Getting Things Done

1. Getting Things Done A quick look at time management, drawing on the David Allen book Getting Things Done Put together by Jennifer L. Bowie

2. Why: Mind Like Water • Insufficient time for the vast demands • Boundary issues: work not clearly bound, issues with life beyond work • Keeping track of the big picture and day to day • Promises mind like water: Always in an efficient and effective ready state. Clear mind ready to work with no nagging thoughts of what you should be doing.

3. Why Things are on Your Mind • Mind doesn’t have a mind of its own: Doesn’t only worry about things when you can do them, worries all the time • Things on your mind because: • You’ve not clarified the intended outcome yet • You haven’t decide what the next step is • You haven't put reminders into a system • Major Challenge: get it out of your head!

4. What is GTD? • A workflow process • A framework with 6 levels of focus • A natural planning method • Often more bottom up • Combines all aspects of life: work, home, relationships, relaxation, hobbies. Thus good for us academics with out clear separations

5. The Process Check out the Workflow Diagram • Collect • Process • Organize • Review • Do

6. Collect • Important to capture everything to get mind like water state (MLWS) • Gather 100% of open loops/incompletes: everything that should, needs to , or ought to get done • Tools: • Physical in-box • Paper-based note taking supplies • Electronic noted-taking supplies • Voice-recording devices • E-mail • Collect every open loop by one of these methods • Have as few collection devices as possible • Empty collection devices regularly

7. Process • Go through each collected item and decide: • What is it? • Is it Actionable? • No: • Trash • Incubate • Reference • Yes: • Is it a project? Capture it on a projects list, which you review weekly • What is the next action? • Do it: if less than two minutes • Delegate it • Defer it: make sure you track next actions and capture it on a list or calander

8. Organize • Create Projects lists: A Project is anything with more than one action step. • May want multiple lists or one general list • Some ideas: • A list of publication projects • The Diss list • Class work list • Teaching list • But don’t subdivide too much • Likely have at least 50 projects at any one time • Collect support materials, but store out of site (you don’t need the reminders now!)

9. Next Actions • Calendar: Use to collect all • Time-specific action • Day-specific actions • Day-specific information: info need on a certain date • Do not put on things you would like to do that day • Next Actions list: where all the action reminders go, kind of a to-do list, but better • If 20-30: fine to have one Next Actions list • If More: divide the lists into context and action based lists: • Calls • At school • At home • Errands • People: SO, colleagues, “boss”, teachers, chair….. • Read/Review: Love this!!! • Waiting for

10. Nonactionable Items • Trash • Incubate: Things you might want to do and need to be reminded of • Someday/Maybe: Wish list of possible future projects and ideas such as a book you can’t write now, a dream vacation, house remodel for next year, things you may want to buy (books, cds,…), things to do with SOs,… • Tickler file: a file of things you need to be remind of at a certain time, such as a bill to pay, a CFP deadline, and so on. Create a hard copy 43 folder file. • Reference: valuable info you must keep. File it out of the way

11. Review • Weekly review for “runway” and 10,000 levels • Gather and process in-boxes • Review system • Projects lists: ? • Calendar • Next Actions • Update Lists • Clean, clear, complete • Higher levels as appropriate: monthly? Yearly? (marriage book)

12. Sadly this is where my saved slides end • I’ll try to find the rest and get it up.