Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com
Brett Kelly, the former host of the Cranking Widgets blog lets loose (with both barrels): My Scandelous Confession and A Royal Rant About GTD. Super. Right about the time that I am having an existential crisis about my own GTD practice. The Lovely Bride and I have been on the road for just over two months now, and being 100% mobile has taught me a few things. Like it is much easier to “do” GTD when you have an office. Or a house. Try putting everything that you need into a laptop bag and a couple of file boxes.
Here is what Kelly has to say:
Having been a fairly vocal proponent of GTD for some time, this is one of those things that I’m happy to write after having removed myself from the throngs (and I mean *throngs*) of productivity/GTD bloggers. Ever since I launched The Cranking Widgets Blog, I’ve been singing the praises of this productivity methodology to any j*****s who would listen. Now, after developing a little bit of discontent with the whole thing, I can bring it to you folks without having to fear a decline in readership. Here goes.
First of all (and probably most importantly), I’m starting to feel like GTD is really effing hard. The amount of time and effort it takes to (according to the book) manage a list of tasks, a calendar and some filing shit has become prohibitively long for me. I look at a scrap of paper in my in-basket, and I’m positively put off by the effort it will require to add it to the project list, choose the next action, pull out a blank folder, label it and file it away. Perhaps I’m just being lazy, but that’s the freaking honest truth.
Built-in anxiety is almost a guarantee. Unless you’re a poster child for GTD, you’re going to have shit slip past the defenses of your system. Hell, David Allen himself has confessed to “falling off of the wagon, repeatedly” on several different occasions. And if you’ve become such a loyal adherent, the very act of *not* doing the GTD thing will create stress. This might just be my own dumb brain thinking about this stuff the wrong way, but I’d bet the contents of your wallet that this type of mental spasm is more common than you think.
What say you? Where do you want Productivity in Context to go in 2009? Is Getting Things Done over? How excited are you about the prospect of a new book from David Allen?
What did you think of the first two FAQ posts - and would you like me to work with you on developing this system (for lack of a better word) into something more (and by more I mean less, GTD has too many folders and rules - I have to confess that I only look at my Tickler File once a week nowadays).
Leave a comment, let’s discuss this. In the meantime I am going to be downsizing from 43 folders to 15.(More on this later)
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/8mw5rz. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
I mentioned “Continuous Partial Attention” in a post recently, and a reader sent an e-mail pointing to this:
Linda Stone has thoughts on what it is and how it affects us:
Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our attention today. It is different from multi-tasking. The two are differentiated by the impulse that motivates them. When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient. We’re often doing things that are automatic, that require very little cognitive processing. We give the same priority to much of what we do when we multi-task — we file and copy papers, talk on the phone, eat lunch — we get as many things done at one time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and in order to be more efficient and more productive.
To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention — CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.
I am as guilty of this as anyone, what with the laptop always on, my wife and her TV addiction, and the stack of books that I need to read.
How do you use your productivity practice to avoid the trap of Continuous Partial Attention and accomplish your tasks and goals?
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5h27hq. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
I originally posted this article back in July of 2007 (which was the last time I got the flu), and since I was down for three days again this week, I thought I’d re-post it as a reminder:
“How to bring your system back online when an unexpected incident occurs.”
1. Start with an Overview
Pause before you begin your day to take a look at your most recent Weekly Review notes. Catch up on where you were the last time you gave your Actions and Projects a review. This will “re-boot” your mind and create a fresh starting point for the coming week.
2. Review Your Hard Landscape
Scan your Calendar, Waiting For, and Next Actions lists. Check your capture notebook, and Collect everything that may have been by-passed or delayed during your illness. This will ensure that anything you might have had planned gets re-scheduled if you missed it. Some time-specific events or notes may no longer be valid, and perhaps a deadline has passed and the Next Action is no longer appropriate. On the other hand, a Next Action or Waiting For that was not pressing may now need to be moved up on your list of priorities - becoming a Most Important Task for today.
3. Make Notes for the Next Weekly Review
When your schedule gets off-track, because of an illness or an emergency situation, it is important to plan for your next review of Next Actions and Projects. Make an appointment with yourself to get back into your routine. I would recommend blocking out some extra time for this particular Weekly Review. Use the extra time for extra brainstorming and/or creative thinking about where you are and where you want to be. This forward-looking activity can give you a jump-start into the following week. This is a powerful method of motivation, providing inspiration for future goals rather than prolonging the feeling of “playing catch-up”.
Bonus Tip: Ask for Help
Letting things go due to unforeseen circumstances creates feelings of frustration and anxiety. Remember that (in most cases) you can ask someone for assistance. You have friends, associates, family, and co-workers that you can likely go to for some assistance in completing tasks that need to get done. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of having a mature perspective. Asking for assistance can be one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself.
Now I get to take my own advice! I have a meeting this morning, that I am ready for because of the Overview. When I get back I will be able to address the rest of my MITs for the day and get some things done.
I do need your help with one thing: One of my goals for this month is to increase the number of subscribers. We are not quite there. Please subscribe by clicking this link, and you will be able to download a free copy of my new E-book Project Planning in Context. Thanks for your help!
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5o3llw. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
Indexing filing systems When teaching clients about filing, I sometimes get asked about more complex approaches, including indexing file drawer contents. This is done by creating a master list (on paper, kept at the front of the drawer, or as a file on your PC) that groups files by topic or keyword, and specifies where to find them. Some people find this kind of system helpful (there are some home-grown solutions at Database to my alpha system - is it needed? and commercial programs like Paper Tiger), but generally I’ve found a simple A-Z system with no index works great for most people. It’s simple, inexpensive, and filing and retrieving is fast.
I’d like to share some simple filing tips I’ve picked up from clients and fellow practitioners. They’re all low tech but high value hacks that many have found useful. Please share yours as well!
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/6qgpp8. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
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January 2nd, 2009 by Stephen
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