GTD Participant Toolkit PDF

® “If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” D A V I D A L L E N MECHANICS How This Course Works GTD® is about changing behavior. You’ll succeed as you take advantage of the following. 1. V  irtual Classroom Sessi...

® “If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” D A V I D A L L E N MECHANICS How This Course Works GTD® is about changing behavior. You’ll succeed as you take advantage of the following. 1. V  irtual Classroom Sessions Learn key concepts from a skilled facilitator in a social course environment with your peers. Be ready to take notes, share your ideas and questions, and participate in breakout groups. 2. Participant Toolkit Use the GTD Toolkit (this PDF) to capture what you learn and jog your memory after the fact. Notice that you’ll be keeping track of your own goals and commitments, so plan on referring back to this document frequently. You’ll notice some pages are designed to be printed; post GTD reminders in your home and work to help you succeed. 3. B  etween-Session Application After each session, you’ll be given simple assignments—homework!—to help you prepare for the subsequent session. These will help you get the most out of GTD. 4. P  ost-Training Support After our sessions together, you’ll continue to receive GTD support for five weeks via text messaging and emails. Every GTD practitioner can tell you that the payoff comes through applying the skills, so let us help you when you need it most. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. – David Allen  3 GTD Learning Schedule ® SESSION 1 Capture COLLECT EVERYTHING THAT OWNS A PIECE OF YOU SESSION 2 Clarify GET YOUR “IN” TO ZERO SESSION 3 Organize PARK YOUR STUFF TO MAKE DOING EASIER Reflect & Engage SESSION 4 NO REGRETS ABOUT YOUR CHOICES Renew through Review REVIEW WEEKLY AND GET PERSPECTIVE ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited.  4 SESSION 1 INTRODUCTION THE GTD PRODUCTIVITY TM AND STRESS-FREE PROBLEM WITH ALL THE STUFF WE HAVE TO MANAGE IN OUR WORK AND LIVES, WE BECOME STRESSED AND OVERWHELMED—OF TEN DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS TO BE “PRODUCTIVE.” SOLUTION USE THE GETTING THINGS DONE ® (GTD) METHODOLOGY TO EXPERIENCE STRESS-FREE PRODUCTIVITY. The GTD methodology is: • Time-tested • Skill-based • Learnable • Useful at work and home, individually, and in teams ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. INTRODUCTION 5 Capture COLLECT EVERYTHING THAT OWNS A PIECE OF YOU PROBLEM WE’RE BURIED AN OVERWHELMED BY ALL OF THE STUFF THAT OWNS A PIECE OF US. SOLUTION WE REGAIN OUR PEACE OF MIND BY CAPTURING THE PIECES OF OUR MIND. “A task left undone remains undone in two places—at the actual location of the task and inside your head. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience.” BRAHMA KUMARIS ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Capture 6 APPLICATION MIND SWEEP • • • Open a Word/Excel document (or equivalent) on your computer. Take five minutes to capture everything that’s on your mind in one long list. These can be any would-, should-, or could-do items. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Capture 7 MIND SWEEP TRIGGER LIST What has your attention? PROFESSIONAL • Commitments/promises to client, colleague, or manager • Communications to make/get from client, colleague, or manager • Writing to finish/submit • Read/review • Financial • Planning/organizing • Marketing/promotion • Staff hiring/reviewing/training • Systems • Sales • Meetings • Professional development PERSONAL • Commitments/promises to family, friend, or community • Communications to make/get from family, friend, or community • Upcoming events • Errands • Leisure • Financial • Pets • Legal • Home improvement • Health • Transportation • Clothes GTD Hack ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Use the intelligent assistant on your phone (e.g., Siri, Bixby, Google Assistant) to capture items when you are driving or on the run. WW Capture 8 ACTIVITY How do you Capture? 1. L ist your current capture places/tools on the left and then evaluate each. Are they accessible, easy to use, and reliable? CAPTURE TOOL ACCESSIBLE? EASY TO USE? RELIABLE? Example: Kitchen Island 2. Consider the following questions: a. Which of these places/tools do you want to eliminate? b. A re there some capture places that can be funneled/directed into others? (For example, you might funnel multiple email accounts into one or email yourself pictures of things you want to capture.) c. Is there a new tool you might add to replace multiple capture places you currently use? (For example, you might buy a new pocket-sized notepad that you carry with you all the time rather than having a handful of different notepads you use in different parts of your life.) HOW MANY CAPTURE TOOLS? There’s no perfect number, but if you’re using more than three or four, it’s likely that you can eliminate at least one. The idea is to rely on as many as are necessary—but no more. 3. Write which capture tool(s) you will use going forward. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. 4. D  o you need to inform the people in your world how you would like to “capture” things? If so, with whom do you need to talk? Capture 9 IN SUMMARY Capture THE SKILLS • Capture EVERYTHING—in and out. • Direct all your inputs to a few chosen capture tools. IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW what needs to be captured and how to capture most effectively, so you can process inputs appropriately. For your mind to let go of the lower-level task of remembering, you have to believe that you have truly captured everything that may require future actions or decisions. A first activity is to search your physical environment for anything that doesn’t permanently belong where it is, the way it is, and capture that item in a physical in tray. Once you’ve collected all the physical things in your environment that need some attention, you’ll similarly want to collect anything that may be lingering in your mind. What has your attention? The first time you do this Mind Sweep, it may take you anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour to get your head clear. To prevent inputs from falling through the cracks and to put your mind at ease, you should minimize your number of capture locations (or tools). You should have as many “in trays” (physical or digital) as you need and as few as you can get by with. These can be low-tech options like pen and paper or higher-tech options like notes apps or email. What matters is how accessible, reliable, and convenient the tools are and whether you use them reliably from day to day. When and Where It’s time to capture whenever something is on your mind, you receive an input, or make a commitment. Getting Things Done Book Read pages 30–35; 106–121; 243–252. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Capture 10 ROAD MAP Capture To reliably capture all inputs in my workflow while relying less on my memory and more on a small number of trusted tools, I will: Personal pitfalls I’ll avoid: GO & DO Preparation for Session 2 • Finalize your selection of a few reliable capture tools—at home and work. • Finish capturing everything. • Choose a list-management tool that works for you. Consider options such as: ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. IBM Notes Capture 11 SESSION 2 Clarify GET YOUR “IN” TO ZERO PROBLEM THINGS RARELY GET STUCK BECAUSE OF A LACK OF TIME. THEY GET STUCK BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T DECIDED WHAT THEY MEAN. SOLUTION CLARIFY WHAT YOUR STUFF MEANS TO YOU, SO YOU CAN ENGAGE WITH IT MORE PRODUCTIVELY. “Everything on your lists and in your stacks is either attractive or repulsive to you—there’s no neutral ground when it comes to your stuff.” D AV I D A L L E N ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Clarify 12 Clarify Decision Model “stuff” 1 Is there an action that needs to be taken? no File Incubate Trash yes 2 What is the next action? 3 Am I the right person to do this? no Delegate no Do Soon yes 4 Can I do it in 2 minutes or less? Add to Lists or Calendar yes Do Now ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use © 2017 VitalSmarts. All Rights Reserved. GTD-MC-v2 only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Clarify 13 TIPS “Non-Actionable” Items TRASH • Delete, archive, trash, recycle anything that you don’t need anymore. Tip: Chances are you should trash much more than you usually do—try it! INCUBATE • If you think you want to do it sometime, but not now, it should go on a Someday/Maybe list. • If you want to be reminded of an item on a specific later date, create a reminder in your list-management tool, or create a cue that you know you’ll see at the right time in the future. Tip: If you choose to incubate an item or idea, also choose to not worry about it. FILE • As you come across material that needs no action but you’d like to keep for reference purposes, file it in your digital or physical general reference system. Tip: Trash—don’t file—what you can easily find in the future. “Actionable” Items DELEGATE • If you’re not the person to do the next action, delegate it by routing it in your out tray with a note, task them with an email, or add the item on an Agenda list to go over with them at your next meeting (more on Contextual Lists in the Organize session). Tip: To save yourself time, ask “who” before what.” The faster you delegate, the better. DO NOW • If the next action is yours and you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now. Tip: Be strict about the two-minute rule; diving right into a 10-minute project will quickly derail your clarifying power. DO SOON • If the next action is yours but you can’t do it two minutes or less, defer it by adding the item to your Next Actions list. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. GTD Hack “It’s fine to “decide not to decide” about something. You just need a decide-notto-decide system to get the issue off your mind. This is the power of deliberately “incubating” items. Clarify 14 ACTIVITY Next Action Hero Instructions: Using the vague To-Do list provided below, decide on an appropriate next action for each item. What might be the very next action needed to move this item forward? Bonus points for creativity. Reference these next action verbs to help you: Call, Buy, Read, Print, Take, Load, Draft, Email, Review, Find, Talk to, Text, Fill out, etc. To-Do List MOM’S BIRTHDAY Next Action EXAMPLE: CALL KAREN TO PLAN THE PARTY BUDGET REPORT DOCTOR’S APPT. NEW BRAKES ON TRUCK DOG KENNEL BROKEN CAMERA LUNCH WITH SANJIV PATEL WHITE PAPER FOR MARKETING DECIDE ON NEW BOOK FOR BOOK CLUB EXPENSES ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. GTD Hack The 2-Minute Rule is gold. If something takes you two minutes or less, do it now! At two minutes, it takes longer to store and track an item than to deal with it the first time you see it—it’s an efficiency threshold. Clarify 15 APPLICATION Clarify What It Is Clarify the remaining items on your Mind Sweep List. Remember, you’re just clarifying, not doing. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Clarify 16 TIPS One Benefit of Clarifying Regularly Is GETTING YOUR INBOXES TO ZERO The Zero Disclaimer “Getting to zero” means clarifying all of your inputs, not doing all of the work they imply! Clarifying means making a quick, thoughtful decision about what should happen next with each input. You should strive to “get to zero” regularly, but be wary of the trap of “maintaining zero” and thinking your inboxes won’t ever accumulate inputs—the truth is that you can’t and shouldn’t be clarifying all of the time. Otherwise, when would you do all of the work you just assigned yourself? Top Item First If you are planning to clarify all of the items in your inbox, it doesn’t matter as much whether you start with top or bottom. You’re going to see it all soon anyway. But if your capture tools are pretty full, you’ll discover it’s more efficient to process the most recent item first, mostly because of dated discussion threads that will have accumulated. Process One Item at a Time The focus on just one thing forces the requisite attention and decision-making to get through all your stuff. Also, when you get interrupted, you won’t have countless items scattered around on which you now have to recount and refocus. Only Read It If You Intend to Clarify The first time you pick something up or start reading an item in your capture tool, decide what to do about it and where it goes—never put it back into “in”or leave it. When you get in the habit of just scanning items and then revisiting them again and again, you experience what cognitive scientists call “decision fatigue.” Every decision you make, little or big, diminishes a limited amount of your brain power. Deciding to “not decide” about an email or anything else is another one of those decisions that drains your psychological fuel tank. GTD Hack ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. When you delegate an item, and if you care whether something happens as a result, you’ll need to keep track of it. It’s important that you record dates on everything that you hand off to others—the date it was delegated and any due dates. Many GTD practitioners keep a Waiting For list for this purpose (see Organize lesson). Clarify 17 IN SUMMARY Clarify THE SKILLS • Decide what your stuff means to you. • Identify next actions. THERE IS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP between your ability to gain traction quickly with your tasks and the degree to which you’ve adequately clarified your tasks. When we aren’t clear as to what things are and what they mean to us, we tend toward procrastination and inaction. Conversely, taking time to clarify what you’ve captured helps you quickly move to the right action. Some of the things in your capture tools are non-actionable—they don’t require much, if any, effort on your part. These would include things you’d like to: File: things you may need for reference at some future date (e.g., your company’s retirement policies) Incubate: items that may lead you to action in the future but require no attention now (e.g., the idea of starting a new blog on current industry trends) Trash: things you no longer need or can readily find elsewhere (e.g., an email someone else has already answered) Other things in your capture tools are actionable—they require more effort in order to move them toward closure. These items require you to define a course of action. For each of these items, you need to determine what the next action is that needs to be taken. It’s important to identify the very next action, so you don’t get stuck in a procrastination cycle. It’s also important to be as specific as possible so that you can move to action without hesitation or friction when the time is right. Once you’ve determined what the next action is, you need to determine who ought to take that action. If it’s not you, then delegate the action to the right person. If you are the best person for the task, then be clear about which of two categories the task fits: Do Now: If the task would take two minutes or less, complete it in the moment you are clarifying. Do Soon: Items that will take longer than two minutes to complete go into your personalized system of lists. When and Where ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. GTD practitioners clarify regularly to empty their chosen capture tools. To achieve an empty inbox every 24–48 hours, you’ll need a rhythm that works for you. Remember: clarifying doesn’t mean doing the work; it means deciding on what your work is. You might want to set aside a block of time each day to clarify—but don’t let other work sneak in. Also, anytime you find yourself feeling stuck or wondering what to do next, you’ll probably find clarifying to be, well, very clarifying! Getting Things Done Book Read pages 35–39; 122–140; 253–265. Clarify 18 ROAD MAP Clarify To process each input unambiguously, one at a time, before moving on, I will: Personal pitfalls I’ll avoid: GO & DO Preparation for Session 3 • Learn how to make lists in your list-management tool of choice. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Clarify 19 SESSION 3 Organize PARK YOUR STUFF TO MAKE DOING EASIER PROBLEM WE RELY TOO HEAVILY ON OUR BRAINS TO REMEMBER AND REMIND. SOLUTION ORGANIZE YOUR ACTIONS IN A PERSONALIZED SYSTEM OF LISTS—A TRUSTED “EXTERNAL BRAIN”— SO YOU’LL HAVE WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT. GTD Hack ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. “My Waiting For list helps me keep track of actions and responses that I am waiting for someone else to do. Many times these are left on a hope and a prayer that the other person will get back to me—when I could easily lose track of them and forget. The Waiting For list enables me to stay on top of these things while reducing the subtle background stress of ‘What if they don’t get back to me?’ or ‘What if I forget?’ It’s simple and easy to use, and it gets the job done.” Zander H. Organize 20 TIPS Protect your calendar . . . from yourself! Learn & Follow the GTD Calendar Criteria It’s okay to love our calendars, but not too much. This means that when we’re not selective about what we put in our calendar, our calendar becomes a catch-all for too much stuff . . . and we become numb to its reminders and real purpose. What Belongs on Your Calendar? 1. Time-specific information Meet with Angie at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. 2. Day-specific actions Call Rosa on Friday to discuss weekend plans. 3. Day-specific information CEO will be in the office. Your calendar contains only a fraction of your workflow. Everything else should be organized in the right lists. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 21 Contextual Lists DEFINITION: Reflect on the tool, location, or situation necessary to complete a task. Common Contexts for Next Actions Lists • • • • • • • Calls @Work Computer @Office @Home Errands Anywhere Agendas (person-specific) Other Lists to Consider • • • • • • • Mushy Brain/No Energy Before I Walk through the Door @Offline Weekend When I Wake Up @Airplane Read & Review ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 22 CLARIFYING AND ORGANIZING YOUR “STUFF” A few examples: The Bigger Picture 6<:C96H 8DBEJI:G 7dW"cZlXa^Zcihd[ilVgZ 7dW"jeYViZdc:8i^b^c\ ?ja^V"]^g^c\cZlVXXdjciVci @]VaZY" kVXVi^dcYViZh GZk^Zlbdci]anegd_ZXi^dch 9gV[iWjY\Zi :bV^a6cYgZVgZ/YZeigZdg\ DgYZgcZlidlZahVi idlZah#Xdb EGD?:8IH 86AAH =DB: >chiVaacZlYZeidg\X]Vgi HjWb^icZlhVaZhWjY\Zi ;^cVa^oZ=VlV^^ig^e G9cZld[[^XZeg^ciZg IgVkZa6\Zci"=VlV^^i^X`Zih 7Zc+&,"---"'&''gZ/jeYViZ ?VcZigZ/9VYÉh]ZVai] EVigZ/Y^ccZg^ck^iVi^dc HZijecZlWdd`h]ZakZh ^cHVgV]Éhgddb Ldg`Xdbedhi^cid\VgYZc HZijecZlVXXdjci^c\ hd[ilVgZ GZeV^gWVi]gddba^\]i HDB:96NB6N7: 6CNL=:G: D;;>8: KVXVi^dc^c8Vg^WWZVc DeZc(gZ\^dcVad[[^XZh 9gV[i^YZVhgZhiV[[eVgin GZk^Zl=^cZhegdedhVa 9gV[iXdcigVXi[dgHb^i] GZXdcX^aZZmeZchZh 9gV[idjia^cZ[dgcZlhVaZh egd\gVb 8denVgi^XaZ[dghiV[[ L6>I>C<;DG :GG6C9H ?^b.$&,"XdbehdccZllg`W` ?^b.$'&"jeYViZY^ckd^XZ BVg^d&%$&+gZhX]ZYjaZhVaZ LH-$+"hd[ilVgZdgYZg E^X`jee]didhViaVW 8aZVcZgh 9gded[[eVcihViiV^adg CZlYd\XdaaVgViCdV]Éh Notice how the inputs cascade from a Mind Sweep into a simple series of lists that match the contexts of our lives. “Getting organized” means sweeping our minds and filling our lists. “Staying organized” means continuing to sweep our minds into our lists, and completing tasks form our lists when the context is right. B>C9HL::E HiV[[^c\h^ijVi^dc <Zi=VlV^^i^X`Zih EVi DeZc(gZ\^dcVad[[^XZh HjbbZgk^h^id[^c"aVlh ]dbZd[[^XZhZije Ig^el^i]i]Z`^YhidNdhZb^iZ ?Vhb^cZeaVciZYdcVgWdgh <Zikd^XZgZXd\c^i^dc hd[ilVgZ ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. © 2013 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. L1-v3 19MAY2016 gettingthingsdone.com FUNDAMENTALS | ORGANIZE Organize 23 18 TIPS Maintaining an Effective Reference System • Unless you live a digital-only life, maintain separate filing systems for paper and digital inputs. • For digital files: It should take you less than 60 seconds to title and move a digital file into your digital reference system. • For paper files: It should take you less than 60 seconds to make a label, put the material in a few file folder, and place it in your file drawer. • Keep your file drawers less than 75% full because you’ll resist putting items in stuffed drawers. • Purge your digital and/or paper files whenever needed, and at least annually. Using a Someday/Maybe List • Adding to your Someday/Maybe list will help you feel good about what you’re not currently doing. It acknowledges the value of the idea, gives it a safe home, and gets it off of your mind. Whenever you do your Weekly Review, look for items to move to your Someday/Maybe list—some foreground frustrations that need to take a back seat for a while. • Periodically, perhaps quarterly, give yourself time to deeply review your Someday/Maybe list. Ask yourself whether it’s time to act. If so, move the item to your current projects and begin the clarifying process of identifying the next action. Getting the Most from Your Waiting For List • Whenever you find yourself worrying about whether someone will reply or take action, it’s time to add to your Waiting For list. That way, you can be sure that you’ll follow up when the time is right—not too soon, not too late—and reduce your anxiety in the meantime. • Use a consistent format, including a shorthand, that works for you. Your Waiting For list will be most helpful if it includes the most vital information. For example, if you’re waiting on Bill Sanders to finish an analysis by September 29th, you might write: “Bill S. RE: analysis. Due 9/29.” Answering the who, what, and when questions will put your mind at ease. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 24 IN SUMMARY Organize THE SKILLS • Calendar only the firm and fixed. • Group actions by context not topic. • Track your projects to guide your next actions. IT DOESN’T DO YOU ANY GOOD to have captured and clarified an item if you can’t readily find it when you have an opportunity to get work done. All too often we either spend too much time sifting and sorting through very long, consolidated to-do lists, or we miss opportunities to get things done because we are working off a shorter punch list of top-of-mind items. So, when you are choosing the tool you will use to keep yourself appropriately organized, make sure it will allow you to practice the following skills. 1. Calendar only the firm and fixed. Your calendar is your hard landscape— it should reflect the immovable, fixed boundaries in your schedule. They are: • Time-specific actions: appointments, meetings • Day-specific actions: deadlines (no to-dos) • Day-specific information: information that would be helpful to see for that day 2. Group actions by context not topic. Instead of putting your items in one long, comprehensive list or grouping them by project, try grouping by the different contexts you experience. Creating lists for when you’re at your computer, in your home office, running errands, meeting with your boss, or able to make calls can make it easier to see the best options given your current context. Some common context lists include: • • • • • • • Calls @Work Computer @Office @Home Errands Anywhere Waiting For 3. T rack your projects to guide your next actions. Just like it’s helpful to identify your very next action to get started, you also want to clarify your desired outcomes. When you notice that your very next action isn’t the same as your desired outcome and that there are additional actions required to reach that outcome, you are working with a “project.” Tracking projects in a separate list helps you keep track of future actions and reminds you of what “done” looks like along the way. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 25 IN SUMMARY Want some help choosing a list-managing tool for your trusted system? Provided you’re starting on a foundation of good habits, there are many tools that can meet your needs. It’s more important to pick one and get going than to obsess about finding the perfect fit. Answering the following five questions for yourself can help as you compare your options. 1. Do I already have something that works, or could work with a few modifications? 2. How much am I willing to spend? 3. How simple or complex would I like it to be? 4. Where and when will I do most of my organizing? 5. Where and when will I need to access the stuff I’ve organized? When and Where Once you’ve clarified that an item requires you to take action and that you can’t do it in two minutes or less, organize it into either your calendar or the appropriate list. Getting Things Done Book Read pages 39–49; 139–140; 141–190. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 26 ROAD MAP Organize To build and habitually use my personalized, trusted system, I will: Personal pitfalls I’ll avoid: GO & DO Preparation for Session 4 • Again, examine your work and home. Can you consolidate your capture tools? Can you consolidate your organizational systems? ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize 27 SESSION 4 Reflect & Engage NO REGRETS ABOUT YOUR CHOICES PROBLEM YOUR EXTERNAL BRAIN WON’T MAKE TOUGH TRADEOFF DECISIONS FOR YOU, NOR WILL IT PRIORITIZE YOUR WORK. SOLUTION PAUSE REGULARLY TO ALIGN YOUR DECISIONS WITH YOUR PRIORITIES, SO YOU GET THE RIGHT THINGS DONE GIVEN THE CONTEXT. “A few seconds a day is usually all you need for review, as long as you’re looking at a sufficient amount of the right things at the right time.” D AV I D A L L E N ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Reflect & Engage 28 APPLICATION Which Tips Work For You? Instructions: Review the tips below on reflecting and engaging. Discuss with your table groups which you will implement and why. 1. When: Your calendar is being “hijacked”—others are scheduling you for lots of things. Then: Block time for yourself in your calendar. Use that blocked time to work from your actions lists. 2. When: You are ready to engage with your day. Then: Try checking your calendar (time-specific actions, day-specific actions, day-specific information) first to get oriented to your day. This will help you see how much “white space” you actually have to work with. Then you can fill that space with next actions accordingly. You should notice that you feel better about what you’re able to accomplish by using this decision-making framework. 3. When: You are in doubt or feel you’ve lost your direction. Then: Clean up and clarify. Collect papers, notes, and materials or process a few items in your capture tools. 4. When: You are having trouble mustering the motivation to look at your Next Actions lists. Then: Set a timer for 15, 10, or 5 minutes and see what you can choose and do in that time frame. Note: Setting a timer is a very simple way to create and complete a small agreement with yourself. 5. When: You finish a meeting or a phone call. Then: Take one to three minutes to do a Mind Sweep about it; capture the details while they are fresh. 6. When: You hit a low-energy spot. Then: Disengage (e.g., go for a walk, sit on a bench and watch the clouds roll by). Your trusted system will be waiting for you when you return. One of the many advantages of these lists is your ability to walk away from them. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. “You need to look at your system on a frequent enough basis to keep your mind from taking back the job of remembering and reminding.” D AV I D A L L E N Reflect & Engage 29 IN SUMMARY Reflect & Engage THE SKILL • Pause to reflect before you engage. IF YOU’VE SET UP your GTD system with Next Actions lists, a Projects list, and a calendar, not much will be needed to maintain that system day to day. You’ll want to review a few key elements of your system so that you’re sure you’re making the best decisions in the moment (engaging appropriately). The component you’ll probably review most frequently is your calendar, which will remind you of what you can and cannot do in a given day. After checking your calendar, you’ll usually turn to your Next Actions lists, which you probably have organized by context. These lists will show you the complete inventory of actions you could choose. By developing this habit of preemptive reflection, you’ll feel confident about choosing the best possible action in light of: • Context (i.e., location, resources, situation) • Time Available • Energy Available • Priority When and Where At the highest level, the time to Reflect is before you Engage. In other words, try to make a habit of pausing to consult your trusted system before doing work. At a practical level, you’ll find tremendous benefit, at a minimum, simply by starting each day by consulting your calendar and Next Actions lists before you start email, meetings, and everything else that begs for your attention. Getting Things Done Book Read pages 49–53; 191–193; 204–210. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Reflect & Engage 30 ROAD MAP Reflect & Engage To outsmart my action bias and choose the right actions for any given context, I must reflect before I engage. To develop the habit of reflecting, I will: Personal pitfalls I’ll avoid: ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. GTD Hack “Being creative with your context lists can make engaging really easy. Consider categories like “Brain Gone” (for simple actions requiring no mental energy) or “Less than five minutes” (for getting quick “wins”) to really reflect all the different contexts you find yourself in throughout the day.” Reflect & Engage 31 Renew through Review REVIEW WEEKLY AND GET PERSPECTIVE PROBLEM YOUR SYSTEMS CAN EASILY GET OUT OF SYNC WITH A FAST-PACED WORLD. SOLUTION STAY CLEAR AND CURRENT, SO YOU CAN CREATE YOUR BIGGER PICTURE. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Renew through Review 32 GTD WEEKLY REVIEW ® GET CLEAR Collect Loose Papers and Materials Empty My Head (i.e., Mind Sweep) Gather all accumulated business cards, receipts, and miscellaneous paper-based materials into your in tray (or equivalent physical capture tool). Put in writing and process any uncaptured new projects, action items, waiting fors, someday/maybes, etc. Get “In” to Zero Process completely all outstanding paper materials, journal and meeting notes, voicemails, voice memos, and emails. GET CURRENT Review Next Actions Lists Mark off completed actions. Review for reminders of further action steps to record. Review Previous Calendar Data Review past calendar in detail for remaining action items, reference data, etc., and transfer into your trusted system. Review Upcoming Calendar Review upcoming calendar events—long and short term. Capture actions triggered. Review Project (and Larger Outcome) Lists Evaluate status of projects, goals, and outcomes, one by one, ensuring at least one current next action item on each. Browse through project plans, support material, and any other work-in-progress material to trigger new actions, completions, waiting fors, etc. Review Any Checklists Use as a trigger for any new actions. Review Waiting For List Record appropriate actions for any needed follow-up. Check off received ones. GET CREATIVE Review Someday/Maybe List Be Creative & Courageous Review for any projects or actions that may now have become active, and transfer to the appropriate list. Delete items no longer of interest. Any new, wonderful, harebrained, creative, thought-provoking, risk-taking ideas to add to your system? ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Renew through Review 33 Horizons of Focus® In order to know what your priorities are, you have to know what your work is. By looking at your work at each of the six different horizons, you can have a good sense of what your job requires and how that fits into the other contexts of your life. This will automatically produce greater focus, alignment, and sense of priorities. Ground Level: Calendar/Actions This is the accumulated list of all the actions you need to take. Make sure your Next Actions lists are totally complete. Horizon 1: Projects These are the 30 to 100 projects on your plate that are creating many of the actions on your lists. You need to make sure your Projects list truly captures all your commitments. Horizon 2: Areas of Focus and Accountability Your 7 to 15 categories of accountabilities are the key areas within which you want to achieve results and maintain standards. These areas are what drive the projects you create or accept. Make sure you maintain a list called “Areas of Focus” that you review every 2 to 3 months to ensure you have all your projects and next actions defined. Horizon 3: Goals and Objectives Your one- and two-year goals for your life and work will often require a shift in emphasis of your job focus with new areas of accountabilities emerging. You may also have things you’d like to accomplish on a personal level. Horizon 4: Vision When you project 3 to 5 years in the future, your decisions can easily change what your work looks like on many levels. Horizon 5+: Purpose and Principles Knowing why your company exists and why you exist provides the core definition of what your “work” really is. All your goals, visions, projects, and actions derive from this and lead toward it. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Renew through Review 34 My Weekly Review 1 My Weekly Review 4 Date & Time: __________________________ Date & Time: __________________________ AGENDA Get Clear | Get Current | Get Creative AGENDA Get Clear | Get Current | Get Creative GTD MASTERY WEEKLY THEME: CAPTURE GTD MASTERY WEEKLY THEME: REFLECT & ENGAGE Questions to Consider Questions to Consider • Am I ever/often missing inputs? • Are my few capture tools easy to use, reliable, and accessible? Actions to Consider If you haven’t already selected capture and list-managing tools,* do a little research and make some choices. It’s more important to start using a tool than to obsess about finding the perfect tool. You can always change it down the road. High Tech: Productivity apps. • Do I often regret or second-guess what I choose to get done? • Am I being driven by the latest and loudest? Actions to Consider This week, spend a little extra time on your Horizons of Focus®—consider your own bigger picture. (See reverse for a refresher.) Now think of your current tasks, projects, and behaviors. If you could change just a few things to align your current reality with your desired vision for yourself, what would you do? Then break that into next actions and do it! Medium Tech: Word document Low Tech: Paper planner My Weekly Review 5 Any level of tech will work; choose something that works for you. Date & Time: __________________________ My Weekly Review 2 Date & Time: __________________________ AGENDA Get Clear | Get Current | Get Creative GTD MASTERY WEEKLY THEME: CLARIFY Questions to Consider • Do my to-dos attract or repel me, and why? • Do I find I’m delaying because I don’t know where to start? • Am I getting my “in” to zero every 24–48 hours? Actions to Consider Do a fresh Mind Sweep. Capture everything in (your head) and out (your working environment) in your trusted capture tool. For each input, ask the four questions found on the Clarify Decision Model card. Don’t settle for no decision! Follow the 2-Minute Rule, identify next actions, and organize appropriately. My Weekly Review 3 Date & Time: __________________________ AGENDA Get Clear | Get Current | Get Creative GTD MASTERY WEEKLY THEME: ORGANIZE Questions to Consider • Can I find the things I need when I need them? • Am I consciously relying on my “external brain” from day to day? And am I spending less energy on trying to remember everything? • Are items getting buried, ignored, or forgotten? Actions to Consider Review your personalized, trusted organizational system. Are you using your calendar appropriately? Are you getting the most value out of your Next Actions lists and other lists? Consider modifying your own contextual lists (like “Errands” or “Calls”) to better suit your needs, so your system works for you in each moment—at work and in life. AGENDA Get Clear | Get Current | Get Creative GTD MASTERY WEEKLY THEME: RENEW THROUGH REVIEW Questions to Consider • Am I holding my Weekly Review every week? • Does my brain trust that my system is complete and current? Actions to Consider If you haven’t already, schedule your Weekly Reviews for upcoming weeks and months. Find a rhythm that works for you— and stick to it. Honor these meetings as you would if you were meeting with someone you’d never let down. Commit to maintaining your system so that you can increase your control and perspective over time. Teach others about how you achieve more productivity with less stress in your life. Go get ’em! “Getting Things Done is not simply about getting things done. It’s about being appropriately engaged with your work and life.” D AV I D A L L E N Renew through Review 35 IN SUMMARY Renew through Review THE SKILLS • Renew your through a Weekly Review. • Use GTD to align your actions with your values. To make high-quality, rapid, and intuitive judgment calls from moment to moment, you must consistently attain a more-elevated vantage point through a Weekly Review. During your Weekly Review, you review your Projects list, Next Actions lists, agendas, Waiting For lists, and calendar. It’s a time to clear your mind by capturing, clarifying, and organizing newly accumulated inputs. The more complete your system is, the more you’ll trust it. And the more you trust it, the more you benefit from your system. This should be a 60–90 minute meeting with yourself each week. The Weekly Review can also be a good time to review your higher Horizons of Focus®. This starts with day-to-day things like current actions and projects but expands to consider roles and responsibilities, goals, personal vision, and overall purpose. These different “horizons” can provide a useful framework to help you connect your day-to-day with your larger priorities. When and Where In the normal flow of your life and work (think “maintenance”), hold your Weekly Review, well, weekly, and give time and attention to your Horizons of Focus periodically as well. However, when you’re in trouble (think “damage-control mode”) or recovering from some unexpected event, you may want to review more frequently as a defensive move; getting your trusted system back under control will get you back under control too. Getting Things Done Book Read pages 50–51; 54–57; 194–203; 215–226. ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Renew through Review 36 APPLICATION GTD is a process, not an event. The more you apply it, the more you benefit. GTD Coach can help you succeed and provide periodic tips and tricks for five weeks. Text “GTD” to 916.520.6317 (USA) 587.803.0582 (Canada) ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Organize “Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as in knowing what to do next.” H E R B E RT H O OV E R 100 Organize 101 Renew through Review 37 ACCOUNTABILITY My Accountability Partner Name: Email: Phone: When we’ll follow up with each other: We will confirm that we have: • Captured everything (e.g., sticky notes, piles of paper, ideas, etc.) into our chosen capture tools • Updated and maintained your list-management tool • Continued to get value from the GTD methodology ©2017 VitalSmarts, L.C. All rights reserved. GTD and Getting Things Done are registered trademarks owned by David Allen Company and used by VitalSmarts with permission. Each student may print only one copy and it is for that student’s personal use only. Copying, reproducing, transferring, selling, or otherwise exploiting these materials is strictly prohibited. Renew through Review 38 “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life exists in the elimination of non-essentials.” LIN YUTANG “Your mind can’t let go until and unless you park a reminder in a place it knows you will, without fail, look.” DAVID ALLEN “Your inbox is a processing station not a storage bin.” DAVID ALLEN “You can only feel good about what you’re not doing when you know everything you’re not doing.” DAV I D ALLEN “Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.” DAV I D ALLEN DO NOT DISTURB! WEEKLY REVIEW IN PROGRESS There’s no YOU in my Weekly Review. Get Out!