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We Still Don’t Get Things Done

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Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#101

Post by tomrod »

Lightbody wrote: post #31
jkhdigital wrote: post #24

I still think David Allen nailed it in Getting Things Done . Not the system necessarily, but he nailed the diagnosis of why we fail to get things done: an inability to be honest with ourselves about (1) the full scope and scale of the commitments we make, and (2) just how little time and attention we have at our disposal in meeting those commitments. Really, it’s the same sort of problem that is described in The Goal…

For what it’s worth, we (Reclaim.ai - I’m quoted in the article), have a lot of ADHD customers who tell us that we help with time blocking on their calendar. In particular, the fact that we do it automatically seems to be the thing they appreciate. Edit: First time I’ve ever been downvoted into negative territory. Clearly I’ve embarrassed myself ;P Is it because of self promotion? I guess… seems weird though I/my com…

Neat. Do you have integrations with Element?

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#102

Post by Lightbody »

TheDudeMan wrote: post #95
Zedronar wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked for two years at Amazon. My managers were not diving deep at all. At least not more than any other average manager in any other average company.

Dive deep is more for engineers. Managers can only go so deep because they must be broad. Yes, I know it says "leadership". I was there for 4 years.

I appreciate the point you’re trying to make, but I disagree with this.

It’s something that has frustrated me, as a manager, when fellow managers said it to me. I feel like it gives permission to managers to detach themselves from the reality of their organization.

The trick is to know WHEN to dive deep, because you are right that managers also have to maintain a broad perspective.

But being able to sniff out problems and then dive into them has always been the hallmark of a great manager/executive, at least in my own experiences.

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#103

Post by Lightbody »

tomrod wrote: post #101
Lightbody wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it’s worth, we (Reclaim.ai - I’m quoted in the article), have a lot of ADHD customers who tell us that we help with time blocking on their calendar. In particular, the fact that we do it automatically seems to be the thing they appreciate. Edit: First time I’ve ever been downvoted into negative territory. Clearly I’ve embarrassed myself ;P Is it because of self promotion? I guess… seems weird though I/my com…

Neat. Do you have integrations with Element?

I don’t know what Element is. Tell me more. Integrations are a big part of our roadmap this year, so… maybe!

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#104

Post by p_l »

quartesixte wrote: post #42
moksly wrote: post #32

The more project management tools I have to work with, the less likely I am to work for or with a company. I have a somewhat similar stance on software architecture. Sure, I’m TOGAF certified but if you actually expect me to work with notation correct Archimare/UML/whatever and not just draw boxes on a napkin you’re either insane or sell a product with no competition. This is anecdotal of course, but after 30 years o…

Credit due where credit is due: these project management software companies have done a good job of convincing people they need it. I've taken to using tools that most closely mimic notepad+pen or whiteboard+marker. Increasingly I am finding that a physical whiteboard, markers, and post-its are good enough. And if you need to create backups, the image quality on any smartphone is very, very good these days. The more…

To be honest, after playing with stuff like Enterprise Architect, and even JIRA - they could be game changer in many places I worked in.

But that would require a lot less gatekeepng and other artificial moats around them, and possibly a rather more open organisation model which wouldn't fly with middle management (even if your specific adjacent middle managers would like to, they don't operate in vacuum). And that's before you hit cost reasons. Or cost of training, especially since companies really, really don't like training people.

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#105

Post by krazyk8s »

reedjosh wrote: post #74
Lightbody wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say what you will about Amazon culture in general (I’ve never worked there)… but one of their leadership principals is Dive Deep > Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them. IMO this particular trait correlates well with a need for less process / project management software. I really believe if more peopl…

I'm there now (for only a short time), and I'm remarkably struck by how good the culture is, and it's the exact opposite of their reputation. Maybe team dependent, but I'm pretty happy with my manager.

I'm having the same experience myself. I've been in the role for less than a year, and the culture is completely opposite of what I expected. My team and managers are fantastic, the workload is less than a number of my previous jobs, its been one of the better jobs I've ever held (Although for all I know I've just had extremely bad luck with jobs for the last few decades and not realized it!).

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#106

Post by clon »

moksly wrote: post #32

The more project management tools I have to work with, the less likely I am to work for or with a company. I have a somewhat similar stance on software architecture. Sure, I’m TOGAF certified but if you actually expect me to work with notation correct Archimare/UML/whatever and not just draw boxes on a napkin you’re either insane or sell a product with no competition. This is anecdotal of course, but after 30 years o…

Thank you for writing this. It exactly aligns with my experience.

When such a rant actually feels sensible and pragmatic, there must be something seriously wrong.

I don't mean actual engineers wringing bug free code for a space telescope attitude control system. Seemingly they have it figured out - their code does not seem to fall down at a higher rate than bridges or office buildings. They have a method.

But this method, whatever they implement, is surely too costly for us regular chumps, at least provided your employer, as you put it, has competitors.

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#107

Post by planet-and-halo »

acituan wrote: post #30

Good. When we die, we will still have a giant todo list, and that’s OK. That doesn’t mean we haven’t done things, it just means the list didn’t capture the entirety of our desires and goals. Maybe the point of writing them down is mostly reflective; to contextualize them as much as possible and do the ones that we find most important by some unconscious heuristic. That means there will always be uncompleted things. A…

Thanks for writing this, it's so dead on. Becoming adept at mastering your time, attention, and effectiveness is worthwhile, but so often we mistake the trees for the forest and get caught up in turning ourselves into little efficiency machines.

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#108

Post by ChildOfChaos »

Invictus0 wrote: post #50

Great read. I feel like task lists are really a coping mechanism we resort to when we are placed in a somewhat natural situation--that is, having an overwhelming load of tasks to complete. Once the tasks are "out of mind" and on the list, then they can be completed sequentially--sort the tasks by priority, and then do them in that order. If to do lists were really about our life goals and dreams, then the Seinfeld me…

It's a popular technique but apparently Seinfeld did not do this, it was a throw away comment that became pop culture.

Re: We Still Don’t Get Things Done

#109

Post by granra »

Lightbody wrote: post #31
jkhdigital wrote: post #24

I still think David Allen nailed it in Getting Things Done . Not the system necessarily, but he nailed the diagnosis of why we fail to get things done: an inability to be honest with ourselves about (1) the full scope and scale of the commitments we make, and (2) just how little time and attention we have at our disposal in meeting those commitments. Really, it’s the same sort of problem that is described in The Goal…

For what it’s worth, we (Reclaim.ai - I’m quoted in the article), have a lot of ADHD customers who tell us that we help with time blocking on their calendar. In particular, the fact that we do it automatically seems to be the thing they appreciate. Edit: First time I’ve ever been downvoted into negative territory. Clearly I’ve embarrassed myself ;P Is it because of self promotion? I guess… seems weird though I/my com…

Looking at the landing page I can see only Google calendar is supported with outlook planned. Is there any chance of regular caldav support. I'm interested in the product but I use neither Google calendar nor Outlook.
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