How to Get Something Finished

8/12/2019 How to Get Something Finished

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen Page 1 of 9(Adapted from Ardea Coaching and Mike's Notes)

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen(Adapted from Ardea Coaching and Mike's Notes)

BASIC SUMMARY

Ineffective work habits, resistance, procrastination, and other productivity problems andstresses come about because of two thingswe dont have a system that unerringly keepstrack of what we have to do, and (because of this) our brains try to take over the task ofremembering everything, so we spend our mental energy trying to think ofwhat we need to dorather than thinking creatively aboutthe tasks. The key is to create the system that gets stuff offour minds reliably. The system consists of five parts: Collecting everything thats in our heads;processing each thing individually and deciding what the next physicalaction to take is;organizing the reminders of these Next Actions by context in which they can be done; reviewingeverything periodically to remind your brain that youve got it all; and finally, of course, doingstuff.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Introduction: Welcome to Getting Things DoneThe purpose of the book is to be both productive and relaxed when you want or need to be.Theres no way to perfect personal productivity and organization, but often it just takes simpleprocesses or tricks to improve what youve got. Processes are best experienced but books arelinear, so its divided into three sections: Part 1 (chapters 1-3) is an overview of themethodology; Part 2 (chapters 4-10) covers how to implement the methodology; and Part 3(chapters 11-13) goes over the subtle and profound results of using the system consistently.

PART 1

1. A New Practice for a New Reality

The new reality is that the hard edges there used to be around work (used in its broadestsense) are gone. Work life and home life bleed together, projects overlap, responsibilities shift,and so forth. Our brains, on the other hand, have a kind of on/off switch when it comes tothings we say well dowere either doing it or we arent. And if we arent doing it, theressomething wrong. Getting Things Doneis about dealing with that by systematically doing twothings: 1) Getting everythingout of your head and into the organizational system, and 2)making decisions up front about the stuff in your system. These two things allow your mind torelax about what youre choosing to do (and not do).

I have found that lack of time is not the major issue for them (though they themselves maythink it is); the real problem is alackof clarity and definitionabout what a project really isand what the associated next-action steps required are.

Two types of control are gained: Vertical control (dealing with all the steps in a project) andhorizontal control (staying in touch with and on top of all of your projects). David Allen defines a


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project as anything that will take more than one physical action to complete (change the lightbulb in the bathroom isnt a project unless you have to go to the store to get new light bulb).

2. Getting Control of Your Life: The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow

The GTD method has five stages:Collect, Process, Organize, Review, andDo. This

manages the horizontal level (vertical comes later). Most people do each at different levels,so their productivity sticks at the lowest-functioning one.

COLLECT

Everything that could be considered incomplete should be captured outside of your mindinto your inbox(es). Inboxes can be electronic, voice, or paper-based. Use the minimumnumber necessary to effectively collect everything on a regular basis, and all should beregularly processed.

PROCESS

Take each item, one at a time, and ask what is it? and is there an action associated withit?

If its not actionable, there are three outcomes: Trash, Incubate (its a someday or maybeitem/task), or file for Reference.

If its actionable, decide if its a project or notthat is, will it take 2 or more steps? If its aproject, add it to a project list and decide on its next physical action. If its not a project, justdecide the next action. For all Next Actions, do one of three things: 1) If it can be done inless than two minutes,doit; 2) Delegateit if someone else is the right person to do thenext step, or 3) Defer it into your Next Actions folders/lists.

ORGANIZE

Have places to receive and hold all of your actions from the processing. These include:

o Trash/recycling;o a Someday/Maybe folder for incubated things;o a filing system for reference material;o a Waiting For folder to keep reminders of the things youve delegated;o Next Action folder(s);o a projects list (which acts as an index) and any folders necessary to hold project

support materials;

o a calendar and/or a tickler file for time- and date-specific actions.

REVIEW

Frequently reviewing helps keep it all together. Review the calendar most often for thehard landscape of your day (the things that must be done today or at a particular time).Next will be Next Action files so you can decide what to do with unallocated time. Finally, a


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Weekly Review should be done to look over everything, update anything that needs it,look ahead to the next week, and generally reassure your brain that youve got everythingunder control.

DO

There are three ways of deciding what to do next.

The Four Criteria Model looks at 1) what context youre in (doing errands vs. sitting at thecomputer, etc.), 2) the time you have available, 3) your energy level, and 4) priority.

The Threefold Model looks to find a balance for the three types of work: doing predefinedwork; doing work as it shows up; and defining your work. And the Six Level model looks atthings from different altitudes -- from the Runway (current actions) all the way up to50,000 Feet (your life taken as a whole)

3. Getting Projects Creatively Under Way: Five Phases of Project Planning

This is the vertical control piece. David Allen describes what he calls the Natural PlanningModel, so called because its how we go about planning things in our daily lives, though notnecessarily how we do it when were formally planning. The model looks like this:

1. Purpose and PrinciplesPurpose asks the why? question. Defines success, createsdecision-making criteria, aligns resources, motivates, clarifies focus, and expands options.Principles are the standards and values that define the criteria for excellence in behaviorand parameters for action ( I would give others totally free reign to do this as long astheywhat?).

2. Vision and OutcomeThe what? question. Having clarity and focus about your vision andoutcomes helps your brains reticular activating system (RAS) to start making you aware of

how it can happen. The RAS is the part of your brain that is responsible for self-fulfillingprophecies, as well as the effect where once you become aware of something you startseeing it everywhere.

3. BrainstormingCan be done internally or externally (mind-mapping, white boards, etc.) butexternal helps you to see everything without having to remember it all. Keys to goodbrainstorming: dont judge, challenge, evaluate, or criticize; go for quantity, not quality; andput analysis and organization in the background.

4. OrganizingIdentify major pieces and sort by one or more: components, sequences,priorities. And do detail only to the degree necessary to determine next actions.

5. Next ActionsAll actions that can be taken now should be identified; dependent ones canwait until the steps they depend on have been completed. If you have trouble with this stepcheck that youve spent enough time on previous steps to be clear, and that youre truly

committed to the project in general (as opposed to it being a Someday/Maybe project).

Most projects (about 80%) can go through all of this in your head; about 15% might require alittle external brainstorming, etc.; and only about 5% will need the deliberate application of oneor more steps of the model. If you need more clarity, shift up (towards purpose); if you needmore action to happen, shift down (towards Next Actions).


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PART 2

4. Getting Started: Setting Up the Time, Space, and Tools

Most of the stuff in the book are tricks to get the not-so-smart part of your brain to do what

you want (like putting the outgoing mail next to the door so you see it on the way out).

Setting aside time:Getting set up can take a couple of days but can be done in smaller chunks.Best to have a large chunk of uninterrupted time, such as a weekend or holiday. After hours atthe office isnt as good because youre tired and have less time.

Setting up the space:You need a central cockpit of control. Minimum: writing surface androom for an in-basket. More functional: add phone, computer, stacking trays, working filedrawers, paper, and favorite writing instrument, plus any essentialequipment for doing yourwork. If you work outside the home, make satellite control centers at home and work. If youtravel a lot, make a portable version with the basic files and supplies. Dont share control spacewith anyone else!

Getting the tools youll need:3 or so stacking paper trays, a stack of plain paper (for writing onetask/idea per sheet), paper-handling supplies (post-its, paper clips, etc.), an automatic labeler(inexpensive Brother brand with AC adapter and black-on-white tape), manila file folders(many, letter-sized), a calendar (or keep using the one youre using), and trash/recycling bins.You dont need a planner unless youre already using one regularlythe important thing isfinding a simple, fast, and fun way of creating lists on the run and reviewing lists easily andregularly.

Filing:There are two kinds of filing systems: discreet filing systems (for contracts, financialdata, etc.all one type of thing where the category would fill more than half a file drawer), andgeneral reference (for notes, brochures, faxes, printouts, etc.). General Reference filing needs

to be fun to do, easy, and complete. Success tips: keep general reference within swiveldistance of your control area; use one alphabetic system (up to one subdivision: Gardeningpots, Gardeningideas, etc.); have lots of fresh folders on hand; keep drawers under full foreasy access; label with automatic labeler; get rid of hanging files (or do one labeled file perhanger); have cabinets with high-quality mechanics; and purge files at least once per year.

Before you start, clear all commitments for that time so youre not thinking about what you haveto remember to do afterwards, etc.

5. Collection: Corralling Your Stuff

Capture everything that isnt exactly where you want it, the way you want it. This can take one

to six hours to complete. Place-savers are allowed (a sheet with deal with hall closet writtenon it).

Physical:Keep supplies, reference material, decoration, and equipment where it is unless thereis an action associated like reference stuff that needs to be updated. If its too big to fit, make anote and drop it in the inbox. If theres more than can fit in the inbox, at least designate a placeso you can tell whats in and whats not. Dont purge and organize, just put a note that itneeds to be done in the inbox (purge 4-drawer file). Also put in: previous to-do lists,


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organizers, Outlook/Palm task lists, etc. Start centrally and move outwarddesktop, deskdrawers, countertops, cabinets, walls, floors, shelves, equipment, furniture, fixtures, otherlocations (home, cars, boats, garage, etc.)

Mental:Collect anything thats left in your mind: thoughts, ideas, projects, things. Write one persheet and go for quantity. Pages 114-117 have a list of mental triggers of things that might be

stuck in the mind, from Professional: Projects started, not completed to Civic issues.

6. Processing: Getting In to Empty

Its best to do the first major processing and organizing at the same time because theres adance between determining actions and putting the reminders of those actions somewhere. Ifyoure not sure how youll eventually organize, stay low-tech and upgrade to new tools/systemslater. Processing rules: top item first; one item at a time (except for the very small group ofpeople who needto multitask to think clearlythey can take two or maybe three things out atonce); and nothing goes back into in.

The processing question:Whats the Next Action? If no action is necessary, trash, incubate, or

reference. Trash doesnt matter if you use if in doubt throw it out or if in doubt keep it (butcheck with CPA, etc. for retention schedules for documents, financial info, etc.). Incubate itemsgo into Someday/Maybe or tickler files -- no action now, but there might be later. Referenceis non-actionable but might be useful information, so file it in your general reference filingsystem.

If there is an action, decide exactly what it is, in visible, physical terms. Not set meeting butemail meeting request to Alice, Bob, and Carly. If you think the next step is to decidesomething, it probably means the actual next step is about getting more information to makethe decision easier. Once you have the Next Action, you can:

Do It.If its quick (under 2 minutes or so), just take care of it right away rather than bother

creating a reminder and organizing it. You can adjust this guideline based on how muchtime youve got.

Delegate It.If youre not the best person to take the next action, pass it off in somesystemic way that records date of handoff and what youre waiting for. Put that record inyour Waiting For file or folder. Perhaps best-to-worst order for ways to hand off: email,written note dropped off on their desk/routed to them, leave a voicemail, add to agenda fornext conversation, talk directly (worst because it interrupts both of you, usually takes thelongest time to actually hand off, and doesnt leave a record of the handoff).

Defer It.Put it in Next Actions for organizing in next chapter. If its a project that takes 2+actions to complete, add it to the Projects list.

7. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets

All of the organizing is just lists and folders, so anything that helps you manage lists and foldersis fair game for how to do this. There are seven basic types of things to organize/manage:Projects (the index list), project support materials, calendared actions and information, NextActions lists, Waiting For lists, reference material, and a Someday/Maybe list. Its important


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to keep these distinct from one another so that they dont get muddy and start your mindwondering if you really have it together.

Calendar: All time- and date-specific things on the calendar and nothing else. The calendar isonly for what mustbe done on that date, not what you think you might like to do on that day.

Next Actions: If you organize the asap actions by the context in which you can do them, yousave yourself effort sorting through for stuff you can do and are more able to take advantage ofodd idle moments. Common contexts: calls, at computer, errands, read/review, at office, athome, agendas. Sometimes it makes sense to use the original item as a reminder (the actualarticle to read) and sometimes just a reminder.

Waiting For: Triggers to remind you where to light fires to get things moving if you need to.Dates for when it was handed off are useful to note.

Email: Online stuff can be handled in a similar manner. Since @ sorts to the top in Outlookand other mail programs, you can make folders like @Actions and @Waiting For andprocess incoming mail just the same as the physical inbox. Review these folders as necessary.

Projects: The projects list helps you to get the broader workload picture. You dont need tosubdivide projects, but if you find it helpful, you might find helpful: Personal vs. Professional;Mine vs. Delegated; or different project types.

Project Support: Anything needed as reference or support should be filed separately, theproject itself should be on the projects list, and all appropriate next actions should be in theirrespective context-sorted Next Action folders.

Someday/Maybe: Fill with things you might do and with current projects you choose to take offyour plate. You might make collections of Someday/Maybe items, such as recipes, books toread, creative ideas, etc.

Calendar: Can also be used to trigger future options such as activating projects (Beginconference prep), events you might want to participate in (Chamber breakfast tomorrow?)and decision catalysts (Time to decide: change jobs?)

Tickler Files: These work like a calendar, only for physical items such as tickets, forms to fillout, etc. The next days folder gets dumped into the inbox and filed in back.

Checklists: Ad-hoc or permanent lists that help keep track of stuff or gather information, fromThings to take camping to Core life values to My Areas of Responsibility.

8. Reviewing: Keeping Your System Functional

The purpose of all the previous steps is to have everything out of your head and ready forreview when necessary so you can see it all easily. Review as often as necessary to feel goodthat what youre choosing to do is the right thing to be doing.

Youll need to reassure your mind that your system is still up to date to keep it from taking overand trying to remember everything. Very simply, the Weekly Review is whatever you need to


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do to get your head empty again. Things you might do during a weekly review: collect loosepapers, notes, journal entries, etc. into the inbox; review past calendar data for missing NextActions; review future calendar data for prep actions; empty your head of anything youve beenthinking about; review projects and other big-outcome lists; review and update Next Actionsfolders, Waiting For folder, Someday/Maybe folder, and any relevant checklists youvemade; be creativewhat new ideas can you have?

Recommendations: Set aside 2 hours once a week to do this, preferably early Friday afternoonso you can still reach people at work if there are some final things to clean up. Also, you can gointo the weekend relaxed that youre on top of everything.

9. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices

You can use your intuition/heart/etc. to decide which action to take next. Or you can narrow itdown with one of these models.

Four Criteria Model

Contextof your Next Actions folders, which can you work on given where you arenow? You can ignore all other actions.

Time availablenext, ignore things that will take longer than the current window of time. Energy Availabletake on big, important things when youre energetic, and water the

plants or fill the stapler when youre not. Priorityout of everything that matches your context, time, and energy, whats the most

important?

Threefold Model for Evaluating Daily Work

You can do predefined work, do work as it shows up, or define your work. The goal is toappropriately balance these three types. Many people use the inevitability of an almost infinitestream of immediately evident things to do as a way to avoid the responsibilities of definingtheir work and managing their total inventory. Its easy to get seduced into not-quite-so-criticalstuff that is right at hand, especially if your in-basket and your personal organization are out ofcontrol. Another quote: People often complain about the interruptions that prevent them fromdoing their work. But interruptions are unavoidable in life. When you become elegant atdispatching whats coming in and are organized enough to take advantage of the weird timewindows that show up, you can switch between one task and the other rapidly. Finally, Yourability to deal with surprise is your competitive edge.

Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work

All the levels are integrated and interdependent, so you can work on any level at any time.Practically speaking, it seems that working from the bottom up works better by freeing up lowerlevels so you can think at a higher level. They are:

Runway: Collect, process, organize, review, do; 10,000 feet: Projects-level (review, clarify, organize);


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20,000 feet: Current areas of responsibility/focus. List these in writing and update,review, use as triggers for potential new projects, etc. every 1-3 months;

30,000 feet: 1 year goals; 40,000 feet: 1-5 year goals; and 50,000 feet: Overview of your life.

10. Getting Projects Under Control

Most people could do more thinking/planning about their projects. Mainly focus on two types:ones that keep your attention even if you know next actions, and ones where usefulinformation/ideas keep showing up. The first type can typically use more brainstorming,organizing, or gathering information. The other type is best served by adding more collectionmethods for those ideas.

Tools to support project thinking can help trigger and capture ideas. These include manyoperational writing instruments in places where youd likely use them, paper and pads, easelsand whiteboards (with plenty of fresh markers), and a computer with whatever software you

need. Get good quality stuff that you actually wantto use. A good filing system to collect andfile the project materials and ideas is important. Software finishes the list, but most projectplanning software is overkill. More useful includes anything that can do outlining, capturebrainstorm results, and write/attach notes to other things (word processors do most of these).

Finally, spend an hour or two with your tools thinking, top to bottom, about any major projectsthat warrant it.

PART 3

11. The Power of the Collection Habit

When people with whom you interact notice that without fail you receive, process, andorganize in an airtight manner the exchanges and agreements they have with you, they beginto trust you in a unique way. It noticeably enhances your mental well-being and improves thequality of your communications and relationships, both personally and professionally.

The negative feelings that may come up around our stuff before and during the initialcollection/processing stage can come from our broken agreements with ourselves. To avoidthis, dont make the agreement in the first place, complete the agreement, or renegotiate theagreement consciously. You can only do the second two if you know what youve agreed. Sokeep collecting until nothing else comes up and you have no sense of something beingmissing. Only then can you be sure youre clear.

When a note sits idle in someones in-basket unprocessed, or when he or she nods yes, I willin a conversation but doesnt write anything down, my uh-oh bell rings. This is unacceptablebehavior in my world. There are much bigger fish to fry than worrying about leaks in thesystem.


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When groups of people collectively adopt the 100 percent collection standard, they have atight ship to sail. It doesnt mean theyre sailing in the right direction, or even that theyre on theright ship; it just means that the one theyre on, in the direction its going, is doing that with themost efficient energy it can.

12. The Power of the Next-Action Decision

Asking Whats the next action? at meetings and deciding who will do that action makes ahuge difference in both clarity and effectiveness. We are accountable to define what, ifanything, we are committed to make happen as we engage with ourselves and others. Themagic happens because it would likely require only about ten seconds of thinking to figure outwhat the next action would be for almost everything on your list. It also works because it short-circuits the mental tangles and emotional resistance that cause procrastination.

The danger in continuing to do GTD is that the next action folders may get polluted with thingsthat arent specific next physical actions but actually projects. When this happens, your mindstarts to go numb to the whole folder.

13. The Power of Outcome Focusing

Focusing on outcomes is how you make sure your tight ship (see last paragraph from chapter11) is sailing in the right directionits how all new visions, ideas, and projects are born.Focusing on outcomes brings about the same benefits as next-action thinking: clarity,productivity, accountability, and empowerment. Both outcome focus and next action thinkinghelp people shift out of victim mentality and start moving towards a solution.

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