Getting Things Done: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is about mastering workflow.  In order for the 'brain dump' method to work, one must have a collection and processing program to ensure things get done.  Allen has 5 stages to accomplish this:

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1) Collect things that command our attention; 2) process what they mean and what to do about them; and 3) organize the results, which we 4) review as options for what we choose to 5) do.

There are a lot of different ways a person can go about this process, in reality one should do whatever feels most comfortable and they are most confident with.  Personally I think a physical in-box would work best for me and the majority of my thoughts. 

Collecting is all about getting things out of your head, aside from putting your thoughts in your in box, no other action is taken at the collection phase.

Processing is where the next action comes in to play.  The first question to ask about each item in the in box is, is it actionable?  Can something be done to move this to a completed state?  The answer, is either yes, or no.  If the answer is no, there are 3 things that can be done: trash it, incubate it (no action right now, but perhaps in the future), or file it - it's information that is useful and can be referred to but isn't something to be 'done.

If the answer is yes, it is actionable, 1) what is the project/outcome desired and 2) what is the next action to move forward.

Allen defines a project as anything, large or small, that has more than 1 action step.  He also recommends utilizing a project list.  This list is just an index of all things that require more than 1 action step.  This list does not define what all of those action steps are.  We'll talk about that process in a bit.

As for the next action, once you know what that is, do it, delegate it or defer it.  If the action will take less than 2 minutes, do it.  I think this is great, because then it's done.  You can get rid of any reminders from your in box and you never have to think about that action step again.  How many things from your 'to do list' could you do in 2 min or less?  How much smaller is your list after that?  Welcome to productivity!

Delegating is when an action, that takes more than 2 minutes, is not best done by you, so delegate it to the right party.  Defering is an item that is best done by you, but it will take longer than 2 minutes.

The next process is to organize the information.  While processing, anything that wasn't done, is either a project has been identified or a longer action has been identified.  How to keep these straight?  A project list and a next action list.

As noted above, part of our process was to write down the project on the project list.  Since this list is just the index, there should be project support materials for each project.  Files or folders that contain information needed to move forward; for example say you're planning a wedding.  Your project folder would contain addresses for invitations, phone numbers for vendors, ideas for tablescapes, etc.

Next actions also need to be captured.  Allen recommends a calendar for:

Time specific actions

Day specific actions

Day specific information

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Aside from the calendar, should be a next action list, which houses all actions longer than 2 minutes.  This is where your daily work comes from.

The fourth part of getting things done is to review.  You've made all these lists, but if you don't review them, you'll never move forward.  Your calendar and next action lists should be viewed daily, and your project lists, perhaps weekly.  This keeps you moving forward, and builds confidence in your system that things aren't going to be missed, just because you've moved them out of your head.

The weekly review is also a great time to go through your in box, update your lists and get everything current and complete.

Of course, the most important thing is to do.  Without a to do list, how can you determine what to do next?  I'm glad you asked, Allen has criteria for you to help you have confidence that the next action you take, is the right one.

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Context

Time available

Energy available

Priority

Context - where you are, right now, do you have the tools you need to do that action?
Time available - if this is a 1 hour action and you have a meeting in 20 min, you don't have the time.
Energy available - some things take a lot of energy, be it physical, mental or whatever.  Do you have the energy to do this right now?
Priority - Now that you know the context, time and energy, what action item can you do that will give you your biggest payoff?  Now you can go by your intuition and judgement and be confident that you have made the right choice.

The Simple Dollar:
Chapter 2

My Previous Reviews:
Chapter 1

Getting Things Done: Chapter 1

As I mentioned earlier, I am reading Getting Things Done in order to better my time management at work, and help a coworker. 

I first heard of this book years ago on the blog, The Simple Dollar (link to Trent's 1st chapter review).  At the time I didn't think too much more about it, but as time goes on, I find myself thinking back to Trent's articles and his opinion of the book.  He actually mentions it quite frequently even to this day.

So, now that I have extolled the virtues of The Simple Dollar (link to homepage), I thought it'd be helpful for me to also do a bit of a book review.

Chapter 1 is really a prep chapter, teaching the reader why people are so ineffective at getting things done.  Particularly in the professional field, most work is no longer physical - like plowing fields, or making widgets, it's about knowledge management and 'projects'.

In order to get things done, one must have a clear mind.  This means no niggling thoughts on what's for dinner, or what time the next meeting is at, etc.  To be truly productive, one must have these items out of there head and in a place they will regularly review.  When these things are no longer on your mind, a person is able to focus on the action at hand.

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If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.  - Shunryu Suzuki

The following exercise is one David uses in his seminars:

1)  Write down the project or situation that is most on your mind.
2)  In a single sentence, write your intended outcome.
3)  Write down the very next step needed to move forward.

Doing so no longer makes this project large and daunting - suddenly there's a reasonable action to take that will move this forward.

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[...]gather everything that requires thinking about and then do that thinking...

Once you have everything you need to think about out of your head, and thought about, and the next action defined, then you can start to be productive.