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Today’s post is from Mike St. Pierre

About two years ago, I decided to become part time mason and install a paver patio in my back yard.  “How hard could it be?” Or so I thought.  Pavers, sand, earth and some man power- a piece of cake, right?  A week later and a new patio had emerged from the rubble.  Just like that.

This past week, I somehow got the itch to once again to work with stone, only this time installing a new tile floor on my porch.  Just like before, I emerged (like the phoenix) from the rubble as did my new floor.  It looks great!  If you look in the far left corner, you’ll notice a screw-up but I’m guessing that most readers won’t stop by the house.

I used GTD to do both of these projects, although I was hardly aware of it at the time.  Thankfully, GTD is firmly embedded in my productivity DNA and “works” for me without even thinking about it.  What aspects of GTD did I use?

Project List: I wrote down the materials I would need, where to get them and when I would purchase them.  I also created a list of tools that I had and needed to borrow or buy.  In this project, the tile saw was crucial.

Desired Outcome: I had a clear sense of what I wanted the porch to look like and worked towards that goal.  Every detail was arranged so that I could enjoy the porch with some friends and have a decent cup of coffee at the same time.

Next Action: Each night after I finished my work, I would look at the porch from my kitchen window, thinking about the next day’s steps that would need to be taken.

Close the Open Loops: Many weekend warriors have trouble finishing the job.  Sure, most of it is done, but they feel that a few details here and there can wait.  And they wait.  Until their spouse screams at them to finish the darn thing!  My porch project was simple enough that I could get it 100% done in order to cross “New Porch Floor” off my project list.

Now that’s GTD in action.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/3qo7kl. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen