Anti GTD crusade?

[TesTeq]

In his The Alternative Productivity Manifesto post Clay Collins wrote:

The Productivity Industrial Complex is a marriage between corporations and an entire industry of productivity companies, gurus, consultants, and solution-makers who help corporations squeeze every ounce of productivity from their workers. Organizations like The David Allen Company, for example, make the bulk of their income from corporations looking to “maximize their employee output,” and it’s no surprise that they have a Fortune 500-studded client list which includes Lockheed Martin, Deloitte & Touche, and the U.S. Department of Defense (see here for more of his clients).

So... Let's make our companies less productive. We want to be free and happy. Naive Chinese people should take care of this whole "stupid productivity thing".

2. If your productivity increases, but your pay stays the same, then you’re effectively taking a pay cut (same goes if you begin working longer hours for the same pay).

Great insight. So if your productivity decreases your pay increases, right? And if you are not productive at all your pay is infinite. Good luck!

7. Increased productivity should result in greater carefree time, more vacations, and more time away from work. Most of the time, however, it does not.

Is it really all about more time away from work? From meaningful work that you are passionate about?

20. No productivity system can put you in a zen like, meditative, or mind like water state. A calm, focused, and meditative mind leads to greater productivity, but productivity systems cannot create a mind like water.

Did the author try all productivity systems to prove his thesis?

 

[S-Tolland]

It sounds like Clay Collins hasn't read the book and doesn't understand GTD.

My reason for using GTD is to make my life easier. There are many things that have to be dealt with in life, from paying bills to tidying up. There are many things to be enjoyed in life, time with your family and friends, holidays...

Using GTD allows me to fully enjoy the best bits of life without worrying about the things that have to be dealt with. I can also take pride in doing my work well. If I am more productive and my employer benefits as well - that's a bonus.

 

[supergtdman]

Gtd is not a made up productivity system, it's just a natural process. The system itself won't put into mind like water, sure, because the system itself is independent from any person in particular.
You always use GTD, it's just a matter of how efficiently and how much energy you spend. If you manage things internally it just takes more effort, if you manage them externally it takes less. Real life is always a combination of internal and external.

 

[jrdouce]

This about sums it up.

There Are Five Ways To Hire Clay . . .

He's selling something, and it doesn't sound productive to me ...

I can get one thing (and I mean ONLY one thing) done per day. If I’m writing a blog post, then that’s what I’m doing all day. If I’m on the phone one day, then I schedule all of the week’s phone appointments for that day. If I try and do more than one thing then nothing gets done.

If half of what he says on his "About Clay..." page is true, than I am duly impressed. Clearly he is an intelligent, energetic and driven guy; a natural, gifted salesman. OK, fine. Most of us have to work for a living.

I can't dispute that corporations who hire DA, or try to implement GTD from the top down, are doing it for their own benefit - not for the employees'. That doesn't mean using GTD is bad for the employees. I don't find GTD being about "more" so much as "more efficient". I have a mind like sieve, I forget things, keeping next action lists means I only need to remember 2 things; Add actions to the lists, and read the lists. Problem solved. Does that give me a mind like water, or zen-like transcendence? Probably not, but I am more relaxed because I know all I have to do is give my lists a quick review and I know I'm not forgetting anything important.

Finally,

Productivity should be designed around our lives, not the other way around.

GTD IS designed around our lives. Listed to DA, or read the book, it's all about meeting our commitments, to ourselves, other people, and our employers. Part of the weekly review is to "renegotiate" those commitments and drop or delay some when we have too many. You either have to, or want to get done everything on your list. What's wrong with a simple system that helps you do that?

It's not about just getting more work done for your employer in the same hours, GTD is about getting done every thing you have to get done as quickly and effectively as possible. What you do with your time once you are done is up to you. Do more work for your employer, sure, or you could look up an old friend you haven't seen in years, or do research for a long weekend away with your spouse. GTD is designed around you life.

 

[RuthMcT]

7. Increased productivity should result in greater carefree time, more vacations, and more time away from work. Most of the time, however, it does not.

Sadly if I'm more productive at work I just get given more work. If you are paid to work 40 hours a week or whatever, then your employer won't give you time off if you get your work done quicker! This guy is obviously living on a different planet from me.

I can get one thing (and I mean ONLY one thing) done per day. If I’m writing a blog post, then that’s what I’m doing all day. If I’m on the phone one day, then I schedule all of the week’s phone appointments for that day. If I try and do more than one thing then nothing gets done.

Definitely not on the same planet. If I did only one thing a day I'd need treble the number of days in the week.

Ruth

 

[Candid]

Based on the dates in the comments thread of the article, it was written three years ago or more. I'd say it hasn't had much a dent in GTD.

 

[North]

I was feeling pretty good with the decreased stress and increased control, but now when I understand that it's all just a corporative conspiracy to make me work harder I must renounce GTD and take back the stress and lack of control.

 

[bsarsozo]

Anti Peace of mind crusade

I use GTD help me have peace of mind as I balance the things I need to do with the things I want to do and the things I should do along with the things everyone else wants me to do.

I also use GTD to refine my natural desire to function as a black belt physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, politically, morally, etc.

 

[Myriam]

now I know what I was missing

I was feeling pretty good with the decreased stress and increased control, but now when I understand that it's all just a corporative conspiracy to make me work harder I must renounce GTD and take back the stress and lack of control.

Wow, I was in the same state of confusion as you, but now things get really clear

 

[North]

Reading the whole thing I don't disagree as much as I thought I would, but the swipe at GTD doesn't make much sense. I bet GTD would be great for most people even when they're retired. It's not about working harder, but managing life better, almost regardless of circumstances. Especially if you take into account modified versions of GTD.