About this book
Getting Things Done (GTD) author, David Allen, brings us a way to manage our “stuff” in the way that works best with the way we think and act in the world. Drawing on intuition as well as the methods he recommends we are shown a way back to simpler thinking (leading to more creative and productive thinking) and a quieter mind. That’s right, a quieter mind. One thing most of us are striving for. By getting all the "stuff" out of our minds we free it from redundant thinking and it remembers how to think creatively again. That’s just what I want.
My experience
Since I started this process my mind isn’t cluttered trying to avoid thinking of all the things I have to do. It was stressful for me, not knowing what was going on. It made it hard to focus, meditate and relax. With the tools in GTD and the additional electronic GTD tools I use with Outlook I feel empowered to take on my tasks. I know where I am, where I’m going and how to get there. Now I think of my in-bin as my friend instead of a dreaded foe. It intimidated me because it represented more things to do then I had time for. I also dreaded it because it contained reminders of all the promises to others that I hadn’t kept and things I hadn’t done.
Know when to say "No"
In addition to being more organized I also find it easier to keep my commitments to people and know when I have enough on my plate and have to say, "no". It’s not just about getting everything done and whittling down our "To Do" lists. We have to know when to say "no". If our plates are full then taking on more things just keeps us from getting done what we’ve already committed to. To honor our commitments we need to know when enough is enough. How else can we free our minds and be able to relax when we aren’t at work.
What I would change about this book
1) He mentions having “family conversations around the dinner table”. I think “family conversations” should have their own place and time. Dinner should be considered sacred time to share good feelings and fellowship with our loved ones. Besides, some issues that need to be addressed in a family conversation could definitely affect the dining experience and consequently the health of the family. Read The Healing Secrets of Food: A Practical Guide for Nourishing Body, Mind, and Soul for more information on how our energies affect our digestion and overall health. I wouldn’t want anyone to dread having a family dinner because of what might be brought up during the meal and it might give someone indigestion.
2) David recommends using a legal pad and writing only one task/issue on each piece of paper, that’s one piece of paper per task/issue. Sounds like a huge waste of paper to me so instead I use the back of old business cards, the tear-off pages of a page a day calendar and small note cubes from the office supply store to save paper (and trees). This also takes up less room in my in-bin.
Conclusions
David Allen has coached executives and high level business people on getting organized. He wrote this book to help the rest of us get organized without having a personal visit from David. Practical and fun I found myself laughing throughout the the book. Humor is so great for stress relief and not being organized can cause so much stress! So, if your former attempts to get organized didn’t work, check out this method. It will take you some time but what’s your alternative? And, it’s working for me.
View book details at Amazon.com Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity