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[bryant]

Getting Things Done. Anyone tried it? Does it work for you? Tips and/or tricks? Do I have to drink the koolaid?

(Regardless of the answers to these questions, my next PC will use GTD as an organizing scheme. Possibly this promise excludes Jess's Exalted game, but I'm not sure.)

Comments

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

When I worked at MIT back in the 20th century my boss was a big fan of what we called "Black Book School" and she sent us for refreshers every year or two. At that time David Allen's pitch was pretty much the same but he did it all with a paper-based organizer (the "black book").

Like many other things it works great if you keep up with it. I use a sort of modified form of it now.

[ptevis.livejournal.com]

I find it extremely useful, particularly because my brain is not very good at keeping track of things. Making a concentrated effort to get everything out of my head allows me to stop worrying about it and actually concentrate on doing the work I need to. It's also pretty lightweight, which for me is a plus for any process.

[gconnor.livejournal.com]

As you have probably read, I loved GTD (the book) and I put a few of its techniques into practice right away.

I have never worked well with paper to-do lists, so the paper folders marked Action, Defer, as well as the 12+31 folder "tickler" file went pretty much unused. I have an "in box" for papers, but it really should be marked "to be filed". However, the hints and tips for organizing the file cabinet were great, so I now have a useful A-Z file for taxes, pay stubs, statements, bills, important documents, etc. and a second drawer just for manuals (also A-Z). Filing things in there is fun and rewarding, so I do it often. He is totally right about the label printer just for file folders - it makes things so much nicer.

In the electronic world, I have three tools that I have already been using, but have now refreshed to work better using GTD advice:

Email reader - Any email reader will do as long as you can easily file stuff in multiple folders (preferably IMAP server folders if you use more than one computer for email). I used to be pretty good at keeping my inbox tidy, but now I am totally ruthless. I get my inbox down to 0 at least twice a day, usually more. I do that by filing according to: Action, Defer, Defer Longer, Waiting, and Saved. (Saved is everything I don't need to be reminded of, but would like to keep for later searching/reference. There is only one folder - I don't arrange Saved according to subject or sender. I just archive the whole thing to 2006-Saved every year.) The Action folder is always open in a separate window from Inbox. I really only need to visit Inbox twice a day but I usually do it more often than I need to. Having Action open and front-most discourages me from monitoring Inbox constantly, so email is less interrupt-driven.

Calendar- I use Outlook due to the need for corporate meeting-invites. Any calendar system would probably work fine, as long as it has an alarm/reminder feature. Syncing to a handheld is great but probably not required.

To Do list - I used Bonsai for this because it supports hierarchy - I have indent levels for Subject area, Goal, and Task. Tasks can then be filtered by "context" (such as phone calls, errands, computer, home). Handheld sync is great for this too.

[peaseblossom.livejournal.com]

I bought the book for Jere and he never used it. I'll lend it to you if you promise not to use it during my game.

[michele-blue.livejournal.com]

Heeee, he already ordered it. You're not safe. ;)

[robotnik.livejournal.com]

I totally drank the koolaid, bought the purple jumpsuit and the Nikes, had the third eye drilled in my head ...so take what I say with that in mind.

It works for me - not as a way to increase my productivity (that really hasn't changed), but a way to reduce my stress (that has). If you just dabble in GTD as a new kind of to do list, you will think 'oh, this is fine, nothing special, but some bits of good advice' - and that's perfectly OK. But the magic only really happens when you totally trust your system. Hence, koolaid. A huge weight lifts from my shoulders when I know everything's accounted for in my GTD system. It's very zen. Generally I stay in the zone for a blissful week or two, then I get sloppy with capturing and weekly reviews, and sure enough my subconscious figures it out and the stress comes back. So it's an ongoing process.

And of course there's the Golden Age GTD: http://www.robmacdougall.org/archives/2004/11/ogtd_original_g.php

[ambar.livejournal.com]

It has totally worked for me and I recommend it without reservation.

The big rabbit hole I see most geeks jump into by way of Missing The Point is running around trying everything ever billed as a "GTD app" so that they can find the BEST ONE. The BEST ONE is the one that you will use and that will not get in your way. For me that's Life Balance, with occasional trips to paper when I'm tired of wrangling other people's software. YMMV.

I haven't drunk the koolaid

[danlyke.livejournal.com]

But so many people I know online have that I think I've adopted some stuff by osmosis. The one way that GTD has changed my life is that I heard the "if it'll take less than two minutes do it now" thing often enough that I actually do. The amount of clutter reduction and stuff that isn't lying around because I set it somewhere to take care of later has been tremendous.

From that alone I have positive thoughts on it.