspect that the abbreviated Making it All Work presentation that David delivered today felt both familiar yet new at the same time.  That’s because it was.

I think that David retained much of the best of his original program but has fleshed out and added more material to those areas that people have occasionally said were not clear enough in the original.

Here are some basic outline notes from David’s slides for the presentation.  They are pretty much self explanatory.  The goal is to help you see more clearly what David means by each of the subcategories that he uses to define the various aspects of GTD.

They are as follows:

“If my brain had a brain I wouldn’t need a system.” – David Allen

Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect

This leads to having control and perspective

Control is simply cooperating with reality with conscious intent
Capturing
Clarifying
Organizing
Reflecting
Engaging

Perspective
Capture: write it down
Clarifying: what does this mean to me?
Organizing: put it where it goes
Reflecting: look through the whole
Engage: Do

Purpose/ Principles – 50,000  How: how do I want to operate as a human being?
Vision – 40,000 Feet  How do I see my self and my life
Goals – 30,000 Feet  What do I want to accomplish both long term and in the next two years?
Responsibilities – 20,000 Feet  What do I have to do
Projects – 10,000 Feet
Actions – Runway

System: build, fill, use

“You are here for a purpose.  You are either on purpose or you’re not.” David Allen

“Focus on what has your attention and you’ll find out what really has your attention.” – David Allen

was visiting the Making it all Work seminar featuring David Allen in Amsterdam yesterday. The seminar was organized by the David Allen Company and Life Architect. It was my third time that I visited one of David Allen’s seminars. I also listen regularly to the audio version of the seminar. It was as usual a very good seminar, relaxed, focused and entertaining. It looks like it doesn’t cost him any energy. Because I know what it is to have to present in a different time zone, it is amazing how he does it. With humor but with great persuasion he tells his story about productivity. You can read elsewhere on Internet about the content of the seminar.

There are two things I want to write about in this post regarding the seminar. First, David demoed his own system with Lotus Notes with the eProductivity add-on from Eric Mack. He also showed his extensive use of MindManager. By doing this he showed first hand how it works in his own personal and professional life. I must say this was quite powerful. It resembled much of how I have set up my own system in Evernote.

If you haven’t been to a seminar that is personally lead by David Allen you are missing an experience that at a minimum is an exceptional learning opportunity and for many people is literally transformational.  Of course for a truly transformational experience you should consider attending the GTD Global Summit which is taking place in San Francisco March 11th-13th of this year.

In addition to David Allen, Guy Kawasaki will be delivering a keynote and there will be presentations by other notable GTD’ers, entrepreneurs, and experts on everything from technology to entrepreneurship.  You’ll also have the chance to meet and mingle with a couple hundred other like minded people from companies both big and small.  Already, the summit has registrations for individuals from companies like Meade, Xerox, UPS, Federal Express (those last two probably know a few things about how to get things done, eh?) and many more.

Latest word is that for people registering in groups of 2 or more there’s a sliding scale of discounts that can be quite significant, especially for groups of 5 plus.  If you’ve got a couple of friends that you think could benefit from a few days of intensive GTD therapy, this is a great chance to get them on board and at a serious reduction from the standard price for the event.

In a mammoth post Venkat relays how a day that starts off terribly and only manages to get worse is made not merely manageable, but actually successful by virtue of his GTD habits.  What’s more he manages to gracefully articulate exactly why GTD proved invaluable in the trying circumstances he describes and even more surprisingly he seamlessly weaves in an insightful review of David’s new book, Making It All Work, and even puts it in context alongside David’s first book, Getting Things Done.

Although only an overachiever like Venkatesh would consider an epic like the one he’s penned a mere blog post, it is absolutely worth the ten or fifteen minutes it will take you to read and digest his post.  Not only is it time well spent because of the information it contains and the inspiration it will provide but also for the powerful examples he delivers in what was a very personal blow by blow of a day that he artfully shows us was saved by David Allen and a pair of swim trunks.

Editor’s Note:  Venkatesh has previously contributed to GTDtimes.  You can find his other post here.

Here’s the current schedule of dates, times and locations but be sure to double check here to be sure that none of the information has been updated.

Please note that the Chicago event also includes a question and answer session.  This event is open to the general public however a ticket must be purchased in order to attend.  Business Casual attire is also required for the Chicago event. To reserve a seat please contact the Book Stall at: 847-446-8880

Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, January 6
VROMAN’S – in store signing 7:00 PM
695 E Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, January 8
Philadelphia Free Library – 7:30 PM
Talk and Signing
1901 Vine St
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Chicago, IL
Friday, January 9
University Club of Chicago – 12:15 PM
76 East Monroe Street, Chicago
Question and Answer and Book Signing Co-hosted  with book sales by The Book Stall. This is a ticketed event ($25/head) for non-members to reserve space by calling the Book Stall in advance. UCC dress code applies: (business casual, no denim or athletic gear; collared shirts required for men.)

Seattle, WA
Monday, January 12
Legends and Leaders Lunch – 12:00 PM
Lunch, Talk, Moderated Q&A and Book Signing
Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
Grand Hyatt, Seattle, Grand Princessa Ballroom
Seattle, WA

University Bookstore – 7:00 PM
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

San Francisco, CA
Wednesday, January 14
CNET/BNET HQ – 3:00 PM
Post Interview Signing
235 2nd St
San Francisco, CA

(Sorry, just learned that the signing above is not one that is open to the public.  Please check back for updated information in case this should change)

Commonwealth Club – 6:00 PM
Talk and Signing
Business and Leadership Forum
595 Market Street
San Francisco, CA

Dallas, TX
Thursday, January 15
University of Texas at Dallas – 6:30 PM
Book Signing
Graduate School of Management
Davidson Auditorium
Plano, TX

“Making it All Work” does not disappoint him.  The review is the most comprehensive I’ve seen to date and provides an excellent summary of what to expect from reading the book completely.  What Trent does that you might find especially useful is to help place “Making It All Work” in context – both in the  broader sense – which includes explaining how it fits alongside Getting Things Done, but also on a section by section basis by walking us through a good portion of what we can expect to gain by reading the book.

This is not the type of review that leaves you wondering if the author actually read the book he’s reviewing and then just did the most cursory analysis – it is patently obvious that Trent not only read “Making it All Work“, but has taken real time to consider what it means and how to employ that advice in his own life.

If you really want to know what “Making it All Work” is about and more importantly want to know what to expect from reading it this review is the best place you could possibly hope to start.  In addition, Trent’s site in general is a wealth of information on personal finance and provides some excellent advice and tools for getting your personal finances under control and getting out from under any debt you might have.  During these trying times, we can all benefit from being both more productive as well as more frugal – TheSimpleDollar can help you to do both.