Last week I was interviewed by the University of Manchester about user experiences with Getting Things Done. I’m not the perfect GTD adept, because I’ve changed my system and adapted it to fit my needs. So technically I’m working with a GTD-inspired personalized productivity system.
During the interview it dawned upon that I could only do this effectively, because I had learned and adopted the GTD system before I adapted it. Starting GTD was a huge job, but still it’s one of the best things I have done in the past two years. It has brought me peace of mind, and it keeps me from forgetting stuff.
10 steps to get started
Starting GTD can be an arduous task, especially to those who need it the most. For those of you who have yet to start (or for your friends and colleagues who should start), here’s how to get past that first hurdle:
- Read the book
There’s no starting with Getting Things Done if you haven’t read David Allen’s book. So go to your library, or if you can’t wait buy Getting Things Done.
- No seriously…read the book!
You can’s skip this step, it’s essential. You won’t be able to fully comprehend or appreciate the modifications people make to GTD, without knowing the system. So read that book! - Buy a lot of manilla folders and labels.
Buy a lot (no even more than that!) of manilla folders, you need them for your filing system and tickler file. Buy labels too. Buy a labelling machine too if your handwriting is illegible. - Block 2 days in your calender.
Yes. 2 days. The entire day. I know that’s a lot of time for busy people like you, but you’ll regain that time in the weeks to come. - No seriously…block 2 days in your calender to start.
You can have lunchbreaks, but no appointments. You will need your focus! - Collect everything and put it in your inbox.
Physical stuff in a physical inbox, digital stuff in a digital inbox. If you’re anything like me, this will make piles. Huge piles of paper and immense inboxes. Don’t worry about it, that’s where you need it to be right now. - Process stuff.
Start at the top. Follow the GTD rules! But, if you’re really unsure about something, put it on a new pile. This is your purgatory, your easy way out (for now!). By now you’ll be glad you blocked 2 full days in your calender. - Making a pile “To archive” is a major pitfall!
As soon as you have something to archive. DON’T PUT IT ON A PILE! File it immediately, there’s something really gratifying about filling a filing cabinet. And there’s hardly anything more depressing than a huge pile of stuff you need to archive. - Read the book again, but this time selectively.
Going through this 2 day process has shown you which parts you need to re-read. Now you have some experience, and you’ll understand those parts better. - Focus on the purgatory pile.
Don’t procrastinate working through the purgatory pile. It’s still going to be a difficult one. My experience is that whatever lands on that pile is either something that should be tossed away or something that’s not important to you, but possibly important to someone else.
That’s how you start. Keeping it up is another process. In that process you’ll work on applying the GTD rules in processing your inboxes on a daily basis. You’ll work on adopting the weekly review. And you’ll work on adopting the tickler file. And once you’ve adopted those, you’ll keep what works for you, and drop what doesn’t.
But for now, go on and read that book!
Image by Foxtongue.
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You can be an Original too!
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome
Tue 2008.09.02
Wow, GTD sounds like a lot of work. I’ve gone almost completely paperless meaning I have “an important papers box” that allows me to find what I need in five minutes. I have a much more complex filing system for my digital stuff and always file things right away. My big challenge is always procrastination about my tasks, but I’ve found that using a combination of http://www.rememberthemilk.com and http://www.nowdothis.com works well for me.
Basically, I hate details, so do my best to eliminate them from my life, leaving me with just the stuff I like to deal with.
Then again, I went to school as a records manager and owned a business as a professional organizer, so dealing with things and clearing them out has become rather easy for me.
Cheers,
Alex
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..Connecting Desires with Actions: James Chartrand Interview
Chris @ Lifestyleproject
Tue 2008.09.02
Nice tips Lodewijk.
I especially agree with collecting everything together in your inbox first. It’s great to get everything in one place. And focusing on everything getting sorted it will take time! Some people just can’t commit 2 days sold so I would suggest to get everything in your inbox then spend a focused amount of time just on processing (perhaps a couple of hours a day over a week).
I did a post recently Top 10 Ways to Implement GTD simply that you might be interested in.
I’m also interested about your interview with University of Manchester - I live in Manchester! Perhaps you could email me some contacts?
Keep up the good work,
Chris
Lodewijk
Tue 2008.09.02
@Alex Fayle - Starting with GTD is a lot of work if you’re a busy person that has a tendency to create chaos around you (like I was when I started). I had backlogs of months of filing and archiving, and found stuff I should’ve done days or weeks after the deadlines had passed.
Simplifying brought me more than GTD did if I look at it in hindsight. However, I wouldn’t have gotten around to simplifying if I wouldn’t have started with GTD in the first place.
@Chris - “Some people just can’t commit 2 days” This sounds like a self-limiting belief to me. The risk of NOT committing 2 days is that you’ll start procrastinating it eventually, when you’re halfway through. It could work for some people (if you’re disciplined enough to get it done), but the not-so-disciplined procrastinating chaos creators are bound for failure in my opinion.
Rob
Wed 2008.09.03
Great summary. My GTD implementation ultimately ended-up being unique to myself and mostly involves paper. The main point I struggled with for a while was actually processing the item that I captured. Anyway, I recently posted a long list of potentially useful resources over on my blog. You can check them out here: http://rob-thompson.com/ultimate-gtd-list/
Rob’s last blog post..My last.fm week
Michael@ Awareness * Connection
Wed 2008.09.03
Great post for getting folks started. I like your repetition on Read the book and block out two days. Nice touch. I would vote for buy a labeling machine even if your handwriting is legible. It makes a psychological difference in how you regard the system. Unless, that is, that buying a label maker is a deal breaking point of contention. In that case I’d say go ahead and use your chicken scratch ;0)
Great photo by the way.
Michael@ Awareness * Connection’s last blog post..Save the Words for the Happy Times, Part II
John B. Kendrick
Wed 2008.09.03
The manual GTD system was wayyyy too much work for me as well. And the major disadvantage is that I cannot carry that type of system with me. I was a Covey fanatic for a couple of decades but earlier this year I found an electronic application that allows me to view my entire GTD at work on my Win machine, at home on my Macs and even on my cell phone. And another app lets me call in tasks to my GTD without any writing or typing, great for those thoughts that hit me while driving. I’ve written about my experiences with GTD in a blog post at http://johnkendrick.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/more-getting-things-done/ John
John B. Kendrick’s last blog post..~iPhone Does GPS?
Lodewijk
Wed 2008.09.03
@Rob - I think everybody adapts their GTD system over time to suit their needs. Processing the “analog” stuff can be tricky. I do so now by flipping back through my moleskine. Capturing is more important to me than processing.
@Michael - I agree, I bought a labelling machine as well although my handwriting is incredibly legible
It does give a tad more professionalism to it, but it slows down the process of archiving.
@John - I heard good things about Nozbe. I still prefer paper
But that’s my silly me. Jott is not available to me as I don’t live in the USA or Canada. But the integration between Jott and Nozbe, and the availability on the iPhone sure makes it a potential candidate to switch someday (that is, if Jott is ever going to come to Holland).
Emy
Thu 2008.09.04
Great pointers. Especially I love the one about Making a pile “To archive” is a major pitfall! I usually fail doing so thinking I’ll do it when have time
Emy’s last blog post..Traditional Christmas Tree Decorations
chr!s
Sun 2008.09.07
http://pascalvenier.com/blog/?p=306#comment-1020
Pascal Venier is also in the panel. :))
The future GTD european summit should take place in Manchester !!
Blackberry GTD Software
Wed 2008.10.08
I’ve implemented the GTD system into my life and before long it led my down a path of many programming hours to create a GTD app for the Blackberry. Having a task managing system on my hip has made life easier and more productive.
What is everyone else using to keep track of everything going on in their lives?