Unexpected success with GTD and the next level

[Ron01]

I am about 2 weeks into implementing GTD, and hit an unexpected snag. I am a programmer analyst, with a lot of projects and next actions. Before I started using GTD, I would wasted a lot of time either trying to figure out what I needed to do, or bogged down in the tyranny of the urgent. I did the collection, organization, made project lists and NA lists, and suddenly I'm cranking out work like crazy, with times where I am in the 'flow'. The snag is, I am now facing projects and actions I thought were weeks off, and I'm having to make an adjustment here. I find that I have to stop for a bit and look at the landscape from 30,000 feet, get the big picture view, and re-organize again. I just didn't expect to be looking at the next level so soon.

Also a note on next actions - I find that when I'm in the 'flow', there are a lots of tasks that could be next actions if I took the time to write them down, but it's not necessary because I'm blazing through them, and it would just slow me down to record them. When the flow stops, I go back to recording them, beacuse I like it when the process become automatic, and want to operate there as much as possible.

Even though I am an organized person, I don't consider myself as having 'arrived' using GTD, I still have more collection and organizing to do in the personal and other areas of my life. But seeing the benefit of using GTD so early has me convinced that there is more to gained, using good old fashioned hard work.

 

[jmarkey]

Part of the GTD implementation is moving vertically through the levels of review and horizontally across projects. Although much of the initial focus is on the runway level, you will find yourself jumping around somewhat, especially while you are collecting things. It certainly sounds as if you are on the right track.