getting things done - intro

Getting Things Done

“The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”

I will talk about…

“Every decade has its defining self-help business book.In the 1940s it was How to Win Friends and Influence People, in the 1990s The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.These days we're worried about something much simpler: Getting Things Done.”

- Time (3/3/07)

"I get 2,000 e-mails a day, but now my inbox is empty” - Mark Ferlatte, Linden Labs (Second Life)

Getting things done has sold over half a million copies, has been translated into 23 different languages, and is currently #29 on Amazon’s best seller list.

GTD can help you!

• To get organized• Reduce stress• Increase productivity• Increase creativity• Improve your relationships• Improve your very existence!!!

To go from this…

…to this!

Signs you need GTD

• Nagging feeling you are forgetting something

• Missing appointments• Not knowing what to do

with notes you took• Unclear what to work on• Losing track of tasks• Unable to begin tasks

• Constantly having to remind yourself of what you need to do

• Feeling overwhelmed when thinking about starting a project

• Not feeling like you can devote yourself 100% to a task

My story

• About 4 months in!• Found it relatively easy to get started• Feel a LOT more on top of things• Rarely ever lose track of anything• Feel more creative• No feelings of forgetting• …still far from perfect

My goal

• Give you some good ideas

• Encourage you to try out GTD

Let’s jump right in

The System

1. Collect

2. Process

3. Organize

4. Review

5. Do

A picture is worth…a thousand words

Step 1: Collect

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Collection Tool Options

Step 2: Process

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Next Action

• What is a “Next Action”?– The next action is the next physical, visible

activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.

Step 3: Organize

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Next Action List

Waiting for List

Calendar

Projects List

Someday/maybe list

Filing system

• As simple a filing system as possible• Should be easy to add new folders

– Have a label maker handy– Have files and folders handy

• Should be easy to find items• Needs to be very close and easy to access• For more complex needs, read the book

Tickler File

Prize intermission

Everyone look under their seats!

Back to work

Step 4: Review

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Weekly review

1. Process loose papers, notes from meeting, file actions2. Review previous calendar data, transfer missed items 3. Review upcoming calendar, make sure things are setup and on task.4. Empty your head, new project, actions, waiting for’s, etc. 5. Review “Projects”, status, goals, have at least one kick-start action 6. Review “Next Actions” list, mark completed, review reminders 7. Review “Waiting For” list 8. Review checklists, anything you need to do? Quarterly objectives? 9. Review “Someday/Maybes”, check if any are now projects 10. Review “Pending” and support files, browse and trigger new actions

Goals

• 50,000 ft: Life goals

• 40,000 ft: 3-5 year goals

• 30,000 ft: 1-2 year goals

• 20,000 ft: areas of responsibility

• 10,000 ft: personal projects

• Ground-Level: “next actions”

5. Do

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Some general advice

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What I didn’t cover

• Project planning advice

• Brainstorming advice

• In depth walk through

• How to come up with goals

• Why all these pieces work so well

• How to get started…

How to get started

• Read the book!

• About 2-5 hours up front

• About 30 minutes a week to review

Any improvement helps

• Anything you take away from this will help!

• You don’t need to be perfect

• Most systems will work, you just need to stick with them

Take away’s

• GTD is a system to get organized and free your mind: “mind like water”

• The hardest part is starting…so start!

Next steps

• Buy the book• Online reading

– http://del.icio.us/lennysan/gtd– Google “gtd”

• Personal walk through

Free books!

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Question

• What are the 5 stages of the GTD process?

Answer

• What are the 5 stages of the GTD process?– Collect– Process– Organize– Review– Do

Final book giveaway

Everyone is a winner!

The company will buy anyone interested a copy of GTD!

Now go get things done!