GTD Lite

[LifeButBetter]

Hi all,

I've tried and failed a couple of times to adhere to a GTD system. There are some habits from GTD that I've found are useful outside of the whole system. I've written a blog post about this here http://www.lifebutbetter.com/gtd-lite-getting-things-done/.

I know this may be a little controversial because it's a long way from rigorous GTD but I hope that you can see some benefits in it.

Let me know what you think.

Richard

 

[TesTeq]

Calendar is not the place to store your Someday/Maybes!

In your blog post you wrote:

Using a calendar (someday/maybe)

If you don’t currently use a calendar, then starting to use one will require extra effort and diligence, but the pay-offs are significant, especially if you exploit it to the full. Most of the dangerous open loops have a specific deadline. Calendars are easier to adopt than ubiquitous todo lists because they offer such frequent and abundant advantages.

Beyond the obvious uses of calendars, a cherry-picked GTD element is recording your “Someday/Maybes” against dates. If there is something you may want to do in the future, but not right now, create an entry for 3/6/12 months time to consider doing whatever it is, or defer again.

Everybody should use a calendar (paper or electronic) but it is not the place to store your Someday/Maybes. Someday/Maybe has no date so it is not an element of your hard landscape. You don't want to waste your time deferring your Someday/Maybes all the time.

 

[Pierre N]

Someday/Maybe and calendar

Hi,

Trying to manage your defered actions in the calendar is not a good idea. But the someday/maybe list is actually something that can be managed in the calendar. David himself explains this in his book by saying that you can manage the someday/maybe list in your tickler (which is a paper based calendar).
Reviewing something in 2012 is not going to make you defer it all the time...

 

[Brent]

A tickler is not a paper-based calendar, not in the way GTD defines it as far as I know.

A calendar tells you what you will do on a particular day.

A tickler reminds you of certain things on a particular day. Those things may not -- quite possibly will not -- be done on that day.

For example, my tickler contains a number of articles that I want to re-read. When I pull that article out of my tickler, I don't immediately read the article; it goes onto my to-read pile. Similarly, reminders to perform backups or write in my garden journal come out of my tickler and go onto my Next Actions list, to be done when most appropriate.

Does that make sense?

 

[Roger]

I've tried and failed a couple of times to adhere to a GTD system.

I'd rather here more about this. What happened?

Cheers,
Roger

 

[LifeButBetter]

I'd rather here more about this. What happened?

I see GTD a little like a house of cards. Unless you stay diligent continually, it's easy for it all to come tumbling down.

I have times when I feel motivated and it's easy to keep on top of things. I also have times when it's very difficult to provide that extra effort to keep on top of life. It's when this happens that my system falls into decay. I don't think I have sufficient periods of sustained stability to develop the habits required by GTD, so individual strategies that can be applied ad-hoc work better for me.

 

[Roger]

That's a bit more vague and generic than I'd hoped for, but I can appreciate why you might want to avoid getting into the gruesome details.

I can understand your line of reasoning here, that you feel like you don't have the motivation to implement the entire GTD approach, and so you've picked the elements you think are more helpful and triaged out the rest.

In similar situations I've found it a bit more useful to move in the other direction -- to fully implement GTD but in a very tiny corner of my life.

But if you're happy with the parts and tools you have, more power to you.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[TesTeq]

I prefer to prevent fires.

I don't think I have sufficient periods of sustained stability to develop the habits required by GTD, so individual strategies that can be applied ad-hoc work better for me.

I prefer to prevent fires. For me it is a better strategy.

 

[NewbGTD]

Have to agree with testeq. I try eliminate things that work on me like ad-hoc work and urgent matters.one has no control when putting out fires.

OP, grab a copy of ZTD Ebook. This will help you I promise

 

[Jamie Elis]

The challenges to implement GTD are many:

1. Getting the whole GTD thing going invinvolves the completion of multiple projects.
2. Keeping it going requires routine actions.
3. Sometimes getting aspects of routines going are projects, too.
4. If you do not keep the necessary routines going, you will have crises.
5. These crises are then projects. These crises pull you out of any semblance of a routine.
6. Even if you do 1 and 2 with skill and diligence, every now and then you will need to make adjustments, and these are likely to be projects.
7. You will then need to change your routine.

Some of us have very fluctuating levels of energy, many demands in our lives, etc. Some of us are not so great with routines, but great with projects, and vice versa. I have the routine problem myself. However, I am pleased with the results of the parts I have implemented and grateful for the suggestions and comments by some of the expert practitioners on this board. I am getting better.

Some people are are in environments in which the atmosphere is a positive contribution, others are not.

A lot has to do with where you start--its like a group tennis lesson, some people are repeating the class every Spring, some graduate early to the intermediate group. And a lot has to do with

 

[malisa]

A lot has to do with where you start--its like a group tennis lesson, some people are repeating the class every Spring, some graduate early to the intermediate group. And a lot has to do with

Great way to look at it. Love it. Thank you.

 

[sdann]

I'm agree with the concept of avoiding putting out fires and the value routines. I am able to focus on new and more challenging projects because I'm not continuously putting out fires, which may vary but always end up being pretty much the same thing. It doesn't mean they don't happen anymore, they just have been minimized by at least 80 or 90%.

 

[Barb]

Fires and GTD

Maybe one of the best things about a solid GTD practice is the ability to respond to fires when they happen without too much impact on the rest of your life....and, of course, eliminating self-created fires due to losing things, forgetting things, and severe procrastination.

 

[LifeButBetter]

Maybe one of the best things about a solid GTD practice is the ability to respond to fires when they happen without too much impact on the rest of your life....and, of course, eliminating self-created fires due to losing things, forgetting things, and severe procrastination.

But is it possible to use the input handling processes from GTD to (somewhat) do this without the rest of the system - as per the original post in this thread?

 

[kewms]

But is it possible to use the input handling processes from GTD to (somewhat) do this without the rest of the system - as per the original post in this thread?

I think DA himself has said that some people will only pick up a few tweaks from the book, rather than embracing the whole system.

*shrug* If it works for you, who cares whether it's canonical GTD or not?

Katherine

 

[Roger]

Is it possible to use the input handling processes from GTD to (somewhat) do this without the rest of the system

It's probably possible. Taking a quick look at the input handling processes, these are all the touch points:

Inbox
Trash
Someday/Maybe
Reference
Projects
Waiting For
Next Actions
Calendar

If those were the only parts of GTD you kept, some things could be jettisoned: Horizons of Focus and Weekly Review are probably the big ones.

I don't know how practical it would be to run that sort of system. If you get it up and running, let us know how it works out.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[WebMarketer]

It's probably possible. Taking a quick look at the input handling processes, these are all the touch points:

Inbox
Trash
Someday/Maybe
Reference
Projects
Waiting For
Next Actions
Calendar

I've been a "GTD Lite" follower for some time now, and the parts described above are pretty much it. I never got around to implementing the weekly review or the horizons of focus, though I can definately see the benefit of adding these parts to my system.

But having not been a hard-core GTDer for some time now, I can tell you that even following just parts of the system can make a huge difference in your life. As long as it works for you and you've got a system that's easy to use, you'll see the benefits as I have.

For me, the contextual action lists have had the most significant impact in my workflow. My non-project action lists and daily calendar are all on paper, which I use daily and carry with me in a small 8.5"x5.5" binder that is divided by section. For larger projects, especially those having many moving parts to them, I often use OneNote to stay on top of things, as well as a physical filing system for all my reference materials.

I may implement other parts of the GTD system down the road.

Some of the religious followers of GTD will tell you that you have to implement the entire system's methodology as it is designed to be followed, that you gotta do it "the GTD way" or it's a no-go. I don't listen to them. Neither should anyone else.

Never feel you shouldn't do GTD because you can't follow the ENTIRE system -- so you then give up on it altogether. Start with the elements of the system your gut tells you can help improve your workflow, and do those parts. In time these components will become second nature to you.

That said, there's room for improvement in my own "GTD Lite" implementation. But still, I can't ignore the many positive effects brought on by having implemented only a partial system.

Two thumbs up for GTD Lite here!

 

[LifeButBetter]

FYI, David Allen Co have emailed me asking me not to use the term GTD Lite because GTD is a registered trademark. I've change d the title of the article accordingly.