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Featuring company news, blogs, articles, and podcasts designed to help you win at the game of work and business of life.
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Podcast: David Allen - The Art of Work vs. the Work You Do
David answers the question, "Do I need a customized version of GTD for my organization?" What are best practices that apply to all? Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:47). For access to all previous podcasts, check out our complete podcast feed.
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Podcast: David Allen - Getting Started with GTD
David Allen shares his tips for getting started with GTD. A great dose of guidance on what to do to get your Getting Things Done system off the ground. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:53). For access to all previous podcasts, check out our complete podcast feed.
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Podcast: David Allen - Making It All Work
In this podcast, recorded for "Inside Personal Growth," David shares the keys from his book Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 33:17). For access to all previous podcasts, check out our complete podcast feed.
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Member Exclusive: Make It Easy And It Will Get Done - PersonalBFO
I had a personal BFO lately.
: Make it easy and I will get done.
If you use a to do list (mixture of actions and projects) : you will make it easy to think and you will think and be less attracted to do do. Most to do lists I made in my pre-gtd period where to think list instead of to do list...
Member Exclusive: Chapter 12: The Power Of The Next Action Decision - Featured Thru 11/29
GTD Times: Giving more attention to your kids than your BlackBerry
We wanted to share this amazing letter from Kevin, who recently attended a GTD Mastering Workflow class with Danny Bader. He describes what he did after the class, including a wonderful experience of connecting with his daughter. For those of you feeling like you're in "always on" mode in your work and personal life, Kevin's story may be inspiring to you to see what's possible...
Danny,
It was great to see spend the day learning how to take the GTD process from 50% to 100%. I was so energized by the training that I did not go to bed Friday night and let me tell you what has happened in a short amount of time:
- Went on GTD Connect and reviewed the process once again from start to finish
- Revised my Outlook to reflect the GTD way
- Kept my inbox at zero
- Did a mindsweep
- Created an in folder for my wife for her to do a mindsweep as well and place in the folder
- Saturday went to Staples and bought everything I needed to create the "bins" which I viewed on the GTD Slice of Life (on GTDConnect.com) to see how people set up their desks as well.
- Collected everything on top, below, in drawers and around my desk and have processed to about 50% with target of getting in to zero today.
Let me tell you the impact this has made already. I went to my daughters soccer game on Sunday and actually watched her. I silenced the emails on the BlackBerry as I trusted and knew I would get to zero first thing Monday so nothing was more important. She had the best game of the season. Her coach commented that he wanted to know what I fed her for lunch.
After leaving the match I asked my daughter why she played so well. Her response brought me to tears yesterday as it is now. She said "Dad, this was the first time you were watching my game and not paying more attention to your BlackBerry." This from a 10 year old. It shows that GTD is more than just a system, it is a program that allows us to experience life at such a deeper level than I could have imagined prior to Friday.
I can't thank you and David Allen enough on this program. I am convinced that David should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for this. I will continue to strive for mind like water as I move forward.
-Kevin
If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please send it along to editor@gtdtimes.com.
Member Exclusive: How Do You Define A DEADLINE?
I realized today, while doing my weekly review that I really don't know who defines my deadlines. An example is a task to write a memo to my boss that he should get sometime in the next two weeks. It is a memo I want to write and he could care less about (it is a CYA memo). So, does this get a deadl...
GTD Times: WSJ takes a look at GTD - the "reigning gorilla"
The Wall Street Journal took a closer look at the phenomenon of Getting Things Done. They also reviewed some time management approaches like Covey and The Pomodoro Technique. While there are quite a few differences in each of the 3 (GTD is actually not time management and much different than what the other 2 approaches are intended to do), it's a good, quick read. Here's a link to the article.
GTD Times: Develop and Maintain Successful Business Relationships with GTD
 Readers of my site know that I am a big fan of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology, which the cool kids call "GTD" (see my 5 must read business books post).
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.
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