gtd notes
Some quick notes on the GTD system.
Toward the end of last year I felt the need to take stock of everything I was doing (or, more likely, supposed to be doing) and get on top of things. Given that half the people I read online these days were raving about Getting Things Done (not least 43 Folders of course) I thought I’d give it a go. On the downside, it would be hard to write any kind of American, self-help, business-oriented book without coming across as a bit of a jargon-crazed maniac. But Allen doesn’t do too badly; despite the occasional lapses I was surprised how practical and pragmatic about his ideas he was. Along the lines of “some of this will work for you, but some of it won’t.”
You could sum the book up in two words as “be organised”, which isn’t much help: Anyone would feel more organised if they set some time aside every week to get on top of things (the Weekly Review) or were as punctilious about recording their actions as GTD (as it’s known) requires one to be. I’m not convinced this or any other system will help the perpetually scatterbrained and illogical.
Some of the specifics get a bit blurred for me among the complex arrangements of lists, folders, calendars, etc: I still don’t understand what one should do with all the Actions that make up a Project, or when/if they should be transferred to the “Next Actions” list. Seeing examples of how others manage their lives using GTD would help greatly.
But it’s definitely inspiring, and it does contain enough tricks and tips to make me think it’ll make a difference. Hopefully I can keep some of this going and I’ll definitely be returning to the book in a few months to see what I’ve forgotten, looking for more tips.