GTD essence: attention cleared of residue & distraction, pointed at the right thing.

Hi Members, A fun new way to learn from the DAC Coaches is the new "Coaches' Chat" feature. I am doing informal, phone chats with them on topics that members often ask us about. The first one is with Wayne on Someday/Maybe. Next one up will be with Danny Bader on change & GTD. I'll post them ...

I am trying to decide whether to replace Palm desktop with a basic sync to Outlook or replace my Project Management Tool (ShadowPlan) with Outlook with the Netcentric plug in. Does the Netcentric Outlook Plug in allow you to have a multi-level project ? Meaning: Project - Subproject --Su...

The latest issue of the free Productive Living newsletter is going out today. If you are not a subscriber, or prefer to read it online, click here. We don't automatically subscribe anyone to this, so if you are a Connect member wondering why you don't get it, click on over to that link and add yo...

I just posted another interview with Meghan Wilker, one of the fan favorites in David's In Conversation series. A little background here: I actually recorded this one before David did his IC with her. We thought we lost the recording, so I suggested to David that she would be a great IC candidat...

The Wall Street Journal took a closer look at the phenomenon of Getting Things Done.  They also reviewed some time management approaches like Covey and The Pomodoro Technique.   While there are quite a few differences in each of the 3 (GTD is actually not time management and much different than what the other 2 approaches are intended to do), it's a good, quick read.  Here's a link to the article.

Readers of my site know that I am a big fan of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology, which the cool kids call "GTD" (see my 5 must read business books post). GTD for some is a life changer. I can tell you that I personally went from work drawers full of paper piles to an organized filing system and, every once in a while, a clear desk.  But GTD isn't about organization. It's about capturing your commitments in a trusted system and using your now free brain to make decisions about what you should be doing right this instant. When people ask me to recommend a tool for keeping up with business contacts, I don't have a piece of software I recommend, but rather a systematic approach that could be used in a variety of programs or even on paper. Let me explain. You may find yourself at a business function. It could be a meeting, a local event, or a national conference. You will probably meet new people, have a few conversations, make a few light-hearted promises, and collect a pocket full of business cards.  The meeting is not where people experience the most stress, it's the next day. The next day you get back to your desk, open your drawer, and throw in a pile of cards. You'll deal with them later, right? If you are trying to develop or grow a professional network, this is a huge mistake. What GTD teaches you is that each one of those cards is a mental commitment you've made with yourself. You'll spend more time and energy worrying about , "who was that guy I met?" and "what did I say I would send her?" then you will if you just process the cards right away. Instead of throwing those cards in your drawer, get yourself a card scanner (they are cheap). Scan those cards into whatever system you use (Outlook, Apple Address book, Lotus Notes, day planner, etc.) As you verify the scanned information for each card, do a brain dump into the notes section. Where did you meet this person? What did you talk about? Capture every bit of information or minor detail about this person you can. Get it all out of your head. Now ask yourself whether there are any "next actions" related to this person. If there are, capture them in your next actions list. Example: "look for old boating book for Ned Smith" If it is your desired outcome to develop a meaningful and productive business relationship with this person, create a project on your projects list called "Relationships: Ned Smith." That way you have captured your desired outcome somewhere you can review it. During each weekly review, you can determine the next action needed to move that relationship forward. The GTD system recommends that you have a series of lists you review on a regular basis. One list you should have is a relationship "hit list." This is a list of your 10-15 most important business contacts. You should review this list monthly to make sure you "ping" each of these contacts (send them a note, call them, take them to lunch) at least once per month. Using GTD will improve your ability to develop and maintain successful business relationships. Get those cards out of your drawer. Get those commitments out of your head. And get them into a trusted system. Matt Handal is a marketing professional who offers actionable advice on marketing, business development, and productivity at www.HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. He is an avid GTD'er and can be reached by email.

Discovered interview I did several months ago for ISA. GTD, condensed. http://bit.ly/3rbH8P (who did my hair?!)

Clear morning sun in SFO. At the Intercontinental again, memories of GTD global summit. Public seminar today.

We've covered these in some of the recent Webinars, but here's a list of typical Action, Project and Areas of Focus verbs: Project verbs: Handle Organize Submit Finalize Complete Roll-out Areas of Focus verbs: Maintain Manage Oversee Monitor Supervise Next Action verbs: Call Wr...

How many things could we have thought about today, productively, that we didn't? Secret = choosing to think.

Podcast I did re: GTD as the Art of Work vs. just working http://bit.ly/1rQSs4

Gorgeous sunset now out by my fireplace at home (There really is a winter light in southern California!)

I've recently had the opportunity to play with an integrated software/capture service called MyCaption.  I want to use this post as a way to introduce BlackBerry® owners to the benefits of the software in your GTD® practice. Before we get started, I should identify the basic function of the software.  MyCaption allows the user to create and annotate Tasks, Appointments, Memos, Email, SMS messages, at the touch of a button.  The process is such that after the software captures the user's vocal recording, that data is sent to the company's servers, where it is delivered to the BlackBerry device as one of the above formats. So how can it work for GTD?First, as a Collection Tool.  Let's say I'm out and about and I have a thought that I want to remember to watch David Allen's latest Webinar on GTD Connect.  I would push the side button on my BlackBerry (which I've specifically mapped to the Task function) and a recording interface pops up.  I can then speak for up to 3 minutes, offering whatever information I might need ("watch David's Webinar on Priorities").  What I then receive back within 5 minutes is a notice that MyCaption has created a new Task, and I'm given the option to go to Tasks. Notice however, that I identify this function as Collection.  That's because I cannot yet place that Task within a Category, neither can I create a new Category if I wanted to.  In speaking with the developers of MyCaption, this is a function that they are currently investigating, but for now it's unavailable.  So after creating this new uncategorized Task, I've essentially captured "stuff" that needs to be processed.  What I will do then is to sync my BlackBerry at some later point in time, and the Task shows up in my Outlook Tasks uncategorized (at the top of my view) and I now can Process this new input as I would any other new piece of collection: by asking "what is it?" "is it actionable", etc.  Using my previous example, I would open the Task and categorize it as something to do "@Online".  The inability to categorize while you speak is clearly a limitation, however the MyCaption solution is much more streamlined than paper collection as far as I'm concerned. While that describes my primary use of the software, there are other features that many of you may find very valuable.  I can speak a reply (or replay all) to an email.  I can do the same with SMS text.  I can create an appointment through speech, you can annotate a Task so that my speech shows up as text in the "Notes" section of the Task.  My lifestyle is not so mobile that I find all these features useful, but as I hear of more and more BlackBerry users giving up their laptops on the road, these features may end up being mission-critical life-savers. I should note that there can be a delay to receiving input (Tasks, etc.) from the MyCaption servers, and that can prove sticky if you're trying to cleanly shift your thinking from one area to another, only to have the first area come back at you, but to me that's a minor distraction, and the functionality of MyCaption well-compensates this downside. There's also the requirement that for email, recipients need to be either identified as MyCaption recipients on the BlackBerry, or your Contacts need to be loaded on the MyCaption servers, also a minor downside. All in all, I find MyCaption to be one of the better GTD tools around for the BlackBerry. Wayne Pepper is a senior presenter and coach with the David Allen Company.  While this review is based on his personal and objective opinion as a GTD expert and BlackBerry user, he received a free copy of this software to do this review.  Please note that this is not an official endorsement from the David Allen Company. We are not affiliated with MyCaption.  But they have a cool tool that works well, and we think you might like it too.

Still buzzing frm last night's performance in S. Barbara by The Globe's acting troupe. Stunning theater. http://bit.ly/3NhB5X

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder. W.C. Fields

I found this article on USA Today to be useful about remotely erasing data on a handheld device. My friend recently had her purse stolen and did not have any kind of security or password on her iPhone. My retciular was put on alert about this topic! http://usat.me/?36787024 [INDENT]Fortunatel...

David answers the question, "Do I need a customized version of GTD for my organization?" What are best practices that apply to all? Click here to listen now or click here to download. (mp3, 4:47). For access to all previous podcasts, check out our complete podcast feed.

Related Links:

• In-House GTD Seminars
  
• Public GTD Seminars