Tricode Professional Serviceswww.tricode.nl

Date 18-09-2009

Author: Marius van Dam

Robin van Riel

Getting Things Done

Working more focused and with less stress

Origins• Getting Things Done (Book

David Allen)• Developed from 1980’s• Modeled behaviors for

productivity• Mechanisms and tools to create

a personal ‘action-reminder system’

• Popular on the web• Consulted 40% of the Fortune

100 companies

Managing time used to be simple…

But for modern knowledge workers…

As a knowledge worker

• Unclear or changing job descriptions• Shifting roles and responsibilities• A responsibility to determine your work

– what– how– when

“The knowledge worker cannot be supervised closely or in detail. He can only be helped. But he must direct himself, and he must direct himself towards performance and contribution, that is, toward effectiveness. “

- Peter Drucker

A hectic day at the office• Emails• Interruption

(coworkers, emails, phone)

• (unclear) responsibilities

• Projects• Meetings• New ideas• New tasks• What to do first?

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1622338_1363003,00.html

Original Time management• Top down• First determine your goals

and vision • Then define tasks to reach

them • Plan a week• Specific tasks on a day &

time

http://www.gtdtimes.com/2009/04/20/david-developed-gtd-because/

The problem with time managementDisadvantages: • Not flexible to

– changing priorities– new incoming input and changes that

needs attention

• How to deal with all the big and small stuff?

• Hard to focus on high level goals when there is stuff to deal with ‘at the runway’

“if you over-plan, it will get in your way”

To do list (bad)

• What is the goal?• What is the concrete task?• Triggers more thinking• Not complete…• Does not help to decide on priorities

Organize a birthday party for my daughter

Set up my computer at home The garden Create a new CV Tax Do more sports Finish project x

The mind is not a good repository• Not good at remembering

commitments • Can’t keep so many things• Does not remind at the right

place & time

(example: you were just in super market where they sold the batteries that you needed for your TV remote but you think about it when you’re back at home)

The mind can’t let go

“If you don’t pay attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves”

- David Allen

• Will keep letting you know that there is something (stress)

• Will remind things at the wrong place and time• So use it for thinking, not for keeping stuff

The solutionA 100% reliable external system…

…that your brain can trust on to hold your commitments for you

Agenda gives peace of mind• For all date specific agreements

things: you have your agenda…• When you look at your agenda

and if it’s complete it gives peace of mind and focus

• Other running projects and tasks that you need to do often aren’t so clearly written down

• What if you could have the same kind of peace of mind about all of your commitments?

How does GTD work?

1. Collect: Get everything out of your head2. Clarify your agreements to yourself3. Organize it in a trusted system: a complete

and current inventory of all your commitments4. Systemically review everything5. Do: Allows a "conscious choice about how to

spend your time and resources“

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_14/b4125084256954.htm

Collect (Capture) > Process (Clarify) > Organize > Review (Reflect) > Do (Engage)

1. Collect (Capture)

Stuff

“Anything you have allowed into your psychological or physical world that doesn’t belong where it is, but for which you haven’t yet determined the desired outcome and the next action step“

- David Allen

Collect & capture your stuff

Physical stuff (collect it)

- Paper - Mailings- Flyers- Letters - Trash- Old things you

don’t need anymore

Non-physical stuff (capture it)

- Loose ends- To do’s- Ideas- Goals- Promises to

yourself- Promises to others

1. Collect in in-baskets

Create several in baskets- At work: a physical in basket- Folders- On the go (Pen & paper? Mobile? Application?

Folder for loose papers and booklets?- Email

Empty your head (brainstorm)

2. Process (Clarify)

Clarify = thinking• Processing is not the same as looking through• You need to think and decide (train to do it

quickly!)

• If it has no action: throw away or archive• If there is an action: Capture the results in your

action reminder system

What’s the next action?

The next physical action that you need to take to move towards the desired outcome

• What do you want to achieve?• What do you need to do for that?• And to do that?• And to do that?• Until you have a concrete action

Example “Clean up the garage”What’s the next action?

• Simple! Go to the garage and clean up• No… there is a fridge that first needs to be

removed• I had to ask Paul if he needed it for the boy

scouts

Next action: call Paul about the fridge

Example: Organize a PHP workshopWhat’s the next action?

• We need to determine who the speakers are• So I need to send out a call for papers• Wait, first we need to determine the theme• I think I’ll have a chat with Niels to see what his

ideas are

Next action: “plan brainstorm with Niels”

Example “Do taxes”

What’s the next action?

• I can’t start until I have received my annual statement

Next action: “Wait for Annual statement”

What is a project

• Anything that needs multiple (independent) steps

• After the next action, more actions follow• You need to be reminded to plan them• Keep a separate projects list

What is the desired outcome?

• Visualize what you want to achieve

Desired outcome (end goal)

Implement…Research…Distribute…Finish…Learn …Set up …Organize …Create …Design …Install …Repair …Develop …

Next action(concrete task)

Call…Ask…Buy…Email to…Search…Talk to…Read…Clean up…Print…Fill in…Create concept for…Google…

2. Process (Clarify)• Process all your in baskets to zero• At least once a day: each basket empty

For non-actionable items:• Throw away • or archive as reference• Or: park for later (Someday/Maybe)

For actionable item:• If it can be done in 2 min’s: do it right away• Otherwise: defer it and create reminders in your trusted

system

2-minute rule

If it can be done within 2 minutes, do it right away

• that’s about the time it would take you to file it in your action reminder system

• It’s more efficient to do it right away

3. Organize

3. Organize in lists

Store and organize your reminders in a way that they can be retrieved at the right time and under the right circumstances (context)

• Calendar (for time based stuff)• Project list• Next actions per Context• Someday/Maybe list

• A list or mindmap for higher horizons

Contexts

@ Office@ Home@ Calls@ Computer@ Errands@ Gamma

@ Agenda – team meeting@ Agenda – board meeting@ Agenda - Peter

4. Review (Reflect)

4. Review (Reflect)Plan a weekly review to update all your reminders and

create new items where needed (about 2 hours?)

• Collect Loose Papers and Materials• Get “IN” to zero• Empty Your Head• Review Action Lists• Review Previous Calendar Data• Review Upcoming Calendar• Review Waiting-For List• Review Project (and Larger Outcome) Lists• Review Someday/Maybe List• Be Creative & Courageous

6 horizon’s of focus• 50.000 Feet: Purpose and Principles • 40.000 Feet: 3-5 year Vision• 30.000 Feet: 1-2 year Goals and Objectives• 20.000 Feet: Areas of Focus and Responsibilities• 10.000 Feet: Projects (1wk – 1 year)• The Runway: Next Actions

5. Do (Engage)

5. Do (Engage)

You can:• Do previously defined work• Do work as it shows up• Define work (process)

Pick a task from your menu• Agenda is the ‘hard landscape’• Rest of the time can be filled with tasks from

your system (could hold 100+ current next action’s)

• Choose intuitively:– Context: what can I do here?– Time: how much time do I have?– Energy: how much energy do I have?– Priority: how much value does this ad?– Momentum: does this make it possible that other

things get done?

Implementing itGetting started

Similarities GTD and SCRUM• Cycles

– Cycle time is limited• Usually one week per cycle

– Too many actions in a cycle requires reorganizing– Prioritizing of actions

• Order actions by “business value”

– Frequent measuring points– High level overview

From total chaos to GTD

1. Total Chaos1. Lots of ideas, plans, visions, must-do’s2. Everything packed inside your head3. Lots of stuff gets forgotten4. Lots of deadline surprises (“Ah… I knew there was

something!”)

2. Listmania1. Lots of lists for lots of stuff (but certainly not

everything!)2. Tasks ordered by type, so that they can be performed

in batches3. Whenever the lists are in sight (risc factor!), the

actions usually get done

From total chaos to GTD (2)

1. GTD1. Capturing everything important enough to be

captured2. Periodical re-evaluating of actions/projects3. Clear overview of upcoming events (at least once per

week)1. Resulting in a reliable way to safeguard / manage long term

visions

What does it take?You can implement it in any way you like.Make sure your system is efficient and trustworthy!

1. Create new actions / projects in a system that works for you2. Empty your stuff box & mailbox(es)

• Once a day• All day long (no additional time required)

3. Weekly overview• Once a week• Could take one or two hours

4. Syncing of stuff collections on a regular basis• Manually syncing iphone GTD app data with Mac app, Web

application, WebDav server (if needed)• Manually combine “hardware” stuff boxes (collect stuff notes /

artifacts)

Tools

What GTD brings you

Advantages of GTD• Complete inventory of all running projects and

tasks• More control over your life and work• Get perspective over where you are going • Empty your head• Reduce stress• More focused on your current task• Be more productive• Make decisions “when it shows up, not when it

blows up”

False statements about GTD …“GTD is a system that tells me what to do”

“I started GTD a few months ago but now I’m unorganized again so I failed”

“I can’t react on this fire-alarm: my inbox is still not empty”

“I already do all of this stuff”

“GTD is a quick fix for becoming highly productive”