Fellow Connectors,
Hi. Alan Nelson here. I had a lot of fun doing the Connect interview with David this month, and hope it was of some value to someone along the way. Listening to it, one of the things David and I didn't cover in as much depth as I would have liked was my GTD setup, so I thought I might provide an overview here.
Here goes ...
Calendar:
In a perfect world I'd probably go paper, but my assistant, Jennifer, manages my calendar and scheduling, and it's more important that we have a single source of truth. Our office runs Outlook, which she uses. On my Mac I'm able to run either Outlook (using Parallels' slick virtualization software) our Entourage. I use Entourage simply so I don't have to operate within Windows: It saves me steps clicking Windows pop-up bubbles and other minor Microsoft frustrations, and works just fine. My main calendar interface, though, is the calendar on my BlackBerry, which is what I am looking at most of the time. The key thing is that the Microsoft Exchange server is the single source of truth, with Entourage, BlackBerry, Outlook, and Jennifer all syncing to it.
Next Actions:
I keep them in paper form, behind a tab in my Levenger notebook labeled "GTD." I have a page for each of the following contexts:
Some Next Action nuts and bolt: First, I've felt much more focused since taking them to paper form. They're easier to look at and edit (I use a mechanical pencil to write them), and striking things out makes me feel great. I also rewrite each list when it gets too messy, and this is a wonderful opportunity to do a gut check about each item and whether it's hanging around that list too long (and it helps my memory as well).
Every once in a while I do something to back them up, either typing them up, entering them into Outlook, or just photocopying them. I'm leaning toward photocopying as it's the process with the least amount of drag. In terms of email, if an email comes in that I need to convert to a next action I simply write it on the appropriate list and then drag it into an "@Action" or "@Waiting For." I don't use "@Deferred" as I just copy and paste the text of an email into a calendar item if that's where that bit of stuff is going to reside. If I can't write the NA down right a way I will leave the email in my inbox until I can convert it, which typically lasts no more than a day or so. More on my use of Entourage follows below ...
Across all these contexts I typically run between 250 and 320 items. I've kept track of the total over time (in a note on my BlackBerry), and have noticed that the typical range is about 270. I've also noted that when I'm feeling overwhelmed it's almost always over 300, so I figure that's about my natural limit for managing "stuff." This has been a useful exercise--tracking the total number of Next Action / Project / Someday items--and I suggest it to others.
Checklists:
I keep my checklists as notes in Entourage / BlackBerry. Most of them are lists of things to recall at will, including:
- @ Books to read
- @ Movies to see or rent
- @ Wine to try
- @ Places to travel
- @ Restaurants to try
- @ Songs to download
- @ Things to do in other cities
I also keep a list of "People along the way." This is names of drivers, concierges, airline club hosts -- folks who I meet in travel that I want to remember by name at a later time. It's not spin -- I do sincerely want to recall their name -- and being able to get in a car in Dallas six months after your last visit and say "Hi, Tony" is personable and powerful, and helps you get through traffic on time.
Office:
I moved my primary office from work to home mid-last year, for three reasons. First, Kate and I were expecting our first child, and given my travel schedule I want to be home as much as I can. Second, we made a decision at the firm to move consultants into team rooms rather than offices or cubes, so I would have given my office up to an apprentice anyway. Third, I was strongly influenced by a Connect interview--and I can't recall with whom--where the interviewee said "I go to the office to be with people, not to work." I think that's spot on for us as a service business (a consulting firm)--we should gather to interact, and if we're not interacting, we should focus on being productive. Now, we have some folks with three kids at home, and they go to the office so they CAN be productive, and more power to them. But for me, I go to the office to do only what I can do there, and being with folks is one of those things.
At work I have:
The home office is now getting really dialed in. For several years the room has been an office but not an Office, and now it's an Office with a capital "O." The difference? I engaged in a natural planning process regarding the home office about a year ago, and that's been the difference. It's amazing how much clarity you can get just by defining purpose / principles / vision. As a result we now have a very nice space: Flat screen on the wall, some nice art, furniture we enjoy ... it's turned out very nicely, and not because we spent thousands on stuff (which we did not), but because it was well thought-out. So thanks, David, for that application of GTD.
At home we have:
>> continued >>
Hi. Alan Nelson here. I had a lot of fun doing the Connect interview with David this month, and hope it was of some value to someone along the way. Listening to it, one of the things David and I didn't cover in as much depth as I would have liked was my GTD setup, so I thought I might provide an overview here.
Here goes ...
Calendar:
In a perfect world I'd probably go paper, but my assistant, Jennifer, manages my calendar and scheduling, and it's more important that we have a single source of truth. Our office runs Outlook, which she uses. On my Mac I'm able to run either Outlook (using Parallels' slick virtualization software) our Entourage. I use Entourage simply so I don't have to operate within Windows: It saves me steps clicking Windows pop-up bubbles and other minor Microsoft frustrations, and works just fine. My main calendar interface, though, is the calendar on my BlackBerry, which is what I am looking at most of the time. The key thing is that the Microsoft Exchange server is the single source of truth, with Entourage, BlackBerry, Outlook, and Jennifer all syncing to it.
Next Actions:
I keep them in paper form, behind a tab in my Levenger notebook labeled "GTD." I have a page for each of the following contexts:
- Personal Projects: Things with more than two steps in my personal life. Because of my travel schedule I'm only home about half the time in any given week, so it's especially important that I make progress on some home stuff while I'm there. Focus is key. As a result, I try to keep no more than three or five things on this list as it helps me focus on moving the ball forward and getting personal projects done. Everything else personal goes on ...
- Someday / Maybe: Mostly personal projects, sitting here so I can focus on completing things as noted above. Also some long-term work items, and the dream items I'd like to accomplish one day. There are usually 30 or so things on this list.
- CRA Projects: Professional things with more than two steps. These are active work projects, most of which have an individual project file, and there are usually 30-40 things on this list.
- Leads & Opportunities: These are professional things with more than two steps but not client or firm work. They're just what they sound: leads and opportunities I'm pursuing. I like having them on their own list because it makes rundowns with teammates, of both projects and opportunities, more efficient. Usually 20-30 items.
- @ Agendas: Topics to discuss with others next time we interact.
- @ Calls: Phone calls. Lots of items and re-written often. A little hack here: When I've left a message for someone I put a mall dot next to the item and note the date of the message. The dot means "In Progress" for me.
- @ Computer: Things I can only do on the computer but NOT online. I spend a lot of time on airplanes so I separate online and offline actions.
- @ CRA: Things I can only do at the firm's office.
- @ Errands: Just as it sounds.
- @ Home: Just as it sounds.
- @ Online: Things I can only do with an Internet connection.
- @ Waiting For: Everything delegated and to whom. I also note the date of delegation, and often, the last time I touched base with the person if the item is still outstanding.
- @ Other Tracking: This is really a checklist but I keep it in my Levenger so I can refer to it quickly. It's things I have on my radar but that aren't truly projects. Example, the orientation of a new employee not on my team. On occasion I want a reminder of that person so I can ask how they're doing.
Some Next Action nuts and bolt: First, I've felt much more focused since taking them to paper form. They're easier to look at and edit (I use a mechanical pencil to write them), and striking things out makes me feel great. I also rewrite each list when it gets too messy, and this is a wonderful opportunity to do a gut check about each item and whether it's hanging around that list too long (and it helps my memory as well).
Every once in a while I do something to back them up, either typing them up, entering them into Outlook, or just photocopying them. I'm leaning toward photocopying as it's the process with the least amount of drag. In terms of email, if an email comes in that I need to convert to a next action I simply write it on the appropriate list and then drag it into an "@Action" or "@Waiting For." I don't use "@Deferred" as I just copy and paste the text of an email into a calendar item if that's where that bit of stuff is going to reside. If I can't write the NA down right a way I will leave the email in my inbox until I can convert it, which typically lasts no more than a day or so. More on my use of Entourage follows below ...
Across all these contexts I typically run between 250 and 320 items. I've kept track of the total over time (in a note on my BlackBerry), and have noticed that the typical range is about 270. I've also noted that when I'm feeling overwhelmed it's almost always over 300, so I figure that's about my natural limit for managing "stuff." This has been a useful exercise--tracking the total number of Next Action / Project / Someday items--and I suggest it to others.
Checklists:
I keep my checklists as notes in Entourage / BlackBerry. Most of them are lists of things to recall at will, including:
- @ Books to read
- @ Movies to see or rent
- @ Wine to try
- @ Places to travel
- @ Restaurants to try
- @ Songs to download
- @ Things to do in other cities
I also keep a list of "People along the way." This is names of drivers, concierges, airline club hosts -- folks who I meet in travel that I want to remember by name at a later time. It's not spin -- I do sincerely want to recall their name -- and being able to get in a car in Dallas six months after your last visit and say "Hi, Tony" is personable and powerful, and helps you get through traffic on time.
Office:
I moved my primary office from work to home mid-last year, for three reasons. First, Kate and I were expecting our first child, and given my travel schedule I want to be home as much as I can. Second, we made a decision at the firm to move consultants into team rooms rather than offices or cubes, so I would have given my office up to an apprentice anyway. Third, I was strongly influenced by a Connect interview--and I can't recall with whom--where the interviewee said "I go to the office to be with people, not to work." I think that's spot on for us as a service business (a consulting firm)--we should gather to interact, and if we're not interacting, we should focus on being productive. Now, we have some folks with three kids at home, and they go to the office so they CAN be productive, and more power to them. But for me, I go to the office to do only what I can do there, and being with folks is one of those things.
At work I have:
- Archived project and support files (incorporated into the firm's long-term files)
- A spare power plug for my Mac
- A series of team rooms and conference rooms where I can park. One of these is the unofficial team room for my team, and we often will work in their together when at the office. My two apprentices sit just outside this room, and I find proximity is essential to their learning as quickly as possible.
- A label maker
The home office is now getting really dialed in. For several years the room has been an office but not an Office, and now it's an Office with a capital "O." The difference? I engaged in a natural planning process regarding the home office about a year ago, and that's been the difference. It's amazing how much clarity you can get just by defining purpose / principles / vision. As a result we now have a very nice space: Flat screen on the wall, some nice art, furniture we enjoy ... it's turned out very nicely, and not because we spent thousands on stuff (which we did not), but because it was well thought-out. So thanks, David, for that application of GTD.
At home we have:
- Two horizontal file cabinets. One is work files (Kate's on top, mine on bottom). These are active projects and all support files I need on-hand; old stuff is archived at the firm. The other is home reference. Both are alphabetical.
- Home Mac: A new iMac (we've used Macs at home for years now). It's for home browsing, home finance, and all media. Three external hard drives: one for media (photos, music, and video), one for video production (as it hammers hard drives), and a terabyte drive for backup of the Mac and other two. I have Entourage installed here as well, and it syncs with Exchange so I can use the desktop for calendar and email if I choose.
- Label maker
- Two inboxes, one for me and one for kate
- Printer (Canon, does a great job with photos and basic work documents)
- Scanner / copier
- Heavy-duty Levenger punch.
- Stapler, calculator, etc.
- Paper shredder. Pay the money for a good one, it's worth it.
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