We’ve already written several times about Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. It also keeps coming up in our time-management course. As a reminder, the four steps of GTD:
- Collect (anytime, anywhere)
- Decide & organise
- Do
- Weekly maintenance
We’ve talked quite a bit about steps 1 and 2. Less often about the actual doing (step 3). That’s what this blog is about.
What is ‘doing’?
Doing = getting the things done that contribute maximally to achieving your own goals.
The better steps 1 and 2 go, the more insight you’ll have into the actions you need to take.
Some steps to effectively achieve your goals:
- Pick a fixed moment in the day to plan the coming day. This gives a lot of calm and overview and the next day you start directly with DOING.
- Print your agenda and your list of next actions. On paper works better for most people than from the screen.
- Start the day by going through your agenda. Time-bound actions have priority over other actions (unless well organised).
- Set priorities. This sounds simple but isn’t always. Make a choice. Which actions contribute most to achieving your goals? That gives you a meaningful to-do list.
Note: Don’t pick too many actions. Be realistic. If at the end of the day you really did what you wanted, it feels good!
Five effectiveness accelerators
By taking the above steps you’re already effective. But you can do even better. We call them the five effectiveness-accelerators.
Accelerator 1
Finish one action entirely before you pick something else up — even if the other task only takes a few minutes. On average we get distracted 11 times per hour. And did you know it then takes 22 minutes to fully refocus? What a waste of time!
Accelerator 2
Start your day with DOING — meaning a few actions (from your task list) — not with, for example, processing and organising your email.
Accelerator 3
Print your list of next actions and make sure you always have the list with you. That way you can always do small tasks in between. Very handy!
Accelerator 4
Keep the actions “reading & reviewing” and “making calls” always at hand. These you can do anywhere: for example between two meetings.
Accelerator 5
Categorise your actions. Keep it simple. By categorising you can quickly decide about actions you must and want to perform — anytime, anywhere. Examples:
- Physical action (something you actually have to do)
- Equipment (PC, phone)
- Activity (making quotes, calling)
Conclusion
It’s not a question whether this works. It’s whether you’re open to it. In our time-management training we often hear from participants that they have to do too much at once; that the chaos of the day rules; that they sometimes no longer know what their action contributes to.
If you feel you’re being driven by others rather than driving your day, revisit the above tips. They work in every job. And if you still have questions — commenting is always allowed and welcome!
