PROJECT B

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK

FLOW
Part 2
GRADO EN INGENIERA DE SISTEMAS DE TELECOMUNICACIN,
SONIDO E IMAGEN

Most of the material for this lecture has been extracted from:

[1] Getting things done. The art of stress-free productivity,

David Allen, 2001

[2] Ready for anything: 52 productivity principles for work

and life, David Allen, 2003

The image in the front page is taken from

[Link]

There is usually an inverse proportion

between how much something is on your
mind and how much it's getting done

Your ability to generate power is directly

proportional to your ability to relax

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for

anything; it is open to everything

This constant, unproductive preoccupation

with all the things we have to do is the single
largest consumer of time and energy

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK FLOW

PART 2

Styles of work-flow management

Managing the work flow the GTD style: the foundations

The five steps of GTD in a nutshell

Horizontal focus and vertical focus

Natural planning model applied to projects

STYLES OF WORK FLOW MANAGEMENT

Which one suits you best?
(source: [Link]
THE LIST MANAGER

Some people create lists,

starting each day with a list of
"to-do" items to check off.
The advantage is that you can
always be counted on to get
something done, if its on the
list. It creates the sense of
progress as each item is
crossed out, and a sense of
accomplishment to review the
list at the end of the day.
The disadvantage is that this
kind of worker tends to be
inflexible for the ever-changing
needs of the day and you may
feel your day is consumed with
simply grinding through the list

THE FIRE FIGHTER

Some people take the opposite

approach, flying by the seat of
their pants throughout the day
and knocking off things as they
come up.
The advantage is that your
flexibility is unparalleled, and
you may find that your day goes
quickly as youre faced with one
thing after another.
The disadvantage is that this
leads to a "fire fighters"
mentality - it doesn't put things
in their proper place and you
may lose sight of priorities when
everything seems urgent.
Particularly for managers, the
tendency to say is to say at the
end of the day I was so busy
today, but I dont really know
what I spent my time on!

THE INBOX WORKER

Some people use their inbox (or

smart phone/personal digital
device) as their workflow
manager. Its not to say that they
dont remember conversations
or take notes during meetings,
but they will often be found
telling others Email me to
remind me because they know
if they dont have a digital
reminder, it wont get done!
The advantage is that you
combine the strengths of a list
with the ability to be timely and
prioritize tasks.
The disadvantage is that if the
person doesnt email you
quickly, you may assume its not
important to them. Additionally,
its easy to get overwhelmed
with email, and you find that
after a couple of days of an item
sitting in your inbox, you
develop an itch to complete it

STYLES OF WORK FLOW MANAGEMENT

The main difference between the 3 styles is in how you prioritize
(source: [Link]

A SIMPLE TOOL: THE URGENT/IMPORTANT MATRIX

Important

Place all your tasks inside this matrix to prioritize

them effectively and give you focus:

If something is both Important and Urgent, it

must take top priority. Example: Payroll has
made a mistake and half the staff havent
received pay checks this week. If you are
effectively placing tasks into the Important
and Urgent box, you will find that this box is
frequently empty.
If something is Urgent but not Important, it
should be slotted in around your top priorities.
Example: As head of the IT team, the
marketing team wants you to give them
feedback on their new branding plan, which is
set to launch in 2 days.
If something is Important but not Urgent, it
can be delayed for later in the day. Example:
Your performance review is next week and
you need to develop a compelling script to
pitch to your CEO for a raise.

Non important
Non urgent

Urgent

Heres the hardest part if something is Not

Important and Not Urgent, dont do it until all
other work is complete!! Example: Reading free
white papers that you receive in your inbox,
taking a phone call from a vendor, planning the
company picnic next year, etc.
Try it for one week, and you will find that time
wasters simply melt away. Your productivity
improves, and you are less stressed because
you know the important things are getting done
5

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK FLOW

PART 2

Styles of work-flow management

Managing the work flow the GTD style: the foundations

The five steps of GTD in a nutshell

Horizontal focus and vertical focus

Natural planning model applied to projects

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

Well follow the GTD (Getting Things

Done) methodology by David Allen [1,2]

A methodology in 5 steps:

1.

Collect all your incompletes

2.

Process the incompletes

3.

Organize

4.

Review

5.

Decide what to do and do it

Steps 2 and 3 are summarized in the

flowchart

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

The GTD method is based on a few assumptions about the way
your brain handles complexity

An incomplete is any task or Project you have to do

Incompletes are stored in your short-term memory (psychical RAM),

which is rather limited

Your conscious mind is a focusing tool, not a memory: you can think
about only 2-3 things at once

If your psychical RAM is full, you lose focus, are distracted. Your
efficiency drops in all your activities, you get stressed and
subsequently become unhappy

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

The GTD method is based on a few assumptions about the way
your brain handles complexity

For example, in the last few minutes, has your mind wandered off into
some area that doesn't have anything to do with this lecture?

Theres a trick to satisfy your mind and avoid the negative

consequences: if your write down all your incompletes and your
mind believes that archive will not be lost and that youll review it
frequently, you wont worry about the incompletes and will be able to
focus

So, the idea is to free your mind from all the incompletes and move
them into a reliable external storage. This has a correspondence with
step 1 in slide 7 (collect all your incompletes)

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

The GTD method is based on a few assumptions about the way
your brain handles complexity

Then, you can go through the list of incompletes and decide for each
one if you have to do something (and what), drop it to the bin or
archive it for reference. This is step 2 (process the incompletes)

Once you have processed the incompletes, you must create an

organized archive of to-do lists which youll review frequently. This is
step 3 (organize)

Step 2, which is critical and really makes a difference, requires but a bit
of thinking for each incomplete heres where most people fail, as only
a few people spends time in thinking!

10

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

Exercise 1: the power of a bit of thinking
1.

Write down the incomplete that is most on your mind right now

2.

Write down a single sentence describing the successful outcome

you wish for that incomplete. I mean, what would need to happen
for you to think the problem is solved?

3.

Write down the next action you need to take to progress towards
the successful outcome. If you had nothing else to do right now,
what would you do or where would you go to solve the problem?

4.

This has taken us a couple of minutes. Do you think it was worth it?
Did you feel a bit more of control, relaxation and focus? What has
changed to allow this? the answer is a bit of thinking

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought

This exercise can be found in [1], chapter 1

11

MANAGING THE WORK FLOW THE GTD STYLE

The GTD method is based on a few assumptions about the way
your brain handles complexity

To sum up: in order to process an incomplete you need to:

1.

Define the successful outcome you wish for it

1.

Decide the next action to take

2.

Place both the wished outcome and the action in an external

and reliable archive youll review frequently

12

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK FLOW

PART 2

Styles of work-flow management

Managing the work flow the GTD style: the foundations

The five steps of GTD in a nutshell

Horizontal focus and vertical focus

Natural planning model applied to projects

13

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 1: COLLECT ALL YOUR INCOMPLETES

How many buckets do you need?

E-mail
A small writing pad
A to-do list in your mobile phone?
Your short-term memory
Your desk
others?...

Try to have as few collection buckets as you can

You have to empty your buckets regularly. You can do this once a week or more
often if you need it, but this activity must be part of your schedule!

14

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 2: PROCESS YOUR INCOMPLETES
When you empty your collecting buckets, you need to think a bit about each
item. This is the processing step. You must ask yourself the following questions
for each item:
1.

Do you actually need to do something about it?

a.
b.

2.

If not, you can trash it, keep it for future action (incubate) or store it for
reference
If the answer is yes, you have to ask yourself:

Whats the successful outcome? Whats the next action required?

In case this is a project-related task, you must capture the next action (not the item in the
bucket) in the appropriate Project folder. Youll review the project folders regularly (more on
this later)

15

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 2: PROCESS YOUR INCOMPLETES
Once youve determined the next action, you have three options:

If the action takes < 2 minutes DO IT immediately

If the action takes > 2minutes

Are you the right person to do it?

If not, DELEGATE IT

If yes, DEFER IT

16

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 3: ORGANIZE

You need to create folders for the

following categories:

Trash

Incubate

Reference storage
(someday/maybe)

List of projects

Storage of Project materials

and plans

Calendar

Next actions

On wait (for delegated tasks)

17

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 3: ORGANIZE
All this folders, lists and storages
can be in a notebook, a computer
program, PDA or any physical
format you feel comfortable with
Avoid daily to-do list in your
calendar!!!!! There are only 3 things
that are written in a calendar:

Time-specific actions (meetings,

appointments)

Day-specific actions (actions that

need to be done on a specific day
but not on a specific time)

Day-specific info (like directions

for appointments)

18

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 3: ORGANIZE

You can scan your

someday/maybe list in your
weekly review!

19

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 3: ORGANIZE

Can be paper-based or electronic

material, but must be easily
referrer to when you need it
Project: any desired result that
needs two or more actions

Can be a single list or, if it

contains >100 items, divide it
into categories (phone calls,
emails to send, etc.)
20

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 4: REVIEW

The fact that youve organized actions and lists doesnt mean that
youll remember them: you have to review from time to time, as often
as you need to

The weekly review is critical. Youll process the incompletes, update

the lists (projects, next actions, calendars, someday/maybe and
waiting for), re-assign priorities and end up with a fresher mind

Most people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it's
not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you
leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your
agreements with yourself and others. I just suggest that you do this weekly
instead of yearly From [1], chapter 2

21

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 5: DECIDE WHAT TO DO AND DO IT

You have worked hard to keep your lists and folders updated. But, how
do you decide what actions to take right now, today or tomorrow?
The answer is, by trusting your intuition. If you have collected,
processed, organized, and reviewed all your current commitments,
you can galvanize your intuitive judgment with some intelligent and
practical thinking about your work and values
You have more to do than you can possibly do. You just need to feel
good about your choices

Well review one model described in [1] in the next slide

22

THE FIVE STEPS OF GTD IN A NUTSHELL

STEP 5: DECIDE WHAT TO DO AND DO IT

The 4-criteria model of choosing actions

Apply in order the following criteria:
1.

Context: A few actions can be done anywhere (like drafting ideas about a
project with pen and paper), but most require a specific location (at home, at
your office) or having some productivity tool at hand

2.

Time available: How much time do you have? Having a meeting in five
minutes would prevent doing many actions that require more time

3.

Energy available: How much energy do you have? Some actions you have
to do require a reservoir of fresh, creative mental energy

4.

Priority: Given your context, time, and energy available, what action will give
you the highest payoff? This is where you need to access your intuition and
begin to rely on your judgment

23

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK FLOW

PART 2

Styles of work-flow management

Managing the work flow the GTD style: the foundations

The five steps of GTD in a nutshell

Horizontal focus and vertical focus

Natural planning model applied to projects

24

HORIZONTAL FOCUS AND VERTICAL FOCUS

HORIZONTAL FOCUS (Task-orientes focus)

THE KEY INGREDIENTS of relaxed control are:

(1) Clearly defined outcomes and the next actions required to move
them toward closure
(2) Reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly
This is what I call horizontal focus. Although it may seem simple, the
actual application of the process can create profound results
From [1] CHAPTER 3

VERTICAL FOCUS (Project focus)

Horizontal focus is all you'll need in most situations, most of the time.
Sometimes, however, you may need greater rigor and focus to get a
project under control, to identify a solution, or to ensure that all the right
steps have been determined. This is where vertical focus comes in.
Knowing how to think productively in this more vertical way and how to
integrate the results into your personal system is the second powerful
behavior set needed for knowledge work
25

MODULE 3: MANAGING TIME AND THE WORK FLOW

PART 2

Styles of work-flow management

Managing the work flow the GTD style: the foundations

The five steps of GTD in a nutshell

Horizontal focus and vertical focus

Natural planning model applied to projects

26

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

Your brain is a planning machine which often follows these 5 steps:
1.

Define purposes and principles

2.

Outcome visioning

3.

Brainstorming

4.

Organizing

5.

Identifying next actions

An example: planning dinner out ([1] chapter 3)

Purpose

Principles
27

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

An example: planning dinner out ([1] chapter 3)

Outcome visioning

Brainstorming

28

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

An example: planning dinner out ([1] chapter 3)

Organize

29

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

An example: planning dinner out ([1] chapter 3)

Next action

Summary

30

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

Exercise 2: Read the following text - Doing things the wrong way ([1]
chapter 3)
The unnatural planning model is what most people consciously think of as "planning," and
because it's so often artificial and irrelevant to real work, people just don't plan. At least
not on the front end: they resist planning meetings, presentations, and strategic operations
until the last minute. But what happens if you don't plan ahead of time?
In many cases, crisis! ("Didn't you get the tickets? I thought you were going to do that?!")
Then, when the urgency of the last minute is upon you, the reactive planning model
ensues. What's the first level of focus when the stuff hits the fan? Action! Work harder!
Overtime! More people! Get busier! And a lot of stressed-out people are thrown at the
situation. Then, when having a lot of busy people banging into each other doesn't resolve
the situation, someone gets more sophisticated and says, "We need to get organized!".
Then people draw boxes around the problem and label them. At some point they realize
that just redrawing boxes isn't really doing much to solve the problem.
Now someone (much more sophisticated) suggests that more creativity is needed. "Let's
brainstorm! With everyone in the room, the boss asks, "So, who's got a good idea here?
When not much happens, the boss may surmise that his staff has used up most of its
internal creativity. Time to hire a consultant! Of course, if the consultant is worth his salt,
at some point he is probably going to ask the big question: "So, what are you really trying
to do here, anyway?" (vision, purpose). This style is the reverse of the natural model.
31

NATURAL PLANNING MODEL APPLIED TO PROJECTS

Now, you can use the natural planning model in

GTDs second step (process the incompletes)
and fourth step (review) when youre dealing
with projects
The outcome will be the next actions to take
You often need to make it up in your mind
before you can make it happen in your life

32

If you want to learn more:

Read chapters 1, 2 and 3 in [1]

Read Part 1 in [2]