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Getting things done presentation
- 1. Stress-free Productivity: Rocket Science not Required Application of David Allen’s Getting Things Done to Work at Ashford Dr. Alan Belcher Dr. Amy Gray
- 2. Chapter 1 Mind like water • It’s all about allowing your mind to focus on the one task at hand. • A mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus • Paying attention to what has your attention, then putting the right kind and amount of attention on it to put it to rest, is the simple but subtle secret to this optimal state • If the steps are followed with everything that comes to you (work, personal, etc.) you can be a whole lot more productive and worry a whole lot less.
- 3. CAPTURE Collect what has your attention • 100% of everything that has your attention • Little • Big • Personal • Professional • To-do’s • Projects • Things to handle or FINISH
- 4. CLARIFY Process what it means • Is what you captured actionable? No—TRASH, INCUBATE, or FILE IT Yes-- What’s the VERY NEXT action? -less than 2 minutes? Do it NOW -delegate or move to a list to do when you can
- 5. ORGANIZE Put action items on the right lists • Projects list • Support materials • Calendar actions/info • Next Actions lists • A Waiting-for list • References materials/contacts • A someday/maybe list • Organize ACTION REMINDERS • Calls • Computer: • Emails • Errands • At office • At home
- 6. REFLECT Clear your MIND (Get CLEAR, CURRENT, and CREATIVE) • Review Frequently---be PRESENT • Determine what to do NEXT • Weekly clean up • Update lists
- 7. ENGAGE Simply DO • Use your system to take appropriate actions with CONFIDENCE • Make action choices based on context, time and energy available, and priority • Interruptions are unavoidable.
- 8. Ways to Screw it Up • Don’t keep stuff in your head – latest and loudest • To-do lists don’t clarify until you have actions attached to objects – what would it look like if it were done – starting with the end in mind! Don’t blend action/objects. Keep a list of actions and a list of next steps. • Must have a trusted system. You’ve parked things on your calendar so you have what you need when you need it. Grocery list? • Don’t clear the mind.
Editor's Notes
- This book, by David Allen, was mentioned by Amy in a MAED meeting about a year ago. Alan got a copy and found that he does some of the things in the author’s process for mental clarity, but there are many details that have helped him be more productive. We would like to share some ideas that the author has and ways we have found to implement them. Amy has applied this to work and life; Alan to work only.
- “Your mind is like the water. When it is agitated it becomes difficult to see, but if you allow it settle, the answer becomes clear” ~Oogway (Kung Fu Panda). Bruce Lee coined the term Get organized Practice non-action (formless, shapeless) Anything that is not fully captured, clarified, organized, will consume your brain power. Multi-tasking is bad (>4 things at once)
- Exercise: Write down ONE THING that has most of your attention right now. Then, what would “finished” look like for that thing? Finally, what is the next physical step you would have to accomplish to move toward “finished?” This exercise is in the book. Capturing means getting everything you must deal with in one place – your inbox. Whether it’s physical, virtual, combination – as long as everything is identified, your brain will be clearer. For Alan, it’s Outlook – everything is either in the email inbox, the task list, or the calendar. Everything for work is there. For Amy, it’s whiteboards in her office.
- There is a flowchart in the book about clarifying. Basically, the author says that if something comes “in,” you should clarify what it requires of you. It might be trash – delete it. It might be something to be done in less than 2 minutes – do it, don’t put it off. It might be something that requires additional information from somewhere – incubate it. That might mean putting it on a task list or holding it in the inbox until. Or it might be long term in which case you file it – but you must file it in a place that will accessible/findable when you need it.
- The categories must be kept visually, physically, and psychologically separate, to promote CLARITY Projects: keep inventory of those complete, current, and clear for yourself (alleviates subtle tensions, critical for control and focus, facilitates relationship management). Get participant feedback (what do you do, how do you do it, what needs improvement?) When you organize, you have captured and clarified, and you put the thing where it needs to be so you will have what you need when it’s time to work on it. Again, the purpose is that if you follow the process (and we all have one, to some degree or another, most likely), you will clear your mind so that you can focus on topics when you need to and not carry everything in your brain. This reduces the stress.
- Your system cannot be static What do you look at in all this, and when? -as much time as you need to feel comfortable with what you’re doing SUSTAINABILITY: What do you need to do, and how often to ensure that all of it works as a consistent system, freeing you to think and manage at a higher level? For Amy, the reflecting occurs when she stands in front of the whiteboards and just looks at what’s there and ponders where to go next. But, everything is there for her. This reflection time allows for a clear focus on the final step: engage.
- Do unexpected tasks as they show up. Not because it is the path of least resistance, but because it is the thing you need to do vis-à-vis all the rest. If the previous steps have been followed in your well-defined system, it is easier to focus on the work to be done.
- These were from the author of the book – Amy and I had the opportunity to Skype with him and when we asked what he’d tell a bunch of faculty in a 30-minute session, he said these are ways to screw up your system. When we don’t clear the mind --- we can’t really work effectively. It’s sometimes called “flow” or “feng shui for the brain.”