At Think Productive UK, we love David Allen’s Getting Things Done – it’s one of the major time management systems we use both internally as a team and with our clients as part of our workshops. Here are 10 ways you know you’ve cracked it. Feel free to add your own as a comment too!
1. You think about clearing your email in the same way as you think about checking your voicemail
2. Wherever you go, you’ve always got a way to write things down
3. You know there’s a really important conversation you need to have with your partner so you put it on your agendas list
4. You read stuff you actually want to read when you’re on public transport or the dentists waiting room, rather than the free newspapers provided
5. When you think about where to go on holiday, your next thought is ‘what’s the next action?’
6. You have a favourite time or place to do your weekly review
7. You become the annoying person in a meeting who actually wants to know what the meeting is for in the first place
8. You feel relaxed and in control, despite having more projects on the go than anyone else you know
9. When you’re in the middle of a city centre with an hour or so to kill, you’ve got a list of shopping or culture possibilities to make sure the time is used productively
10. You don’t get overwhelmed about work at the beginning or end of the working week because you know your GTD system includes a thorough weekly review
If you want to find out more about GTD, buy the book here Or ask us about our workshop, How to Get Things Done.
Oooh – number one is particularly useful. I’ve never thought of it in those terms before. Thanks
I’m best at No2, No8 sounds amazing, I’ll work on that one!
@Fiona – Yes! Never thought of it that way. I’d never let voicemails pile up.