Getting Things Done

Stephen Reese is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He has long been a student of productivity, with years of history using tools from low-tech to high-tech. You'll enjoy hearing him discuss his GTD practice, especially his "habits of the mind for the intellectual craftsman."

The article that Stephen mentions during the interview is "The Intellectual Craftsman in a Digital World". On that page, scroll down to see the full article.

Stephen's faculty page has more information about his background, and links to additional resources.

Note: We had some audio static for a couple of minutes from 6:00 to 8:46, but it's clear after that.

Let's end the year with a compilation of all of David's Two Minute Tips as these turbulent times continue, plus these are gems you can reference at any point of your GTD® life. Happy New Year!

This is an installation and implementation session on the higher Horizons of Focus?. We will spend time exploring if anything has your attention at each of the horizons, and will end with integrating the horizons at the project and next action levels. During the session, there are sections where you can create or refine what you have on each of the horizons. The prompt questions for each of the horizons are listed below. These sections were about five minutes each in the live webinar. We have edited out those sections of silence for this recording. Please feel free to stop the recording as you reach those sections, and use the prompt questions below to work on each of your horizons. The webinar concluded with these two thoughts:

• Without clear purpose and direction you could easily be busy doing off-course things and wonder why a meaningful life is so elusive
• Getting the right small things done directly contributes to an authentic and meaningful life

HORIZON 5: Purpose and Principles My purpose and principles contribute to my authentic life. Trigger Questions: What gets me up out of bed in the morning? What is most meaningful to me? What, if I am doing or expressing it, makes me feel like I am being who I really am, at my best? When do I feel like I really ?show up?? What really matters to me, in terms of how I live and work? What do I hold as standards for myself, no matter what, in terms of how I am living and working? HORIZON 4: Vision My purpose and principles influence my vision. My vision contributes to my purpose and principles. Trigger Questions: If I were wildly successful fulfilling my purpose, living my principles, what might be true for me, several years from now? What might I be doing? What might I have? What experiences might I be having? Contexts: Career Lifestyle Energy/health Finances Relationships Time horizons: 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? More? HORIZON 3: Goals and Objectives My vision influences my goals and objectives. My goals and objectives contribute to my vision. Trigger Question: Given what?s currently in play, and what I?ve thought about today, what are the things I need to have happen, or would like to have true for me, within the next 12 to 24 months? HORIZON 2: Areas of Focus and Accountability My goals and objectives influence my areas of focus and accountability. My areas of focus and accountability contribute to my goals. Trigger Questions: What are the areas of accountability in my work? What are the areas of focus in my life? HORIZON 1: Projects My areas of focus and accountability influence my projects. My projects contribute to my areas of focus and accountability. GROUND: Calendar/Actions My projects influence my next actions. My next actions contribute to my projects. My next actions get the things that are meaningful to me done.

David explores the psychology of productivity with William Elliott, a counseling psychologist and GTD master trainer in South Africa. William describes his own journey with attention-deficit disorder, and finding GTD as a support for becoming more organized. He has wise words about how humility and accepting our limitations can improve our productivity and the overall quality of our lives. You'll likely resonate with his description of the background stress around "What do I say no to?" and how GTD helps with decision making and prioritizing. Regarding what's on our lists, he notes that there is an advance beyond safely ignoring to reach comfortably ignoring. Responding to a question from David, William says that his "brain has accepted that GTD is the life raft." (January 2018)

From the archives (July 2013) - Senior Coaches Meg Edwards and Kelly Forrister share the 3 types of ways to review your GTD system. You'll learn about what's best to review on a daily, weekly, quarterly, and yearly basis to keep on track and aligned with what's important to you. Includes helpful tips around reviewing projects, action lists, goals, areas of focus, and more.

David Allen talks about the question, "Is there really too much to do?"

From the archives (May 2010): Audio Only version of the third episode in the Road to Black Belt "boot camp" series, where Coaches Meg Edwards & Kelly Forrister take a deep dive into the Review & Do phases of GTD.

From the archives: Listen in as David chats with best-selling author Dan Pink, getting an inside look into his own path, his research and observations about people and the nature of work, and his own use of GTD for managing himself with all of that. Dan is a journalist and the author of Free Agent Nation, A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell Is Human (April 2012)

David Allen explores how groups that want to foster friendliness can fall into the trap of not making it clear who is accountable for which outcomes. The result is not so nice.

From the archives: David Allen sits down with John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing and talk about Getting Things Done®