Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
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Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
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Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#2Some ten years ago I got hooked on GTD while at United World College. I thought it might make me a better student.
Today I am more careful and would steer clear of GTD simply because it doesn't help me do the things I don't want to do. And the things I want to do, I'll do anyway. While the things I don't want to do will be put off.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#3I finished reading(well listening) to GTD last week and started implementing the system this past week. Though I've basically taken a bunch of ideas from it and changed it to fit my work and lifestyle(I also switched to time based contexts over location mostly). I kept the processes the same. I also almost never have paperwork so I ignored all the stuff about labellers and filing cabinets.
The community around the book is seriously full of weirdly obsessive people though. I've read discussions where people talk about how they've been studying it for 3-6 years and just now feel like they are starting to really get it and if you haven't put that much effort into it you won't get it. I constantly feel like I'm missing out on something because I just didn't find it that hard to understand?
The new book apparently drops all the talk about palm pilots which I'm sure is nice but from what I've read if you read the original you probably won't have much to gain from reading this one.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#4Some ten years ago I got hooked on GTD while at United World College. I thought it might make me a better student. Today I am more careful and would steer clear of GTD simply because it doesn't help me do the things I don't want to do. And the things I want to do, I'll do anyway. While the things I don't want to do will be put off.
Nice to see another UWC grad on HN.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#5I finished reading(well listening) to GTD last week and started implementing the system this past week. Though I've basically taken a bunch of ideas from it and changed it to fit my work and lifestyle(I also switched to time based contexts over location mostly). I kept the processes the same. I also almost never have paperwork so I ignored all the stuff about labellers and filing cabinets. The community around the bo…
3-6 years? Sounds like someone who is in love with preparing for the actual work. I know this situation - whether it is setting up your development environment, getting the proper running gear if you want to get in shape or researching the best controller for your DAW (I used to work in audio production)...or reading books on how to get things done. These are tasks that easily provide a feeling of accomplishment, without ever tackling the actual work, the hard problems.
Don't get me wrong - it's good to prepare and I appreciate being organized, but it's very easy to fall into the trap of an endless preparing cycle. At some point there aren't any remaining benefits and all that is left to do, is the actual doing.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#6My story goes like this. I listened to the messages, heard other variations, and still struggled with this concept. I'm not obsessed about the topic but for whatever reason, I struggled to 'catch' the idea.
I tried calendars, mail clients, to do lists, etc. Nothing seemed to help. Until I had someone teach me time management, in about 30 minutes. I'm not sure how, I'm not sure why but...it all finally clicked for me.
I've been using Things for about a year but I had it for like six years. It's my #1 application. I've been able to manage an 'inbox zero' for the past year.
My advice to newbies: Learn time management but start small. GTD isn't an all in one solution, it wasn't for me, but it's a great skill to learn. Do one thing, do it well, then build on that. If you ever overwhelm yourself with tasks, take steps back (ask yourself why you are doing these tasks). There is satisfaction to GTD filing system but don't let that guide you, it's your tool. Remember start small. A long journey always began with one step.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#7I adopted GTD back in college (around '08-'09) after learning about it from Merlin Mann and reading about it in the book "Dreaming in Code." If it taught me one thing, it taught me to learn how to say no to commitments. Sure, I'd like to work on this fun software project or go to this hackathon, but then I think of all the work it will take and the existing work I'm committed to. At that point, as much as I'd like to do otherwise, I say no to the proposed commitment. GTD is core to my life. All my commitments are consolidated and up to date in my Things app. I honestly couldn't imagine how I could have been productive without it.
edit: I also recommend those familiar to GTD to listen to Merlin Mann talk about it on his Back to Work podcast: http://5by5.tv/b2w/95
Helps you rediscover some principles about GTD.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#8I am curious to hear what HNers have to say about this book. To be honest I always thought that these kind of books (i.e personal growth / motivational) were BS but that is problem a hasty generalization I made.
For those out there who read it, did it improve your project throughput or productivity? bonus if you have ADHD
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#9I finished reading(well listening) to GTD last week and started implementing the system this past week. Though I've basically taken a bunch of ideas from it and changed it to fit my work and lifestyle(I also switched to time based contexts over location mostly). I kept the processes the same. I also almost never have paperwork so I ignored all the stuff about labellers and filing cabinets. The community around the bo…
People take years to understand something like I say it took me 20 years to learn how to build software systems. I didn't spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 20 years educating myself. It was bits and spurts, interspersed with other goals and learning how building software systems relates to those other goals and my self and my life.
In other words, hard things are hard and if it's not hard, it's not worth learning. Twenty years from now I'm sure I'll be saying that it took me forty years to learn how to code.
Re: Getting Things Done – Revised 2015
#10In my experience, GTD is overkill and managing things that way is a time consuming task in itself. I converged on something simpler: I have four lists. One that contains everything that absolutely needs to be done. Then there is a list for things that can be done but are not essential. This list is a pretty amazing collection of ideas and when I have some time left, I pick an item that looks appealing in that situation. Then there is a reading list and a list for completed tasks. All lists are stored in one org-mode file (along with tons of other things). The list with important stuff is frighteningly long. At first this bothered me but I got used to it. Now I see it as a resources. There is always something on that list that I'd like to work on. Once a week I go through this list and move some items to the non-essential list. If something stayed long enough on the important list and nothing bad happened, it's probably not important.