Julie Flagg interview

Josette

Registered
I can't think of anyone who has the potential for having their day completely hijacked more than an obstetrician. Being organized and having everything not in your head is crucial to her office synchronicity. I'm sure she has no trouble convincing people in her employ that this is the way things should be done, because it sounds like a tight ship lets people concentrate on doing, rather than what they are doing.
 

darlakbrown

Registered
I agree. It was interesting to see how she has organized her office procedures according to GTD standards. I loved how she has a system or checklist for educating the entire office about new standards and procedures to help ensure stay updated with new ways of doing things.

I really enjoyed this interview. I only wish all doctor's took on the pledge to be civil and gracious. We are lucky enough to have a pediatrician for our son that is both civil and gracious and also stays up to date on new procedures. Unfortunately, this is becoming more of an exception than a rule.
 
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namaste

Guest
Excellent Interview

I really enjoyed this interview. What an enormous challenge Dr. Flagg faces each day. And it is instructive to see how she applies, both individually and organizationally, the GTD principles ... applies them well to achieve those things she values in challenging circumstances. She operates not only firmly within the GTD system, but also has a well established set of principles/values that both she and her group use to guide their day to day actions: the patient's well being is first, always be learning, act with grace and civility, and be profitable. Those, by what ever name or level on the runway, seem to infuse whatever comes into her world. To me that was clear throughout the interview.

Kudos to David and team on this interview and many thanks to Dr. Flagg for taking the time to share her GTD and other experiences.
 

GTDWorks

Registered
I ran into my doctor before church today and passed along the interview so she could listen to it, too.

I've often wondered if GTD would be as effective with physicians and their workload of patients, charts, etc. I was impressed with just how effecitve GTD truly is in this environment.

Thanks, David, for the great interview!
 
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cc2794

Guest
Julie Flagg - Grace & Elegance

When Julie mentioned professional debates, I believe her rules of engagement were grace and elegance. Nicely put. Am I quoting her correctly from my memory of the CD?
 
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flamingo kid

Guest
Gratitude to Julie Flagg

What a moving interview that was! Dr. Flagg, who, unlike most of the Connect interviewees, is not really a public figure, allowed us into her psyche and soul. Particularly touching to me were her understated descriptions of her father, whom she evidently reveres; of her friend on chemo; of the havoc wrought on Dr. Flagg's life by the malpractice case, and of the stability GTD systems provided her in the wake of that havoc. I am grateful that she gave so much of herself to the Connect crowd.

Of practical interest to me were the following:
1. Dr. Flagg's "deer-in-the-headlights" description of many tsunami victims;
2. Her advice to tackle big jobs (in her case, stacks of patient files) incrementally (not new advice but memorable imagery);
3. Her support for getting a good night's sleep (by my count, that's three interviewees in favor and one against); and
4. Her assurance that GTD can indeed work for those of us who are organizationally challenged.

My thanks to Dr. Flagg and to David and crew for thinking of her.

The Kid
 

Dave John

Registered
cc2794;45121 said:
When Julie mentioned professional debates, I believe her rules of engagement were grace and elegance. Nicely put. Am I quoting her correctly from my memory of the CD?

Hi

I listened to her last night: it was “Civil and Elegant”. David was very impressed, and also envious after his own recent hospital experience!!

Dave
 

Mardo

Registered
Julie Flagg

I have enjoyed all the other interviews but this was by far my favorite. It was very much an in the trenches description of a very busy committed woman that I think I had something for all of us. Since one of my goals in life is to go to the symphony and opera more often I especially loved that part and I am going to look into that opera channel. Bravo Julie.
 

DavidAllen

GTD Connect
Nice to hear that the interview was nice to hear

Thanks, all for the posts on your experience with Julie's interview. She's terrific, obviously.

Between you and me and the fencepost, it was actually our second take of an interview. The first one really turned into such a "hair down" conversation, on our re-listen we thought it was a little too disclosingly edgy and informal for even Connect consumption! She's a live wire!

Anyway, it's nice to hear that for at least some of you, the less-than-famous folks in our network have equal potential to inspire and inform, for our purposes. - David
 
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revmhj

Guest
I thought the last two In Conversations were definitely the best. I loved hearing that David Gardner doesn't do things perfectly (like double entering actions) but that he was still kicking butt despite the occasional not-so-best practices.

Julie Flagg...I can't even describe how awesome this interview was. I got so many ideas from her that I didn't know what to do. I usually listen to Connect audio in my truck with my iPod and it was dark when I listened to her interview and had nothing to write with. She said something about dictating with her Treo so I picked up mine and with a squeeze of the side button I dictated those ideas on the way home. I think I now have a GTD hero and I hope y'all will pass on to her all the positive feedback. What a phenomenal woman.

I can only offer my opinion and perspective, David, but if you never interview another famous person in lieu of these kinds of interviews, I'll be a happy GTD'er.
 
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davepelland

Guest
All things being equal, I'd almost prefer hearing from 'non-famous' people, since those conversations are usually more universal (and have less overhead) than ones with our more notable colleagues.

There's usuallly less discussion of the things that made them noted and more about getting stuff done. :cool:
 

Rogaine Warrior

Registered
The interview with the Motley Fool guy and Julie Flagg was the stuff for which I came to GTD Connect. Find busy professionals -- not necessarily famous -- and focus on what they do to apply GTD and other productivity principles to their lives.

I didnt subscribe to hear about Jim Fallows' take on the Pacific Rim or Ariana Huffington on politics -- I could go elsewhere for that. I'm looking for how high achievers apply GTD and other productivity tips to squeeze the max out of their days.

BTW, did you see the write up of David Allen and GTD in this week's US News & World Report???
 
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Mike.Sale

Guest
Less Famous and more real, raw and edgy

DavidAllen;45210 said:
... it's nice to hear that for at least some of you, the less-than-famous folks in our network have equal potential to inspire and inform, for our purposes. - David

I've completely forgotten all the "famous person" interviews, but instead FAR prefer the interviews with Julie and also the real estate guy from San Diego.
 
X

xexis

Guest
more physicians

As a practicing emergency room doctor, it was great to hear from another physician with a stressful schedule. I've thought that all the interviews so far have been great...this one [Dr. Flagg] was obviously the closest to home and most useful for me. GTD should be a requirement for all residents / medical students....:-D
 

Dave John

Registered
Another fantastic thing to come out of this interview was a remark of David’s, that GTD is there to move people from a “problem” consciousness to “project and next action consciousness”.

What a great way to approach any situation that is repelling you:

1. Frame it as a project
2. Visualise the ideal outcome
3. Work out the next action to get you there.

This could unclog just about anything from an old stuck project to a bad dose of the Monday morning blues. Even a free Saturday can become a problem when you have ten conflicting “want to’s”.

Be it a Monday or a Saturday, just ask yourself, what would I most like to be able to say about this day by eight o’clock tonight? Cool answers will pop into you head in no time.

Note: the project is “get the most out of this day”. The NA will almost definitely be “consult projects list for key project I want to move on today”. The outcome will be your choice of what you want to focus on today, which will guarantee a sense of accomplishment by 8.00 pm.

Dave
 
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cris

Guest
OK I loved this interview and have not posted about it yet, because I was feeling pretty down and out about GTD lately - it seems as if I cannot let it go for any length of time before I am plowed under. However I forget how bad I used to be. I used to keep my paperwork in the kitchen, because my office was a black hole which sucked "stuff" in and never released it. In my kitchen, I had stacks of files and paper measured in feet. My inbox on the counter looked like a giant loaf of bread that had been left to rise for too long. I had unopened envelopes and papers stacked in it sideways, and in between the envelopes, I had wedged more envelopes and file folders full of other "stuff" that had been sorted by priority. Now I have a lovely, functional office space in a sunny room over the garage, and the kitchen has been transformed according to an article in (unnamed celebrity with same initials as Maria Sharapova) Living Magazine.

Well that is neither here nor there, the fact is I do let my system slip and then function less effectively getting through the day, and there is a negative snowball effect.

What I got out of this interview was how Julie said she had to focus on GTD every day as if she were an alcoholic. This metaphor stuck in my head. For me this is so true. I can't let things go and coast - I let things go and all hell breaks loose.

Anyway I was inspired by that nagging alcoholic metaphor to get back on track - to collect on Friday, to process yesterday (Monday) and to organize today. My inbox is empty again, mail is mailed, errands done. My desk work NA list is ludicrous, but I have a review scheduled to deal with that, plus determination to attack the problem daily. I had too much hard landscape on the weekend to get myself to a reviewable condition any sooner than next weekend (kid's math class, swim meet, violin recital, etc.).

Which brings me to my beef. I would like to hear an interview with a married woman who accomplishes something on her own terms, for her own satisfaction and not just for the kids and husband. I realize that is enough for some, but not for me. I would like to be a productive individual in my own right, with dreams and goals apart from my family's well being.

Even though my rational mind says it's not true, I still have a nagging suspicion that the true secret of Getting Things Done is to either have a wife or to not have a husband. My husband is much more successful by many objective standards than I am, and he does not do GTD at all, far from it. He is simply brilliant, and has a wife as well.

I know I need to do my processing daily, carve out time for reflection, schedule time to keep on top of the desk work, and do a proper weekly review, but I suspect it would be extremely inspirational for me to have some concrete data that shows it is possible for a married woman with children to use the system to accomplish something on the scale of starting a school or running a private charitable organization.

Cris
 

pixlz

Registered
So true

cris;45557 said:
Even though my rational mind says it's not true, I still have a nagging suspicion that the true secret of Getting Things Done is to either have a wife or to not have a husband.

LOL. I don't have small children but what you said struck a chord anyway. I work away from home for at least three days a week training (occasionally five). My boss and another male collegue do the same as me but seem to drift along with wives at home doing the washing, ironing and looking after everything at home all week. When I get home I have to wash, dry, iron pack & get ready for the next trip between Friday and Sunday or Monday afternoon and do all of the things that my partner & two grown up children have not done during the week!

I am however studying part time for my own benefit which I know you have been doing as well.

Pixlz
 
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cris

Guest
pixlz;45560 said:
I am however studying part time for my own benefit which I know you have been doing as well.

Pixlz

I did poorly in my classes, so I have stopped doing that until I have some time to reflect about what to do next. I know what went wrong: I went from 40 hours to 30 hours a week of work and thought that was enough extra time to take two classes, and it wasn't. I have resigned from my job - I didn't want to have to do that, but I wasn't doing anything well anymore, and the classes were more important to me. I'm going to need some time to recover and to just think. I stopped doing some healthy activities during this hard time, and I'm paying for it with a serious lack of energy. But, my inbox is EMPTY now, and I am feeling less stress. I was able to get a nagging thing done spontaneously today, because the papers I needed to do it were exactly where they were supposed to be, and I knew it because I'd just organized my "stuff."

Cris
 

pixlz

Registered
I understand exactly what you mean. I am not doing as well as I would like (understatement!) but I have set my sights at a reasonable level considering all of the other things I am doing.
I need to do some serious decluttering but don't feel that I can commit the time to that with everything else going on. I was considering doing an MBA straight after the degree but I must take some time out to get things sorted out around the house and get to an 'empty inbox' state with that. Once that is done I think that everything will be much easier.
I can already see a lot of improvement as a lot of my reference materials are filed A-Z and a lot of the clutter is out of date stuff or things I don't use and so it just impacts me because it is there and in the way.

Pixlz
 
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