Getting Things Done

by David Allen (2001, Viking Penguin)

February 15, 2008 (Draft)

SUMMARY NOTES

(Clement Wan, Riverstone Manufacturing Limited)

Why & What’s Getting Things Done?

‘Getting Things Done’ is a toolkit for building a

single

consistent, foolproof, and personal system to do work. Bycapturing all the open loops in life and making front enddecisions on all work knowing at all times what the “nextaction” will be, you’ll declutter/clear your mind and achieve“

stress-free productivity

.”Most people allow open loops to fester in their subconsciouswhich results in worrying, stress and unnecessarily wastingtime when you can be focusing on the “now.”While others often advocate a top down approach, this is abottom up approach to life management – letting go of lowerlevels of thinking. Organizing the day-to-day, allows the higherlevel thinking of goals / values to fall into place.

The Approach to Work: “Getting Head to Empty”

Collect things that attract attention.2.

Process: what is it & what needs to be done?3.

Organize the results.4.

Review as options, choose what to do.5.

Do.Be ruthless and regular about collecting, centralizing andprocessing tasks/data into very discrete categories:

trashsomeday/maybereference

“stuff”

inboxwhat is it?is it actionable?

noyesyesno

projectsproject planswhat’s thenext action?do it now.delegate itdo it laterwaitingcalendarnext actions



(tickler ﬁle; holdforreview)(retrievablewhenrequired)(for someone elseto do)(to doat specific time)(as soon as possile)(planning)(review for actions)

will it take lessthan 2 minutes?

Multi-stepProjects

Actionable items

Each item should be “actionable,” meaning 2 things:1.

You know what outcome looks like and what you’recommitting to.2.

What the next required action is.

2 Minute Rule

If it takes less time than 2 minutes, just do it

.In building lists, the goal is to have all actions/options youneed to see when you need to see them. Author’s own systemof lists is digital with exception of two physical ones:read/review & data entry (e.g. business cards, quotes, articles). There are 7 categories of items that you’ll track:1.

Projects List

: Anything that requires >1 action step.2.

Project Support Material

: These are materials/resourcesto support actions and thinking about projects –don’t use for reminding. You will thumb through toconsider pending next actions. You can set upsubprojects here. Doesn’t matter how many lists of projects you have as long as you review as often as isnecessary. Include in Weekly Review (see below).Keep one system.3.

Calendar

: Items that go in Calendar do not include“ASAP” tasks but the following:a.

Time specific actions: e.g. specific appointmentsb.

Day specific actions: needs to be done that dayc.

Day specific information/reminders4.

Next Action Lists

: Remember this is

for items > 2 min

.Organize in physical context – relative to tools youneed, people you need to speak to (e.g. calls,@computer, @office, @home, read/review). First, trustyour gut

, and then choose what to do based on thefollowing criteria:a.

Contextb.

Time availablec.

Energy availabled.

Priority5.

Waiting for Lists

: When tasks are delegated you shouldtrack

and date

what you’re waiting for & from whom6.

Reference Material

Do not blend actionable itemshere

! Items do not have any pull/push associatedwith them. (see more details below).7.

Someday Maybe List:

Triggers regularly reviewed

Categories must be kept separate and distinct.

If they lose their edges, much of the value of organizing will be lost

Day-to-Day Review

Calendar first

. Knowing day/time specificcommitments helps make decisions about your day2.

Next, your action lists

. Looking at actions items versuswhere you will be gives you option to do those things

The Weekly Review

A critical step that

Projects should be reviewed regularly at least once a week

. Recommended to block out 2 hours of time – e.g.Friday afternoon when information is still fresh, you can stillreach people at work, and makes you free for weekend. It's ok to decide not to decide to do something so long as you have asystem that tracks this. Put all tasks/commitments in contextto

get to empty again

:1.

Loose papers

. Pull out all scrap paper, receipts, etc,into inbox for processing.2.

Process notes

. Review journal entries, notes, listactions, waiting for’s, calendar events, read/renewmaterial, etc.. Be ruthless. Purge what’s unnecessary.3.

Previous calendar data

. Scan past calendar dates indetail for action items leaving nothing uncaptured.4.

Upcoming calendar

. Scan for future calendar events(LT and ST), actions about arrangements/prep.5.

Empty your head

. Put in writing new projects, actionitems, w/f’s, someday maybes not yet captured.6.

Review ‘Projects’ (and larger outcome lists)

. Evaluatestatus one by one, with at least one action on list.Consider moving to Someday/Maybe.7.

Review ‘Next Action’ lists

. Mark off completed actions,review reminders.8.

Review ‘Waiting For’ list

. Record appropriate actionsfor any required follow up, check off received items.9.

Review any relevant checklists

. Anything else?10.

Review ‘Someday/Maybe’ list

. Check for any projectsthat may have been active and transfer to projects.Delete any no longer of interest.11.

Review “Pending” and Support Files

. Browse throughall WIP support material to trigger new actions, etc.12.

Be creative and courageous

. Any crazy new risk takingideas you can add to system?

Seeing Tasks within the Bigger Picture

Review long term goals/life as required. “You need to assessyour life and work at the appropriate horizons, making theappropriate decisions, at the appropriate intervals, in order toreally come clean.”A model for deciding how to process daily work:1.

Doing predefined work 2.

Work as it shows up. You should be aware of whatyou're not doing by frequently reviewing lists.Reduce "urgent" and "surprises" as much as possibleshould be goal. System however allows forinterruptions. Expect the unexpected by havingvarious lists with you - you can do things on hold onlyif you know that those things need completing.3.

Defining your work in the context of a part in thelarger system. To be most productive and motivated, your tasks at the lowerlevels must be aligned with your broader longer term goalsand values at all levels.50,000+ feet: Life40,000 feet: Three to five-year vision30,000 feet: One- to Two-year goals. What will the natureof your work look like 1-3 years later? Life?20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility. Make personal andprofessional sublists (likely 4-7 areas of responsibility atwork and similar number personally). Ensure you have allyour projects and next actions defined so responsibilitiescan be managed appropriately. Look for gaps/imbalancesbetween this and projects.10,000 feet: Current projectsRunway: Current actionsEverything has to be managed in a balanced way so you canbe in the present. Knowing all the open loops can result in amuch clearer vision. Working top down when the bottom isout of control can be highly ineffective.Finalize your “Projects” list and ensure that it captures all thecommitments you have made in an objective inventory thatwill automatically produce greater focus, alignment and senseof priorities (this takes 10-15 hours for most clients to get topoint of trusting thoroughness of inventory).Long term questions to ask 30-50,000 feet:

•

What are the longer-term goals and objectives in myorganization, and what projects do I need to have inplace related to them to fulfill my responsibilities?

•

What longer-term goals and objectives have I set formyself, and what projects do I need to have in placeto make them happen?

•

What other significant things are happening thatcould affect my options about what you I'm doing?Examples of things that can force you to re-evaluate:

•

Changing nature of job / priorities of company.

•

Direction in career and career changes and things youneed to do for promotions

•

Organization direction / adjusting career plans

•

Livestyle preferences / needs. Retirement.

•

Struggle with the "Why" or else everything else won'tfit / be in balance.

•

Ensure that you're set up for "vertical processing" -maybe a someday/maybe list or folder called dreamsand goalsMake sure your projects list is up to date. Spend 1-3 hours tohandle as much vertical thinking as possible. Take a fewprojects that you have the most attention or interest in and dosome thinking and collecting and organizing on them. Focuson each one, one at a time, top to bottom, ask yourself " whatabout this do I want to know, capture or remember?"

Bringing Your Email Inbox to Empty

Most folders in email should be used for reference or archivedmaterials. Keep actionable items outside “inbox” where mostpeople keep them.Create one folder for emails that will take longer than 2minutes. Get rid of as many using the 2 minute rule."Action" Folder should sit at the top of your reference foldersand should look different (in MS Outlook it is "@")

"Waiting For" folder. Drag items into folder or cc/bcc yourself auto directing mail like this into your Waiting For folder.Get "in" to "empty"; then it becomes like answering machine.Otherwise, "in" can be mind-numbing each time you look atyour email as you reassess everything given the unopenedloops. Empty does not mean you have handled everything.Now you can open your @Action file.Remember that because you have a separate sub-system foremail, these action items must also be reviewed daily. Forpeace of mind, you must have actionable items locatable,know what can wait and you have to do that in seconds.

Managing Non-Actionable Information

(Again, do not blend with actionable items!). Two categories:Reference and reminders of things that need no immediateaction but might at later date. Warning: All files must beconsistently reviewed.A few systems:

General Reference Filing

Rule 1

: Be able to access anything within 60 seconds.

Rule 2

: Paper or email, you must feel comfortable enoughstoring a single piece of paper to refer to later. (Most endup with 200-400 paper-based general reference files and30-100 email reference folders.)

Large Category Filing

. Any topic that requires more than50 file folders with its own alpha system. Stick with onesystem to avoid conflict.

Rolodexes and Contact Managers

Libraries and Archives

. If material is purely for reference,the only issue is whether it's worth the time and spacerequired to keep it.

Tracking "Someday/Maybes"

. Not throwaway items. Eitherlists as trigger or paper-based "tickler" system. Let loose.

The Tickler File

. Physical reminder of things you want tosee or remember not now but in the future. Like mailingstuff to yourself in the future. Every day of the week thatday's folder is pulled and reviewed. E.g. travel tickets,travel destinations."A tickler file demands only one second per day newbehavior to make it work and payoff value islogarithmically greater than the personal investment."43 folders: 31 daily files titled with sequential days +12, one for each month The next day's date is the first file (e.g. if today is 5th,the file would be 6th). Next day's file is emptied intoinbox every day and folder is refiled at back of thedailies.If you leave town, you must check the folders for thedays you'll be away BEFORE you go.

Using Checklists

. The more novel the situation the morecontrol is required (versus cruise control). Use checklist tomaintain focus until you're more familiar with what you'redoing. First, clarify inherent projects and actions. 6 areasof work that can be defined and listed and reviewedconsistently in a bigger picture format:1.

Career goals2.

Service/Volunteering3.

Family4.

Relationships5.

Community6.

Health and energy7.

Financial resources8.

Creative expressionA list of some topics of checklists:

•

Personal Affirmations (e.g. value statements)

•

Job/Key Areas of Responsibility

•

Travel Checklist (Things to take/do before a trip)

•

Weekly Review (everything to review and/orupdate on a weekly basis)

•

Training Program / Event Components

•

Clients

•

Focus Areas (key life roles and responsibilities)

•

Key People in My Life/Work (relationships toassess regularly for completion and opportunitydevelopment)

•

Organization Chart (key people and areas of output to manage and maintain)

•

Personal Development (things to evaluateregularly ensuring personal balance / progress)Get comfortable with checklists but ad hoc and morepermanent and be ready to create and eliminate asrequired.

Setting Up your Physical Space

“You increase productivity and creativity exponentially whenyou think about the right things at the right times and havethe tools to capture your value added thinking.”

Workspace/prime location

. Writing surface and room foran in-basket. Most need ≥ 4 file drawers for generalreference & project support types of paper based material.

Don't Share Space!

You need your own in-basket andphysical space to process paper. You will need a space athome / satellite with identical system.

For business traveler

. Micro-office in transit - e.g. briefcasewith appropriate folders and portable supplies The Basic Processing Tools/Starting from Scratch:

•

Paper-holding trays

(≥ 3, no lips). In, Out & WIP trays

•

Stack of plain letter-size paper

•

A pen/pencil, Post-its (3X3s), Paper clips, Binder clips,stapler and staples, Scotch tape, rubber bands.

•

Automatic labeler

. Surprisingly important. Legiblylabel folders, spines, and numerous other things (oneof best tricks for enhancing personal productivity ishaving orrganizing tools that you love to use)

•

File folders

. Letter size, plain (color coding rarelyworth effort).

•

Calendar

•

Wastebasket/recycling bins

•

Filing System.