Getting Things Done by David Allen; Professor Sameer Mathur Group 7 Personal Branding IIM Lucknow

1. Getting
Things Done
the art of stress free
productivity
From the New York Times
bestselling author
David Allen

3. Stay focused at all times
To have an overwhelming number of things to do
Still function productively with a clear head
And positive sense of control
Best way to be fully present & engaged
Your attention is completely at your command
What you are doing is exactly what has to be done now
Forget about your whole spectrum of commitments and
interest
Productive work is possible
A great way to live and work
Group 7 3

4. Lack of edges- Ever-changing world
Work no longer has
clear boundaries
Almost everything
could be done better
More work,
new
demands,
less
resources
Jobs and lives keep
changing very
frequently
Most of us have, in the past seventy-two hours, received more
change-producing, project-creating, and priority-shifting inputs
than our parents did in a month, may be even in a year
Group 7 4

5. Existing gaps in task management
The old models and habits are insufficient
Too much distraction with ever changing & increasing commitments every day
Ineffective personal organization systems
An overwhelming number of things to do
Less clarity on what to focus on now!!!
Group 7 5

6. The mind like water state
Clear
mental
space
No pull
or push
on
anything
100%
attention
Stay
relaxed
Minimum
effort & max
productivity
Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax
Clearing the mind to being open and appropriately responsive is the key
Key for a mind like water state
Sense of being in
control
To get into ‘Productive State’
Not stressed out
Highly focused in
what you are doing
Woudnt realize that
time is passing by
Noticeable progress
towards
meaningful
outcome
Group 7 6

7. How to manage commitments?
Write down the
problem that is
most on your mind
at the moment
Read an email about
a new pressing issue
in your department
Describe in a single
sentence the
intended successful
outcome to that
problem
Resolve the problem
with a meeting
Very next physical
action to move the
situation forward
Write an email?
Call or text someone?
Talk about it face-to
face?
Group 7 7

9. Horizontal management: Five steps
Capture Clarify Organize Reflect Engage
Group 7 9

10. The capture tools
Get it all out of your head
Minimize the number of capture locations
Empty the capture tools regularly
Success factors for capturing
Group 7 10

11. Clarify: Basis of organization
Many of the items that tend to leak out of personal
organizing systems are amorphous forms
Do we actually need to do something about them?
Piles of messages which doesn’t warrant any action
What is it?
Many of the items that tend to leak out of personal
organizing systems are amorphous forms
Do we actually need to do something about them?
Piles of messages which doesn’t warrant any action
Is it actionable?
No: No action required
Yes: If it’s about a project
Do it, Delegate it; Defer it
Yes or No?
Group 7 11

12. Workflow Diagram: Organizing
“Stuff”
In basket
What is it?
Is it actionable?
Yes
What is the next action?
no
Trash
Some day/
May be
Reference
Will it take less than 2
minutes?
Projects(Pla
nning)
Project plans
Review for
actions)
Yes
no
Delegate it
Defer it
Do it!!!!Group 7 12

13. What to review when?
• Projects list
• Calendar
• Next action lists
• Waiting for lists
Personal organization system
• Gather and process all your stuff
• Update your lists
• Get clean, clear, current & complete
The weekly review
Group 7 13

14. 3 models of making action choices
The four criteria
model for choosing
actions in the
moment
• Context
• Time Available
• Energy available
• Priority
The threefold model
of identifying daily
work
• Doing predefined
work
• Doing work as it
shows up
• Defining your work
The six level model of
reviewing your own
work
• Ground- Current
action
• Current projects
• Area of focus and
accountabilities
• Goals
• Vision
• Purpose and
principles
Group 7 14

16. Enhancing vertical focus
‘You have got to think about the big things while
you’re doing small things, so that all the small
things go in the right direction’
- Arvin Toffler
For a greater rigor and focus
 Clearly defined outcomes (projects) and next actions
required to move them toward closure
 Reminder placed in trusted system that is reviewed
regularly
Key ingredients for relaxed control
Group 7 16

17. The natural planning model
Defining purpose and principles
Outcome visioning
Brainstorming
Organizing
Identifying next actions
Group 7 17

18. Natural planning techniques
The value
of thinking
about why
It defines
success
It creates
decision
making
criteria
It aligns
resources
It
motivates
It clarifies
focus
It expands
options
You always need to make it up in your mind before you can make
it happen in your life
Clarifying outcomes
Group 7 18

19. Brainstorming
Brain storming
Don’t judge; Challenge,
evaluate, or criticize
Go for quantity, not
quality
Put analysis and
organization in
background
Capturing your ideas
Distributed cognition
Group 7 19

20. The basics of organizing
Identify the
significant
pieces
Detail to the
required
degree
Basics of
organizing
Sort by
• Componen
ts
• Sequences
• Priorities
Group 7 20

22. Getting Started : Setting up the
time, space and the tools
The big secret to efficient creative and productive thinking and actions is
to put the right things your focus at the right time.
The most efficient way of managing a
workflow is about laying out the gear and
practicing the moves so that the requisite
thinking happens more automatically and
it’s a lot easier to get engaged in the game
As you get started down the GTD path, it is information and suggestions
you will very likely want to revisit at some point to glean a new level of
application
Group 7 22

23. Setting aside the time
Create a block of
time to prepare a
workstation at
home
Reduces
resistance to
work
The ideal time
frame to
implement the
entire process is
two days
Worth the time
in terms of your
productivity and
mental health
Avoid
interruptions as
it can double the
time taken
Getting to
ground zero in
one contained
time period
Group 7 23

24. Setting up the space
 Choose a physical location to serve as your
central cockpit of control
 The basics for a workspace – writing surface,
in tray and space for core digital tools
 Space for a phone, a computer, stacking trays,
working file drawers, reference shelves
 A functional workspace is critical
 Essential to have a dedicated, individual and
self contained workspace – at home, at work
and even at transit.
 Everyone must have a physical locus of control
from which to deal with everything else.
Essentials
The critical factor
Group 7 24

25. An office space in transit Don’t share space with spouse
The combination of a good processing
style and the right tools can make
travelling a highly leveraged way to
increase productivity
It is imperative to have your own
workspace – or at least your own in
tray and a place to process paper and
physical material
Group 7 25

26. Basic processing tools
Group 7 26

27. Critical factor of filing system
The lack of a general reference system
can be one of the greatest obstacles to
implementing a personal
management system
You will resist the whole process of
capturing information if your
reference systems are not fast,
functional and fun
Unprocessed unorganized material
produces a block in the flow part of
the workflow
Group 7 27

28. Success factors for filing
Keep your general reference files immediately at hand
Use a A-Z alphabetical physical filing system for general reference files
Make it easy to create a new folder – to ensure supply within reach
Make sure you have plenty of space for easy storage
Label your file folders with an auto labeler
Purge your files at least once a year
Group 7 28

30. Capturing : Corralling your stuff
 Search your physical environment
for anything that doesn’t
permanently belong where it is and
the way it is..
 Gather the things that are
incomplete, things that have some
decision about potential action
tied to them.
 They all go into in, so that they’ll
be available for further processing.
Physical Gathering
Group 7 30

31. What stays where it is !
Decorations
Equipment
Reference
materials
Group 7 31

32. Issues of capturing
What if an item is too big to go in the in-tray
Write a note on
a paper
representing it
and put it in the
in-tray
What if the pile is too big to fit into the in-tray
Create stacks
around or even
in the floor
below it
Instant Dumping
When it is
evident that
something is
trash, go ahead
and toss it
Be careful of the purge and
organize bug
Break it down
into smaller
chunks and
capture them as
little actions.
I cant lose that
thing
Create an
emergency stack
close at hand
Group 7 32

33. Start the search !
Start looking for necessary
material all around –
desktops, laptops, desk
drawers, countertops, inside
the cabinets, floors ,walls ,
shelves, equipment ,
furniture and all the other
locations.
Group 7 33

35. Processing guidelines
Basic rules to follow :
Process the top item first
Process one item at a time
Never put anything back into in
The key processing question is “ What is the next action ? “
It is likely that a portion of your in tray will require no action. There will be 3
types of things in this category
 Trash
 Items to incubate
 Reference material
Group 7 35

36. And if there is an action, what is it?
The action step needs to be the absolute next physical thing to do
• Once you decide what the action step is
• Do it ( if the action takes less than two minutes )
• Delegate it ( if you are not the most appropriate person to do the
action )
• Defer it into your organization system as an option for work to
do later
Group 7 36

38. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
After Post processing
Need to Organize the output
Workflow Diagram

39. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
Projects list
Project Support Material
Calendared Actions and
Information
Reference
Someday/Maybe
• Keep
categories
distinct
from each
other
• No need to
prioritize
the lists
Organize the
output
Next Actions
Waiting for

40. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
Calendar
Include
• Actions that need to be done on specific day or time
• Triggers for activating projects
• Events to participate in
• Decision Catalysts
Next
Actions
Organize by context like:
• Calls
• Errands
• At home
Waiting for • Review enough to determine need for any action
Read and
Review
• Items in this list along with emails that require actions are
reminders themselves
• Pull emails requiring action into a separate folder in one’s
email system

41. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
Projects
• Provides single place to review all projects for needed actions
• Subdivide projects by categories like Personal/Professional
• Identify subprojects
• Just need to know what projects are there and find associated
reminders
Project
Support
Materials
• Do not use them as reminders
• Develop Adhoc project thinking where ideas are triggered and
they are captured
Non-
actionable
data
• Includes reference material and “Someday/Maybe” types
• As important as managing action and project reminders
• Reference systems include general reference, large category,
rolodexes, contact managers, libraries and archives
• Do not call “Hold and Review” as part of “Someday/Maybe”
list
• Trigger ideas not ready for action on calendar

43. Reviewing: Keeping your system functional
How to keep the system
working?
By trusting the system

44. Reviewing: Keeping your system functional
How to continue trust of the system
Keeping system up-to-date by
regular reviews
Decide what to look at and when
Priority in frequency of review
1. Daily calendar
2. Next action lists

45. Reviewing: Keeping your system functional
Review process
Daily Calendar
Action Lists
Weekly Review
What does the review process consist of?

46. Reviewing: Keeping your system functional
Weekly Review
Objective
Includes whatever is
needed to empty your head
Method
Time and Venue
Five phases of workflow
management
Block out 2 hours
(Friday is preferred)
What does the weekly review process consist of?

48. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
How to decide what to do at
a particular point of time?

49. 3 models to decide
Four Criteria Model
for Choosing actions
at the moment
Threefold model for
Evaluating Daily
Work
Six Level Model for
Reviewing Your Own
Work
Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
How to decide what to
do at a particular point
of time?

50. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
Four Criteria Model for Choosing Actions at the moment
4 Factors to decide
what to do at any
moment
Understand
the context
Check time
available
Energy
Available
Priority to
make decisions

51. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
Threefold model for Evaluating Daily Work
Types of work that can be
done
Doing work
as it shows
up
Doing
predefined
work
Defining
one’s work
Doing work as it shows up makes sense
only if one knows what he is not doing
Dealing with Surprises of getting
sudden work is a competitive
advantage

52. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
Six Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work
50,000 ft : Life
40,000 ft : Three to Five year visions
30,000 ft : One to two year goals
20,000 ft : Areas of
responsibility
10,000 ft :
Current Projects
Runway :
Current
Actions

53. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
Six Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work
Align each level with level above
Drive Priorities from top
Start project with bottom level and
work up as a sense of control over
bottom list is important to avoid
frustration

55. The REAL NEED is to capture and utilize more of the
creative, proactive thinking we do—or could do.
The Need for More Informal Planning
Virtually all of us could be doing more planning, more
informally and more often, about our projects and our
lives.
If we did, it would relieve a lot of pressure on our
psyches and produce an enormous amount of creative
output with minimal effort.

56. Those that still have your attention
even after you've determined their
next actions
Which projects should you be planning?
Those about which
potentially useful ideas and
supportive detail just show
up.
1
2

57. BRAINSTORMING ORGANIZING
SETTING UP MEETINGS
GATHERING
INFORMATION.
Projects That Need Next Actions About Planning
4
1
3
2

58. Writing Instruments
Paper and Pads Easels and WhiteboardsThe Computer
The Support Structures
Create File Folders or Loose-
Leaf Pages as Needed
Software Tools Attaching Digital Notes
Tools and structures that support project thinking

59. Take those few of your projects that you have the
most attention on or interest in right now and do
some thinking and collecting and organizing on
them
Focus on each one, one at a time, top to bottom.
Ask yourself, "What about this do I want to know,
capture, or remember?"
You may just want to mind-map some thoughts on a
piece of paper, make a file, and toss the paper into it.
How Do I Apply All This in My World?

61. “When people with whom you interact notice that without
fail you receive, process, and organize in an airtight manner
the exchanges and agreements they have with you, they begin
to trust you in a unique way”
Do people trust you?

62. When you understand the source of your
negative feelings about all your stuff
The personal benefit
You'll discover, the way to get rid of them.
And if you experienced any positive feelings
you actually began the process of
eliminating the negativity yourself.

63. Your negative feelings are simply the
result of breaking the agreements you
have made— they're the symptoms of
disintegrated selftrust.
How Do You Prevent Broken Agreements with Yourself?
The source of the negative feelings
Don't make the
agreement
Complete the
agreement
Renegotiate
the agreement

64. CAPTURE, OBJECTIFY, AND REVIEW
regularly in full conscious awareness so that you can put
your work where it belongs in your self-management arena
BUT How Much Collection Is Required?
Doing the collection process as fully as you can, and then incorporating the
behavior of capturing all the new things as they emerge, will be empowering
and productive.
The Radical Departure from Traditional Time Management

65. Once you've achieved
that, you'll hardly think
about whether people
are dropping the ball
anymore-—there will
be much bigger
things to occupy your
attention
When Relationships and Organizations Have the Collection Habit

67. Defining what real doing looks
like, on the most basic level, and
organizing placeholder
reminders
that we can trust, are master keys
to productivity enhancement.
Creating the option of Doing

68. Why Bright people Procrastinate the most
Bright people have
the capability of
freaking out faster
and more
dramatically than
anyone else.

69. The Value of a Next-Action Decision-Making Standard
`
CLARITY ACCOUNTABILITY
PRODUCTIVITY EMPOWERMENT

71. The Significance of Applied Outcome Thinking
• Deciding specific
projects and next
actions that address
real quality of life
issues is productivity
at its best
Group 7 71

72. The Magic of Mastering the Mundane
• The challenge is to
marry high level
idealistic focus to the
mundane activity of
life. In the end they
require the same
thinking.
Group 7 72

73. The Power of Natural Planning
• Provides an
integrated, flexible,
aligned way to think
through any situation.
• Natural Planning
produces relaxed,
focussed control in
more specific areas
than the basic 5 step
process
Group 7 73

74. Shifting to a Positive Organisational Culture
Group 7 74

76. GTD and Positive Psychology
• Positive psychology
includes happiness,
psychological
wellbeing,
flow/optimal
experience, meaning,
passion, value,
character, virtue etc • GTD is concerned
with meaningful work,
mindful living,
psychological well-
being
Group 7 76

77. Distributed Cognition: The Value of An External Mind
Group 7 77
Your Mind is for having Ideas not for Holding them

78. Flow Theory
• You can only put
your conscious
attention on one
thing at a time. If
that’s all that has
your attention , you
are in a flow
Group 7 78

79. Self Leadership Theory
Behaviour
Focussed
Natural Reward
Constructive
Thought Pattern
Group 7 79

80. Goal Striving/ Attainment Via
Implementation Intentions
• The best way to ensure
goal striving is to
create a cause effect
link in your mind
about when certain
goal relevant actions
will be taken.
Group 7 80

81. Psychological Capital
Self
efficacy
Optimism
Hope Resilience
Group 7 81

83. The 3 Tiers of Mastery
Employing the fundamentals of
managing workflow
Implementing a more elevated and
integrated total life management
system
Leveraging skills to create clear space
and getting things done for an ever-
expansive expression and
manifestation
Group 7 83

84. I know it All !!
Group 7 84

85. Group 7 85

86. This presentation is part of an assignment for
a Marketing Course - Personal Branding –
taught by Prof. Sameer Mathur at IIM
Lucknow
Aug 2015