by Ruud » Sun Aug 14, 2005 1:19 pm
No, I'm winging it without the book. Using the basic principles as I've read them around. There was a time in my life that I read 7-10 books a week. Now, stay-at-home dad and self-employed, I'm happy if I read one page per week...
Some things that are good about GTD: trust in you. This is not another priority-based list. When you look at a project you know very well which things are most important. Simple mark an action, or an action within a project, with a @next action.
A what?
David travels a lot at puts his actions in context: @call, @home, @computer, etc. If he is waiting at an aiport he cannot work at computer tasks.. so he pulls up his @call list: that he can do.
For many of us that is less useful; just use whatever @next works for you. Many things I simply mark @next (no context). Through the day I work through that list. At the end of the day, or when an action is finished, you look at your list: if this was the only thing you ever needed to accomplish, which action, which step would you take next? Mark that one @next - and your task list for tomorrow is ready.
GTD is especially great for dealing with your email Inbox:
- Actionable & can be done in 2-5 minutes? Do now. Reply. Delete email (if I need info that was in the email it either will be in my Sent box or I have the relevant part c&p stored).
- Actionable but takes longer? Create a Task out of it (includes original email body), mark it with the action needed to be taken. Delete email.
- Actionable & someone else needs to do it? Forward, delete original. Set reminder 3 days from now to check if it has been done, person responded, etc.
- Not actionable? Could be reference material. Do I need the whole thing? Usually not. So I C&P the relevant bit in my freeform database. Delete email.
- Not actionable & not reference? Delete.
The idea is to touch an email once. Don't let it sit, go back, sit, etc. just because you put something off. Decide on it: action, someday/maybe, reference, delete.