I’d like to try something a little new here. I’m an avid reader and would love to share with you my thoughts on my latest reads. I always appreciate knowing what others are reading and suggestions for a new book, so I hope you will find some encouragement in the pages I peruse. We are going to begin today by discussing Getting Things Done by David Allen. (Note: the links to Getting Things Done on Amazon are my affiliate link.)
Who is Getting Things Done for?
Getting Things Done is for anyone! Even if you don’t employ Allen’s whole system, you will still glean helpful tips for being more productive and efficient. It has advice for everyone from the homemaker to the business man.
The Gist of Getting Things Done:
Allen likens our minds to a computer. The amount of “stuff” we carry around in our heads adversely affects our ability to relax, think, and be productive and creative. He advocates an organized brain dumping of sorts where we can take what is in our head, put it in a trusted system, and reap the rewards of a clear mind. The result is the ability to focus completely and effectively on the task at hand.
What I liked about Getting Things Done:
I totally agree with Allen about brain dumping and already have a trusted system in place for storing everything that is on our family plate. There have been times in my life where I have made do with inefficient systems and these times have always found me the most frazzled, exhausted, and unproductive.
Often after having a baby, I go through a sort of survival mode. My old routines and systems slowly become obsolete, but I don’t really have the time and energy to put new ones in place. Until I take the time to refresh our family’s routines and clean up my organizational systems, I struggle with foggy thinking and constantly feeling like I’m forgetting something (which I usually am!).
While I found Allen’s system a little over-complicated, it did motivate me to “spring clean” my own systems. Several tips I really enjoyed were:
Weekly Review
This is something I do already. I take time every Sunday to review my goals, my projects, and my to-do’s and then formulate a plan for the week in my planner. I don’t rely solely on weekly reviews. I also incorporate yearly reviews (long range planning: re-accessing priorities, goals, systems, organization, etc.), monthly reviews (upcoming appts./birthdays/celebrations, financial check-ups), and daily reviews (accessing the day as it hits me!).
If a task takes less than 2 minutes-Do it!
This is a procrastination killer! I’ve tried to employ this habit over the last week, and I feel lthe difference in mental energy when I am not processing these simple tasks (like responding to an email, calling the doctor to set up an appointment, changing the laundry, etc.)
When a task takes less than 2 minutes, I do it, and it is off my plate and off my mental to-do list.
However, I think homeschooling mothers have MANY less than 2 minute tasks, so we need to be careful not to run around with a fragmented mind accomplishing all those 2 minute tasks! Yes, it will only take you 2 minutes to take the laundry upstairs, but right now your little one just needs you for a moment. Use the 2 minute rule with prudence!
Breaking down massive projects into the next action.
Allen pushes you to stop looking at a large project as a whole and instead note the next action to move a project forward. He doesn’t say break it down into 10 little steps (like many others encourage), but just the one next thing that need to be completed.
Previously, I would sit down and expend a lot of energy and time breaking big goals into lots of mini-steps. However, after taking a step toward my goal, I found I always had to rework all those other steps because of some new factor coming into play.
I’ve been employing the next-step plan more consistently, and it makes those giant projects seem a lot more scale-able!
The Someday or Tickler File.
The Someday or Tickler File (don’t you just love that name?) is where you keep things to think about…someday. These may be plans you have to rework your mudroom, books you’d like to read, or anything you would like to research or undertake sometime in the future.
I’ve used this loosely in the past, but Allen’s book encouraged me to keep my someday lists more updated so all that information is not on my brain. Instead of using a file system, I prefer my homemaking binder. I broke down things I’d like to do, buy, research, etc. someday and place them on appropriately label sections of my homebinder.
What I disliked about Getting Things Done:
This book was long, way too long for the amount of meat it contained! Getting Things Done is about 30 pages of worthwhile material hidden in a 280 page book. Thankfully, I have gotten to be a smart reader. I do NOT read every page of non-fiction books. Many times, the author is simply following the “proper way to write” and as such it takes them a lot of words to say very little.
***SECRET TO QUICK READING***
A dirty little secret to quick reading is reading the first and last sentence of every paragraph. If it looks like something you need to know more about, then read the paragraph all the way through, otherwise, skip it!
Secondly, I thought the system was a little over-complicated. It may be helpful in a business setting, but I did not feel it was a system I could trust to make sure I was accomplishing my tasks.
What I’m going to change:
So was it worth it? Yes! Like I said, I read the book quickly, skimming the 280 pages for nuggets of wisdom.
The 2 minute rule: I’ve been trying to employ this tactic already. It has been enormously helpful for my email inbox specifically.
Writing down EVERYTHING: I am better at this somedays than others. Allen encourages you to keep your mind as empty as possible in order to relax and think clearly. I’ll be writing things on my planner (which I always keep at hand) and then putting my notes into storage on my office days.
Refreshing my Waiting files: I took some time to refresh my homebinder and create some pages for things that are incubating. I now have a place for things to buy, house repairs, home decorating, movies to watch, books to read, etc.
Purchasing a labeler: Allen really pushes to label all your folders with a professional labeler. While I do use my homebinder for a lot of my brain organization, I place more long term reference materials in filing. I can’t quite make myself purchase a labeler yet, so I put on the appropriate waiting list-ha!
Next-actions: I’ve often sat down and broken down projects into mini-steps, but I find Allen’s next-action habit much more helpful. Often I find I need to rework all those steps at some point, but by always choosing the next thing, you accommodate for change.
Free Printables
As I said, I was inspired by the book to take a little time updating my homebinder. I thought I would make my forms available to you. You can find them here. I hope to be adding to them over time, so come back and check for updates!
What are you reading?
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