Your thoughts on my implementation of GTD

M

macgrl

0
Basically I wanted to have a simple checklist system and a flowing plan for how I use GTD so that there is less thinking about how to use the system and more time using it to GTD.

This is my interpretation and implementation of GTD.

1) My daily inbox processing checklist - in tray on desk; my little notebook I carry; email account; voicemail - mobile and home phone

I then take each item and apply the workflow diagram on page 120 of GTD book

2) My "buckets"

Diary calendar for hard landscape of things that need doing at specific time or day

"tickler" calendar for things to be thought about at sometime in the future. Or reminders for things that I am waiting for (also on @waiting list)

Physical a-z tickler file for things that are associated with items on tickler calendar

a-z reference files in cabinet

3) Projects - I use the 5 phases of project planning for which I have a flow chart

I then put my project plan into a word template with these headings

Project - xxxxxx

Outcome – define what I want to achieve

Plan – detail ideas

Next action list – what are the next actions

Future ideas – any notes or ideas that may be useful in the
future

From this I make an active project in Things following my own checklist -

• Follow “New Project Template”

• Create a project under “active projects” in things

• Add project plan word file to the project tab by dragging and dropping it. (You can have more than one next action but must only add those actions that can be done without something else having to be done first)

Add the next action / actions to the project in things

4) My weekly review is taken from the GTD book

1) GET CLEAR

• Round up loose papers and materials from around house and car

• Empty head of any ideas, projects, next actions, waiting fors, someday-maybe’s etc that are concerning me

• Process Inbox (see Inbox Processing checklist)

2) GET CURRENT

• Review my actions list

• Review past calendar data for anything that is outstanding – both diary and tickler

• Review upcoming calendar – both diary and tickler

• Review waiting for list

• Review project list – evaluate the status of projects, goals, and outcomes, one by one ensuring that at least one current action item on each project. Look through project plans and support materials to trigger new actions etc

• Review any relevant checklists – use these as a trigger for new actions

• Review that someday / maybe list – see if any projects can become active

Are there any areas that I could improve on? Any tricks that I am missing?

Any personal improvements that people have found from experience?

Many thanks :)
 
I cannot see the GET CREATIVE part of the Weekly Review.

macgrl;81646 said:
Are there any areas that I could improve on? Any tricks that I am missing?
Click to expand...

I cannot see the GET CREATIVE part of the Weekly Review which includes a very important step of reviewing your Someday/Maybe list(s).
 
Thank you so much for your reply. That's my fault for not including it my post. I have the get creative part included in my weekly review as per David allens weekly review check list around page 186 I think

Everything else in the post however is an accurate reflection of my system:D
 
The Important thing for me is that i am not missing anything crucial and that i have all the bases covered. I will find it a lot easier to commit to a system if i have the confidence that i have the right understanding of it and am not missing any tricks
 
Looks good to me!

I like that post - a nice short summary of the whole enchilada. Seems like you have put a lot of good thought into it - congrats! And you got a nice useful response from TesTeq which shows that this forum can be a good use of time.

Just as a side comment, the importance of having all the right buckets is hard to stress too much. For instance, I just recently created a "Waiting for people to respond" email folder that I like using a LOT. I used to leave emails where I was waiting for a response in Sent, which was working ok, but this way they have their own totally dedicated bucket. (I also keep two weekly emails that I send out in Sent for use as templates).

Although, I have found that I also needed a "Waiting for people to respond - archived", where it is obvious that I am not getting an answer and it is not really important enough to pursue the people now - but it might be someday/maybe. I did this because it seemed useless to keep reviewing the evergrowing list after a few weeks of inactivity.
 
macgrl;81674 said:
The Important thing for me is that i am not missing anything crucial and that i have all the bases covered.
Click to expand...

One thing I've noted is that no matter how well you think you have the system down, GTD is like an onion, you keep peeling back layers of understanding. SO just because you want the system to be complete at the start you need to get comfortable that your understanding of and use of GTD will grow over time and don't beat yourself up about whether or not you are complete. Just jump in and get started and refine it a couple of months down the road.

As a former boss used to say "Ready, Fire, Aim"

Or in a slightly more verbose version:

"Continuous improvement after seeing results is more important than a perfect shot and sometimes laying down an unfocused barrage is enough to get you the time to make the next shot count."

Works for everything from fire fights, to programming, to dealing with recalcitrant sheep. :-)
 
Thank you very much for your reply oogiem. It is very much appreciated that is a very good point about the system sort of evolving and improving with time. Over the coming. Months and years of doing gtd my system wiki hopefully get better. It is nice to know that i am going in the right direction with how I have started though
 
macgrl;81646 said:
Are there any areas that I could improve on? Any tricks that I am missing?

Any personal improvements that people have found from experience?
Click to expand...

I'd add a task to periodically take some time to think about the higher horizons. What are your areas of focus and responsibilities? What are your goals? What do you want or need to accomplish in the next X months or years? What is your vision of a perfect life? What are your core values? Why are you here? Is what you are doing now supporting who you are or want to become?

How often is up to you. Personally I farm so following the seasons works well for me. I do a quarterly review at the equinoxes and at the summer solstice. I evaluate what projects need to happen in the next season, how well I did the past season and what needs to be continued next year, in the right season. I tend to blur roles and goals as for me they are becoming less and less distinct. Similarly I tend to blur purpose and vision as the more I incorporate GTD practices the more in tune with where I want to be my daily projects become.

I use the time from between the winter solstice to the new year to do a detailed in-depth review of my life, what I accomplished the last year, what I want to work on next year, whether what I am doing is leading me to be the person I want to be as well as all the mundane year end filing, getting ready for taxes, business reporting etc. That's why I give myself 10 days to do it.
 
Oogiem;81689 said:
One thing I've noted is that no matter how well you think you have the system down, GTD is like an onion, you keep peeling back layers of understanding. SO just because you want the system to be complete at the start you need to get comfortable that your understanding of and use of GTD will grow over time and don't beat yourself up about whether or not you are complete. Just jump in and get started and refine it a couple of months down the road.

As a former boss used to say "Ready, Fire, Aim"

Or in a slightly more verbose version:

"Continuous improvement after seeing results is more important than a perfect shot

and sometimes laying down an unfocused barrage is
enough to get you the time to make the next shot count."

Works for everything from fire fights, to programming, to dealing with recalcitrant sheep. :-)
Click to expand...

Do you think that i have made a good start with my implementation in my first post ?
 
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