Getting things done

I did some initial delving into the Getting Things Done method for organizing lists of action items based on incoming tasks.

A fundamental part of the process for this is to get all inputs (things you have to do or deal with) and process them by figuring out what the next action item is. The action items are defer, delegate, delete and do something. You have to take the time to figure out what the next step is before passing to the next item.

Once the first step is done the items that are deferred or in todos have to be organized into lists that are reviewed once a week.... that is the hard part.

It is a very effective means of managing many competing demands and has the advantage that you can pick tasks to do depending on the time you have and the energy that you can put into the tasks. The todo lists are organized by context so you have an at work, at home, at the telephone lists.

David Allen is the author of the book and there is a you tube video of him doing a presentation on his methodology.