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:

Pg. 24

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

pg. 39

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.

Pg. 49

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

Basque Nun Turned Top Gun

Ever heard of Catalina de Erauso?  Me either, she is on of the uppity women I've been reading about, and thus far, I think she's my favorite.  Catalina was active in the early 1600's, and very much a tomboy.  She was adventurous, and tough and at the time considered a cross-dresser.  How far she went isn't discussed, but I think pants was cross-dressing way back then, and to live the life she did, pants were pretty much a necessity.

Catalina was originally sent by her parents to be a nun, but this did not sit well with her.  She ran away in 1600 to obtain her goal: "to join the opposite sex." (pg 132)  In 1603-ish, Catalina shipped off to the new world and traveled across Panama, Peru and Chile.  She became a second lieutenant in the army and even attracted a few female admirers. 

In 1620 Catalina was in more trouble than normal, and went to a bishop for help.  She told him everything about her (apparently her sex was a secret), and despite the troubled life she led (she was more than a soldier, she gambled, brawled, killed 8 men; she was exciting), she was still a virgin, which in the church's eyes offset her sins.  The King of Spain awarded her a pension, and the pope, gave her the 'ok' to wear men's clothes.

Lastly, Catalina left behind an autobiography, which I think would be a fascinating read. 

Weekly Roundup 1

I have not finished any books this week.  However, I've made progress on a few.

Uppity Women:  About 60% done.  I have finished the Medieval times and started on the Renaissance.  I just finished reading about Catalina de Erauso, who is my favorite woman so far.  I'd never heard of her before, but I think she sounds pretty fascinating.  I'll tell you about her later this week.

Musketeers:  I feel like I did a lot of reading in this book, but I'm still at the very beginning.  Only 16% done so far.  The Musketeers and d'Artagnan have been in 2 fights so far, and d'Artagnan is quite the swordsman.  I'm really enjoying this book so far.

Hitchhiker:  A bit of progress made, I'm almost 1/2 way done.  I do wish there was more information about Trillian, I think she could be my favorite character if I knew more about her.  And honestly, Slartibartfast is the best name ever.

I haven't read any of my other ongoing books this past week, so, no further updates to give is what I'm saying.

How are your reading goals coming along?

Completely Unproductive

Unfortunately I got the flu last week.  Which resulted in a lot of nothing but naps happening.  Yes, I even missed an entire week of work, which honestly bummed me out.  Taking a week off so I could be in a NyQuil induced haze was not how I planned my first "vacation" of 2013.

Luckily, I am mostly well now and was pleasantly surprised how much I was missed at work.  (Damn right!)

While I have no new books going on, I made great progress on The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this week.  In fact, I have technically finished book 2 (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) in the series and have started on book 3 (Life, the Universe and Everything).  I am enjoying it overall, but I do see why a lot of comments on Goodreads don't recommend reading all of them at once.  There is something to be said for letting some things digest. 

I also made a bit of progress on 4000 Years of Uppity Women, and for those of you who have read past posts, don't judge.  It's surprising how many women of note there were in pre-medieval times.  It's a shame that there just isn't more info available on most of them to learn more about them and the lives they led.  Honestly I find it quite surprising there are so many women that were allowed to do or just did the things they did.  I find it kind of amazing that a lot of "ancient" ladies wrote, practiced medicine, were merchants, etc.  I mean, think back to pre-Cleopatra days, have you really heard of any women that weren't concubines, slaves or someone's wife?  Way to kick ass ladies of yore.

That's pretty much all the book progress I've had.  So far at least, this week is shaping up to be a bit more productive!

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.

Pg. 11

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.

Pg 18

[...]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.

Daisy Madigan's Paradise

Synopsis:

"When tragedy falls upon 15 year old Daisy Madigan, she escapes to the only place she feels safe, the cemetery of Abney Park. There, in the company of the dearly departed, she realises she is changing, growing stronger and faster by the day. But in the darkness lurks a terror even she can't imagine facing.

Daisy Madigan's Paradise is a Morgan Sisters novella. Check out The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, the full length first novel in the series."  Synopsis from Goodreads.com

My Review:

This book was a quick, ok read.  I suppose I've never read book #1.5 in a series, and therefore was expecting a more complete novel.

Daisy is your typical High School outcast, until the day tragedy strikes.  Daisy's world is turned upside down, and she ends up homeless, taking shelter in the graveyard.  As the store progresses Daisy finds herself to be more different than she thought.  She has super human speed and strength and a tattoo that just magically appeared.  Daisy can also talk to and see ghosts and she starts trying to help them cross over.  It was very Ghost Whisperer.

I enjoyed Daisy's story, but the closer to the end it got, the faster it moved.  Fewer things were fleshed out, and suddenly, FIN.  Again, perhaps it's my ignorance for a 1.5 book in a series, or maybe it was truly unfulfilled ideas and storyline.  Either way, I don't think I'll continue on with this series.  The introduction of the series characters was very sudden, very choppy and frankly not all that interesting.  I am a bit curious why Daisy and crew have the powers they have, but just not curious enough.

This book had a good concept but poor execution.

Ongoing Books: Part 2

Confession time:  I read in the bathroom.  I think most people do, honestly, but not everyone is willing to admit it.  So why am I confessing this?  Today's ongoing books are about my 'Bathroom Books'.

4000 of Uppity Women:  As the title alludes, this is about women throughout history.  Typically only 2-3 pages per woman, which makes it a perfect bathroom book!

Weird Encounters: True Tales of Haunted Places:  Another book with only a few pages per place, making it another great bathroom book.  I've really just begun this book, but scary stories are never a bad thing.

The Whistling Season:  This is a novel, not short stories, it's more of a bathtub book, but I don't take baths....Anyway.  I really enjoy the parts of the book that tell of the family living on the Montana prarie.  Those parts remind me of the Little House on the Prarie books, which I love.  However, some parts are told from later in the protagonists life and I don't find them as enjoyable yet.  I have not gotten to the point where these two stories blend together, and I really hope they do.