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In our busy, busy lives we have all sorts of inputs and stimuli coming our way. Hour by hour, and increasingly minute by minute, our task lists grow longer. The number one cause of stress in our lives is having 2 different things to do and not knowing which we should get started on first.

If you know the answer to this already, you can stop reading. Get on with it already and have a great day. For the rest of you who might like a little advice, read on.

Two or more commitments causes stress

David Allen’s Getting Things Done system has been called many things, obsessively task-focused is one of them. But that is an unfair accusation, because it is so much more. The reason that the book and the practice focus on getting your current situation under control is two-fold:

1. If you don’t have a grip on where you are, you can’t know which way to go next.
2. If you do not have a method of controlling the commitments that are coming in, you will soon lose sight of your long-term goals.

This is the foundation of the GTD system. David Allen says so himself on the official landing page:

GTD embodies an easy, step-by-step and highly efficient method for achieving this relaxed, productive state. It includes:

• Capturing anything and everything that has your attention
• Defining actionable things discretely into outcomes and concrete next steps
• Organizing reminders and information in the most streamlined way, in appropriate categories, based on how and when you need to access them
• Keeping current and “on your game” with appropriately frequent reviews of the six horizons of your commitments (purpose, vision, goals, areas of focus, projects, and actions)

Implementing GTD alleviates the feeling of overwhelm, instills confidence, and releases a flood of creative energy. It provides structure without constraint, managing details with maximum flexibility. The system rigorously adheres to the core principles of productivity, while allowing tremendous freedom in the “how.”

It is the “how” that attracts most of us to this system, because there is no one way. You can “do” GTD in any way that you see fit. Once you have decided on your own practice then, and only then, does the real power of this productivity system appear. Shortly after you have organized all of the things that you know you have to do, captured the things that you forgot, and created a processing stream for new inputs you will be able to sit at your desk and say, “I am done for the day. And I know exactly what I need to do tomorrow.”

The Epiphany

Knowing your immediate task landscape and having faith that every single thing is captured and directed is an amazing feeling. The relief is palpable. The increase in your energy level and motivation is like a shot in the arm.

This foundational part of the practice allows you to start doing something that many of us dream about, but few ever do. Look to the future with a positive attitude and make plans, concrete plans, to achieve those long-term goals that have been five years away for 10 years now.

The Strategy

Stop what you are doing. Make an appointment in your calendar to review your workflow practice. Think about how you react to incoming events and input, how these stimuli get processed. Are you following the five steps?

1. Collect
2. Process
3. Organize
4. Review
5. Do

Does your in-box(es) get to empty every day?

Are you using your Tickler File?

Is your Capture Device handy?

Are you able to do one thing every day to achieve one of your goals?

If you are answering “No” to any of these questions, then you need a refresher. Never fear, help is on the way. Between now and next Thursday you have time to get your act together. Set aside some time and some space for capturing all of your inputs and clearing all of your in-boxes (real and virtual).

What You Need

At the very minimum you will need some blank copy paper and a box of manila file folders, some colored pens, some Post-It notes, a calendar and a trash can. Read pages 104-117 of Getting Things Done and follow the instructions.

1. Collect
2. Process
3. Organize
4. and Do the things that you can (in 2 minutes or less)

Then come back next week and we will discuss learning to respond effectively to everything that comes your way. Leave a comment with the date of your Appointment with Destiny, and I will e-mail you after to see how you did.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6zww4m. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen