Getting Things Done

Just finished reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done; the Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

Allen prescribes a way of developing lists and keeping them, along with all your other papers and “stuff” organized at your work space.

I need to be efficient just to ensure that all my different businesses and projects keep running smoothly. I pride myself on being organized, but there is always room for improvement. So I bought the book and read it in a couple of days. And yesterday I went shopping for in-trays, files and folders. (WOW, was I excited to find these beautiful cherry-red fabric covered stacking trays on special for $2 each! I love a great sale, don’t you?)

I set up a beautiful stack of trays with labels according to David Allen’s suggestions. His system demands that you write on lists absolutely every task that needs tackling. You keep a “Next Actions” list instead of a prioritized “Things to Do” list. You have other lists to do with projects and work that isn’t necessarily so urgent, but is still planned. And there’s a “Someday/Maybe” list for the stuff that you are still ruminating over. Some of your lists get reviewed weekly, but the “Next Actions” list and your calendar are the things that drive your day.

Allen proposes that, if you have written down everything you need to do and stored it in a place where you can easily find it again, your mind is free to truly relax when you are away from the workspace. You no longer spend time worrying about whether or not it will all get done when it needs to. You know what you are doing and what you are not doing. Decisions you make about how you spend your time are informed decisions (not ad hoc based on a sketchy memory), and this gives you more confidence. It also frees your mind for more creative thinking. We like creative thinking!

I thought this book made a lot of sense and I’m looking forward to putting the system into practice.

I have to mention another book on time management that I love - Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy. This gives you more of a psychological approach to tackling your workload. Tracy reasons that you should start your day working on your biggest, most urgent task, even if there is a tendency to want to procrastinate about it. His book examines our personal motives for doing, or not doing our work. It is a quick read and I find it inspiring.

If you are in need of a productivity overhaul, I recommend both these books.