Dear David Allen, Today marks the four-year anniversary of the day that I watched a taping of your Mastering Workflow seminar. It’s the day that I started a journey from chaos and overwhelm to order and sanity. Some thought that my GTD journey was just a phase, that it would be my “flavor of the …
Tag Archives: Implementing GTD
My dog ate my GTD book
Hello David, I was in the middle of reading and applying your book when I came home one day and found it like this. Yep my dog ate it on a day when he was bored because I was so busy I didn’t get him out for a walk. Did I mention that I was …
Year End Completions
The latest Productive Living newsletter included a great set of questions from David Allen on year end completions. It’s a great exercise to go through for completing 2009 and setting your intentions and directions for creating 2010. Here’s a sample of some of those questions: Completing and remembering 2009 What was your biggest triumph in …
What is or isn't a project?
A computer programmer implementing GTD asked David Allen about projects: I’m confused about (and I’m sure you are extremely bored with this question, but from the books I couldn’t work out the answer) – how do you size projects? I’m continually having problems working out what is or isn’t a project – and getting lost …
Radiate efficiency
Elle magazine chatted with David Allen. Read some of the timely tips for refreshing your systems. One item that came up in my sweep was that for weeks I’ve been putting off answering a publicist’s e-mail asking if I’d write about one of his clients—my failure to reply is gnawing at me. My hunch is …
Get a weekly dose of GTD inspiration
If you are still struggling trying to get the GTD Weekly Review to become a habit, you’re not alone! It’s why GTD Connect, David Allen’s online learning center, sends out a Weekly Review reminder email to our members. It’s a dose of inspiration, sent once a week, looking at a common speed bumps for people …
What are the first steps in getting organized?
David Allen answers the timeless question, “What are the first steps in getting organized?” If by “getting organized” you mean getting relaxed and in control, it actually involves five steps, only one of which is actually the specific “organizing” component. 1) Collect the work. Corral everything that has potential meaning for you. 2) Process the …
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How can you trust your GTD system?
A new GTD’er asked: Once collected, how do you learn to trust the integrity of the system and not spend a lot of time trying to remember whether you put something down? David Allen’s reply: Trust comes with consistent use. The Weekly Review, plus reviewing the appropriate action lists when you have any time that …
Tips for taking meeting notes
Michael (who calls himself a GTD implementer for two years and counting), wrote to us with this question: Curious if anyone has any tips/symbols or shortcuts for notetaking. I tend to write circles next to actionable items when I’m taking meeting notes and starring important items, but always looking for a better system. Here is …
Paying attention to the things that get in our way…
GTD simply emerged after paying attention to the things that get in our way… Mr. Allen. I am writing to pay a special tribute to my Grandfather – who passed away last week at the age of 94. He led a good, long life and was successful in many things. He was the first President …
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GTD – It’s All About Gratitude This Season
A Community Contribution from Stephanie Dickison During the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in the “stuff” of the holidays – buying, buying, buying, giving, planning, traveling, cooking, packing, etc. This season, I am spending my time on gratitude and simplifying the holidays so that I don’t burn out, so that I don’t …
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A GTD Year in Review
A Community Contribution from Sarah From My Year in Review, by Sarah From This time last December, I was working in an office crammed with stuff. Conference programs, old speeches, copies of travel receipts, notebooks brimming with ideas from half a decade ago, and drafts of reports long-ago published were filed and piled around me. …
Put your office on the same path with GTD
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your co-workers? Out of ideas on what to get the boss who has everything? Still hoping your co-workers would just “get” GTD and make your life easier? Buy them the new GTD Workflow Map! We have a new “office bundle” that includes one large Workflow poster, one small …
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What are your killer apps for your GTD system?
Wikipedia defines a killer app as “…so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology.” So, what are your killer GTD apps? What do you use regularly AND find to be essential to your GTD implementation? Where do you keep your lists? Your calendar? Do you sync to a handheld? …
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Infusing GTD into Your Marketing
Sometimes people think GTD is primarily about lists of next actions and projects. But the most valuable elements of GTD to infuse into your business are the ones that get the least attention. For example, I was at a meeting where we were planning out a targeted mailing to a key group of clients. I …
Working with file attachments in Outlook
Often, your project support will include documents on your computer like Word or Excel files. You can attach the actual document, but what happens if you update the original? How can you be sure you have the latest attached? We got this very question from a GTD’er and thought it would be useful to pass …
Surviving the holidays GTD-style
Meghan Wilker–mom, social media maven, and GTD’er-extraordinaire, brings her tips for surviving the holidays GTD-style. Enjoy! This weekend kicked off the holiday season which, for most people, is synonymous with utter chaos. Often, work projects need to be wrapped up by end-of-year, we are inundated with party invitations from friends, clients, and vendors and — …
Be your own post office
A longtime stalwart of David Allen’s personal GTD setup is his Tickler File System. This 43-folder system is like having your own post office to mail things back for your attention and awareness–exactly when you need to see them again. “The Tickler File demands only one-second-per-day new behavior to make it work, and it has …
Giving more attention to your kids than your BlackBerry
We wanted to share this amazing letter from Kevin, who recently attended a GTD Mastering Workflow class. He describes what he did after the class, including a wonderful experience of connecting with his daughter. For those of you feeling like you’re in “always on” mode in your work and personal life, Kevin’s story may be …
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When email becomes a two-headed monster
Q: I think email is becoming a two-headed monster. It is vital but more and more people ignore them, don’t read fully etc. How can we move forward with accomplishing goals in this environment? Are there ideas you can offer regarding effective corporate communications and task handoffs? David Allen’s answer: Essentially email is no different …
