Category Archives: Featured

David Allen talks with psychologist Mark Tigchelaar about how the brain deals with distractions, and how long it takes to recover from distractions. Mark points out that dopamine inflation leads to our seeking out new stimuli. His advice: “Minimize the number of switches that you make during the day, without missing what’s important.”

David Allen talks with GTD trainer Justin Hale about his journey with GTD. Justin notes that the journey includes cultivating self-awareness about our habits. He emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice to change behaviors. More than a set of hacks, he considers GTD to be a complete system.

Becky DeWaters gives us a detailed look into her OmniFocus system. She also shares what she has learned about the relationships between goals, areas of focus, projects, and next actions. She mentions plenty of illustrative examples, and weaves helpful metaphors into the discussion.

Please join David Allen as he talks with Steve Beimel about how GTD artfully ties in with revitalizing traditional Japanese master crafts.

Josh Mitchell has a longtime interest in paper planners. In this recording, he shares past and current versions of paper planners, including the type that David Allen used until the mid-1990s.

David and Dave explore the art of balancing predefined work that you may have told yourself is important for today, with work that shows up. They discuss the importance of having protocols and agreements for communication on your team, including expected response times. Then they consider the different types of notes you might take in meetings. That leads to a perennial question: How to get others to do GTD? David’s answer is that happens when someone exemplifies outcome and action thinking.

Having a good set of tools and being clear how you want to use them are keys to an effective GTD practice. Join us for a conversation about the rules for your tools.

In this brief recording, David Allen discusses how he answers the question he is often asked. “How do I set priorities?”

Jukka Backman is a GTD trainer and coach, as well as the managing director for GTD in Finland. In this recording, he shares about the multifaceted value of writing things down. Jukka says, “There is definite power in writing things down. When externalized (from the mind) our perception of the things that took our attention, changes.” He talks about the specifics of how to use a worry list, how to start or refine your use of the Mind Sweep, harnessing the power of your self-talk, and his use of the Intention Journal.

In another installment of their occasional chats, David and Dave talk about travel productivity, and paper versus digital. They also weave in discussion of the psychology and philosophy of GTD.

In another David and Dave talk, David is asked whether he does a larger than usual review at the beginning of the year, and David replies about what times of year and events in life prompt what kinds of reviewing. Dave says that moving every two years is a good way to limit how much stuff you keep. David jokes that moving onto a sailboat is a great way to decide which stuff you want to keep. (David did in fact live on a sailboat years ago.)

David Allen talks with Jerry Michalski, for a look inside Jerry’s brain, as documented by his extensive use of TheBrain. Over the years you may have heard David talk about his use of TheBrain. Jerry is one of the earliest adopters, and has tracked an astounding number of ideas and their interconnections. By using TheBrain, Jerry says it shifts him from system 1 thinking (fast) to system 2 thinking (slow). He describes the need for a fundamental shift from thinking of ourselves as consumers to thinking of ourselves as citizens. He also talks about the importance of designing systems that start from trust, which get better results that cost less and have terrific side effects, like rebuilding community and releasing our inherent genius.

Marcus Ramtohul is a musician, actor, model, husband, father, and . . . a GTD trainer! You’ll hear him describe his move from a paper-based system to digital, as his life and responsibilities grew more complex in the last ten years. His creativity and humor shine through as he describes encouraging family and colleagues to adopt any of the GTD best practices. He talks about the subtlety of correctly defining next actions, assigning contexts, his customized contexts, and much more.

David Allen, Eric Mack, and John Forrister continue their discussion about their software journey, from early years to their current use of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. If you haven’t heard the first part, you may want to watch or listen to that first, but it’s not required.

In this recording, they talk about the evolution of eProductivity and how much of its functionality is available in the Microsoft tools. Beyond that, it’s a wide-ranging discussion of how to think about productivity, and how getting organized is an ongoing process, not a one-time destination. And of course there are some software details, such as how David is tracking Waiting For items.

Melissa Garner has a big job as the Director of IT Governance, Policy & Strategy at the Oregon Department of Education. She also has a busy family life and makes time for her creative pursuits. In this interview, she talks about her longtime enthusiasm for GTD, and how she supports her staff to be their best. One of the highlights is her detailed walk-through of her GTD system in OneNote.

David Allen, Eric Mack, and John Forrister discuss their software journey, from early years to their current use of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. A consistent theme is that it’s not about the tool, but about bringing a productive mindset and habits to any tool. They discuss how the tools shape our behavior, and may or may not promote good GTD habits. The story starts in the mid-1990s with Lotus Notes. They talk about why Notes, and also why Microsoft 365 now. There are interesting tangents into groupware, CRMs, and instant messaging.

In another chat with David Allen, Dave asks about the Clarify and Organize steps. But they also veer off the agenda to talk about what goes on the calendar and why, the Someday/Maybe list, and feeling good about what you choose to do in any moment.

In another chat with David Allen, Dave asks about the Capture step. David explains why he changed the first step in the GTD workflow from collect to capture. They also discuss the change in mental clarity and space that comes from getting everything off your mind, and deciding next actions on each thing.

You may already be familiar with Peter Byrom from his insightful participation in the GTD forums. Now you’ll have a chance to hear him describe the arc of his GTD journey. He talks in detail about the digital tools he has used, including Things, Todoist, and Outlook. Peter also reflects on his recent experience with the more subtle relationship between next actions and projects, and the Purpose and Principles horizon.

In another chat with David Allen, Dave asks about the Mind Sweep. How often to do it? What to do with the results? David replies and also explores what happens when a team or a couple does a Mind Sweep.