Getting Things Done? 87
machinder asks: "In reading Cory Doctorow's notes for the Life Hacks presentation at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, I saw reference to David Allen's book Getting Things Done. Casting about for it a bit, I see a lot of developers have touted the thing in their blogs. I'm sold, and am starting to implement this system, but I'm wondering if any other Slashdot readers have used the system, and if they have any advice?"
PlannerMode (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Alternative clicky link (Score:2, Informative)
Re:"thing", "the system"? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:"thing", "the system"? (Score:5, Funny)
Getting Things Done (Score:5, Informative)
Some tasks have to be accomplished by a certain date, so you write those down in a special area. Some tasks can only be done in a certain location or context, so you note those as well.
Keeping your goals in front of you and thinking of the next step you need to accomplish makes even intimidating projects seem much easier. =)
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:5, Informative)
- You don't assign priorities to tasks (at least not explicit ones): what needs to be done is determined by context, energy, available time.
- Forget about "doing a project" -- you never do. All you do is a bunch of little steps, one at a time, that bring you to sum-total that you call "done". Project is justa "finishing line", not the course.
GTD also has a nice workflow concept. You need to get *all* of the things (i.e. not only work-related, but *all* the things you do) organized into lists which you review, organize by contexts, push forward, little by little.
BTW, Sacha -- it is a post on your site that made me very interested in the system. Went to David's site and got me GTD Outlook plugin (trial). Liked it. Got me a book, still reading it. I do recomend it to others.
I think that one of the things that is probably very appealing to geeks in GTD is clear workflow: it is (relatively) easy to implement it algorithmically, and there is a lot less subjectivity of prioritising in it. Its empahisis of total and airtight coverage is also very good: gives you a Swiss Army knife for life management
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:2)
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:2)
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:2, Offtopic)
There even might be something in it. Here I am, reading Slashdot, joking about stuff noone cares about, when I should be thinking about my dissertation.
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:2)
Except when you end up in a situation like me: I have to organise the things I'm doing on parallel priority stacks where each entry in the stack is a task or subtask which may itself contain one or more queues representing tasks required to achieve that task. The top level stacks are arranged in groups of three - primary and secondary stacks which I can jump between wh
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Getting Things Done (Score:1)
Recapitulating:
1. Collect x, where x in {underpants, to do lists,
2. Write a book about it.
3. Profit!
Sorry. Had to be done.
Now, ObRelevantMaterial: Getting Things Done iTunes Audiobook [apple.com]
Sounds like mind mapping (Score:3, Interesting)
also for a commercial application.
http://www.mindjet.com/
And the originator:
http://www.buzancentre.com/TBuzan.html
Faster Writing (Score:5, Interesting)
http://www.alysion.org/handy/handywrite.htm
Re:Faster Writing (Score:5, Insightful)
If you, like me, don't like speaking out loud into voice recorders in random places or don't always have your PDA with you, being able to take notes quickly is a very useful skill. Using handywrite, you can write orders of magnitude faster, without interrupting your thought proccesses trying to remember how to spell words or waiting for your hand to catch up to your mind.
Not for everyone, but if you want a way to record your thoughts anywhere and have been searching for a better way, it is a very useful skill.
Sorry if the conection to 'getting things done' was unclear from my previous post.
Re:Faster Writing (Score:2, Insightful)
Needed: Tech-compatible cursive script (Score:1, Insightful)
Cursive writing is a bit faster than printing, but Camel case (setIntegerValue), acronyms (XSLT), etc really aren't very compatible with cursive. Cursive assumes that capital letters will be the first character in a word, so their strokes don't connect with the prior letter. Something like 'aKeyCode' would be discontinuous between 'a' and 'K', and between 'y' and 'C', which discards t
Re:Faster Writing (Score:1)
(Ad in Popular Mechanics, many years ago)
Now either they're saying you can get a good job as a secretary or a sex toy--I'm not sure which.
first you stop reading slashdot... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:first you stop reading slashdot... (Score:1, Funny)
you too can be productive, you just need to call reading slashdot a productive thing.
Bo-Ring (Score:2)
Yes, indeed.
I'm surprised the advertisements on Slashdot don't target the demographic more effectively with, say, appeals for "new, more challenging job"
Another fad (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Another fad (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Another fad (Score:1)
Re:Another fad (Score:1)
Re:Another fad (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Another fad (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Another fad (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Another fad (Score:2)
It is a lot like Dave Ramsey's financial advice. There is nothing magical or complex about it yet it has helped thousands of people live a better life.
Elvis (Score:3, Funny)
Ecco Pro and Shadow Plan (Score:5, Informative)
There's also an Outlook plugin available [davidco.com].
I like using Ecco Pro and Shadow Plan. Details here [tersesystems.com] and here [tersesystems.com].
Known David for years, (Score:5, Interesting)
and let me tell you, he is one amazing person. I have been to his seminar (and one of his trainers' seminars) and it really makes you think about the way you do things. You start by extracting your brain into pages and pages of thoughts (called a brain dump), and then you practice moving each item into this process (the GTD process) whether you define it as a project, an action to complete a larger project, or just a "Someday Maybe" that is important only in the long term. There are a lot of details to the process, but you really need to read the book or go to one of his seminars to understand it fully, and even then you need a lot of practice and dedication beyond that. I highly reccomend both the seminar and the book.
One thing I have to say about GTD is the end result -- you end up with a process to control your life. I can't remember the quote David had -- but basically, his idea was that if you had all the "things" controlled, then you were free. Its honestly a sort of nirvana -- when you reach the point where you have everything you do into this system, and it becomes part of your life, then you don't have to think about the system anymore. So, whatever you had before -- oh, I have to do this and this and this today, but right now I'm doing this with this other thing on my mind but I really want to do this... becomes I am doing this. It's an amazing feeling. But there's more to it than that, so go to David's site [davidco.com] and get into it.
Re:Known David for years, (Score:1, Insightful)
you end up with a process to control your life
Depressing stuff. If you can't live your life and make it work, and you gotta go to some guy to get a 'process' to help you control it, then man, u gotta ask yourself honestly, 'why am I here?'. Just to go through life 'controlling' yourself, so you can please your boss? So you can keep buying chicken feed for your wife & your fattening kids? Shit man!
Re:Known David for years, (Score:4, Insightful)
On the other hand, there is always some drudge work that's incidental to the primary task at hand, and it couldn't hurt to establish a methodology to help you slog through it.
Re:Known David for years, (Score:2)
I'm sorry, but if you had an ideal workload that you love every bit of, and an ideal life back at home, and an ideal mind that never forgets, then no one would need systems like this now would they?
Listen, it's just a system. It's not meant for everyone, but it works for most people. And I just noticed your second paragraph, which is basically it. The t
Re:Known David for years, (Score:1)
Re:Known David for years, (Score:2)
You do realize you're addressing an audience of people at work reading slashdot. Right?
Re:Known David for years, (Score:2)
This whole thing reminds me of my old boss who used to lecture me about "goal displacement." Instead of working towards your goal, you get into irrelevant but seemingly important tasks. It's like the writer who can't get s
Re:Known David for years, (Score:2)
"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
Why not just *do* your work instead? All work management systems never have actually answered this point, for me.
When I want to get something done, I do it, and then it's done. It's really pretty damn simple here. I mean, if you have a lot of work to do, then wasting your time by writing down lists of what it is that you have to do seems pretty pointless.
I don't know.. Maybe it's just me, but I've got a frickin' ton of w
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
And, yes, this is something I regularly keep on my TODO list.
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
Sorry for asking.
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
That actually works fine if you have the liberty of only needing to focus on one thing, or one thing that you deem important. It helps me (I can only speak for myself) to have a system when I have many things to do. So, when it's "I want to do this and this and this and this" etc, then it's a method for focusing on one thing while being able to take your mind off the rest, and I (and many others) find t
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:1)
I grant you that if it works for you then it works for you, I'm simply trying to
Re:"Manage my work"?!?! (Score:2)
So no, I don't need this. I could do work just
Homework? (Score:1)
I've been using it (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I've been using it (Score:1)
I have a full time hjob, run a largish website (another full time job) and have 3 kids (currently looking after them by myself, another full time job). Its a messy life and I am crap at organisation. Always missing commitments, being late, being chased and hassled. depressing.
Writing shit down, working out which are the important ones makes it easier.
Sorting thru my inbox and deleting stuff, or putting them into pi
Confessions of a former self help junkie (Score:5, Insightful)
The buzz lasts only for a week or two before you realize that you are low on inspiration and go buy another book... get another fix.
As the years went by, I found just two principles that work for me.
1)Prioritize. Some tasks are more important than the others. Concentrate on them more.
2)Recognize that some info is more important than others. If you know few key things, it is enough. There is no point in learning/knowing other useless stuff.
The 1st one is just basic common sense. Except that the authors use fancy methods like "mind maps", "brain dumps", GTD software etc to help you prioritize stuff. Understand the underlying principle. It doesn't matter if you use paper computer or pda in order to achieve it.
The 2nd point, is important as it reduces info overload. Some wiseman once said "Yes. The learning curve for Unix is certainly steep, compared to other OSes. But you only have to climb it once". The value of having system administration knowledge in Win NT is much lesser than Unix sysadmin skills. Why? Because you will have to relearn it when they change the layout and placement of the buttons in Win 2k, Win XP, Win 2003. But your Unix knowledge from years ago is worth it's weight in gold, as it is still applicable now.
Recognize, this fact and you wont waste your time learning/studying/reading something that has no value.
The above are guidelines that have served me well. I don't claim ownership of these ideas, or affix a fancy name for them. Because they are just common sense.
I have many friends who swear by self-help stuff now. It is interesting to hear them speak at length on the virtues of "mind-maps", on being "in the zone", and what not. I am glad that I completed my self help phase early on in life.
If you feel that you really could use the inspiration from these schemes, go right ahead. Otherwise you may just discover that you can actually get by pretty well in life, without paying attention to them at all.
Re:Confessions of a former self help junkie (Score:2)
Addiction to epiphanies (Score:2)
I think we're wired to enjoy realizations, and these books are like canned realizations you don't really have to work for.
Re:Addiction to epiphanies (Score:1, Insightful)
Reading a book or webpage is just so much easier than executing an action that requires the long term application of physical and mental effort, and the willingness to take on a risk that means there's a chance you would be better off having done nothing at all.
Frank Tibolt Quote (Score:2)
Why is this okay ... (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't see much difference, personally. In fact, it seems like "Getting Things Done" is in many ways derived from the Dev-T series
I guess people just don't like the idea that Scientology make actually work, and that all this bullshit harping about it being 'an evil cult' really is just a major distraction from the one fact that would make everyone seem a fool: Scientology Works.
Re:Why is this okay ... (Score:1, Troll)
Outlook whitepaper? (Score:1)
A+++++++ Would read again (Score:3, Interesting)
<p>
After reading the book and implementing the GTD method I feel much more in control. I now feel sorry for the people I see at work not using the GTD method. Its like a conversion experience that needs to be shared.
<p>
I have used the method about 4 months now. I wonder how this method works long term. Anyone been using David's methods for years?
Re:A+++++++ Would read again (Score:2)
Do you use eBay by any chance? ;-)
Re:A+++++++ Would read again (Score:2)
Re:A+++++++ Would read again (Score:2)
After reading the book and implementing the GTD method I feel much more in control.
Apparently not enough to select "HTML Formated", though. ;-)
David Cole's palm setup (Score:2)
Basecamp (Score:3, Informative)
I have used it to organize my plans and set milestones for some of the websites I work on and have been very pleased with the results. Free trails are available, so there is no reason not to try this if you want to be more productive.
I'd be curious if any users here have tried both GTD and basecamp and do they prefer one over the other, or are they complementary, etc.
People get very emotional about tools that help them get things done. Read some of the posts here or the feedback on the basecamp website and you'll see what I mean :-)
Re:Basecamp (Score:2)
Just got it (Score:1)
Very interesting.
Re:Just got it (Score:1)
Thanks.
Yet Another Convert (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm a believer (Score:1)
In college I learned BA (Score:2)
"After that, you can change your name from Kickin' Wing to Kickin' Ass! I would!" -- Joe Dirt
My Take (GTD as a methodology) (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm finished with my office at work and I'm going to tackle my house probably over the weekend. Cleaned and sorted 1000+ e-mails, dumped my filing cabinet and started over, did a lot of brainstorming and planning. If I don't do anything else, I've actually accomplished quite a bit.
While I understand the criticisms of (a) management fads, (b) self-help seminar sales, and (c) silver-bullet, one size fits all plans, what I don't understand is why people fail to look at this the same way they look at, e.g., software development methodologies.
Sure, (a), (b), and (c) above all apply to software methodologies (waterfall, extreme programming, etc.), but you don't hear as many people saying you don't need to read or follow any of these, it's just common sense. Or, just do it.
I'm looking at GTD as the equivalent to a software engineering methodology for processing all of the tasks and information that I have to deal with. I don't expect it to be perfect. I don't expect to have the discipline to follow it religiously. I do hope to keep it up for a while and follow the principles.
The thing that impresses me the most is that it attempts to be streamlined. The reason I need some help is the fact that I am undisciplined, so following a few habits that are designed to be quick and easy and don't require double-entry bookkeeping or writing down every single thing that I do seems to be a good idea. So far, so good -- I hope I keep it up.