Where my day gone???

[Muhanad]

I was planning to make my day productive. I started from home at 8 am. Got to the office at 10am and directly to the planned meeting. The meeting took 2 hours. Then I jumped into the car to go to another meeting. I agreed to drop the customer by the way to this place. At 12.30 I was at the place running the second meeting. My boss called me to get to his office when I'm back. The meeting took 1.5 hours. And I was at the office back at 14.15. My boss was out for a lunch so I got 1 hour to process my emails (aroung 100 emails). Then he appeared and we were discussing a few projects till 5.10 pm. Then I jumped into the car to go home. On the way I managed to do 2 long calls. At 7pm I was home, then dinner for 30 minutes and now writing this post. The title is where my day gone????? My processing was not full so I have now to spend my home time to finish it. I didn't manage to do many calls. I didn't have time at all to do any computer tasks.

What's wrong here and can GTD help?

 

[wishgtd]

I was planning to make my day productive. I started from home at 8 am. Got to the office at 10am and directly to the planned meeting. The meeting took 2 hours. Then I jumped into the car to go to another meeting. I agreed to drop the customer by the way to this place. At 12.30 I was at the place running the second meeting. My boss called me to get to his office when I'm back. The meeting took 1.5 hours. And I was at the office back at 14.15. My boss was out for a lunch so I got 1 hour to process my emails (aroung 100 emails). Then he appeared and we were discussing a few projects till 5.10 pm. Then I jumped into the car to go home. On the way I managed to do 2 long calls. At 7pm I was home, then dinner for 30 minutes and now writing this post.

This is called execution. You did get done, just not everything you would like because things do take up time and other things that were not scheduled came into place. Your boss is someone who decided to schedule an impromptu meeting with you, that will interfere with your plans for the day.

Look at the four quadrants of GTD here

The title is where my day gone????? My processing was not full so I have now to spend my home time to finish it. I didn't manage to do many calls. I didn't have time at all to do any computer tasks.

What's wrong here and can GTD help?

It seems that your issue here is not GTD for you, which it can help anyway, but perhaps it is higher expectations for getting things done on the day? Was the meeting with the boss planned? was the time for travel accounted for ahead of time? If it was wouldn't you plan differently?

 

[Muhanad]

I would love to have time for calls and computer actions in my day. I even try to block it. I work to this time. But usually find that my boss or a customer jumps in to take this time. So I find my day ends with no real execution of actions on my list.

 

[mrubenson]

I was planning to make my day productive. I started from home at 8 am. Got to the office at 10am and directly to the planned meeting. The meeting took 2 hours. Then I jumped into the car to go to another meeting. I agreed to drop the customer by the way to this place. At 12.30 I was at the place running the second meeting. My boss called me to get to his office when I'm back. The meeting took 1.5 hours. And I was at the office back at 14.15. My boss was out for a lunch so I got 1 hour to process my emails (aroung 100 emails). Then he appeared and we were discussing a few projects till 5.10 pm. Then I jumped into the car to go home. On the way I managed to do 2 long calls. At 7pm I was home, then dinner for 30 minutes and now writing this post. The title is where my day gone????? My processing was not full so I have now to spend my home time to finish it. I didn't manage to do many calls. I didn't have time at all to do any computer tasks.

What's wrong here and can GTD help?

Left home: 8am
Came back home: 7pm
= Total time outside home: 11 hrs

This time was spent:
Travelling: 2+0.5+0.25+2=4.75 hrs (ca 43%)
Meetings with customers: 3.5 hrs (ca 32%)
Meeting with boss: 2hrs (ca 18%)
Email: 1hrs (ca 9%)

GTD could probably help you get more things done in this situation, but a bigger issue for you might be to review how you spend your time, so that you make sure that you direct your effort at getting the right things done too.

What you did not have any time for at all during that day is processing and reviewing your tasks. Unless you are able to set apart time for that at least one a week, GTD won't help you.

But you only posted one day of work, which doesn't tell much. Is your entire work week like this? Otherwise, one or two bad days happen to everyone once in a while...

 

[Muhanad]

You were right when said "make sure that you direct your effort at getting the right things done too". I feel like I'm constantly busy. A lot happening around. Now I turn and look back at the first 3 months of the year. I see NO PROGRESS at all. Lots of emails processed, lots of meetings done, lots of calls made. None of them were the calls, meetings and emails to MAKE A CHANGE.

Inspite I have scheduled time daily for processing it makes no difference unless I have RIGHT THINGS TO DO. Now I even think to have at least ONE MEANINGFUL ACTION for the day that would be reality changing thing. It should be a call or a meeting that once done changes everything. All the rest is just support for this one small action, is just an environment that feels in the gaps.

GTD is good to have a lot of plates in the air. But it doesn't guarantee that the plates are the right ones. You are right.

 

[manuelhe]

It might help if you can influence your meeting agendas so that the meetings are shorter. Cite a previous commitment. even if with yourself. If someone wants more of your time than you have to give there had better be a good reason for it.

GTD helps you focus and generate your self commitments. If you have an inventory of things you must accomplish with that precious time I bet he other parties would oblige. Even if the others push back at least you are having the right conversation.