David Allen's Blog, page 52
June 10, 2016
Episode #17 – Ten Common Questions About GTD
We hope you enjoy this very special Q&A conversation between David Allen and Senior Coach Marian Bateman, interviewed by Rick Kantor. They answer ten of the most frequently asked questions regarding GTD, including “How do you set priorities?”, “What do you do when you’re interrupted constantly?”, and “How do I get back on track when I miss Weekly Reviews?”
Listen Now
Subscribe or Download
May 27, 2016
What gets in the way of being productive?
Q: What’s the one thing that we do that gets in the way of us being productive?
David Allen: It’s not one thing, but five, all wrapped together: People keep stuff in their head. They don’t decide what they need to do about stuff they know they need to do something about. They don’t organize action reminders and support materials in functional categories. They don’t maintain and review a complete and objective inventory of their commitments. Then they waste energy and burn out, allowing their busy-ness to be driven by what’s latest and loudest, hoping it’s the right thing to do but never feeling the relief that it is.
May 25, 2016
Episode #16 – GTD and the Medical Community
This episode features two wonderful doctors and GTD enthusiasts in our GTD community: Dr. Julie Flagg and Dr. Julian Goldman. They join David Allen and Senior Coach Kelly Forrister in a lively and heartfelt discussion about how GTD has helped their stability, clarity, and focus.
Listen Now
Subscribe or Download
May 24, 2016
May 23, 2016
There is never enough time…
There is never enough time to do what you want to do from the level you are doing it. You must relax, and refocus. If you have inserted your intention into the universe, you must trust that the method and the process and the dynamics for its manifestation will reveal themselves in their timing, not yours. You are part of your bigger game. Let me say it again – relax, refocus.
–David Allen
May 8, 2016
Episode #15 – David Allen at The Do Lectures
David gives a unique and inspiring presentation about the power of Getting Things Done to the participants of The Do Lectures in Wales, September 2010. If you’re new to GTD, you’ll love the fast-paced overview David gives of the entire systematic approach. If you’re a seasoned practitioner, you’ll appreciate the transparency and authenticity in which David shares a bit more of his behind-the-scenes story.
Listen Now
Subscribe or Download
May 4, 2016
Think! At least once a week…
I followed up with an executive client recently whose biggest issue was that his GTD Weekly Review, when he “really did it right,” took sometimes 3–4 hours. He wondered if he was doing something wrong. I asked if it was worthwhile doing the review, and he admitted that it was critical to stay on top, but that it was “work” to keep it up. It didn’t ultimately seem to save him more time.
The truth is, it probably won’t save you more time—well, it will, but you will need that extra time to do the reviews and keep lists and categories of items current. Yes, you can get better and faster at how you do it. But it requires investment, no matter how good you are at it. As a matter of fact, the less you have time to do it, the more time you usually need to spend with it!
No personal management system can possibly come close to creating the perfect algorithm that will tie in all the factors of time, people, projects, actions, and support information with the infinite number of variables that go into our thinking about priorities, interests, and commitments. That’s why it becomes critical—once these are somehow objectified into an external system—that they be put in front of our conscious thinking process at least once a week, to get it all recalibrated to match our new realities. And I guarantee that there are some intuitive “Aha’s” lying dormant, only to be triggered by putting reminders about all the meaningful aspects of our life and work in front of our face on a regular basis.
The Weekly Review really is the glue that keeps it all together. And I know there are people out there trying to implement GTD who haven’t tried it. So until then, I must get up on the rooftop and yell at my loudest: “Weekly Review! Weekly Review! Weekly Review!”
Discover what it’s like to have the freedom to be dumb and happy, just following your intuitive hunches, 6.5 days of the week!
For more essays like this, subscribe to David’s free Productive Living Newsletter.
April 29, 2016
April 26, 2016
Episode #14 – Managing Multiple Roles Using GTD
When you listen to this interview with Jeff Heilman, you’ll be amazed how much he does. He’s got a thriving sales career, plus he’s a pro golfer. And a husband, and a father, and much more. Jeff says he always dreamed of becoming the guy who has his act together, and GTD is the pathway. In this interview, he talks with Mike Williams about how he heard about GTD, and his subsequent installation and implementation journey. Somewhere along the way, he says he was able to take on more work than his boss could give him. Now that’s saying a lot. But beyond work, Jeff says that “GTD leads to the freedom to pursue what I choose.”
Listen Now
Subscribe or Download
April 25, 2016
How to get “in your zone” with GTD
Our Certified Partner in India, Calm Achiever, sat down with David to find out how people can get into their zone with GTD.
David Allen's Blog
- David Allen's profile
- 1479 followers
