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GTD Case Study: Increasing Productivity in the New Year
Holiday breaks are a great time to plan for better productivity in the New Year. That’s what I did three years ago when I implemented the ideas in David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.
The first thing to grasp is the GTD principle: Always download from your brain anything you want to do as soon as the thought comes into your head. The easiest way to do this is by having notepads in every room and on your person. Digital notes are fine, too. Getting every little thing out of your head frees your mind to do the work of the moment.
All these notes go into your “in basket” for processing later, when they will be assigned to various lists. You might be thinking, “Big deal, everyone writes lists.” Yet, stick with me, you’ll see the difference. But before you get to building your lists, you have to do the first HUGE DOWNLOAD!
INITIAL DOWNLOAD
I chose the middle of my office floor for my “in basket.” A regular in-basket won’t do for the initial download. You need to put anything that needs an action in the in-basket. Papers, books, pictures, staplers, scissors, pens, phone books, just about everything goes into your in-basket. Messy drawers are just dumped into the pile.
If something is too big to move, then you write the name of the item on a sheet of paper and put it in the pile. Only one item per piece of paper.
While downloading, you also write down all sorts of random stuff going through your head. New equipment to purchase. A website you want to build. Doctor appointments. Each on one sheet of paper.
Once you can’t think of anything else to put in your in-basket, pause and appreciate what you have just created. There in that three-foot pile are all your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Take a picture.
LET THE PROCESSING BEGIN
Processing your in-basket requires these basic tools: calendar, notepad, pens, pencils, file folders, file drawer, and electronic labeler (critical).
Processing means picking up one item at a time and thinking what is the “next action.” Then you move the item to a list for that action. (See Allen’s book for how to handle items requiring a long series of actions.)
The lists themselves are organized by “like tasks.” If the next action requires a phone call, then the item goes on a phone call list. It doesn’t matter whether the call is work or home related. This grouping of personal tasks right alongside work tasks makes everyday life much easier.
You can create your own lists, but basic lists look something like this:
@ COMPUTER - draft home page for Gail, reconcile bank
account
@ PHONE - order prescription, call Lauren re. lunch, call
Dan re. landing page
@ ERRANDS - groceries, banking, office supply store
@ AGENDA - Bob re. next email campaign, review SEO
with Gail
@ WAITING FOR - Russ to call back re. new website,
Google to index page
@ HOME - laundry, plant Irises
@ SOMEDAY / MAYBE - visit Grand Canyon, write
e-book, learn French
DAILY 43-FILE SYSTEM
The daily 43-files is an important component of Allen’s system. You can make your own system by marking 12 files with each month, and 31 files for each day of the month. When you want to save a piece of paper with an action item, you place it in a monthly file. When the month rolls around, you sort monthly items into the daily files. Each morning you check for the day’s tasks. Ready-made tickler files are available at office supply stores.
HANDLING EMAILS
When an email comes in, it immediately goes to one of five folders.
1. ACTION (items need an action)
2. READ AND REVIEW (items don’t need an action,
but I would like to read)
3. REFERENCE / PROSPECTS (emails I want to hang
onto for awhile)
4. CONFIRMATIONS (for purchases / sign ups)
5. TRASH
I have other folders, too, like client folders. But if a client requests I do something, it goes to the action folder first. Once the action is completed, then it goes to the client folder.
The beauty of this is that my email in-box is clean most of my day. When you leave your in-box with emails in it, each time you open your in-box, you have to mentally re-process all those subject lines again and again, sucking up your brainpower and your time.
SAVING TIME
Because like tasks are grouped together, it’s easy to see windows of opportunity for getting things done. Let’s say, I’ve finished up a client’s page. I have ten minutes until a meeting. There’s not enough time to start another big project. So I quickly scan my lists and see if there’s something quick I can do. Maybe I’ll go to the Phone List and order a prescription refill.
WEEKLY REVIEW
It’s really important to review your lists weekly. When I do my weekly review, I abandon things no longer important and move anything I want to do in the forthcoming week to my This Week list.
THREE YEARS LATER
I have to say that after three years of using Allen’s systems, everything is still humming. Of course, no system will save you from your mistakes. If I misfile something, it’s lost and it costs me time to find it.
The real proof of his system is how easy it is to get back on track when things inevitably fall apart. Sometimes I get harried or sick and things pile up again. Instead of taking 3-5 days to get back on track, it usually takes a morning!
Though I still have days that just don’t go right, I can honestly say that most of the time I’m getting things done!
Katherine Andes is a writer who specializes in web content development and copywriting for SEO. Sign up for her weekly Easy Web Tips. You can email her at kathy@andesandassociates.com or phone her at 559.589.0379.
The first thing to grasp is the GTD principle: Always download from your brain anything you want to do as soon as the thought comes into your head. The easiest way to do this is by having notepads in every room and on your person. Digital notes are fine, too. Getting every little thing out of your head frees your mind to do the work of the moment.
All these notes go into your “in basket” for processing later, when they will be assigned to various lists. You might be thinking, “Big deal, everyone writes lists.” Yet, stick with me, you’ll see the difference. But before you get to building your lists, you have to do the first HUGE DOWNLOAD!
INITIAL DOWNLOAD
I chose the middle of my office floor for my “in basket.” A regular in-basket won’t do for the initial download. You need to put anything that needs an action in the in-basket. Papers, books, pictures, staplers, scissors, pens, phone books, just about everything goes into your in-basket. Messy drawers are just dumped into the pile.
If something is too big to move, then you write the name of the item on a sheet of paper and put it in the pile. Only one item per piece of paper.
While downloading, you also write down all sorts of random stuff going through your head. New equipment to purchase. A website you want to build. Doctor appointments. Each on one sheet of paper.
Once you can’t think of anything else to put in your in-basket, pause and appreciate what you have just created. There in that three-foot pile are all your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Take a picture.
LET THE PROCESSING BEGIN
Processing your in-basket requires these basic tools: calendar, notepad, pens, pencils, file folders, file drawer, and electronic labeler (critical).
Processing means picking up one item at a time and thinking what is the “next action.” Then you move the item to a list for that action. (See Allen’s book for how to handle items requiring a long series of actions.)
The lists themselves are organized by “like tasks.” If the next action requires a phone call, then the item goes on a phone call list. It doesn’t matter whether the call is work or home related. This grouping of personal tasks right alongside work tasks makes everyday life much easier.
You can create your own lists, but basic lists look something like this:
@ COMPUTER - draft home page for Gail, reconcile bank
account
@ PHONE - order prescription, call Lauren re. lunch, call
Dan re. landing page
@ ERRANDS - groceries, banking, office supply store
@ AGENDA - Bob re. next email campaign, review SEO
with Gail
@ WAITING FOR - Russ to call back re. new website,
Google to index page
@ HOME - laundry, plant Irises
@ SOMEDAY / MAYBE - visit Grand Canyon, write
e-book, learn French
DAILY 43-FILE SYSTEM
The daily 43-files is an important component of Allen’s system. You can make your own system by marking 12 files with each month, and 31 files for each day of the month. When you want to save a piece of paper with an action item, you place it in a monthly file. When the month rolls around, you sort monthly items into the daily files. Each morning you check for the day’s tasks. Ready-made tickler files are available at office supply stores.
HANDLING EMAILS
When an email comes in, it immediately goes to one of five folders.
1. ACTION (items need an action)
2. READ AND REVIEW (items don’t need an action,
but I would like to read)
3. REFERENCE / PROSPECTS (emails I want to hang
onto for awhile)
4. CONFIRMATIONS (for purchases / sign ups)
5. TRASH
I have other folders, too, like client folders. But if a client requests I do something, it goes to the action folder first. Once the action is completed, then it goes to the client folder.
The beauty of this is that my email in-box is clean most of my day. When you leave your in-box with emails in it, each time you open your in-box, you have to mentally re-process all those subject lines again and again, sucking up your brainpower and your time.
SAVING TIME
Because like tasks are grouped together, it’s easy to see windows of opportunity for getting things done. Let’s say, I’ve finished up a client’s page. I have ten minutes until a meeting. There’s not enough time to start another big project. So I quickly scan my lists and see if there’s something quick I can do. Maybe I’ll go to the Phone List and order a prescription refill.
WEEKLY REVIEW
It’s really important to review your lists weekly. When I do my weekly review, I abandon things no longer important and move anything I want to do in the forthcoming week to my This Week list.
THREE YEARS LATER
I have to say that after three years of using Allen’s systems, everything is still humming. Of course, no system will save you from your mistakes. If I misfile something, it’s lost and it costs me time to find it.
The real proof of his system is how easy it is to get back on track when things inevitably fall apart. Sometimes I get harried or sick and things pile up again. Instead of taking 3-5 days to get back on track, it usually takes a morning!
Though I still have days that just don’t go right, I can honestly say that most of the time I’m getting things done!
Katherine Andes is a writer who specializes in web content development and copywriting for SEO. Sign up for her weekly Easy Web Tips. You can email her at kathy@andesandassociates.com or phone her at 559.589.0379.