Getting Things Done
Arvind Grover and Alex Ragone did a webcast this week on David Allen’s book Getting Things Done and the various organizational techniques he advocates to get and stay organized. I breezed through this easy read a few weeks ago and found some useful information. While most of what Allen presents is pretty common sense if you need to stay organized, I began to understand the key to getting things done: addressing the next action. Too often our to-do lists are things - budget, professional development schedule, policy; or generic actions - assemble budget, organize professional development schedule, write new policy. What is missing is the next actionable step. For example, what is the next thing I need to do to move toward the goal of assembling the budget? Without that next step as our compass, we tend to feel adrift, not knowing what to do.
After listening to Arvind’s and Alex’s podcast, I was able to find and investigate some useful resources to help in understanding and implementing GTD:
- 43 Folders - This site, named after one of Allen’s organization suggestions, offers some more detailed information about this method of getting organized and getting things done. This is a nice site to get a better idea of what GTD is.
- GTD Notes - MindZone has a wiki page that actually outlines the book, with all the tips and techniques Allen suggests.
- iCommit - This is a beta version of an online application built around the organizational concepts of GTD. The site, certainly in its development stage, offers the ability to keep a calendar, various lists such as “next action,” and “waiting on.” A key section that looks useful is the weekly review section, giving you a run down of what you need to do weekly to stay on top of your various lists. I love the idea of one online database where you can keep all of your information. My only hesitation about this is the fact it is still in beta and who knows if your information is going to be there tomorrow. Hopefully it will develop into an open source application you can run from your own server.
I have been using the GoBinder application for a few years now. While originally intended to help students get organized, I have found it incredibly useful, and very compatible with GTD principles. There is the obvious calendar and daily task list, but also the ability to create tabs for “waiting on,” “projects,” and any other sort of lists. My favorite part is the ability to collect digital information, such as email, documents, etc. that pertain to various project or action lists. Using it at home and at school also helps me keep the two seperated. So far, it has really worked for me.
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