Let Your List Think for You

Do
you remember the last time you were backing up your car and trusted
your rear-view mirrors entirely?  It's an odd feeling but one that
nonetheless confirms the trustworthiness of your mirrors.  There is of
course that temptation to turn your head and confirm that the mirrors
are providing accurate readings and you're not backing into an unforeseen Bentley.

Lists are kind of like mirrors in that they provide accurate readings on what's going on around us.  Or in us, in our heads that is to say. 

I
recently had a conversation with my wife about a grocery list she had
made earlier in the day.  As we prepped the kids to head out the door
for another fun adventure at the supermarket, she had a confused look
on her face.  I inquired.  She indicated that she couldn't remember
something that was or maybe was not on the grocery list.  I then
realized that I had become completely immersed in the GTD ethos when I said, "Don't think.  Let your list think for you."  We then checked the list and all was well.

List keeping is really an art-form that begs for consistency and practice.  How will you rely on your lists today?

Today's post also appears on HD Biz, a great blog from friend and blogger Stephen Smith.

What Carpenters Teach us About Productivity (plus two new ways to see the Weekly Review)

Photo by Elkost

It's been several days since my last post, partly due to my reading of this post by Seth Godin.  Seth's point is simple: who is your audience in the blogosphere?  Is it the occasional reader who knows your stuff or the happenstance reader who has just discovered your material?  Your Aunt Helen who just got her first computer?

I've also been thinking lots about the GTD Weekly Review, a powerful habit that I believe pays off in spades once you commit to practicing it.  I've written about the weekly review before ('The Mystique of the Weekly Review' and 'The Power of the Weekly Review' )and continue to peel away the layers of the onion.  It's only now though, that I realize something new about the weekly review.

That's where doorways enter the discussion.

We had a carpenter to the house recently to give us an estimate on opening up our kitchen into an ajascent room.   His notes included labor and materials but he was most concerned with the flow from one room to the next.  "It should feel like two spaces that have one vibe" he said.   Sound like the weekly review?  You bet.

New Metaphors in Productivity
We all know that we should practice the weekly review but let's face it- we all fall off the wagon from time to time.   As I recently did a phone interview with friend and publisher Gene Monterastelli about time management, I stressed the importance of the weekly review.   I also mentioned:

• Inbox: have one and teach those around you to funnel as much (or even better, as little!) as possible into the inbox.  Let it work for you and then work it in return.



• Calendar: whether digital or old fashioned paper, a good calendar is an absolute must for a serious GTD practitioner.

Here are some other ways to look at the weekly review:

A doorway is a terrific way of looking at how we prep for any given week.  A smart and elegant doorway even makes you want to enter the home it occupies whereas a drab front door is almost telling you to get lost.  A stylish practice of the weekly review can serve this same purpose- it gets you excited about the week ahead.

A hinge is another way to see the weekly review.  No door frame is given credit for keeping those who pass through it safely.  The frame and accompanying hinges are essential to safe passage into the next room.  Likewise, a thorough, simple and fun weekly review is like a strong hinge- everything can rest on it.  The passage of the week is made better because of it.

Whether you are a doorway reviewer or prefer the hinge metaphor, a productive person knows that a consistent (ahem, weekly) review is vital to work-flow.  It builds momentum into the week and gives your life a common vibe, kind of like my kitchen remodel.

Person Gene Monterastelli

Right click for SmartMenu shortcuts

A Healthy Dose of Teflon Productivity

 
Photo by Biepmiep

It's
generally a good thing when folks criticize David Allen's Getting
Things Done methodology because it stands out from the crowd and grabs
your attention. Yesterday's post from Organize It was titled 9 Reasons why Getting Things Done Sucks
and struck me right out of the gate.  I read the article, half with a
sense of, "How could anyone be critical of GTD," and then realized that
it's not that bad after all.  A little bit of criticism might be a good
thing, or so I tell my students at school.

Criticism, as long as
it's honest, is often a healthy sign of critical thinking.  How does
GTD stand up to attack?  Pretty well I think and here's why: Allen is
very clear in his book and subsequent talks
over the past six years- GTD is adaptable and can integrate into any
system that currently exists.  It's more of a set of behaviors than
anything else.  Kelly Forrister, a GTD coach, also makes it clear that GTD can sync with any number of high or low tech systems such as:

• Notecards (low tech, think Hipster PDA )



• Lotus notes



• Outlook



• Google Calendar and Gmail



• Day Timer planner

The
fact that GTD is able to marry (or at least cohabitate with) these
current tools is a plus for the GTD side of things.  Adaptable yes, but
what about the claim leveled recently that GTD is too simplistic?

Leo from Zen Habits ran an interview
with Dr. Stephen Covey in which the famed 7 Habits author called GTD
"too simplistic and superficial".  No GTD practitioner likes to hear
fighting words such as these but consider the obvious: 7 Habits has
been around for 20 years and GTD a mere six.  Clearly GTD has some
catching up to do and the FranklinCovey world is much larger than that of GTD.  What will be the staying power of GTD?  Time will only tell.

So
how does GTD stand up to criticism?  Pretty well I think and the proof
is in the pudding.  I describe GTD as "life changing" and that is
something that I say about very few other things in life (i.e. faith,
marriage, being a father).  So am I a Getting Things Done evangelist?
Sure.  But even an evangelist can take a good bit of criticism from
time to time.

Today's post is also found at HD Biz Blog

GTD Insight #12: Clean-Edge Living

Sarah wakes up 15 minutes later than she wanted to.  The baby is crying and Tim, her older child needs to get ready for school.  Bob, Sarah's husband has already left for work and leaves a note that says, "Hon, don't forget to get a birthday gift for Clark.  Tomorrow is his big day."  More stress.  30 minutes later, with baby in tow and Tim partially ready for school, Sarah heads out the door, only to realize that the bus has already come and she must drive Tim, yet again to school.

Does this sound like anyone you know?

Look at Sarah's demands: childcare, waking up late, a husband's requests, clothing, busing, parenting.  Not an easy plate to maintain and yet a reality for so many folks.  What could she have done differently to minimize her stress?

• Get more rest. By going to bed earlier the night before, Sarah would ensure that the following morning, at the very least, would leave her feeling rested.


• Practice a morning ritual as if it was religion. Getting up at the same time eases stress and provides what Stephen Covey calls the "private victory"


• Prepare clothing the night before. By taking 5 minutes to lay out clothing, iron wrinkled clothing and hanging things where you want them to be, the morning can run that much smoother.


• Use an on-line calendar to remind you of gifting ideas and deadlines. With such free and easy tools like Google Calendar, anyone can remember a holiday or deadline before it happens.

What Sarah is experiencing is the polar opposite of what GTD practitioners call "clean edges".  What is a clean edge?  An aspect of a system which keeps things in check and allows you to function at a more productive level.

Examples of clean edge productivity:

1. A voice mailbox that is checked regularly and doesn't leave 15 messages in "in".


2. An email in-box which gets to zero regularly and is a tool/resource rather than a constant annoyance.


3. Social commitments which work for you and are reasonable.  A clean edge is not rushing from one social event to the next, barely connecting with any one on a deep human level.


4. Physical space which is uncluttered and organized.  Excess 'junk' is tossed regularly or donated to charity.


5. List systems which capture "errands", "someday maybe" and whatever else comes into your mind.  I recently added an "items to buy" list which is handy because whenever I seem to be in a store and need something, I forget what I needed, etc.

Why not practice a clean-edge philosophy starting today? Better yet, why not put it into practice?  Like Sarah, I am confident that your mornings will be less stressful as well as the rest of the day.

Who's the Next Great Productivity Guru?

This past week, Leo from Zen Habits interviewed Stephen Covey, legendary author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Stephen of HDBIZ also made reference to this interview.  The
conversation between Leo and Covey is striking.  Some observations:

• Covey wrote his opus in 1988



• Leo asks for specifics several times but it seems that Covey dodges the question or only provides general answers



• When asked what Covey thought about Getting Things Done, he described it as "overly simplistic" (ouch!)
  
   

My personal sense was that Leo and Covey were on an entirely different wavelength.What to make of this?
My first thought was disappointment in Covey's responses but then I
stepped back and reminded myself that Covey's prime was somewhere about
10 years ago, roughly 10 years after the launch of 7 Habits. 

As we approach the 6 year mark of Getting Things Done,
it's safe to say that David Allen is happily in his prime and has
plenty of gas left in the tank.  But what's the "next big thing"?  Who
comes after Allen when GTD fizzles into what we perceive to be old
material?

It certainly makes you wonder.

GTD Double Shot

Ask a GTD aficionado how he learned how to Get Things Done and you're likely to get a variety of answers.  The fact is that each of us learns differently, although there is research to indicate that adults:

• self pace their learning


• must be self-motivated to learn


• enjoy freedom of choice when it comes to what we learn

I first read David Allen's Getting Things Done in 2002.  On my way home from work each day, I would stop in a shopping center parking lot and knock off a chapter or two.  It worked for me.  Neat book, I thought at the time.

Since then, I've listened to the podcasts, read the interviews and drank the cool aid.  I enjoy GTD and find that I know a lot about it and also know little about it.  A process of learning.

I've recently added to my depth of GTD prowess by listening to the audio which features David Allen himself.  Hearing his voice and revisiting some themes that I had forgotten has grounded me and reminded me of key points that I might have overlooked.

Resources for the Road
NPR broadcast, "Tech Junkies Crazy About Getting Things Done"