How can you get things done?

You're gonna want to set up a couple of different systems so you can write any ideas down whenever. 

Personal notebook: Get a physical notebook, one that you can carry around. Nothing beats paper and pen. You can jot down any ideas, events anythings coming up in this notebook. 

Paper tray: Get yourself a nice paper tray and put it on the corner of your desk. Even though it takes up a good amount of space on your desk, you will use it a lot. You can use it to put any memos, business cards, sticky note will be put on this tray. 

Note taking app: evernote, google keep, notion...

In the image above, if you click on it, it is a visual representation of how you can clarify your ideas from step 1. 

Question #1: Is it actionable?

If "No" refer to next point

If "Yes" follow up with two more questions

Question #2: What's the next action?

Question #3: Will it take less than two minutes?

For your non-actionable items you can put it into 4 different categories. 

1- Trash

Trash is trash. If you don't need it, throw it out. 

2- Someday/Maybe

These items don't require your attention at the moment but you might need to do it later. You can put a reminder on your calendar or write them down on a list. (e.g. a software that you'd like to try but don't have the time to download right now.)

3- Reminders

Add them to your calendar (aren't at the top of your list). 

4- Reference material

Potentially useful info that you want to keep

Refer to question 2 and 3. 

After answering question 2 and 3 here's what you can do...

1- Do it

If it's less than two minutes, do it now. (e.g. Email short response, follow up with a quick phone call, new calendar invite(check schedule))

2- Delegate it

If you're. not the best person for the job, decide who you think is and how you're going to pass on the information to them (e.g. email, call..)

3- Defer it

Things you need to do - just not right now. 

The organization framework for GTD has 7 parts to it...

1- Next Actions Lists

Organize into things to do at work, things to do at home and agendas. 

2- Project Lists

Anything that requires more than one step to complete.. Consolidate it all into one list and mark them either "On Hold, In Progress or Completed". 

3- Calendar

Use for things that must be done by a certain day or time or things that need to be done as soon as possible.

4- Waiting For List

Keeps track of things you're waiting to get back from other people.

Continued in next point...

5- Someday/Maybe Lists

Organize the things you want to reassess sometime in the future.

6- Reference Material

Stuff that's interesting but doesn't represent something you need to act upon. (e.g. quotes from a book, notes, articles..)

7- Project Support Material

Information that relates to a project you're working on. Google drive and gmail are both very useful tools you can utilize to organize your files and information. 

Daily planning and weekly review are the two habits that keeps your GTD system running. 

Daily planning: Start with your calendar, it should give you everything you need to do for each day. Once you've seen what you are going to do prioritize your tasks off your Next Action lists. Taking a couple things from that list everyday can help get things done as long lists are intimidating, short lists get things done. Finally, review any other lists as needed. 

Weekly review continued in next point...

Weekly review: You can do a 30-minute weekly review in three steps. 

1- Empty all of your inboxes

Process everything you've collected in your inboxes that hasn't been dealt with yet. Start with you notes, then your lists, then your notebook, then your paper tray and finally your inbox. 

2- Review your calendar

Review events of past two weeks then look ahead to next two weeks. While doing that write down anything that reminds you to do something or sparks an idea.

3- Update your lists

Update all of the lists that you use for you daily workflow and determine if you need to follow up on something. 

It's now time to get to work, here's the four-criteria model that you can use to make intuitive decision about what to do next.  

1- Context

At any point in time, you can only do what you are capable of doing in your given environment. This is the reason your next action list is organized into things to do at home and to do at work. 

2- Time available

Do you have enough time to complete a task, or at least make meaningful progress?

Continued in next point...

3- Energy available

As the day passes, your energy and focus diminishes. tackle your most important, most difficult work first thing in the morning . Things that need to be done but require very little mental horsepower can help you stay productive at all hours of the day. 

4- Priority

Of all the things you could do, what should you do? When you have a clear picture of what your goal is in each area of your life, it helps your decision become easier to decipher what work is more important than others. 

This diagram can help you make decision about what you are doing. this priority framework is based on a similar idea proposed by Stephen Covey in his book ( The 7Habits of Highly Effective People). Covey teaches that everything we do falls into one of four quadrants. A time management matrix can be created by one axis of relative importance, and second axis of relative urgency.