GET THE MOST FROM THE GTD® METHODOLOGY IN LESS TIME
How I Optimized My GTD® Approach
An effective hybrid (handwritten and digital) approach to Get Things Done®
I’ve been practicing GTD® for more than two years, and I feel I have improved a lot in managing my life’s targets. The methodology brings me focus and peace of mind while managing more complexities than ever, both at work and in my private life.
If you wish to dive into GTD®, I recommend my previous article on how I implemented Getting Things Done® with Asana, which includes methodology steps and useful links.
Back then, I was using a digital tool to implement GTD®, but the time to manage my reviews was getting quite a burden. The main reason was digital information is fast to capture but tends to become quickly unmanageable in terms of volume and useful review. For instance, it is straightforward to clip web pages, add tasks for interesting articles, ideas, thoughts, but their amount becomes quickly overwhelming in my experience, especially if you’re an eager reader as I am.
I felt I needed to optimize my process.
That’s where handwriting popped-up: I realized I wasn’t handwriting on my favorite notebooks anymore. I missed it:
- writing by hand impresses contents much more effectively in our brains, so it eases remembering things, sets a natural limit to the information you can collect (see this article as an example of the cognitive benefits of handwriting);
- your eyes, your brain can take a break from the device monitors continuous stimulus;
- if you love writing on papers, as I do, this can be a tremendous stimulus to act;
- goals reaching is stronger with handwriting (see here, for instance). I am starting to experience it.
But how could I simplify my GTD® implementation without sacrificing most of its value while managing slower reviews due to my handwriting?
It took me a while to experiment with templates and prioritizing lists, but eventually, I find my balance. I can now finalize my weekly reviews in less than 2 hours, encompassing professional, personal roles.
How To Handle Weekly Reviews On Your Notebook
Prepare Your Tools
Take a different notebook for each of your roles for which you want to implement GTD®. I find separating areas of my life both practical and efficient.
I usually use 13x20cm notebooks, with dotted pages.
Use notebooks and pens you like. Why? Because you have to enjoy the writing act, so to be motivated to do it.
Define Your Upcoming Week Plan
It is relatively simple:
- add the upcoming “CW X” on top of the page, where X stands for the forthcoming calendar week number;
- divide your page with a vertical straight line on the middle;
- on the left part, list planned next actions, adding owners, date if needed; typically, one page is enough for me to list all of them in a specific role; add more pages if you need;
- on the right side, list your top ongoing projects: I find it useful, as it acts as a reminder of critical ongoing initiatives and enables a cross-check with the listed next actions; I usually don’t need the whole page length, so I split it and add a “To be started / Maybe” project/actions/ideas list; use a different layout if you need more space or categories;
- on the next free page, add a “Context Next Actions CW X”: here, you can create different sections with your more critical contexts. Professionally, I use boss O2Os, team members O2Os for instance;
- or each context, add next actions (usually already listed so in previous pages), to focus what to discuss, check;
- on the next free page, add the “To be Captured” title, so you’ll be able to fill it with all new stuff you’ll decide to capture for further review. I suggest to split them into “urgent”, “important” when applying the “clarifying”, “organize” phases of the GTD® methodology is straightforward.
Repeat the same procedure for each of your roles. I usually take a small break before switching.
Work On Your Actions Daily
On each subsequent day:
- draw a line on completed actions (the thing I love most!)
- add new tasks to be managed, projects you want to start, things you might have forgotten to the “to be captured page”;
- start a “Top Actions Of The Day” on your notebook (few lines normally fit)
- add “calendar actions” (those with matching set date) and actions you choose to manage in this specific day; I recommend often referring to your planned actions during the day to be sure you’re prioritizing them.
Try to resist to work on new, maybe urgent tasks before completing your targets, unless mandatory.
Handle Your Weekly Review
I usually handle my weekly review on Sundays, a good day to find some peaceful time, far from the day-by-day noise.
During this time, I review the past week and set-up the upcoming one, with the process I described above. As I said, it takes me no more than two hours.
To review your ending week:
- evaluate postponing your uncompleted actions to the following week (they also might be no more necessary or can become uncertain, becoming eligible for the “to be started” list);
- check your context actions, applying the same process;
- check your “to be captured” session, laying the clarifying and organizing phases to determine which next actions and projects to append to your lists (ongoing or to be started).
So, no more digital? Not at all.
I’m a great fan and honestly quite an expert user of many valuable digital tools out there, each offering unique features to specific implementation needs. I moved to an “analogic approach” for my weekly GTD® management, due to the implementation I choose, not the tool itself.
Besides, I still find digital tools unique for capturing project and reference material. And for checklists too.
Conclusions
My handwriting approach fits for my next actions management and reviews. GTD® encompasses more: goals, vision, specific contexts, checklists, for instance.
My reviews were becoming tough to handle in a manageable time. I found a handwritten approach simplifies my implementation and gives me more time to execute while making the review process more pleasant.
I find digital tools still relevant to capture digital content for my projects and reference material collections mainly.
I think there’s no perfect approach to GTD®; find the one which best fits you and keep experimenting.
“Most people feel best about their work the week before they go on 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, organize, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. You do this so you can relax and be present on the beach, on the golf course, or on the slopes, with nothing else on your mind. I suggest you do this weekly instead of yearly, so you can bring this kind of “being present” to your everyday life.” — David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Stay productive!
Originally published at https://www.apprenticecto.com on November 22, 2020.
