GTD for the not so busy?

[Cpu_Modern]

@all
Thank you very much for all the rave about my contributions

 

[Jeff K]

Principles, Complexity, and "don't shoot the messenger"

The problem to me is more that the writing style is too "stiff," if that makes any sense. One example that comes to mind is that "The Threefold Model for Evaluating Daily Work" (p. 196) is much harder to "get" than "Don't Let Urgent 'Stuff' Hijack your Day," for example. Of course this is just a heading and there are entire paragraphs (and chapters) that this can be done to.

That's really interesting - I wouldn't have had that perspective on my own. Personally and professionally, I tend to relate to material that is presented more on the basis of principle-founded thought forms, and I gobbled GTD up like a teenager emptying the fridge for an after-school snack.

I can appreciate how people have different reading/learning styles, and the particular structure and style of GTD is not for everyone, although the principles certainly can enhance most people's lives at some level.

All the Coles notes version of GTD would have to say is : "Keep stuff out of your head, so you can use it for what it does best : focus and creativity.".

The "complexity" that GTD becomes for people is because we are generally not used to thinking in terms of principles, and it is all too easy to get confused by the details. Once the principles are fully digested, the details organically emerge within any individual situation, and what to do becomes as obvious as plucking ripe apples off the tree. (Which is not to say that it isn't valuable to learn from other people's systems, methods, software implementation, etc.)

Its the same as in the martial arts traditions, where slavish imitation of the teacher ultimately misses the point that the student's job is to internalize the principles for themselves through the examples, not just by becoming capable of reproducing the examples mechanically.

So, for example, all the confusion about how and when to do reviews at different horizons should ultimately come down to the question of whether or not someone has successfully got their "stuff" totally off their mind, or if not, what do they need to do to get there? All the checklists, methods, software tweaks, etc., are just icing on the cake, but only once the cake is fully baked in terms of being founded on an internalized understanding of the core principles.

 

[Brent]

Wow.

Jeff K, that's perfect. Bravo.

 

[Cpu_Modern]

All the checklists, methods, software tweaks, etc., are just icing on the cake, but only once the cake is fully baked in terms of being founded on an internalized understanding of the core principles.

I found this again in Sun Tzu's "Art of War":

"All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. "

Is this a way to describe GTD or what?

 

[justin caise]

... you may need to make sure that you've really captured *everything,* and that you've followed the GTD definition of a project... If you're only including, say, your currently assigned work deliverables, then you're probably missing the majority of the things that are actually going on in your life."

To move a project forward, all you need is the very next physical action. That goes on your NA list. Now, you may find that you'd rather plan things out in much more detail. That's fine, but those additional plans are project support, not Next Actions (unless they are immediately doable with no dependencies).

Katherine

More on this, (I agree with Katherine) - a good read about this stuff is from the Davidco.com website. It is a PDF file called "Stalking the Wild Projects". It'd be nice if I had so few projects while implimenting my system (still at it) Also, I was stressed in a major way about a looming dead line on a project which I hadn't even begun to plan. Planning the project was a plan in itself - not only because I'm anal retentive and procrastive (procrastinary?)- but some of its actions were obvious and not dependant on other actions and I could see a reasonable place to start, so therefore, placing a next action on my list started the project rolling and took away the pressure. I've also got a next action now to plan the project when time and other contexts permit, that way I'm not just lying to myself about having satisfied the outcome and sweeping it under the rug hoping it goes away.

JC

 

[alsa]

I have to say that I don't lead a very project-rich life. I have few obligations, and they are easily trackable with a certain degree of effort, in which GTD is THE system for me. I find that if I stick to the basic GTD principles and at least do the weekly review on a consistent basis and move on my projects, however few and simple they are, I can achieve measurable success: Things Get Done, projects get moved on, things get accomplished in a logical and timely manner -- that is all I really demand from ANY system, and GTD (for me) is THE system that works here and now. It has taken some time for many points and attributes of the system to sink in and become second nature. At this point I don't see how I can have it any other way. David, in his 2 books, basically outlined some of the MAJOR principles that are applicable in ANY organization and self-actualization system, however complex and demanding the outcome. I was one of the early adopters of the system (after the book came out in early 2001 at least) and I am glad I joined the "movement" early on. I would advise anyone looking for a way to better themselves and get control of the demands of their life by getting a grasp of GTD on, first, a primitive level, and then, slowly perhaps, embarking on a richer and higher level GTD journey. Good luck to all you, fellow travelers.