Mistakes made in understanding/implementing GTD
- Thread starter wishgtd
- Start date
Mine is particularly damaging.
I refused to conduct a good thorough review, because I knew the most important aspects of each of my projects were well-defined. I was overwhelmed and finally stopped using GTD after that. This happened recently, and I'm trying to get back on the GTD wagon.
I refused to conduct a good thorough review, because I knew the most important aspects of each of my projects were well-defined. I was overwhelmed and finally stopped using GTD after that. This happened recently, and I'm trying to get back on the GTD wagon.
Weekly review and paper filing
I took too long to really do the weekly review. It is easy to think everything is under control, but each time I find some things that were not clear or not being handled.
Also, I tried to stay paperless for too long. There are still a number of things that arrive in paper form and can be efficiently filed. Maybe one day I'll try scanning and electronic storage again, but it is hard to beat the 10 seconds to open drawer and file.
I took too long to really do the weekly review. It is easy to think everything is under control, but each time I find some things that were not clear or not being handled.
Also, I tried to stay paperless for too long. There are still a number of things that arrive in paper form and can be efficiently filed. Maybe one day I'll try scanning and electronic storage again, but it is hard to beat the 10 seconds to open drawer and file.
Focusing on software and electronic gadgets before the habits
Not a mistake I've made, but one I've seen many times before in others. I didn't start with a paper system but I knew my electronic system well enough to use it right away without bottlenecks.
Not a mistake I've made, but one I've seen many times before in others. I didn't start with a paper system but I knew my electronic system well enough to use it right away without bottlenecks.
For several years, I thought I only had 2 inboxes(!).
E-mail Inbox & Physical Inbox
Results: Tracking impossible, projects out of hand.
Now I am aware of several Inboxes:
E-mail
Facebook (wall)
Facebook (messages)
Cellphone voice messages, Instant Message
Audiorecorder on Iphone
Notes on iphone
+ + +
E-mail Inbox & Physical Inbox
Results: Tracking impossible, projects out of hand.
Now I am aware of several Inboxes:
Facebook (wall)
Facebook (messages)
Cellphone voice messages, Instant Message
Audiorecorder on Iphone
Notes on iphone
+ + +
My own mistake was to put too much of my life into GTD before I had learned enough of the lessons. This meant that I crashed my existing system before I had GTD up and running.
In hindsight, I would go much more incrementally, putting in individual items and following them through the workflow and referring back to the books for guidance, before ramping up my dependence on it.
In hindsight, I would go much more incrementally, putting in individual items and following them through the workflow and referring back to the books for guidance, before ramping up my dependence on it.
My first mistake was not following GTD closely enough when I was learning.
My second mistake was following it too closely when I got familiar with it.
My second mistake was following it too closely when I got familiar with it.
bishblaize;87476 said:
Really? I find that I make little circular trips away and back into GTD. Something is off and I thrash around trying to solve it, adding bits into my system and messing with software. But after all that I end up re-reading the book and come back to standard GTD with a deeper appreciation for how complete it really is.
Feeling overwhelmed and failing to always do a little each day
Inertia can be good or bad.
Good when I get in the groove, keep up with my work inflow, always doing the small things right away and organizing the rest with ticklers, next actions, etc.
Bad when I just get overwhelmed and ignore it all for weeks on end (thankfully just mainly at home). Then it gets worse and a vicious cycle ensues.
Also, I only recently created a Next Actions and Projects text file. I had been trying to do everything with just two tools at work:
1) Outlook (clean inbox, a few important folders, and ticklers), and
2) my "log" text file, where I document work done and a short lookahead, along with a few tasks for each day. But since that file is so darn big and free form, stuff (mainly stuff that doesn't have a good uinique key word) can easily get buried there.
The Next actions and Project files are great for the weekly review since they are short and sweet.
Inertia can be good or bad.
Good when I get in the groove, keep up with my work inflow, always doing the small things right away and organizing the rest with ticklers, next actions, etc.
Bad when I just get overwhelmed and ignore it all for weeks on end (thankfully just mainly at home). Then it gets worse and a vicious cycle ensues.
Also, I only recently created a Next Actions and Projects text file. I had been trying to do everything with just two tools at work:
1) Outlook (clean inbox, a few important folders, and ticklers), and
2) my "log" text file, where I document work done and a short lookahead, along with a few tasks for each day. But since that file is so darn big and free form, stuff (mainly stuff that doesn't have a good uinique key word) can easily get buried there.
The Next actions and Project files are great for the weekly review since they are short and sweet.
Here we go....
1. Not reading the book twice to ensure thorough understanding
2. Trying out too many different programs for gtd and dropping them soon after
3. Not having strong collecting habits (brain is still system)
4. Doing a weak weekly review
I heard in one of the podcasts that it takes about two years to learn the system well
On a positive note I love gtd and even with all the mistakes it has still made a huge difference in my organization and life...
Gabe
1. Not reading the book twice to ensure thorough understanding
2. Trying out too many different programs for gtd and dropping them soon after
3. Not having strong collecting habits (brain is still system)
4. Doing a weak weekly review
I heard in one of the podcasts that it takes about two years to learn the system well
On a positive note I love gtd and even with all the mistakes it has still made a huge difference in my organization and life...
Gabe
It takes two years for the pathways in the brain to be sufficiently strengthened in order to do something you have learned without thinking about it. Like learning a language, after two years doing it actively you really get it, before you absolutely got it, but not 110%.
Twice?! Ha!
I had to mentally laugh that you had to actually read it twice. The horror! I have read it in whole or part or scanned through it many, many times over many years! With all this speak of zen, I do find it very interesting that something so inherently simple can seem so complex at times. But I agree, it has taken me more than 2 years ( I am always way behind the estimates for uptake times
)
Gabriel and theilluminated;87582 said:
I had to mentally laugh that you had to actually read it twice. The horror! I have read it in whole or part or scanned through it many, many times over many years! With all this speak of zen, I do find it very interesting that something so inherently simple can seem so complex at times. But I agree, it has taken me more than 2 years ( I am always way behind the estimates for uptake times
)All great books will reveal additional information after reading them several times, that is the hallmark of a great book, and not to mention that it is timeless.
I read GTD partially two times before finally starting over and finishing the whole thing. I´ve been really bad concerning procrastinating, and I now read The Now Habit which after 10 pages I know will change my thinking.
The two first times I stopped and started over because I had a fear about really implementing GTD. It meant that I would have no excuse for actually getting things done. When I finished reading it I found issues when thinking above projects and runway. In my mind I know what I want to do in 1-2 year and 3-5 years, and also what I feel is my purpose for life etc. But getting that on paper, making it physical or on screen, to look at yourself in the mirror, that is the hard part.
Being a kind of a geek I saw how easily I obsessed about systems, but gladly my passion for always learning something new absolutely all the time has faded. Now I want things to work. Tomorrow I will actually have my first weekly review and I am looking forward to it.
My experience is to not be so hard on yourself when implementing GTD, it doesn´t have to be perfect the first time and it is a gradual learning experience. Figure out how you can spawn the courage to look at yourself in the mirror concerning future goals and meaning of life. For my own sake that meant sitting up late with a cup of coffee, the weather outside being really bad and I can gaze out the windows until something hits me.
Not obsessing with your system and just get something in the beginning that works for you, even if it is a temporarily thing. When you find another one you´ll go through the ache of transformation, and though the new system is great there is a high chance it will be annoying enough to make you wait a while until next time.
But get started with the runway and projects. People around me have few to no thoughts about 1-2 year goals, and especially 3-5 years and beyond. And those who do might have extremely generic goals. Those long-term thoughts might not come to you when the next action list and project list is up, but it will hit you after a while since the mind will have the freedom to think in a bigger picture.
I read GTD partially two times before finally starting over and finishing the whole thing. I´ve been really bad concerning procrastinating, and I now read The Now Habit which after 10 pages I know will change my thinking.
The two first times I stopped and started over because I had a fear about really implementing GTD. It meant that I would have no excuse for actually getting things done. When I finished reading it I found issues when thinking above projects and runway. In my mind I know what I want to do in 1-2 year and 3-5 years, and also what I feel is my purpose for life etc. But getting that on paper, making it physical or on screen, to look at yourself in the mirror, that is the hard part.
Being a kind of a geek I saw how easily I obsessed about systems, but gladly my passion for always learning something new absolutely all the time has faded. Now I want things to work. Tomorrow I will actually have my first weekly review and I am looking forward to it.
My experience is to not be so hard on yourself when implementing GTD, it doesn´t have to be perfect the first time and it is a gradual learning experience. Figure out how you can spawn the courage to look at yourself in the mirror concerning future goals and meaning of life. For my own sake that meant sitting up late with a cup of coffee, the weather outside being really bad and I can gaze out the windows until something hits me.
Not obsessing with your system and just get something in the beginning that works for you, even if it is a temporarily thing. When you find another one you´ll go through the ache of transformation, and though the new system is great there is a high chance it will be annoying enough to make you wait a while until next time.
But get started with the runway and projects. People around me have few to no thoughts about 1-2 year goals, and especially 3-5 years and beyond. And those who do might have extremely generic goals. Those long-term thoughts might not come to you when the next action list and project list is up, but it will hit you after a while since the mind will have the freedom to think in a bigger picture.
Like to add that listening to the podcast, reading articles, Ready for Anything and Making It All Work on the side is also important to stick with it. Stay with the subject, be a little obsessed until it becomes routine. I´m listening to other podcasts like Merlin Mann (fun and insightful) and Achieving Predictable Success.
Reading here on the forums is also quite helpful. When I read about issues or concerns of others I see my own reflection sometimes, and since the feeling of "I am the only one with this" fades away it becomes easy to correct and adjust what I already do.
Reading here on the forums is also quite helpful. When I read about issues or concerns of others I see my own reflection sometimes, and since the feeling of "I am the only one with this" fades away it becomes easy to correct and adjust what I already do.
pgarth
0
Paul's ruminations on HOF (Horizons of Focus)
Disclaimer: The following are all my own well intentioned thoughts and ideas to share while I noodle with my own GTD System. Maybe I'll read this in 5 years and really understand it.
I understand why you use the word "mistake" in your revealing post - I've recently lamented that my life would have been overall better if I *really* took on all components of GTD from my first year introduction (2006) on.
For me (five years later) I'm now a big fan of Horizons of Focus. I currently try to practice acknowledging and renegotiating prior commitments that do not align with my documented Horizons of Focus (for example, 20K Areas of Focus and Responsibility). Ideally, this awareness happens during the creation of the commitment, but is oftentimes in retrospect.
This whole Horizons of Focus (perspective) topic, in my opinion, is not possible as a reasonable inner conversation until I've figured out my current mess (control). The sexy lure of the electronic application (insert favorite application du jour here) promised that I would have piece of mind if I just learned and applied the app. From an advertising/retail perspective, that was necessary for me to decide to fork over some change. Keep in mind that I'm an IT guy -- I love technology apps -- but they're not fundamentally GTD, but rather one tool of many.
It's taken me quite a while to truly realize that this is not a system (technology, paper, etc) but rather a systematic approach -- of which, I'm 100% responsible for the care and feeding of the whole deal. I'd love to have an electronic device that can gives me the answer to "What's the Next Action?", but I haven't found it yet.
DA talks about "peeling back the onion, one layer at a time" - now I think I see what he's referring to. The first layer is the schmutz in my head that needed to be cleared out before I could be objective.
The deeper work of GTD (perspective), when I take it on, requires me to step into some unfamiliar territory which can be a tad unsettling. I oftentimes hear myself say, "I don't have enough time for all of XXX" - projects/stuff in general, and then I realize that I've taken on more than I actually should. In theory, I should be able to feel good about doing what I'm doing and feel good about knowing what I'm not doing - the latter part only applies if it's something that should still be on the list. Also, it can be a lonely (but powerful) place to authentically "put out there into the ether" items on 30K, 40K, and 50K -- wow... I'm defining who I am, and what I'm committed to creating in the world.
If I prematurely take on a task or a project, based on someone else's wish, imagination, agenda, or desired outcome, then I may start engaging in frittering away time and energy when it's not my action to take. This is subtle stuff, but it happens all the time. It's easier to say "Yes" (and be comfortable with the other) rather than saying "No". If all my Actions and Projects cannot be through-lined to a specific HOF, then maybe they shouldn't be on my plate with the other stuff I actually should be doing.
The more confidence I have in knowing who I really am and what I've committed to be up to -- 30K, 40K, 50K, the easier it is to zap the incoming interference in the moment and nicely and methodically redirect the energy and focus someplace else. Easier said than done, of course, but essential - especially, if you want to attain GTD BlackBelt. I'm currently at a nicely graying white belt -- LOL!
Until I frequently test the Horizons of Focus against my focusing lists, I'm relying on the software developer or myself making sense of my own mind-mapped chicken-scratch notes to figure out what's next.
Oh well... that app didn't work -- let me buy another one.
I enjoy reading the forum posts -- always something interesting in there to ruminate on.
wishgtd;87377 said:
Disclaimer: The following are all my own well intentioned thoughts and ideas to share while I noodle with my own GTD System. Maybe I'll read this in 5 years and really understand it.
I understand why you use the word "mistake" in your revealing post - I've recently lamented that my life would have been overall better if I *really* took on all components of GTD from my first year introduction (2006) on.
For me (five years later) I'm now a big fan of Horizons of Focus. I currently try to practice acknowledging and renegotiating prior commitments that do not align with my documented Horizons of Focus (for example, 20K Areas of Focus and Responsibility). Ideally, this awareness happens during the creation of the commitment, but is oftentimes in retrospect.
This whole Horizons of Focus (perspective) topic, in my opinion, is not possible as a reasonable inner conversation until I've figured out my current mess (control). The sexy lure of the electronic application (insert favorite application du jour here) promised that I would have piece of mind if I just learned and applied the app. From an advertising/retail perspective, that was necessary for me to decide to fork over some change. Keep in mind that I'm an IT guy -- I love technology apps -- but they're not fundamentally GTD, but rather one tool of many.
It's taken me quite a while to truly realize that this is not a system (technology, paper, etc) but rather a systematic approach -- of which, I'm 100% responsible for the care and feeding of the whole deal. I'd love to have an electronic device that can gives me the answer to "What's the Next Action?", but I haven't found it yet.
DA talks about "peeling back the onion, one layer at a time" - now I think I see what he's referring to. The first layer is the schmutz in my head that needed to be cleared out before I could be objective.
The deeper work of GTD (perspective), when I take it on, requires me to step into some unfamiliar territory which can be a tad unsettling. I oftentimes hear myself say, "I don't have enough time for all of XXX" - projects/stuff in general, and then I realize that I've taken on more than I actually should. In theory, I should be able to feel good about doing what I'm doing and feel good about knowing what I'm not doing - the latter part only applies if it's something that should still be on the list. Also, it can be a lonely (but powerful) place to authentically "put out there into the ether" items on 30K, 40K, and 50K -- wow... I'm defining who I am, and what I'm committed to creating in the world.
If I prematurely take on a task or a project, based on someone else's wish, imagination, agenda, or desired outcome, then I may start engaging in frittering away time and energy when it's not my action to take. This is subtle stuff, but it happens all the time. It's easier to say "Yes" (and be comfortable with the other) rather than saying "No". If all my Actions and Projects cannot be through-lined to a specific HOF, then maybe they shouldn't be on my plate with the other stuff I actually should be doing.
The more confidence I have in knowing who I really am and what I've committed to be up to -- 30K, 40K, 50K, the easier it is to zap the incoming interference in the moment and nicely and methodically redirect the energy and focus someplace else. Easier said than done, of course, but essential - especially, if you want to attain GTD BlackBelt. I'm currently at a nicely graying white belt -- LOL!
Until I frequently test the Horizons of Focus against my focusing lists, I'm relying on the software developer or myself making sense of my own mind-mapped chicken-scratch notes to figure out what's next.
Oh well... that app didn't work -- let me buy another one.
I enjoy reading the forum posts -- always something interesting in there to ruminate on.
Yeah, I agree with what Paul wrote - thanks! 
For me, it gets difficult too if it's not really my own heart's desire but actually what someone else has been pushing me to do... Or if there are other emotional (or RL) obstacles..
My biggest mistake was maybe thinking if I do GTD things will magically do themselves Or that I would know which things to do, which not.. (when actually GTD is just a grid that assumes you know what to do and what not..)
I was obsessing about things like size and form of folders at first too, and about any other tools, both paper or computer etc.
The pull between what I want and what others want and what is actually possible and what to actually DO is still a big question and learning lesson for me, especially if one is going into 'new teritories', of what hasn't been done before (locally or at all), intuition and research can only get you so far sometimes.. dilemma can be 'what do I really want to commit to' and then there can be health problems or 'outside' circumstances... (like RL events or world catastrophes etc that can sorta change things like your worldview or motivation/inspiration again)
So I think a big mistake was neglecting the emotional aspect of doing things, or not acknowledging/dealing with possible obstacles in a constructive way, I could write a list and then not wanna do it.. And I didn't block off 'RELAX' time etc.
For me, it gets difficult too if it's not really my own heart's desire but actually what someone else has been pushing me to do... Or if there are other emotional (or RL) obstacles..
My biggest mistake was maybe thinking if I do GTD things will magically do themselves
Or that I would know which things to do, which not.. (when actually GTD is just a grid that assumes you know what to do and what not..)I was obsessing about things like size and form of folders at first too, and about any other tools, both paper or computer etc.
The pull between what I want and what others want and what is actually possible and what to actually DO is still a big question and learning lesson for me, especially if one is going into 'new teritories', of what hasn't been done before (locally or at all), intuition and research can only get you so far sometimes.. dilemma can be 'what do I really want to commit to' and then there can be health problems or 'outside' circumstances... (like RL events or world catastrophes etc that can sorta change things like your worldview or motivation/inspiration again)
So I think a big mistake was neglecting the emotional aspect of doing things, or not acknowledging/dealing with possible obstacles in a constructive way, I could write a list and then not wanna do it.. And I didn't block off 'RELAX' time etc.