Getting Things Done
Encyclopedia
Getting Things Done is an organizational method created by productivity consultant David Allen
, described in a book of the same name.
The Getting Things Done method rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind
by recording them externally. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate on actually performing those tasks.
, priorities usually play a central role. In contrast, Allen's approach uses two key elements — control and perspective. He proposes a workflow
process to gain control over all the tasks and commitments that one needs or wants to get done, and "6 different levels of focus" to provide them with useful perspective.
The author advocates a weekly review focused on different levels, and suggests that the perspective gained from these reviews should drive one's priorities, which can in turn determine the priority of the individual tasks and commitments gathered during the workflow process. During a weekly review, the user determines the context for the tasks and puts them on the appropriate lists. An example of grouping together similar tasks would be making a list of outstanding telephone
calls, or errands to perform while downtown. Context lists can be defined by the set of tools available or by the presence of individuals or groups for whom one has items to discuss or present.
GTD is based on making it easy to store, track and retrieve all information related to the things that need to get done. Allen suggests that many of the mental blocks we encounter are caused by insufficient 'front-end' planning
. It is most practical, according to Allen, to do this thinking in advance, generating a series of actions which we can later undertake without any further planning. The human brain
's "reminder system" is inefficient and seldom reminds us of what we need to do at the time and place when we can do it. Consequently, the "next actions" stored by context in the "trusted system" act as an external support which ensures that we are presented with the right reminders at the right time. Since GTD relies on external memories, it can be seen as an application of the scientific theories of distributed cognition
or the extended mind
.
called GTD "A new cult for the info age", describing the enthusiasm for this methodology among information technology
and knowledge workers as a kind of cult following
. Allen's ideas have also been popularized through the Internet
, especially via blogs such as Lifehacker, 43 Folders
, and The Simple Dollar.
In 2005, Ben Hammersley
interviewed David Allen for The Guardian
, with an article called "Meet the man who can bring order to your universe", saying "For me, as with the hundreds of thousands around the world who press the book into their friends' hands with fire in their eyes, Allen's ideas are nothing short of life-changing".
In 2007, Time Magazine called Getting Things Done the self-help business book of its time.
In 2007, Wired ran another article about GTD and Allen, quoting him as saying "the workings of an automatic transmission
are more complicated than a manual transmission
... to simplify a complex event, you need a complex system".
tools claim to be GTD compliant. A wide spectrum of software exists, from commercial packages like Remember The Milk
, OmniFocus
, Things
and ThinkingRock to open source
applications such as Chandler to command-line
implementations such as Taskwarrior
. TiddlyWiki
has long been used as a personal productivity tool geared towards Allen's GTD methodology.
David Allen (author)
David Allen is a productivity consultant who is best known as the creator of the time management method known as "Getting Things Done" .He grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana where he acted and won a state championship in debate...
, described in a book of the same name.
The Getting Things Done method rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
by recording them externally. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate on actually performing those tasks.
Methodology
In traditional time managementTime management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
, priorities usually play a central role. In contrast, Allen's approach uses two key elements — control and perspective. He proposes a workflow
Workflow
A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work...
process to gain control over all the tasks and commitments that one needs or wants to get done, and "6 different levels of focus" to provide them with useful perspective.
The author advocates a weekly review focused on different levels, and suggests that the perspective gained from these reviews should drive one's priorities, which can in turn determine the priority of the individual tasks and commitments gathered during the workflow process. During a weekly review, the user determines the context for the tasks and puts them on the appropriate lists. An example of grouping together similar tasks would be making a list of outstanding telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
calls, or errands to perform while downtown. Context lists can be defined by the set of tools available or by the presence of individuals or groups for whom one has items to discuss or present.
GTD is based on making it easy to store, track and retrieve all information related to the things that need to get done. Allen suggests that many of the mental blocks we encounter are caused by insufficient 'front-end' planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
. It is most practical, according to Allen, to do this thinking in advance, generating a series of actions which we can later undertake without any further planning. The human brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
's "reminder system" is inefficient and seldom reminds us of what we need to do at the time and place when we can do it. Consequently, the "next actions" stored by context in the "trusted system" act as an external support which ensures that we are presented with the right reminders at the right time. Since GTD relies on external memories, it can be seen as an application of the scientific theories of distributed cognition
Distributed cognition
Distributed cognition is a psychological theory developed in the mid 1980s by Edwin Hutchins. Using insights from sociology, cognitive science, and the psychology of Vygotsky it emphasizes the social aspects of cognition. It is a framework that involves the coordination between individuals,...
or the extended mind
Extended mind
The Extended Mind is a book in the field of philosophy of mind edited by Richard Menary. It contains several papers by different philosophers....
.
Reception
In 2005, WiredWired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
called GTD "A new cult for the info age", describing the enthusiasm for this methodology among information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and knowledge workers as a kind of cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. Allen's ideas have also been popularized through the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, especially via blogs such as Lifehacker, 43 Folders
Merlin Mann
Merlin Dean Mann III writes the blog . He received a B.A. from New College of Florida, and he currently resides in San Francisco, California with his wife, Madeline Mann, and their daughter, .-Writing:...
, and The Simple Dollar.
In 2005, Ben Hammersley
Ben Hammersley
Ben Hammersley is a British internet technologist, journalist, author, broadcaster, and diplomat, currently based in London, England....
interviewed David Allen for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, with an article called "Meet the man who can bring order to your universe", saying "For me, as with the hundreds of thousands around the world who press the book into their friends' hands with fire in their eyes, Allen's ideas are nothing short of life-changing".
In 2007, Time Magazine called Getting Things Done the self-help business book of its time.
In 2007, Wired ran another article about GTD and Allen, quoting him as saying "the workings of an automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
are more complicated than a manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
... to simplify a complex event, you need a complex system".
Software implementations
Although GTD material is careful to remain "tool agnostic" and in fact advises people to start with a paper-based system, many task managementTask management
Task management is the process of managing a task through its life cycle, including planning, testing, tracking and reporting. Task management can help either individuals achieve goals, or groups of individuals collaborate and share knowledge for the accomplishment of collective goals...
tools claim to be GTD compliant. A wide spectrum of software exists, from commercial packages like Remember The Milk
Remember The Milk
Remember the Milk is an application service provider for web-based task- and time-management. It allows users to manage tasks from computer as well as offline. It is being developed by an Australian/international team.- Features :...
, OmniFocus
OmniFocus
OmniFocus is a personal task manager by The Omni Group for Mac OS X and iOS. The declared goal of the program is to be able to capture thoughts and ideas into to do lists....
, Things
Things (application)
Things is a personal task management application for Mac OS X made by Cultured Code, a software startup based in Stuttgart, Germany. Its 1.0 release was on January 6, 2009...
and ThinkingRock to open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
applications such as Chandler to command-line
Command-line interface
A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks...
implementations such as Taskwarrior
Taskwarrior
Taskwarrior is an open-source, cross platform time and task management tool. It has a command-line interface rather than a graphical user interface....
. TiddlyWiki
TiddlyWiki
TiddlyWiki is an open source single page application wiki. A single HTML file contains CSS, JavaScript, and the content. The content is divided into a series of sections, or Tiddlers. A user is encouraged to read a TiddlyWiki by following links rather than sequentially scrolling down the...
has long been used as a personal productivity tool geared towards Allen's GTD methodology.
External links
- David Allen & Co. official site
- Detailed Reading Review of the Book
- http://www.wikisummaries.org/Getting_Things_Done:_The_Art_of_Stress-Free_Productivity