How to safely switch to GTD
As an epigraph: “ Get everything out of your head! ” © D.Allen
If you are thinking about why you are not comfortable with the current state of affairs, this means only one thing - you have a problem with doing business and that your current system of control over doesn’t work. There is of course a rare exception - too much has been put on you to make it happen. But I haven’t seen this before.
Silver bullet, alas, is not here. Nobody will do your work for you, and the control method, even the most effective, will not add more hours to the working day than there is. Therefore, you should not hope that all problems will evaporate like smoke, you just have to install the appropriate program or by introducing one or another technique. It all depends on you and no one else.
What I “love” David Allen for is that he said a lot of good things, gave food for the mind, but did not give any effective recipes for the introduction of his technique. I want to make up for this gap.
“The method, in essence, the Gurdjieff method, refers to the so-called“ path of the cunning man. ” In it, you see yourself as a car. ” © V. Pelevin, Generation P
So, when we found out that nobody is going to help us solve our problems, a reasonable question arises - what is this all for? Yes, your problems are your problems. I can’t help here. But you can help start to feel better, even with a load of problems many times greater than the current! So for the most part we will not talk about business, but about your consciousness and subconscious.
The transition from any system to another system is difficult. If only because your consciousness needs to be rebuilt. Each case that is currently on your list is a separate process / algorithm / conditions. And they all eat up your attention, which is not unlimited. This is the mess that you have to fight. How many reminder entries do you have? How many records do you have marked “Don’t forget”? Typed, I think, pretty much. But, as soon as we make such a mark, our consciousness begins an endless cycle, constantly raising this task to the top of your attention. But when there are many such tasks, the “stack” begins to fail, and you forget exactly what you had to “not forget”.
So, when switching from one system (or from a total mess) to another, you additionally attach more processes to each task. Your poor consciousness is already overloaded! Therefore, it makes no sense to try to cover everything at once. Do it gradually. In the case of GTD, the process will go through an avalanche (at first slowly, then faster and easier). Why is that? Because the GTD system offers a single algorithm for all things, and accordingly, your consciousness begins to unload over time from excessive repetitions of algorithms hung on each case, freeing up “useful space” for something else.
(here you should read the book Getting Things Done for terms)
Do not immediately try to build a large universal circuit. You will again get bogged down in it. You will improve it later, as necessary.
To get started, take your to-do list and select from it the most exciting cases at the moment. They will be typed with a dozen or two, that's enough for a start. Now place these “cases” in the inbox. Then take from your list at least 5 cases that you do not like / do not want to do, which you constantly postpone for later. Put them there too. This is your “start-up capital”. It is these things that currently occupy your "RAM", it is from them that we will begin to get rid of in the first place. But "getting rid" does not mean that you will immediately make them! To "get rid" means to unload your consciousness. These are different things.
Retreat:D. Allen advises to immediately consider all cases. This will only work if things are already relatively put in order, or consciousness is not overloaded yet, and your free time is simply heaps. I want to make the transition more painless and effective.
Folded up? Good. Now, let's forget about them for a while and do another thing - create an audit trail. This will be a list of daily required actions. Viewing it should begin your working day. We write in it just a few actions:
This is your action plan until the old list is empty. It will begin your self-organization. Your work morning should begin with the fact that you perform each step sequentially. Until the list of your old cases is exhausted, you will have things to do at the end of the working day with those who are leading - do not worry, you will sort them out tomorrow.
Now we will return to the incoming.
Fragment, categorize, but don’t grind.
My first mistake is to spawn a bunch of contexts just like that. After some time, I had to re-review the entire list. The task is not pleasant, it takes a lot of time.
So, for starters, define your own rules for naming contexts:
@ is a place that involves action
# is a time frame (say # morning, # day, # evening)
= - Action, type
^ is an event ... (Although it’s too early to mess with them yet)
! - this is a group of contexts (not used to mark cases).
There will be only two main types of contexts - the place and type of action. The rest is for programs and advanced users.
So, set up the following contexts initially:
@ Home
@ Office
@ Street
@ Shop
These are the main places. You can add here more places where you are often on business. But only those where you visit more than once a year, but more often
Attention! Do not add contexts if you have no business to do with them.
Now let's get contexts for actions:
= Call
= Email
= Meeting
= Document
= Buy
= Check (used to check delegated tasks)
For self-organization and to control the daily routine, you can add time contexts:
# Morning
# Afternoon
# Lunch
# Afternoon
# Evening
Status:
~ Frog
So far, only this! The rest will be added as needed.
Now we can proceed to the analysis of the tasks that we stored at the very beginning.
Cleaning stables and eating amphibians
I am more than sure that the list of those 10-20 tasks that you put together will grow as a result of analysis to 50 tasks. Why? Because there will always be no tasks, but goals (such as “raise sales”, “develop a concept”, “move to another office”). They will be divided into 5-10 tasks related to the very goal that you have already described. You have to take each case into your hands and follow the GTD scheme - “what is it? Should I be engaged? How long will it take? ”
In other words, you read your task and ask yourself one question - “ What is this? How should I do this?". If this is a simple action that you can perform, then the task is set correctly. If it involves several actions, or a branch with a number of conditions, then this is the goal (or project). It should be divided into a list of simple and understandable actions, such like “call, talk, write a letter, create a document, find information, pass it on.” So you will free your consciousness from the task of re-defining “What is this?” when you look at the entry in the task list.
Disassemble tasks from top to bottom, not grabbing what seems easy to you and what you can do right this second. It is very important. You are not required to execute, only to make out! But if the current case that fell into your hands can be completed in less than two minutes, then execute it and forget about it! Need to call and make an appointment? Take the phone and call. But if it takes more than two minutes, leave it for later, because otherwise the entire list of your affairs will be transferred to your inbox and nothing will change.
What should you do at the time of parsing? Determine the type, place, perhaps time for action, mark it with context / s and transfer this business to a specific folder. You can have any folder structure, as it suits you. It does not matter. All!
As a digression: What happens to consciousness at the moment of analysis? When you define a simple type of action, you subconsciously understand that the action is actually extremely simple and can be performed by you without much effort. Having marked the case with the context, you automatically attach the standard algorithm to the case. Your mind ceases to keep in mind an algorithm for this very thing. It is sorted in a certain library of algorithms aside, and the case is in the other direction with the note "when using, get the necessary algorithm from the library."
When you move a case from within a folder, your consciousness believes that the case is already partially on the path to execution and reduces the anxiety factor, and accordingly the stress.
Unpleasant things are called with a light hand of Arkhangelsk - frogs. They must be eaten. You can’t imagine how much RAM they eat! It may be a very simple two-minute operation, but it’s so unpleasant for you that you put it off for a day or two, then for a week, two, three or a month ... And in the end, it grows into a huge problem. This can be anything - from an unpleasant call to paying a bill or tax that you do not want to pay.
Frogs have a very unpleasant feature - they like to breed. It happens that an unpaid bill runs the risk of turning into a lawsuit or an untimely call at a loss for the company, an unsuccessful resume in an unsuccessful good job, an unbought gift in a home quarrel. And initially a primitive action will grow into ten of the same unpleasant actions. Personally, I was driven into a state of severe depression with just a couple of dozen frogs.
But after you ate it - the feeling is that just a huge stone was removed from the soul! The sun shines brighter, the grass is greener, I want to live.
So, leave the daily business of eating a frog in a magazine and be a gourmet of French cuisine - this is useful for your nerves and business in general.
Tasks sorted out, what's next?
Have you completed a daily plan to analyze your tasks? Wonderful! Now, using a system of contexts, filter and begin to execute them. FORGET THE LIST OF OLD MATTERS !!! That's all, you will come back to him only tomorrow. Confidence in this will give you strength.
How to filter? Very simple: ask yourself the question “Where am I? What's next to me? What can I do at the moment (based on the contexts of actions) ”
- I am at home, next to my phone, computer, it is now noon ...
Filtering: @ Home + (= Calls, = Email, = Document, = Check, # Noon)
Now playing with filters You can easily see all current affairs. Then it all depends on you.
If it happens that your to-do list is suddenly empty, then go to step 1 - re-fill the inbox and proceed with the parsing, sorting, marking
algorithm ... About the importance of the algorithms. Do not cut corners!
Folk wisdom says: haste is needed only when catching fleas. The same applies to your business. Always, always, always act only on a refined algorithm. This will allow you to:
The more your consciousness is released, the more you can pay attention to expanding the system. You will have to expand it, but mainly only for planning the next steps. Otherwise, everything will remain unchanged. Many tasks, one algorithm, several strict rules and a free and clean head.
Finally, several rules that I personally have suffered:
Do not use reminders, this does not work. Refuse reminders, it is better to check the list more often. This disciplines you and removes the stress factor that triggers a reminder. It’s a paradox, but we often hang reminders on frog cases. An excessive reminder of them, and even in such a harsh form, is a stress factor. Be your own boss.
About technical tools
In my opinion, the best tool for doing business today is MyLifeOrganized (MLO). But not a mobile version, alas. Use your mobile phone only to collect incoming cases and to monitor cases outside the home. But not for planning / sorting - a small screen does not allow you to see the whole picture.
Addition: habrahabr.ru/blogs/blackberry/123227 - my experience with BlackBerry.
As a postscript
Remember what I said at the beginning? Yes, a silver bullet does not exist. Most likely you will still encounter a number of problems, but this topic is already for another article.
If you are thinking about why you are not comfortable with the current state of affairs, this means only one thing - you have a problem with doing business and that your current system of control over doesn’t work. There is of course a rare exception - too much has been put on you to make it happen. But I haven’t seen this before.
Silver bullet, alas, is not here. Nobody will do your work for you, and the control method, even the most effective, will not add more hours to the working day than there is. Therefore, you should not hope that all problems will evaporate like smoke, you just have to install the appropriate program or by introducing one or another technique. It all depends on you and no one else.
What I “love” David Allen for is that he said a lot of good things, gave food for the mind, but did not give any effective recipes for the introduction of his technique. I want to make up for this gap.
“The method, in essence, the Gurdjieff method, refers to the so-called“ path of the cunning man. ” In it, you see yourself as a car. ” © V. Pelevin, Generation P
So, when we found out that nobody is going to help us solve our problems, a reasonable question arises - what is this all for? Yes, your problems are your problems. I can’t help here. But you can help start to feel better, even with a load of problems many times greater than the current! So for the most part we will not talk about business, but about your consciousness and subconscious.
The transition from any system to another system is difficult. If only because your consciousness needs to be rebuilt. Each case that is currently on your list is a separate process / algorithm / conditions. And they all eat up your attention, which is not unlimited. This is the mess that you have to fight. How many reminder entries do you have? How many records do you have marked “Don’t forget”? Typed, I think, pretty much. But, as soon as we make such a mark, our consciousness begins an endless cycle, constantly raising this task to the top of your attention. But when there are many such tasks, the “stack” begins to fail, and you forget exactly what you had to “not forget”.
So, when switching from one system (or from a total mess) to another, you additionally attach more processes to each task. Your poor consciousness is already overloaded! Therefore, it makes no sense to try to cover everything at once. Do it gradually. In the case of GTD, the process will go through an avalanche (at first slowly, then faster and easier). Why is that? Because the GTD system offers a single algorithm for all things, and accordingly, your consciousness begins to unload over time from excessive repetitions of algorithms hung on each case, freeing up “useful space” for something else.
(here you should read the book Getting Things Done for terms)
Do not immediately try to build a large universal circuit. You will again get bogged down in it. You will improve it later, as necessary.
To get started, take your to-do list and select from it the most exciting cases at the moment. They will be typed with a dozen or two, that's enough for a start. Now place these “cases” in the inbox. Then take from your list at least 5 cases that you do not like / do not want to do, which you constantly postpone for later. Put them there too. This is your “start-up capital”. It is these things that currently occupy your "RAM", it is from them that we will begin to get rid of in the first place. But "getting rid" does not mean that you will immediately make them! To "get rid" means to unload your consciousness. These are different things.
Retreat:D. Allen advises to immediately consider all cases. This will only work if things are already relatively put in order, or consciousness is not overloaded yet, and your free time is simply heaps. I want to make the transition more painless and effective.
Folded up? Good. Now, let's forget about them for a while and do another thing - create an audit trail. This will be a list of daily required actions. Viewing it should begin your working day. We write in it just a few actions:
- Parse Inbox
- Eat a frog (or several frogs of your choice)
- Add 10-20 important cases for today from the old list to your inbox
- Add 5 unpleasant things from the old list to your inbox
This is your action plan until the old list is empty. It will begin your self-organization. Your work morning should begin with the fact that you perform each step sequentially. Until the list of your old cases is exhausted, you will have things to do at the end of the working day with those who are leading - do not worry, you will sort them out tomorrow.
Now we will return to the incoming.
Fragment, categorize, but don’t grind.
My first mistake is to spawn a bunch of contexts just like that. After some time, I had to re-review the entire list. The task is not pleasant, it takes a lot of time.
So, for starters, define your own rules for naming contexts:
@ is a place that involves action
# is a time frame (say # morning, # day, # evening)
= - Action, type
^ is an event ... (Although it’s too early to mess with them yet)
! - this is a group of contexts (not used to mark cases).
There will be only two main types of contexts - the place and type of action. The rest is for programs and advanced users.
So, set up the following contexts initially:
@ Home
@ Office
@ Street
@ Shop
These are the main places. You can add here more places where you are often on business. But only those where you visit more than once a year, but more often
Attention! Do not add contexts if you have no business to do with them.
Now let's get contexts for actions:
= Call
= Meeting
= Document
= Buy
= Check (used to check delegated tasks)
For self-organization and to control the daily routine, you can add time contexts:
# Morning
# Afternoon
# Lunch
# Afternoon
# Evening
Status:
~ Frog
So far, only this! The rest will be added as needed.
Now we can proceed to the analysis of the tasks that we stored at the very beginning.
Cleaning stables and eating amphibians
I am more than sure that the list of those 10-20 tasks that you put together will grow as a result of analysis to 50 tasks. Why? Because there will always be no tasks, but goals (such as “raise sales”, “develop a concept”, “move to another office”). They will be divided into 5-10 tasks related to the very goal that you have already described. You have to take each case into your hands and follow the GTD scheme - “what is it? Should I be engaged? How long will it take? ”
In other words, you read your task and ask yourself one question - “ What is this? How should I do this?". If this is a simple action that you can perform, then the task is set correctly. If it involves several actions, or a branch with a number of conditions, then this is the goal (or project). It should be divided into a list of simple and understandable actions, such like “call, talk, write a letter, create a document, find information, pass it on.” So you will free your consciousness from the task of re-defining “What is this?” when you look at the entry in the task list.
Disassemble tasks from top to bottom, not grabbing what seems easy to you and what you can do right this second. It is very important. You are not required to execute, only to make out! But if the current case that fell into your hands can be completed in less than two minutes, then execute it and forget about it! Need to call and make an appointment? Take the phone and call. But if it takes more than two minutes, leave it for later, because otherwise the entire list of your affairs will be transferred to your inbox and nothing will change.
What should you do at the time of parsing? Determine the type, place, perhaps time for action, mark it with context / s and transfer this business to a specific folder. You can have any folder structure, as it suits you. It does not matter. All!
As a digression: What happens to consciousness at the moment of analysis? When you define a simple type of action, you subconsciously understand that the action is actually extremely simple and can be performed by you without much effort. Having marked the case with the context, you automatically attach the standard algorithm to the case. Your mind ceases to keep in mind an algorithm for this very thing. It is sorted in a certain library of algorithms aside, and the case is in the other direction with the note "when using, get the necessary algorithm from the library."
When you move a case from within a folder, your consciousness believes that the case is already partially on the path to execution and reduces the anxiety factor, and accordingly the stress.
Unpleasant things are called with a light hand of Arkhangelsk - frogs. They must be eaten. You can’t imagine how much RAM they eat! It may be a very simple two-minute operation, but it’s so unpleasant for you that you put it off for a day or two, then for a week, two, three or a month ... And in the end, it grows into a huge problem. This can be anything - from an unpleasant call to paying a bill or tax that you do not want to pay.
Frogs have a very unpleasant feature - they like to breed. It happens that an unpaid bill runs the risk of turning into a lawsuit or an untimely call at a loss for the company, an unsuccessful resume in an unsuccessful good job, an unbought gift in a home quarrel. And initially a primitive action will grow into ten of the same unpleasant actions. Personally, I was driven into a state of severe depression with just a couple of dozen frogs.
But after you ate it - the feeling is that just a huge stone was removed from the soul! The sun shines brighter, the grass is greener, I want to live.
So, leave the daily business of eating a frog in a magazine and be a gourmet of French cuisine - this is useful for your nerves and business in general.
Tasks sorted out, what's next?
Have you completed a daily plan to analyze your tasks? Wonderful! Now, using a system of contexts, filter and begin to execute them. FORGET THE LIST OF OLD MATTERS !!! That's all, you will come back to him only tomorrow. Confidence in this will give you strength.
How to filter? Very simple: ask yourself the question “Where am I? What's next to me? What can I do at the moment (based on the contexts of actions) ”
- I am at home, next to my phone, computer, it is now noon ...
Filtering: @ Home + (= Calls, = Email, = Document, = Check, # Noon)
Now playing with filters You can easily see all current affairs. Then it all depends on you.
If it happens that your to-do list is suddenly empty, then go to step 1 - re-fill the inbox and proceed with the parsing, sorting, marking
algorithm ... About the importance of the algorithms. Do not cut corners!
Folk wisdom says: haste is needed only when catching fleas. The same applies to your business. Always, always, always act only on a refined algorithm. This will allow you to:
- Avoid mistakes
- Unload your mind
The more your consciousness is released, the more you can pay attention to expanding the system. You will have to expand it, but mainly only for planning the next steps. Otherwise, everything will remain unchanged. Many tasks, one algorithm, several strict rules and a free and clean head.
Finally, several rules that I personally have suffered:
- Always put a new task in your inbox without marking it with anything. Just write down the task / note, comment on it and put it in your inbox without making any attempts to categorize it. If you follow the algorithms of actions, then you are sure that you will return to this task when it will be at that time. Calmly evaluate it, categorize it and then make a decision.
- Do not keep anything in your head. An idea occurred to me, even the most primitive one in the style of “I should check the odometer for a change of oil” - write it down in the inbox. If you do not, then consciousness will constantly return to it. You have already designed it in your mind and given yourself the task. Until you fulfill it or refuse to fulfill it, it will occupy your attention, albeit hidden, but it will be! The only exception to the rule is that if you can do it right now within two minutes and you have time for it - you better do it now. You will be surprised how much is being done right now.
- Having changed your location, look at the to-do list. This will give you confidence that you are not forgetting anything. Initially, your consciousness still out of habit keeps in mind the things attached to the place. But, if you constantly check the list, the mind will relax and trust your habit.
- Mark cases by the date they are listed. This will allow you to sort the cases that hang for a very long time. Most likely - this is garbage that needs to be thrown away. Your consciousness will be freed from it with great pleasure.
- When switching to GTD, forget about things that are outside the system! It is very important. You must trust yourself. Without this, the system will never work. But new things should only be on the GTD, not the old list.
Do not use reminders, this does not work. Refuse reminders, it is better to check the list more often. This disciplines you and removes the stress factor that triggers a reminder. It’s a paradox, but we often hang reminders on frog cases. An excessive reminder of them, and even in such a harsh form, is a stress factor. Be your own boss.
About technical tools
In my opinion, the best tool for doing business today is MyLifeOrganized (MLO). But not a mobile version, alas. Use your mobile phone only to collect incoming cases and to monitor cases outside the home. But not for planning / sorting - a small screen does not allow you to see the whole picture.
Addition: habrahabr.ru/blogs/blackberry/123227 - my experience with BlackBerry.
As a postscript
Remember what I said at the beginning? Yes, a silver bullet does not exist. Most likely you will still encounter a number of problems, but this topic is already for another article.