Before and After GTD life - How has GTD impacted your life?

BryanB

Registered
Hi everyone! I'm in my early twenties and just recently discovered GTD. As a source of inspiration from fellow GTDers I'd like to ask you all the following: How has GTD impacted your life? When you sit back to compare your life before adopting GTD and your life after implementing GTD, what impact have you noticed? Below I'll share the impact GTD has had on my life thus far.

After a constant influx of ideas never getting anywhere close to being accomplished, I realized I needed some structure to finally make progress in at least some of these ideas. On another hand, feeling behind on my responsibilities had resulted in procrastination and an overwhelming sensation.

This led to an ongoing search for the best productivity methods promoted throughout the internet. I'm so glad I stumbled upon the GTD methodology. Despite only being at the beginning stages of implementation, I can clearly see the difference it is making in my life as well as the potential impact it can have moving forward. Two weeks into installing and implementing GTD, I have gotten a lot more stuff done. Many of my projects are at least a step or two closer to the desired outcome, if not done. I am not feeling burnt out as I have in the past. I feel in the zone from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Before knowing about GTD, I would just get in the zone maybe once a week and then feel burnt out for the next 3-4 days by all the mental energy used in one day.

By the way, I'm just 2 chapters into the GTD book, which I picked up this week. Read Chapter 3 is on my next actions list @home. Most of my GTD intake has come from the GTD videos found online, lurking on this forum, as well as the endless articles and blog posts explaining the core principles of GTD.

Without a doubt I'm enjoying much more mental clarity, the ability to appropriately engage with each task at hand, while also obtaining the ability to intuitively perceive whether my day to day actions are in sync with my goals, vision and life purpose. All of this truly helps me in simply, getting things done.

Please share your Before and After GTD life story. I would love to hear the impact GTD has had on your personal as well as professional life.
 

TesTeq

Registered
This led to an ongoing search for the best productivity methods promoted throughout the internet. I'm so glad I stumbled upon the GTD methodology. Despite only being at the beginning stages of implementation, I can clearly see the difference it is making in my life as well as the potential impact it can have moving forward. Two weeks into installing and implementing GTD, I have gotten a lot more stuff done. Many of my projects are at least a step or two closer to the desired outcome, if not done. I am not feeling burnt out as I have in the past. I feel in the zone from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Before knowing about GTD, I would just get in the zone maybe once a week and then feel burnt out for the next 3-4 days by all the mental energy used in one day.

By the way, I'm just 2 chapters into the GTD book, which I picked up this week. Read Chapter 3 is on my next actions list @home. Most of my GTD intake has come from the GTD videos found online, lurking on this forum, as well as the endless articles and blog posts explaining the core principles of GTD.

Without a doubt I'm enjoying much more mental clarity, the ability to appropriately engage with each task at hand, while also obtaining the ability to intuitively perceive whether my day to day actions are in sync with my goals, vision and life purpose. All of this truly helps me in simply, getting things done.
Great! Congratulations! My first Big Win was a 2-minute rule - so simple, so powerful. Second Big Win - "What's the Next Action?" thinking. And finally - Weekly Reviews done weekly!
 

Tom_Hagen

Registered
First of all everything was written in my system so now I don't have to think about it over and over. Dividing long projects into chunks helps me avoiding procrastination. GTD is very helpfull in case of projects that are new - projects I've never done before. For example because of GTD I managed to do my homemade wine. I divided it into steps like: Read in Internet how to prepare wine and so on. It means that even very complicated project can be done because "Next action" policy forces you to write very concrete step to to. I really don't remember last time when I missed something. IMO it's very important to collect stuffs like ideas, tasks, etc. on regular basis. And finally a little heresy: sometimes I avoid doing weekly review or do it in minimal way. I have excellent memory and unfortunatelly remember everything what's in my system so I don't need it so often - just checking my calendar and organizing some papers that's all - my system is rather always up to date.
 

BryanB

Registered
Great! Congratulations! My first Big Win was a 2-minute rule - so simple, so powerful. Second Big Win - "What's the Next Action?" thinking. And finally - Weekly Reviews done weekly!

Thanks! I certainly agree. The 2 minute rule has helped me do away with things I used to postpone and then pile up. The next action thinking has been crucial to breaking down the projects that once intimidated me from moving forward. Up to this point I’ve been doing small review sessions multiple times on a daily basis. It’s helped me prioritize and keep on track with what’s most important to me. This Sunday will be my first weekly review which is now part of my schedule.
 

vaughan76

Registered
The most immediate and straightforward answer is that it lets me be more present in the moment. Sure, it lets me get things done, but most importantly for my life, after doing GTD for about 12 years, is just getting things off my mind, into my trusted system, and then getting back to the flow of the moment.

Prior to GTD I had a lot more anxiety because life was more chaotic. Life after GTD is just more coherent. And that lets me be more present.
 

BryanB

Registered
First of all everything was written in my system so now I don't have to think about it over and over. Dividing long projects into chunks helps me avoiding procrastination. GTD is very helpfull in case of projects that are new - projects I've never done before. For example because of GTD I managed to do my homemade wine. I divided it into steps like: Read in Internet how to prepare wine and so on. It means that even very complicated project can be done because "Next action" policy forces you to write very concrete step to to. I really don't remember last time when I missed something. IMO it's very important to collect stuffs like ideas, tasks, etc. on regular basis. And finally a little heresy: sometimes I avoid doing weekly review or do it in minimal way. I have excellent memory and unfortunatelly remember everything what's in my system so I don't need it so often - just checking my calendar and organizing some papers that's all - my system is rather always up to date.
I definitely agree with you. I can totally relate with your homemade red wine project. I’ve never been much of a chef but have always wanted to get to learning how to cook. This week I managed to make brownies for the first time as well as make chicken drumsticks for the first time, thanks to the next action thinking for these projects. :) I just feel less stressed and much more in control when deciding what I will do. In fact, it’s as if I’m becoming a much more decisive person as opposed to being indecisive due to my onslaught of thoughts and doubts. In GTD terminology, I would say I’m becoming a master and commander rather than a crazy maker with ideas and no execution.
 

BryanB

Registered
The most immediate and straightforward answer is that it lets me be more present in the moment. Sure, it lets me get things done, but most importantly for my life, after doing GTD for about 12 years, is just getting things off my mind, into my trusted system, and then getting back to the flow of the moment.

Prior to GTD I had a lot more anxiety because life was more chaotic. Life after GTD is just more coherent. And that lets me be more present.
Yes, this is so true for me as well. I’ve noticed this incredible feeling of being present on a more consistent basis. In fact, being more present has allowed me to remember certain things better. Since my mind is not wandering as much during an activity or task, I’m able to remember what I do on a more conscious level.
 

ERJ1

Jedi Master
GTD really helped me minimize stress in a lot of ways. I can't emphasize enough how great it feels to just pump something into my inbox and get it out of my head. It's really freeing. Work e-mail pops through late at night? Skim it, ok, there's nothing I can do about it right now and it's not time sensitive... open inbox: Process e-mail from department chair.

Then I can actually SLEEP and handle it in the morning when I'm most productive.
 

Rostane

Registered
  • Keeping post-its everywhere
  • Start a new collection of pen that go with the post-its :)
  • Taking more voice note
  • Feeling more relaxed
 

Oogiem

Registered
Please share your Before and After GTD life story. I would love to hear the impact GTD has had on your personal as well as professional life.
Before I was primarily a Franklin Covey system person. I combined Covey with some stuff from Sidetracked Home Executives and used a paper planner for years. Initially a DayTimer planner then one of my own design. As long as I was working that seemed to work well. I moved to a Palm based system in 1996 and I still miss some of the wonderful scheduling stuff for repeating tasks that no one has duplicated. I used the original Palm Pilot and also had a Treo. I know I'd heard a bit about GTD off and on for a while but didn't get serious until 2008.Several implementations later and I've been on my Omnifocus system on various hardware since 2009.

The biggest improvement for me was the concept of contexts as the primary criteria to decide what to work on. Separating things into contexts is what makes GTD unique IMO. Franklin Covey handles the top levels well but tends to fall apart in the day to day what to do. The freedom of getting things done ad hoc and on the fly based on context, time, energy and priority has dramatically improved how many of the projects I want to get done I can actually finish. My projects don't always meet the standard GTD definitions but the concepts work well for me.

The next biggest improvement is I have a place, techniques and process for handling the thousands of ideas and things I would like to get done someday. My someday/maybe lists are some of my most valuable because now I never feel like I'll forget something interesting or important I may do later.
 

Steffen

Registered
How has GTD impacted your life? When you sit back to compare your life before adopting GTD and your life after implementing GTD, what impact have you noticed?

I read the book a year ago and semi implemented it but had problems with the functionality of it and never really got it down. I didn't capture everything and I didn't use contexts.

After listening to the book again and discovering NirvanaHQ it was like stepping on the gas pedal!

I would estimate that I get at least 100% more done on a day to day basis.

From my SOs perspective I suddenly move on the things she said which surprises her.

Did you buy pills for headache as I mentioned yesterday?

Yes, they are in the cupboard.

Did you call X regarding Y?

Yes, did it yesterday. They said ..

Did you write to X regarding Y?

No, they don't open until next week. I told you that two days ago...

Oh yeah...

From my own perspective I don't beat myself up so much anymore. Why don't I do this or that?? I now know. I have more important things on my plate at the moment and that is fine. I will get around to it eventually. I know I won't forget it as I see it every week on my someday list

On a professional level I feel like I am now the only one working on the things we talked about last week or a month ago while everyone else have forgotten and has moved on to new and shinier projects.

But I remind them and they react positive on that. It appears that a weight has been lifted from their shoulders are they realize they don't have to start from scratch again and we move onwards with the important things.

I had a meeting this week where I got there early and waited for a client for 10 minutes. Staring into the sky I realized that my mind was as empty and bliss and David Allen had preached!


All in all... Thank God I found GTD.
 
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