Smart Cookie 🍪 's Key Ideas from Getting Things Done
by David Allen

1)Be clear about what it is that you want to do.Write ideas to make them clear.

2)Try to be 100% focused on the task at hand.You have to be laser-focused.Have a clear vision and a distraction free work zone.To concentrate more it's better that you write the task and a follow up sentence describing the task because your brain wil try to remind you again and again unless you finish them.This is distracting.Try to review the list by the end of the week and make changes if necessary

3)Focus is the key to doing more in less time

Sometimes by keeping a to-do list that you don't review, you may lose a few ideas that may restrict us from succeeding.To avoid this we need a plan.There are different types of planning :

1)Horizontal planning

2)Vertical planning

3)Natural planning

Horizontal planning

You clearly set the goal of each task and the actions and steps required to achieve that goal.This type of planning may require setting visible reminder.

Vertical Planning

It involves more focus on details and trying to come up with solutions to achieve every step.You can achieve this by writing on a piece of paper.

Natural planning(Brain):The most effective planning

Your brain is capable of doing much more useful things.It involves 5 steps.

1)You need to plan your goal

2) Have a clear vision of your outcome

3)You need to start brainstorming ideas.

4)You need to organise this ideas.

5) You need to identify your next course of action.

E.g.planning your dinner.

1)You decide the purpose of your dinner.

2)You start to have an idea about the outcome.You envision that place of eating.

3)You start to have ideas.Like time

4)You start to organise them.

5)You decide to take the first action.for e.g you call your friend.

Most successful people have just integrated a simple trick to achieve success.To do this you need to have clear vision of right time,space and tool.

Time-Set aside atleast two days.Use holiday/weekend.It seems long but the results are worth it

Place-Have your own desk to write down and organise your life.Even if you work at office, have a working station at home.

Tools-Things that you can use to process your thoughts and organize them into the right folder where they belong.For e.g 🖊️,post-it notes, 📆, 🖥️.Its up to you how you decide how to equip your desk.

Using calendar

• Having a calendar is very essential.
• The type doesn't matter as long as you are using it the right way.
• Don't use calendar to keep track of incomplete tasks that you'll never review.
• A calendar is meant to keep reminders os specific tasks that must be done at specific times no matter what.For e.g attending a workshop.
• You may use a hard copy/software.Just keep in mind that no tool can work alone.You will need to integrate multiple tools and use different tricks.

1)Collect everything that needs to be organized.The time period to do this may depend on the amount of stuff.Go through every storage unit of your house.

I)Do physical gathering.Check if anything is lying without a permanent place in your house.E.g.Desk drawers.

2)Do mental gathering-Sit and write down all your ideas on paper.

• Put all of your work in basket.Now you'll have clear idea on how much work you need to do.It is time consuming but it's worth it.
• Delegate your tasks.Divide your tasks in simple and bigger.Start with top priority taks 1st.Focus on 1 task at a time.

Now you can categorize all your tasks in different categories.They include your projects,calendar events,your next action list,your waiting for list,your someday list.

• Project list-all the tasks that require more than one step to get done.
• Calendar event-It should include all the tasks that have a specific due date.
• Next action list-1.Tasks that require taking action.

2.Needs to be done in one itting/context.

• Someday list-You can use of folder,planner or a software.This means you don't write the same task in 2 categories.They will only confuse you.