Getting Things Done
Assume for a moment that you had a gift that enabled you to
invent a new way to save the world every day. That might be
cool for a day or two, but by the third day, if you are
like me, you would call "All Stop!". You would be
conflicted, torn between turning off the part of your brain
that keeps generates new ideas, or shutting down the part
of your brain that drives you to get something done.
I don't invent ways to save the world most days, but I have
been fortunate to collect a fair share of lesser ideas.
While I didn't call "All Stop" after three days, I have
faced the dilemma of either pursing a new idea or focusing
on yesterday's plan.
Fortunately, I have learned to survive, without limiting
myself to either choice. My secret is in part the methods
covered in David Allen's book, Getting Things Done (GTD).
I recommend reading his book to gain its full benefit. As
you will find, a GTD implementation is a very personal
effort. This is so because despite the efficacy of the
book, the promoted transition must be a self driven
dedication and commitment to success.
My Trusted System
Key to GTD is creating a "Trusted System" that enables you
to perform the two key GTD tasks, 1) information collection
and 2) processing. A system is "trusted" because ALL of the
data you need to manage your actions will make it there.
There is no magic bullet. In addition to my standard
Windows laptop, I carry a MacBook Pro with a 320 GB hard
drive and a fully searchable life history. I also use a
program called OmniFocus to help keep the
various pieces of information linked together.
