That is why, in the GTD method, the collection and note taking of information is in the first place. That is why you need to keep your magic notebook with your intellectual potential with you, everywhere and always.

2. The alignment of tasks

For the task at hand, ask the following questions:

1. How important is this task?
2. How long will this task take to complete?
3. Do you have to complete it within a certain time frame or can it be done at any time?

In addition, the GTD method provides in paragraph No. 2 for the definition of clear steps to complete a specific case. For example, if your list is marked: create a business plan for a new project. Then, in order to complete this task, you must break it down into smaller, interconnected subtasks.

If the task is to create a business plan, then this is often a large amount of work. And every time you look at that checkmark on your list, you want to put it off again and again. The problem is that your brain perceives this task without specifics. For this reason, you need to divide this task into several, smaller ones:

1. Find business plan examples online.
2. Look at the content, read and understand the essence.
3. Create a similar pattern for your project.
4. Make sketches.
5. Something to change, improve, etc.

Why is it so easy? Because our brain likes to plan and divide large tasks into smaller ones. And, it happens all the time. Let's say you want to go to a restaurant. Your brain begins to think (plan) in stages:

• What cuisine do you want;
• Which friends to call;
• What is the best time to go;
• What's the weather like and what to wear...

Thus, the brain divides this task into subtasks and solves everything step by step without much load. And in more difficult and less pleasant cases, the brain needs your help.

3. Systematization of cases

The third point of the GTD method is to organize things:

• In order of importance;
• Urgency;
• And the number of steps taken.

To do this, you need to create several categories and subcategories, after which, distribute cases among them.

Example 1 In a month you have a meeting with a former friend from work. You want to meet him, but you don't know what might happen during this period of time, where you will be, etc. This task can be safely added to subcategory #1. Set a reminder in Google calendar for the week and then solve this issue.

Example 2 You have a desire - to learn. In fact, this is for And this can be done when there is time. This task can be added to subcategory No. 2, that is, it is desirable to do.

The second category is important things. We estimate the approximate time it will take to do this. If it takes less than 3 minutes (read a short article, answer an e-mail...), then you need to do it right away, before you start writing it down somewhere.

After that, divide category #2 into subcategories. For example, 1 - project, 2 - personal; 3 - business ... Divide your ideas into categories and if there are issues that need to be resolved at a certain time, then indicate this time next to it.

4. View and update

In the GTD system, item #4 is also very important. Review your list 1-2 times a week. This is done in order to add a new one, delete what has been done, or delete cases that have lost their relevance.

Many, using the GTD system, ignore this point. And this is one of the most important steps. Because the basis of productivity is accuracy and awareness. If your list is in a terrible state, you will not have the desire to return to it and you will abandon your undertaking.

5. Do it

Do your tasks according to their urgency, importance, your mood and motivation. Implementing the GTD method into your life takes practice and discipline.

It's worth it, because by using the GTD tools, you will be able to keep up, develop and feel complete!

“Clear your mind. It's healthier than emptying your stomach."
~Michel de Montel

Today I will talk about chips GTD technologies which will allow you can do more, get tired less, increase the efficiency of your own work reduce stress and increase life satisfaction.

Do you know that your consciousness will constantly remind you of those deeds and tasks that you thought about doing, but left unattended?

Surely, thousands of unfinished tasks, unprocessed processes that consume your internal resources, strength, energy are already hanging in your brain, and you are not even aware of it. All this creates stress and deprives you of strength. You perform worse on new tasks because your head is full of old ones.

About how to finally clear your head of all this information, improve your work and life, I talk in this article.

Most likely you have heard the abbreviation "GTD", which stands for Getting-Things-Done ("Bringing things to completion", "How to put things in order"). This philosophy or technology has become very popular due to media coverage as well. A journalist from the Guardian newspaper called David Allen, the author of the GTD philosophy, a man who is called upon to bring order to the universe.

GTD is more than just a time management system for busy top managers with no privacy. This is a system for optimizing and organizing not only labor, but also thinking, consciousness, giving instructions on how to “clear” the mind of unnecessary mental burden, open up space for creativity, new ideas and create psychological prerequisites for comfortable and organized work. This system is designed for a businessman with a million projects, and for a housewife who needs to take care of children, leaving time for reading fiction, and for a schoolboy who is preparing to go to college.

Despite the fact that this phenomenon is well known, not everyone knows what it is and how it can help you personally. Therefore, today I will literally tell you on the fingers about what it is. After reading this article, you will be able to bring order to your life and thinking today and almost immediately see a positive result from these life innovations.

What prompted me to start organizing my affairs?

Feelings of anxiety and guilt do not come from too much work. It appears automatically when you break agreements with yourself.
~David Allen

Not so long ago, I was faced with the need to organize my own work schedule, in which I found a lot of bottlenecks. About 10 years ago, because of my problems with concentration, it was generally extremely difficult for me to do any work for a long time. Over time, I began to work on improving my focus and discipline. I began to learn to relax and. This has borne fruit.

I was able to create my own project, promote it, quit my job and start working for myself, as I dreamed. I was in a sense of progress in terms of working on myself, which was enhanced by the striking contrast between my present and my past. Some time ago, I could not cope with my studies at the institute and simple hired work, and now I worked with discipline for the benefit of my own project and the people who benefit from it, working day after day, on my own, and not “under pressure” .

It was only later that I noticed that this was not the limit. The feeling of success temporarily hid from me the problems that had arisen in the organization of my work.

I have a wide variety of work: letters in the mail, articles on the site, comments, work with students of the course "NO PANIC", etc. etc. All this requires good organization. I realized about her absence by the fact that the mail had accumulated a lot of unread letters, but marked as "important". Word files with "plans for 2015", "tasks for February 2016" were scattered all over the hard drive. The drawers contained notebooks filled with notes, ideas, and, again, tasks I had to complete. Needless to say, I very rarely opened these files and consulted these lists. And this happened not so much because of my indiscipline, but because it all had some kind of uncomfortable appearance, causing an internal feeling of the futility of all these planning activities.

I realized that I still do not have much time, although I could do more.

In general, attempts to make an organized list of tasks and, most importantly, to follow it, failed time after time.

Of course, I did urgent daily tasks, but at the same time I felt how many “tasks” and “ideas” were in limbo. All this resulted in the fact that I began to feel less job satisfaction. There were days when I allowed myself to finish early. I went out, I got on my bike, but instead of enjoying the free time that I wouldn’t have if I worked in the office, I was haunted by the feeling that I didn’t do something, that I didn’t managed. Perfectionist attitudes began to be born in my thoughts: "I should be doing more", "I'm not working hard enough". But I understood that the problem was not in the amount of work, but in its organization.

So I decided to start organizing my entire workspace. I picked up David Allen's excellent book, How to Get Things in Order. I have heard about the GTD system for a long time, but only now I decided to get to know it better.

What is GTD?

“Unfinished business actually remains unfinished in two places: in reality and in your head. The unfinished business in your head consumes the energy of your attention, because it haunts your conscience.
~Brahma Kumaris

When I first got this book, I expected to read in it some of the banal time management advice that I met in other sources, like “divide things into important and unimportant”, “delegate what can be delegated”.

“Let’s say ten years ago you promised yourself to clean the closet, but to this day, you haven’t done it ... we can say that in this case you have been cleaning the closet 24 hours a day for the last 10 years!”

But the author speaks of such a standard approach of "Time Management" as limited and, in many respects, not effective. I liked that David Allen is no longer addressing considerations "effective labor", and to the possibilities and limitations of human consciousness. To organize our own affairs so that they do not conflict with the peculiarities of our thinking. The GTD approach is based entirely on the conclusions about how our brain works, how it accumulates information, how it processes unsolved problems.

The most basic psychological premise of this philosophy is the fact that any life tasks, whether it is the completion of an important project or a trip to a monastery for a meditation course, our brain perceives as unresolved, keeps in memory, causing mental stress, if we do not formalize these tasks in the form of specific next actions within the framework of an external information storage system.

Do not be afraid and do not re-read this paragraph! Now I will explain what all this means. A good example is given in the book Getting Things in Order itself. Let's say ten years ago you promised yourself to clean up the closet, but to this day, you haven't done it. How has your brain been storing and processing information about this task for all these ten years?

The fact is that psychologists are sure that our consciousness in the context of setting goals has no ideas about the past and the future. These representations exist only conceptually, but they are not in the very algorithms of information processing within consciousness.

If you make a promise to yourself to take the car to the service next week and at the same time try to keep this commitment in memory, then your mind will assume that you should do it right now, today, constantly reminding you of this. And tomorrow it will also count the same way.

The task will be in the status "immediate solution required" every day, until you go to the service.

Going back to the closet mess example, in this case, you've been cleaning the closet 24 hours a day for the last 10 years! Your mind regarded this task as unfinished, leaving a place for it in your memory space, creating tension and dissatisfaction due to unfinished work.

And in order to free your memory and free your mind from unfinished processes, reminders of which devour your mental resources (just like background processes on a computer consume processor and memory resources, making the machine slower), you need to perform two key actions.

1. Transfer a task from internal memory (your brain) to external memory (your computer, notebook, tablet, phone)
2. Decide what the next specific action will be in relation to the task at hand. For example, the global task "fix the car" can consist of many simple actions. The very first action can be: "find suitable spare parts on the Internet."

In this case, your consciousness will free up internal memory and stop constantly reminding you of what you have not done yet. After all, you have shifted all these tasks to an external system.

These are, in principle, the key points of GTD technology, on which everything relies. If you understand this principle, then you already have a general understanding of what GTD is. This is a system of effective case management, creating ideas, which relies both on the external organization of tasks within the framework of records, calendars, a reminder system, and on the internal optimization of the work of consciousness.

Moreover, these two levels are interconnected. The external order serves as a prerequisite and tool for an organized and "pure" consciousness. And a clear mind allows you to work more efficiently* and get less tired.

(*Although I use the word “work,” it does not refer exclusively to professional activities. In this context, work is about everything in general. Planning a vacation is also work. Just like thinking about the problem of relationships with your significant other).

Feature 1 - Decide what the next action will be

“When you plan your activity (execution intention) and decide what actions you will perform in what context, you almost automatically set yourself up for the desired behavior instead of gathering all your will into a fist and forcing yourself to do something.”
~D. Allen

If you read a book "How to Get Things Done", then you will understand that this is simply the most golden rule. The author keeps coming back to it. Moreover, he is obsessed with the idea of ​​teaching the whole world to think about the next action!

Yes, the rule is important, but it takes time and discipline for it to become a habit.

The fact is that we, as a rule, talk about tasks in a general and abstract way. “We need to make sure that the child learns better”, “I need to become calmer in order to participate less in conflicts”. Of course, you need to keep the big picture in mind, but in order to bring things to completion, you need to move to the next level of planning, namely, to think about the next action.

In our examples, this could be:

• “Find articles on the Internet about the development of willpower, discipline and the fight against laziness. Or find a book on the subject in a bookstore.
• "Read about what relaxation techniques are."
• "Schedule a time to talk with your son about his learning problems."

The next action does not have to be a physical action. “Think about whether I need to go to college at all” is also an action. You can just think about the task, it is not necessary to start. But by designating just this step, you will already free up part of your brain.

We can't solve every problem in our life. Therefore, it is important to understand that the decision to "do nothing" is also a decision.

This event allows not only to unload consciousness, but also to recharge motivation. Many tasks, when we imagine them in our minds, seem impossible or very difficult. “My God, I will have to dismantle my entire summer cottage, this is work without end!” But it will be much easier for us to start it if we outline a plan in the form of the following actions: "Find the right tools on the Internet". It's already easier, isn't it? And when we do this, we will feel satisfied that we are one step closer to the final goal.

Feature 2- Transfer to an external system

As you may remember from this article, relying on memory is not only unreliable, but also inefficient in terms of using your brain's resources. Therefore, David Allen strongly recommends moving all tasks to an external system in order to free up memory.

An external system can be a tablet, phone, notepad, computer, notebook. Any convenient medium that you can work with.

By the way, this is what my to-do list looks like after pre-processing. I removed a lot of unnecessary things from there, things that I had already done or decided not to do at all. That is, at the very first stage and before the application of the “two-minute rule” (about it below), it was much larger.

It would not be superfluous to say that the list of tasks should be organized, convenient, accessible from anywhere at any time. Need it constantly keep up to date and refine as necessary. Need to contact him to check with him about the progress of your projects.

(That is, not in the way that I (or maybe you) did: piles of sheets and notebooks in different places of my workspace that I never accessed.)

And of course!!! Each task should be written as the following action!

Feature 3 - Organize tasks by context

“It doesn’t take much effort to do something. Much more effort is required to decide what to do.”
~ David Allen

I didn't notice the book giving direct advice on how to prioritize tasks. David Allen is sure that the importance of various tasks for our consciousness is not so critical, since both large and small concerns occupy a place in our consciousness and we need to do them all (or decide not to do it). A trifling matter not done, information about which is stored in the mind, can distract you from more “important” matters. However, it provides an excellent method of organizing tasks by context or energy level.

I used to come to this method somewhat intuitively myself, but then I forgot about it because I did not formalize it and did not make it a habit. For example, there is a large list of tasks. Some tasks require a lot of energy.

For me, these are “Answers to comments and support for students”, “Articles”.

For some, it is not enough, for example, “payment for hosting”, “work with electronic accounts”. I can do this easily when I don't have time for articles.

The decisions about "What should I do now" took away from me, firstly, a lot of energy, and, secondly, had a negative impact on motivation. I could not choose an activity that was optimal for my energy level and because of this I quit work, finishing the work day with the proverbial feeling that I did not do something. Now, if I have little strength and a lot of time, I can just do the work that does not require a lot of energy. I can just look at the list with the title "low energy" and make something out of it. Everything ingenious is simple!

You can also organize the list of tasks by context, for example, "at the computer", "in the store" etc. Many other ways of organizing are presented in the book.

Feature 4 - "Two Minute Rule"

Pretty simple, but extremely effective rule. If we organize our to-do information into a reminder list, we may be horrified by the size of the list. Fortunately, there is a good and easy way to thoroughly clean it up.

You don't need to write down: "reply to a friend's letter when you have free time" if this answer takes you less than 2 minutes!

Just answer right now and free your head and to-do list from this case. When, after reading D. Allen's book, I began to sort out my mailbox, I found many unanswered letters there. Of course, once upon a time, I marked them with ticks as important tasks, but then I forgot about them.

In the end, after doing the review, I answered a lot of old letters, and it did not take me much time. Some of my readers received a response from me a year later! Do not be offended, please, with me, this is the result of an overcrowded mailbox and poor organization of affairs. Now I try to answer right away if I understand that the process of reading and processing a letter will take at least 5 minutes. 2 minutes is not strict, let everyone determine the maximum time period for themselves.

In general, the “two-minute rule” is formulated as follows. If, while processing your to-do list, you find a task that will take less than 2 minutes to complete, just do it.

Feature 5 - Write down ideas

Surely you have noticed that the best ideas about your work come to you when you are not working! Therefore, D. Allen advises to always have something on hand that will help you save ideas: a notebook, an electronic tablet, etc. The point here is not only that it will help you not to forget valuable ideas and free your memory from information. Yes, that's important too.

Allen is sure that "the form determines the principles." According to him, a person “There may be a subconscious reluctance to think about anything because you have nowhere to write down the ideas that arise.”

I tested it myself. When I traveled in India, I always carried either a notebook or a phone with me where I could write down my thoughts and ideas. And my mind just gushed with them. I wrote down my thoughts while shaking on the seats of Indian trains, on the tops of picturesque hills, in the ruins of ancient temples, lying under the Sun or under a fan in a hotel room.

I was calm, firstly, from the fact that I had somewhere to fix the ideas that arose, and, secondly, due to the fact that I did not have to keep the ideas in my memory with all my might, I knew that I could always return to them .

Of course, it's important not only to form the habit of writing down your ideas, but to review this list regularly.

Quotes, valuable rules from other people, by the way, I now also write down, and do not try to keep in memory.

Chip 6 - Do not separate life and work

"Uncollected open-ended questions are equalized in terms of the tension they cause and the attention they demand."
~David Allen

As I already wrote, for our brain there is not much difference between tasks: "finish a project at work", "discuss the problem with your wife". Both tasks occupy our memory and consume mental resources, no matter where we are, in the office, at home or on vacation.

And the practical conclusion from this principle was a great discovery for me. I used to put off thinking about personal and life problems until later when I got to work. “After all, now I’m working! I am busy!" I thought.

But in fact, the fact that these tasks “hang” in my mind can interfere with my concentration and effective work (here I mean work in the usual sense, as a professional activity). And the worst thing we can do is leave them hanging. Therefore, sometimes it makes sense to solve some urgent family matters, routine tasks, even think about “philosophical questions” that bother you a lot before you sit down to work.

It is clear that there are problems here. You can sink into this thinking for so long that you never get to work. Therefore, it is necessary to approach this principle carefully and consciously. Another good solution would be to add to your to-do list: "think about the meaning of life" and free your head from the reminders of it.

Chip 7 - Benefits for psychotherapy

“The fruitless and endless scrolling of a thought in the head reduces the ability to analyze and act.”
~David Allen

I could not help but think about the application of this technology to the field of psychology and psychotherapy, the prevention of neurosis, obsessive states, destructive attitudes.

There are different methods of getting rid of obsessive, negative thoughts. Some psychologists recommend subjecting such thoughts to careful logical analysis. Others use calming and realistic affirmations.

I, though I use these approaches in my practice of helping people with panic attacks, understand that the possibilities of our logic in a state of anxiety and panic are very limited, and there is always a chance that such an analysis will be turned against the one who uses it. So I basically recommend just patiently not reacting to intrusive thoughts.

But I also think that the principles of "mark next action" and "concentrate on the goal" can be used very well with obsessive thoughts and negative attitudes.

Let's say you suffer from hypochondria.

You think: "I have a terrible and fatal disease."
Okay, now think: "What's the next action?"
“Maybe I should go check it out. But I've already been to the doctors this week, the tests did not show anything terrible!
Everything fell into place, right?

Or do you have social anxiety?

“People do not accept me, I am a worthless person”

What is the next action?

“I will work to improve my social qualities and I will start with….” or/and “I will learn to accept myself as I am and I will start with…”. Most often, both the first one and the second skill are required in combination to solve problems of self-doubt, social phobia, etc. The formulation of the next action will not only set you up for the goal, but also show that achieving the goal is possible!

And even if it is not possible, then the next action will be: “I will not do anything about this problem. Because it can't be fixed. If so, why think about it?

This approach will help you think not about the problem, but about its solution! Anxious, suspicious, restless people are often very fixated on problems. “I have few friends”, “fear does not leave me”, “everyone thinks badly of me”, etc. They ask more “why” questions than “what to do about it”, which only creates new anxiety and a sense of helplessness.

But the question is: "What's the next action?" immediately sets you on the path to solving the problem (or deciding to do nothing), which can free your head from a whole bunch of negative, meaningless thoughts about the problem. In general, try it!

What can be achieved with GTD?

“The problem is not lack of creativity, but rather removing barriers to the natural flow of creative energy.”
~David Allen

The application of the GTD methodology goes far beyond improving labor efficiency. Therefore, by implementing at least some aspects of this approach in practice, you will feel not only an increase in productivity, but also a greater clarity of consciousness. The purpose of this system is not only to make you work better, but to free your head from unnecessary thoughts about work, unfinished tasks. So that you can easily let go of thoughts about what you cannot change or have a solution ready for what needs your action.

“Make decisions about the required actions then,
when the case appears - and not when it requires an emergency termination.
David Allen

GTD is a time management technique developed by time management consultant and author of the book of the same name, David Allen. Translated into Russian, it means "How to bring things to the end" (Getting Things Done).

The main principle of GTD says - a person should not overload himself with what needs to be done, but should only bring it into the plan. All attention should be focused directly on the implementation of each individual task.

David Allen models

Usually time management begins with the distribution of accents and highlighting the most important things. Allen offers a slightly different approach, arguing that the main place in time management should be occupied by control and vision. Based on this, he proposes 3 main models:

• The first is workflow management. It is designed to control all tasks and consists of the following stages: collection, processing, organization, review and actions. We will discuss each of them in more detail later.
• The second is the work review model, which consists of six levels, each of which is broader and more global than the previous one. Here he includes: current affairs, current responsibilities, terms of reference, the next 1-2 years, the next five years and all life in general. Allen believes that once a week a person is obliged to analyze his achievements at each of the levels, only in this case he will get a complete picture of what is happening.
• The third - according to him, not necessary for everyone - is a natural method of planning. It consists of 5 stages: setting goals and principles, seeing the desired results, brainstorming, organizing and deciding what the next action should be.

David Allen argues that all the problems associated with not achieving goals appear due to improper planning at its very first stage - setting a goal and determining the steps necessary to achieve it.

Principles on which GTD is based

Collection
The meaning of this principle lies in the fact that all those thoughts that "crowd" in our head should be fixed on some media. For this, an electronic organizer, a voice recorder, and a simple notepad are equally good. The main thing is to free the mind from information that is not required at the moment.

In addition, all entries should be reviewed at least once a week in order to confirm their relevance and make the necessary adjustments.

Treatment
When processing information, it should be remembered that any action that takes no more than 5 minutes must be performed immediately. It is best to start work from the top of the list, moving further in order.

According to Allen's information processing algorithm, for each item on the list, you can do the following: do it, submit it for execution, postpone it, keep it for reference, throw it away, or move it to the list of things to return to later.

Organization
In order to control the actions that should be taken, David Allen suggests using a set of lists:

• Following actions. This lists the steps to be taken for each element that is accepted for implementation. Let's say there is an element "Make an estimate". To prepare an estimate, you will have to take the following steps: contact a colleague and request data on his department, find out the cost of necessary materials, etc.

• Projects. A project can be understood as any goal that requires more than one sequential action to achieve. Projects should be reviewed periodically to ensure they are being executed in the correct order.

• Postponed. In a situation where a case must be submitted for execution, or when its execution must be preceded by another event, there is a need to monitor it from time to time. This will allow not to delay the deadlines for its implementation.

• Someday/maybe. This includes cases that you may well decide to return to under certain conditions.

Overview
Compiling lists and memos will not bring the desired result if you do not review as often as possible, and it is desirable to do it every day. In this case, you should choose the task that is paramount at the moment and immediately begin to implement it. It is not recommended to start work with easy actions, avoiding complex ones. Thus, you will only aggravate the situation by accumulating a heap of hard work. The optimal solution is the sequential execution of tasks.

Actions
According to David Allen, you should be more attentive to the execution of each task, and not to its organization. In this case, it is much more likely to bring everything to the end without interrupting in the middle.

Tools and techniques to help you complete what you started

• 43 folders. This technique consists in the fact that for each working day of the month you create a separate folder for yourself (31 in total) plus create 12 more folders by analogy with the months of the year. As a result, you get 43 folders, in which you should “store” plans for each specific day.
• Software for GTD. In today's world, software is indispensable. According to Allen's methodology, it includes: digital structuring, brainstorming, and project management applications. To date, more than 100 applications support the GTD ideology. Among them there are programs written for various platforms and devices.

In this article, the principles of GTD are stated very briefly, it will not replace David Allen's book for you. The article is intended only to arouse your interest in such an effective method as GTD.

The problem with productivity services is that everyone positions themselves as a place where they can solve all problems, store information, and communicate. Most services ask you to prioritize and act on them.

But few people can concentrate on completing important tasks and not pay attention to all sorts of little things: urgent tasks, requests from colleagues, friends or acquaintances. When there are many tasks, it is difficult to deal with them. Therefore, in practice, you have to use several services to manage cases. When there is a lot to do, we begin to get confused in these services and lists and eventually stop using them.

The Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology provides a universal plan that allows you to build a single system in which you can solve any problem. You will be able to relax and not worry, as you will be sure that you will not forget anything. At the right time, the system will prompt what needs to be done and what to focus on.

So why do so many people work unproductively?

People begin to work unproductively when there are a lot of projects, cases and tasks. It is difficult for them to keep all this in their heads, and even more so to prioritize. Therefore, either nothing is done at all, or what is done is the easiest, but important things. Another problem appears: when urgent tasks had to be solved yesterday.

In addition, a person begins to get tired faster, becomes irritable. He constantly runs like a squirrel in a wheel of routine, and really important, financial and strategic projects are left aside.

The Getting Things Done system, described by David Allen in the book, which was published in 2001 and became a world bestseller, will help to cope with this situation.

Tell me about the basic GTD concepts you need to know

Routine- these are the things, thoughts and worries that disturb, distract and waste energy. Until the routine is translated into tasks, it cannot be controlled. Thinking over the same problems over and over again is an inefficient use of creative energy that breeds frustration and stress.

The goal of GTD is to free your head from routine and remove internal tension.

Human working memory The area of ​​the brain where short-term memory is located. This is where we usually put current unfinished business, promises made to other people and other thoughts that bother us. Unfortunately, there is a limit to the amount of routine that you can keep in order for the brain to function normally. If your RAM is full, you get distracted by small things and forget about your goals, which leads to stress.

Tools for collecting information- where the information goes and where you fix what needs to be done. For example:

• organizers;
• notebooks;
• Email;
• calendar;
• voice recorder.

Inbox- a single repository for the routine that you turn into cases and tasks. One of the most important rules for working with the inbox is to empty it regularly.

Simple steps- one-step actions for which you need. In practice, it is more convenient to allocate five minutes for such cases.

Project A task that requires more than one step to complete. You need to leave a reminder about the project and describe the first steps towards its implementation. As a result, the project turns into a simple action that can be completed in the next five minutes and get the final result.

The project should have a link to a card or file that describes the details: responsible, deadlines, category (for example, "Marketing", "Legal", "Development"), links to smaller cards with tasks. It is convenient to organize such a structure in .

Context List- a list of tasks that are convenient to perform under certain conditions. For example, in the context list "Purchases" there will be a list of things and products that you need to buy in the store. The Calls list may contain a list of calls to make when you are free.

It is convenient to make individual contextual lists for the people with whom you work and communicate. When meeting with a specific person, you can quickly open the list and resolve the necessary issues.

How to use the calendar?

You must enter in:

• actions that should be performed at a certain time (meetings, business meetings, seminars);
• actions that need to be done on a specific day (finish a project by a specific date, take part in a conference);
• information about specific dates (anniversaries, birthdays, holidays).

I use "Google Calendar" in which I put all these things. This service is convenient because:

• available both from the phone and from the computer;
• You can display several calendars on one screen at once;
• there are reminders on the smartphone.

If you put something on the calendar, you will either do it or reschedule it to another date. There is no need to litter the calendar with a to-do list that is regularly transferred from day to day. There are separate solutions for such lists.

If you regularly need to call customers, suppliers or contractors at a certain time, it is better to use a CRM system for this.

What lists should be made?

Priority Action Lists

Compiling a weekly report, reviewing a competitor's website, emptying your inbox, writing a brief for designers - all of these actions take more than two minutes, but they can't be delegated to anyone. We put such cases on the lists of priority actions and complete them during the day.

Rules for working with such lists:

• There should not be many lists, two or three are enough. For example, "Personal", "Work", "Family". If you have a task from the list for a specific day, set a reminder on your calendar.
• In the tasks in this list, it is convenient to make labels according to the context: “On the road”, “At the computer”, “Read”, “Buy”, “Promises”. Tasks can have one or more labels. For example, the "Walk the dog" task would be assigned to the "Private" project and the "Promise" tag.
• Before you add a task to your list, consider whether you need to do it at all. If the answer is “yes”, decide whether you personally need to carry out this task. After all, you can send a voice message to a subordinate and delegate to him. Tasks that you have assigned will have the label "Assigned". It will contain cases from both the "Work" list and the "Personal" list.
• Review the lists regularly. Do this when you have a free moment. Move up the things that need to be done first.
• Clean up your to-do lists at least once a month.

List "Someday"

This list will include cases that do not require active action. It can be:

• books, records, video trainings that you want to purchase;
• useful ones that you want to master;
• places you want to visit;
• things you want to buy.

This list needs to be looked at periodically, taking notes and turning them into goals that will be worked on.

And how to store reference information that will be useful in the future?

This information does not require any action. The main criteria for storing this information are:

• Convenient search by titles, tags, short description.
• Ease of placing information in the repository.
• Intuitive information storage structure. When new data appears, you must quickly select the category and subcategory where to put it.
• Storage accessibility from any device.

Are there mandatory GTD rituals?

Yes, there are several.

Collection of all information in the basket "Inbox"

There are many tools for gathering information. But all this should flow into one place, with which you will continue to work.

Emptying the Inbox

Once or twice a week, you will have to review the Inbox list and sort the accumulated folders or labels. This ritual should become a habit, which is formed from a clear algorithm of actions and their systematic repetition.

You should have a simple, step-by-step plan for how you clean your to-do system weekly. Get a calendar in which you will mark the days when you sorted things out. Assign yourself a prize if, for example, in 30 days at least 20 you empty your inbox and cross off days in the calendar.

Revision of the list of first-priority actions and the list "Someday", prioritization

In reviewing the lists, it is important to correctly prioritize and realistically calculate your strength. This is necessary in order not to overload yourself with overwhelming tasks and not to suffer from the realization of your inefficiency.

Destruction of extra baskets

Often, while communicating with colleagues and partners, new mailboxes, documents, lists appear.

Your task is to automate everything as much as possible so that the data flocks to the Inbox folder.

It can be either a mailbox or an electronic scheduler. Services and Zapier are suitable for automating and redirecting information. Baskets for collecting information should be few.

How to work with the "Inbox" basket and sort the cases accumulated in it?

First, extract the task, case, or information from your inbox and answer the question, “What is this? Is it really necessary to do something?"

If you don't need to do anything, there are two options. If it's trash that's no longer useful, you throw it away. If it's useful information, archive it. It should be structured into categories and tags to make it easy to find what you need.

If you need to do something with the information, there are three options:

1. Fulfill what is required. If the action is important and will not take more than 2-5 minutes.

2.delegate to someone. If an activity takes more than two minutes, consider whether it can be delegated to someone.

When you delegate to someone, the following should be written:

• final result;
• work plan (path to the goal);
• task completion date;
• date of control and the result that should be ready for it (intermediate or final).

3. Postpone for the future. In doing so, indicate:

• desired result;
• the nearest next action to be taken. Remember: it is impossible to complete the project as a whole, you can only take specific simple steps that will bring you closer to the final result;
• deadline. If there is no exact timeline, put the action on the “Someday” list.

You can send messages to yourself to receive them on the appointed day. For this, both Google Calendar with a reminder on the right day, and the mail application, which will send you a letter at a certain time, are suitable.

How to plan your work?

All work can be divided into three steps:

1. Execution of preplanned. It can be both strategically important things that bring you closer to the goal, or a routine that just needs to be done.
2. Performing work as it unexpectedly appears. This is when tasks from colleagues, managers, letters from clients arrive during the day.
3. Planning for further work: compiling and reviewing lists, setting priorities. This point should not take you too long so that you do not plan for the sake of planning.

The practice of planning cases and tasks (commemorative book) is described in the book by David Allen.

David Allen

Personal effectiveness and time management consultant, author of the GTD productivity methodology

For a memorial book, 43 folders are needed: 31 are marked with numbers from 1 to 31, another 12 with the names of the months. Daily folders are placed in front, starting with tomorrow's date. Behind the folder with the number 31 is the folder for the next month, and behind it are the folders with the remaining months.

The contents of the folder for the next day are transferred to the trash every day, then the folder is placed behind the last of the daily folders (as if transferred to the next month). When you empty folder 31 for the current month, there will be a folder with the name of the new month behind it, and behind it folders with the days of the new month. Similarly, the folder with the current month, when it has passed, is transferred to the next year.

In a specific folder, you need to store documents that require specific actions (a form that you need to fill out, a letter to send).
For the system to work, it must be updated daily. If you forget to update tomorrow's folder, you won't be able to trust the system. Important information will be missed, which will have to be dealt with in other ways.

If you are leaving for several days, then before leaving, you need to check the folders for the days during which you will be absent.

How to organize this in practice, taking into account modern planning systems:

1. Instead of a memory book, use an organizer with to-do lists for each day and enter tasks for the current day into it. Meetings and cases tied to time should be recorded first and set reminders so that the system notifies them in advance.
2. Create a file with a to-do list for the month. This is a list of what you want to do during this time. You add cases to it throughout the month. Tasks should be reviewed once a week. As you plan, scatter the most important tasks over the weeks so that you understand your priority tasks. You will fulfill them first of all, otherwise all the time will be spent on small and urgent matters.
3. Create a file with plans for the year. It must be reviewed once a month. Cases from this file are transferred to plans for the month.
4. Make plans for the year, based on long-term goals for 3-5 years. It is better to register these cases either at the end of the year, or during the holidays, when the head is not loaded with everyday tasks.

David Allen calls these four points the natural planning system. This system allows you to move towards the goals that are important to you and not waste time on a routine.

Is there a universal plan by which any project can be planned?

Yes, sure. David Allen calls it the natural planning model. It consists of several steps.

Step 1. Goal and picture of the ideal result

Define or ideal end result, imagine that you have achieved it.

Describe it with all the criteria for success (money, people, recognition). The more detailed you describe the final result, the stronger the motivation will be, especially at times when you need to take specific actions, but there is no time for this.

Step 2. Principles

Describe the principles you will adhere to as you achieve your goal. For example: “I will give free rein to people if they ... (remain within the budget, complete the project before the deadline).” Ask yourself: “What actions can interfere with my activity? How can I prevent them?"

The principles are clear and provide a reliable reference in the process of managing activities.

Step 3: Brainstorm

Brainstorm where you write down all the ideas that come to mind.

Key principles of brainstorming:

• don't judge;
• do not dispute;
• do not rate;
• do not criticize;
• think about quantity, not quality;
• relegate analysis and organization to the background.

Step 4. Project plan in the form of a list

Organize your brainstorming results into a to-do list. Start planning from the end and work your way back. So you can easily make a plan and determine the first step towards the goal. End-to-End Planning Example:

Goal (ideal result) A: I can speak Spanish and understand people.

Why is this: I want to communicate without the participation of interpreters during business negotiations with Spanish partners and communicate freely with others during my holidays in Spain.

Steps to the goal:

• One step closer to achieving my goal: I found a native Spanish speaker and speak to him twice a week.
• One step before: I passed the B1 language proficiency exam.
• One step before: I passed the A1 language proficiency exam.
• One step before: I studied Spanish eight times in a month and completed all my homework.
• One step before: I signed up for a Spanish course and paid for a month's worth of tuition.
• One step before: I collected information about Spanish courses and compiled a comparison table.
• First step: I scheduled a time on my calendar when I would collect information about the Spanish courses.

When a team is working on the same task and you need to organize the whole plan in one place, it is convenient to use . The first column in it is the stages on the way to the goal, the second column is responsible. Next will be columns with a period of time. The cells will display the status of the specific milestone, such as Planned, In Progress, Completed, Postponed.

GTD and the natural scheduling system can seem difficult. But when you set it up for yourself and start using it regularly, you will feel that everything is much easier than it seemed at first glance.

David Allen's GTD system is familiar to many fans of personal productivity techniques. I myself began to introduce it into my life and I am already getting positive results, so I will focus on this topic today. The article will talk about the main points of GTD, the use of which in practice can certainly increase personal efficiency in any business, both at home and in the field of professional activity.

GTD system: getting things done

David Allen's book Getting Things Done, or GTD for short, is translated into Russian as "Bringing things to completion." This is the whole point of this methodology for improving efficiency: its application allows you to effectively organize the workflows of vision of all tasks as a whole and establishes control over them.

• What for? Releasing the resources of consciousness from remembering common goals, tasks and deadlines allows you to fully concentrate on the current task and perform it as efficiently as possible;
• How? Simply using the basic principles in practice, which I will reveal below, and trusting a reminder of current goals and tasks to various external media (diaries, organizers, applications on mobile gadgets, etc.).

How does GTD work?

The GTD system is based on three logical constructs:

1. Six-level work review model;
2. Information process management model;
3. Natural method of planning.

Six-Level Model GTD Performance Review, representing a logical chain from setting a global goal to daily activities, and giving a clear picture of where we are in relation to this main goal. It is recommended to analyze such a hierarchy pyramid on a weekly basis, which allows you to prioritize, effectively use the available information, determine relevant tasks and perform them independently or by delegating them to others. This process is assisted by the formation of appropriate to-do lists.

1. Main (large-scale, vital) goal;
2. A perspective for several years ahead (most often from 3 to 5 years);
3. Plans for the coming years;
4. Range of duties;
5. Projects (planned and ongoing);
6. Specific daily tasks.

GTD Information Process Management Model, i.e. all actions to capture and manage operational information.

1. Fixation, collection of incoming information;
2. Processing the received information in the context of its importance, relevance and applicability;
3. Organization of work processes on projects, tasks;
4. Fixation and control over the planned;
5. specific actions.

Natural GTD planning method, which allows you to implement plans efficiently and quickly with the help of a system of reminders from the outside. This model allows you to throw out unnecessary information from your head and focus on the right actions, and the role of the organizer is delegated to electronic calendars, traditional diaries and daily to-do lists. I can say from my experience that the only thing left to do is to do what was planned, which is helped by a realistic look at your daily productivity and refusal to plan too many things, as well as to set aside planned time for unforeseen circumstances! A few minutes in the morning and evening will help organize a truly productive life.

1. Definition and ;
2. Definition of achieved and planned results;
3. Brainstorm;
4. Organization of planned activities;
5. Determination of the next steps, actions in the context of existing goals and plans.

David Allen's GTD System: Main Principles

1. 1. Collection of information in our time of technology and gadgets, most often produced on electronic media (electronic mailboxes, mobile gadgets, laptops, computers), although some use ordinary paper diaries and organizers;
   2. Data processing in David Allen's system occurs according to a certain pattern. The question is asked: what can be done about it? If the answer is "nothing", then the information is deleted or sent to the archive until better times. You can put them on a "to do someday" list or something like that. If the answer to the question can be expressed as it can/should be done”, then another question is asked: how long will it take? If it takes a few minutes, we do it right away, if it takes more, then we plan, prioritizing the importance and urgency. If this is a global topic, then we refer it to the definition of multi-level tasks on a specific topic;
   3. Organization of affairs in the gtd system, it is done through lists. First, this specific to-do lists setting priorities and deadlines for their implementation. Secondly, this project lists decomposed into specific steps, which is possible after a simple question: what should I do for this? Example: the task is to write a historical book based on the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The question is asked what need to do to write it? Possible answers: collecting historical materials on the topic, creating a plot, forming a chapter plan, writing a draft, proofreading the text, checking spelling and punctuation, preparing illustrations. Then, for the first paragraph, we put a similar answer: what I should do to collect material on a topic? Possible answer: find information in the library, on sites on the Internet, in magazine articles on a historical topic. We also answer this question for all other points. When planning steps in this way, even with multi-level planning, it is difficult to miss something, which means that the task becomes solvable. Thirdly, this is squeaks of pending cases. They must be constantly analyzed for relevance and importance. Deferred tasks can be transferred to the lists of current cases or deleted when irrelevant. Lists of ideas and possible cases in the section I will do sometime, too, should be periodically reviewed. In this case, the question helps: do I really need it? To organize such work with information, various gliders are very helpful. Someone uses paper diaries, and someone electronic organizers, and the correct organization of project documentation using folders is of great importance. Again, some people prefer paper folders (plastic), and some use electronic folders on electronic media, sorting them alphabetically or by date. The author of the GTD system, David Allen, teaches you how to organize the documentation according to the principle of 43 folders, I renamed them to " 43 sheets»: 12 sheets are used for long-term planning for each month, and 31 sheets for daily planning.As soon as the day has passed, all cases are analyzed. Those not completed are carried over to the following days, and the planning sheet for this past day is deleted. A blank sheet of paper is placed at the end. That is, for each day we have 31 sheets;
   4. Recording all information. David Allen recommends doing a daily review of completed tasks in order to adjust plans. Without this item, compiling lists and further planning of actions is ineffective, since unforeseen circumstances or banal postponing for later can significantly distort or completely break the planning system, and therefore be postponed;
   5. Actions to complete the tasks. When everything is taken into account and prepared, it remains only to act. It is necessary to choose a specific task and see the possible cases for its implementation, and then only act!

A friend of mine uses this system in his life and he likes the results. Truth. he himself admits that sometimes the desire to set many tasks for the day interferes. Such maximalism leads to the fact that nothing is performed at all if the first planned actions for some reason do not work out. Tip: in planning, know the measure! Then everything will work out, and others will be surprised at your increased personal effectiveness.

I would be grateful for the repost of the article on social networks!