Daily Basics

[Rober]

Hi to everyone.

I am applying all the GTD stuff since 2 months more or less, and It really change my life as all you can imagine.... So many thanks to David.

I have just finished "Make it all work" and I have a more complete "picture" of the David approach. As you can imagine, I am looking forward travelling to US (I am Spanish) to attend some seminar...

My novel doubt is about the daily basics. Could you share which is your "personal approach" since you get the office?. David says, he goes to the calendar and sees which is the "landscape for today".... but my inbox (both email and paper) is filing to a certain rate so... Do you complete the GTD process every time an email or paper goes to your in-basket or do you left this to the end of day... Or do you left your in-basket till Fridays and deal with it in your weekly review?...

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Kind regards from Spain, Roberto.

 

[lolajl]

Do you complete the GTD process every time an email or paper goes to your in-basket or do you left this to the end of day... Or do you left your in-basket till Fridays and deal with it in your weekly review?...

What I do is I try to empty the in-basket once every day. Makes it more manageable that way. Set aside a period that you know you will not be busy every day in order to empty out the in-basket. Perhaps in the morning, after you've gotten dressed for the day and before or just after breakfast. Or in the evening, before you go to bed. Any time when you're at your most relaxed state/. And of course, a weekly review as outlined in the book. Some people do a daily review focusing on the tasks for the day and a weekly review to take care of the overall big picture.

 

[dschaffner]

Could you share which is your "personal approach" since you get the office?.

Here is my "daily review". I don't always get to everything every day:

Take everything out of three big Backpack pockets, replace as needed
clear office voicemail or not available
clear cell voicemail
Process pocket moleskine into Omnifocus inbox
Process loose notes
Wallet emptied of loose paper
Home paper mail inbox is empty or not available
Work paper mail inbox is empty or not available
Email PROCESSED (not responded) to zero
Omnifocus inbox processed to zero

- Don

 

[Oogiem]

Could you share which is your "personal approach" since you get the office?...Do you complete the GTD process every time an email or paper goes to your in-basket or do you left this to the end of day

My office and home are the same. At this time of year I check the calendar when I get up. I process stuff from the night before and decide on what context to work in. I'll often print a list of the actions for that context to carry with me if I need the notes that do not synch to my Treo.

I process several times during the day as I come in to take a break or drink some water. The goal is all inboxes at zero at least once a day.

 

[Flyer]

Daily things

Could you share which is your "personal approach" since you get the office?. ... Do you complete the GTD process every time an email or paper goes to your in-basket or do you left this to the end of day... Or do you left your in-basket till Fridays and deal with it in your weekly review?...

Hola Roberto,

My GTD experience is not much longer than yours but here´s what I do:

I´m a big fan of checklists, so I have a daily checklist for "first in the morning" things, starting with "look at my calendar", if I don´t write that down, I will forget... I also take a look at corporate intranet for news, a quick look at sales follow-up and key accounts in case there are surprises that need action, check some control related things, look at my tickler file and make sure I delegate to my colleagues because early in the morning is often the only quiet time to get a chance to talk for a moment.

I then go to process (not necessarily do, but process) my e-mail, and get on to working my lists. During the day I let things pile up in my in boxes, processing only if I have the time or I see something urgent. At the end of the day I always try to leave my physical in box processed, leaving e-mail processing for the next morning.

If I leave it all to weekly review, there will be so much stuff that I will be overwhelmed and skip the whole thing.

¡Saludos desde Andalucía!

 

[munte219]

Hi Roberto,
The thing that's worked best for me is to start out my work day by going through a little checklist – it pops up automatically when I start up my computer:
- Set up my computer programs
- Get a cup of tea
- Check my calendar (includes day-specific tasks from remember the milk)
- Do a "getting started" task for 15-30 minutes (anything that I'm working on; sometimes I'll have something pre-selected, and other times I'll pick from my office next actions. Really helps me jump into working instead of fiddling the morning away.)
- Process my email accounts, tickler and in tray to 0
- Read my tasks list and select one

Most days I switch back and forth between processing and doing as the mood suits me, but I always try to leave work with empty inboxes (90% success or so). The key is to try different things and find out what works for you.
Best,
Amy

 

[Rober]

Hi to everyone,

Thanks for all your information. Now I have a clear picture of how to deal with my daily in basket.

Kind regards, Roberto.

P.D. Saludos desde Navarra

 

[tm_meier]

• Connect iPod
• Connect Cell Phone
• Process Collection Baskets
  • Look around office for "Stuff"
  • In Basket
  • Wallet
  • Briefcase
  • In Folder on Computer
  • Voice Recorder
  • Hipster
  • Office Phone Voicemail
  • Cell Phone Voicemail
  • Email
  • iTunes inbox
  • Omnifocus Inbox
  • Out Box
• Look at Calendar
• Look At Errands List