Where do Goals go in GTD?

[JeffB]

Hello everyone. Hope I am not cheating by asking, as I am re-reading the 2015 version of GTD. (second overall reading of GTD, first focused reading with intent to commit)

In traditional time management/self-development genres, writing down clearly identified GOALS, along with an accompanying plan is mission critical. Obviously, if I had reached my goals using their methods, I wouldn't be here. GTD's Natural Planning Model has goal identification embedded in it

Just hoping for some ideas on what you all do to keep your chosen goals in front of you using the GTD method. My chosen GTD system to start is to utilize Outlook 2013. (I am moving over from a FC paper planner, with plans to turn it into a strictly 7 Habits/Life planner) Lastly, am I even viewing this correctly? Does my approach to goals need an update?

I appreciate your time and thoughts. Thank you.

 

[FrDavid]

I tend to do a goals analysis in the Horizons of Focus. I review all of my horizons quarterly and that's where I analyze my goals and progress. I keep that in a separate document from my projects and next actions. So one goal, for example, might be addressed in half a dozen projects or so. I'm not sure if that is the ideal way or not--but it seems to work for me.

 

[Karl Ivar]

Hi!!

To give you a short answer: Your goals in the GTD-system is taken care of through the horizons of focus.

You can get an overview of the GTD-system by thinking about it as five steps that helps you gain CONTROL in your everyday work, and six horizons that helps you get PERSPECTIVE, so you know where you want to go. These are terms used in the old GTD-book- David might call it something else now (I´m currently working through the german version of the 2015-book)

The reason why you might feel that the GTD-method misses the focus on goals, is that it puts it´s main focus on what to do NOW, or the five steps to gain control, which are Capture, Clarify, Organise, Reflect and Engage.

The reason for this, is that experience shows that this is the most difficult part to master. That means: It´s easier to write down where and what you would like to be five years from now than keep calm, happy, unstressed and extremely efficient in your every day life.

There are several other reasons why this “bottom up” is so efficient. One is that when you follow the five steps to gain control- really capture, clarify… everything that is on your mind, you´ll probably notice that you are much more capable to set your goals one week, 12 months or 4-5 years from now. This way of working is also very flexible, and is capable of meeting any change in your life- (believe me, I´ve tried it!). You´ll also find that you´ll discover new, much smarter ways of reaching your goals when you capture and really consider and eventually do something about all your ideas.

I wouldn´t worry to much about goals in the beginning if you would like to give GTD a try. Just start with the five steps to gain control, and you´ll get to the goals. Believe me- there´s great stuff to discover here- have fun!!

 

[JeffB]

Sounds good! I will review that portion of GTD very closely.

Having done this for 20 years, I am persuaded that the cottage industry of "Goal Setting" needs to be replaced with "Goal Achieving". It seems like I make things harder it has to be where goals are concerned. Doing is as important as planning.

 

[evholten]

In Toodledo it is actually possible to link a task to a goal. Goals can be devided into 3 levels: Life-long, Long-term and Short-term goals and these can be made interrelated. These kinds of refinements might make the (web)app a little complex at first but brings a whole new dimension to goal and task control.
Just stay withing Toodledo's Task-section and forget the redundant sections of Notes, Outlines, List and Habbits.

 

[Oogiem]

In traditional time management/self-development genres, writing down clearly identified GOALS, along with an accompanying plan is mission critical. Obviously, if I had reached my goals using their methods, I wouldn't be here. GTD's Natural Planning Model has goal identification embedded in it

Just hoping for some ideas on what you all do to keep your chosen goals in front of you using the GTD method.

I wouldn't worry about goals at first. Clear what has your focus now and the goals will come eventually. I do more in depth reviews of the higher horizons 4 times a year on the solstices and equinoxes but it has taken me a long time to really incorporate goals into GTD. Only once I had a system in pace to handle the current stuff, a place to park thousands of cool ideas I'd have so they didn't get lost and a way to review both sets of stuff was I able to look at what the things I wanted to do and the things I was currently doing worked together to get me to the final place I wanted to be. Goals just naturally came out from that review but it really took over a year to get there using GTD.

 

[JeffB]

I appreciate the feedback on this. After having used the methodology as best I can for two weeks, I understand it even better.

Ironically, last year I tried to get away from paper based planning. I thought I would still incorporate my FC planner with GTD. After two weeks, for the first time, I can see a future without my nappa leather binder always with me. (that creates small amounts of melancholy for me) But the thought of me being a power user productively motoring through my life and career makes the thought easier.

My goals haven't changed. I just see much more clearly how to get to them now that the piles of mess have been removed. This has been a very cool two weeks.

 

[bcmyers2112]

I appreciate the feedback on this. After having used the methodology as best I can for two weeks, I understand it even better.

Ironically, last year I tried to get away from paper based planning. I thought I would still incorporate my FC planner with GTD. After two weeks, for the first time, I can see a future without my nappa leather binder always with me. (that creates small amounts of melancholy for me) But the thought of me being a power user productively motoring through my life and career makes the thought easier.

My goals haven't changed. I just see much more clearly how to get to them now that the piles of mess have been removed. This has been a very cool two weeks.

Glad to hear you're doing so well with GTD! I hope you'll keep us posted about your progress -- and good luck!

 

[JeffB]

It's going very well. I have my old confidence back, because my mind is clear enough to be confident. Wasn't expecting that, but I have been ready for anything and I am getting all my stuff done.

Btw, one thing I am learning is that writing one item on one piece of paper and putting it in my inbox just works better than writing it in my FC planner. I do not understand why, nor do I care. I just want what works...

 

[JeffB]

I should probably finish my in-depth reading of the book before asking any other questions. Lol. I am up to the Horizons of Focus. Got it. Thank you Karl Ivar for pointing that out earlier.