David Allen's Blog, page 12

Episode #234: Setting Priorities

In this brief recording, David Allen discusses how he answers the question he is often asked. "How do I set priorities?"

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Episode #233: The Value of Writing Things Down

Jukka Backman is a GTD trainer and coach, as well as the managing director for GTD in Finland. In this recording, he shares about the multifaceted value of writing things down. Jukka says, "There is definite power in writing things down. When externalized (from the mind) our perception of the things that took our attention, changes." He talks about the specifics of how to use a worry list, how to start or refine your use of the Mind Sweep, harnessing the power of your self-talk, and his use of the Intention Journal.

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Episode #232: Paper vs. Digital

In another installment of their occasional chats, David and Dave talk about travel productivity, and paper versus digital. They also weave in discussion of the psychology and philosophy of GTD.

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Episode #231: Year End Reviews

In another David Allen and Dave Edwards talk, David starts by asking Dave about his time at NPR and the current state of journalism. Then they move into a brief discussion of managing versus leading.

Moving on to GTD, Dave asks David whether he does a larger than usual review at the beginning of the year, and David replies about what times of year and events in life prompt what kinds of reviewing. Dave says that moving every two years is a good way to limit how much stuff you keep. David jokes that moving onto a sailboat is a great way to decide which stuff you want to keep. (David did in fact live on a sailboat years ago.)

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Episode #230: David talks with Jerry Michalski

David Allen talks with Jerry Michalski, for a look inside Jerry's brain, as documented by his extensive use of TheBrain. Over the years you may have heard David talk about his use of TheBrain. Jerry is one of the earliest adopters, and has tracked an astounding number of ideas and their interconnections. By using TheBrain, Jerry says it shifts him from system 1 thinking (fast) to system 2 thinking (slow). He describes the need for a fundamental shift from thinking of ourselves as consumers to thinking of ourselves as citizens. He also talks about the importance of designing systems that start from trust, which get better results that cost less and have terrific side effects, like rebuilding community and releasing our inherent genius.

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Episode #229: Slice of GTD Life – Marcus Ramtohul

Marcus Ramtohul is a musician, actor, model, husband, father, and . . . a GTD trainer! You'll hear him describe his move from a paper-based system to digital, as his life and responsibilities grew more complex in the last ten years. His creativity and humor shine through as he describes encouraging family and colleagues to adopt any of the GTD best practices. He talks about the subtlety of correctly defining next actions, assigning contexts, his customized contexts, and much more.

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Episode #228: Software & Productivity Discussion

David Allen, Eric Mack, and John Forrister continue their discussion about their software journey, from early years to their current use of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. If you haven't heard the first part, you may want to watch or listen to that first, but it's not required.

In this recording, they talk about the evolution of eProductivity and how much of its functionality is available in the Microsoft tools. Beyond that, it's a wide-ranging discussion of how to think about productivity, and how getting organized is an ongoing process, not a one-time destination. And of course there are some software details, such as how David is tracking Waiting For items.

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Episode #227: Slice of GTD Life – Melissa Garner

David Allen, Eric Mack, and John Forrister discuss their software journey, from early years to their current use of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. A consistent theme is that it's not about the tool, but about bringing a productive mindset and habits to any tool. They discuss how the tools shape our behavior, and may or may not promote good GTD habits. The story starts in the mid-1990s with Lotus Notes. They talk about why Notes, and also why Microsoft 365 now. There are interesting tangents into groupware, CRMs, and instant messaging.

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Episode #226: Software Journey

David Allen, Eric Mack, and John Forrister discuss their software journey, from early years to their current use of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. A consistent theme is that it's not about the tool, but about bringing a productive mindset and habits to any tool. They discuss how the tools shape our behavior, and may or may not promote good GTD habits. The story starts in the mid-1990s with Lotus Notes. They talk about why Notes, and also why Microsoft 365 now. There are interesting tangents into groupware, CRMs, and instant messaging.

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Episode #225: Clarify and Organize

In another chat with David Allen, Dave Edwards asks about the Clarify and Organize steps. But they also veer off the agenda to talk about what goes on the calendar and why, the Someday/Maybe list, and feeling good about what you choose to do in any moment.

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