GTD

"Getting Things Done" has always been a huge problem for me. I am great at thinking about starting things, gathering things to start, having endless ideas about things to start, eventually starting things but never finishing, and so on and so on. When I first read the Lab about GTD, I was a bit skeptical. I think that I am always vaguely following this process in my head but that I just get lost in the middle and need a new workflow plan to finish the first. But as I browsed the David Allen site after his free download, I was beginning to get a bit excited. It is such a simple concept, but brilliant. I believe that by actually committing to writing or typing it out was the key to my actually beginning to follow a workflow plan.

The following are my responses to the questions following my experience with the GTD process:

1. How did you organize your process?

Although I am pretty comfortable on a computer, I don't necessary trust what I type and whether I am conveying what I intend to through typing. I am a very visual learner, so I chose to use paper and pencil. This allowed me to see my words and manipulate them where needed.

2. What was it like for you going through the process the first time?

Like I stated above, I had always assumed that I had mentally gone through this process with my work. As I was writing down what I needed to accomplish in the next few weeks, I realized that there was no way I had thought through the amount of time and planning needed to accomplish all of the tasks. I was very overwhelmed at what was on the paper, but as I continued through the process, I realized how things could be broken up efficiently and accomplished effectively through proper prioritizing.

3. Do you think this process will help you? Why or why not?

I think this process will be very beneficial to me as long as I stick with it. It was all very intriguing and I got a little involved with thinking about all the different ways I could collect and organize for my next plan. As long as I keep it simple, I think it will help.

4. Do you think you will continue this process? If not, what will your process be?

I think I will try to continue with this process. I really think it will help me weed out all of the extra garbage I throw into my life and will really let me set realistic and obtainable goals.