Getting things done

getting things done

Part 1: the art of getting things done

  • Why? Old habits and techniques (calendar, todo lists) no longer work.
    • New practice means new reality.
  • Vision, goals related approach also do not work.
    • Thinking lots of things can be overwhelming.
    • Too much distraction with those tasks.
    • Day-to-day already have too much distraction.
  • A productive state ~ in the zone ~ mind like water.
  • We are constantly in a semi-stressful state because of commitments we accept and/or make.
  • Basic way of dealing with commitment:
    1. If it fits in your mind, capture them off your mind in a collection bin.
    2. Check all the things that need to be done.
    3. Have reminders & review them regularly.
  • Get your current goal / project:
    • Think about the next physical action you need to do → makes you less overwhelm and makes you be more in control.
    • Write in a single sentence the successful outcome.
  • Why is some things are still in our mind?
    • It may be because its successful outcome is not clarified enough.
    • You may not think about the next physical action.
    • There’s no reminder in your system you trust.

GTD requires 2 components:

  1. Defining what “done” is (outcome).
  2. Defining what “doing” looks like (action).

Bottom-up approach may be more effective than vision / goal approaches as you are more in control of what’s happening at ground level.

There are 5 steps of mastering workflow:

  1. Capture what has our attention.
  2. Clarify each item and what to do with each of them.
  3. Organize the results.
  4. Reflect on the options.
  5. Choose which one we engage with.

Capture

  • Gather every incomplete things and put them in a “container”.
    • Revisit those containers regularly and decide what to do with them.
    • The things not done are not done in 2 places: your container and in your head, the latter will stress you out.
  • Every open loop must be in your capture system and out of your head.
  • You must have a few capturing buckets as you can get by.
  • You must empty them regularly.
  • Minimize the number of in-tray / capture location.
  • Organize: not what’s incoming but the action to do about them.

Decision-tree

decision tree|800

4 criteria for choosing action:

  1. context
  2. time available
  3. energy available
  4. priority

6 levels of horizons

  1. purposes & principles
  2. vision
  3. goals
  4. areas of focus & accountabilities
  5. current projects
  6. current actions

Natural planning

  1. Defining purposes and principles
  • Ask why!
  • Value of the why: it defines success, it creates decision-making criteria, it aligns resources, it motivates, it clarifies focus, it expands options.
  1. Outcome visioning
  2. Brainstorming
  3. Organizing
  4. Identifying next actions

Part 2: Practicing stress-free productivity

Use tickets, like:

  • putting in front of the door: it makes remind you first things in the morning;
  • look at calendar, you might be reminded about an event and thing to do;
  • write all the things for a project.

Bottom-up approach more effective because if you are more in control of ground / horizon 1, you can think about the above horizons.

What project should you be planning?

  • Projects that need next action about planning.
    • Steps: brainstorm, organize, setting up meetings, gather information.
  • Random project thinking: note and put to your in-tray.

Tools and structures that support project thinking:

  • Great tools can trigger good thinking.
    • pen and paper to where you’re likely to take notes;
    • whiteboards;
    • larger additional computer screen.

Part 3: The power of the key principles

3 ways to deal with negative feelings when you capture things:

  1. don’t make the agreement
  2. complete the agreement
  3. re-negociate the agreement

The power of getting ahead is getting started.

Ask what’s the next action.

  • That will trigger thinking and maybe some action / motivation to do it.
  • Forces clarity, accountability, empowerment and productivity.