The book "How to get things in order" gave readers a specific vector of development. BUT A new book will give you self-confidence.
original name: Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life
Russian name: How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling life without stress
Year of publication : 2010
Author : David Allen
Publisher's Foreword to David Allen's New Book
"How to Keep Things in Order" is a continuation of the cult world and Russian bestseller "How to Put Things in Order". In this book, David Allen has perfected his methodology for application in all areas of life, not just in the workplace. "How to Keep Things in Order" explains why Getting Started Things Done (GTD) is successful and offers eleven models to help set up a GTD system for long, trouble-free operation in any field of activity.
Personal review "How to keep things in order"
To make our life meaningful and fulfilling, we must be able to start and finish our affairs: manage our world in such a way that we get the desired events and results at the end. After all, it is not for nothing that the key components of success are the right choice and its effective implementation. An endless stream of books, seminars and consulting programs overwhelm us, although originally intended to facilitate the decision-making process, teach how to develop plans and set goals, help determine our values, inspire and inspire our subordinates. Today, all kinds of methods and tools are available that help self-organization, teach how to use time efficiently and increase labor productivity. But there is no main thing - a fundamental understanding of the essence, dynamics and effectiveness of these processes as a whole. The question arises: is there any logical, systematic and understandable way to gain this understanding?
vital question for modern man: how to keep everything under control, direct the situation in right direction, act as efficiently as possible and at the same time not be exhausted either mentally or physically? The answer was offered by David Allen - the author of the legendary book "" (Getting Things Done, GTD), which saved thousands of grateful readers from the rubble of current affairs varying degrees urgency and complexity.
This book is about why the technique works and how to expand its scope. Eleven proposed models will help set up the GTD system for long, trouble-free operation. And for this - to understand what creates inner discomfort for you; select and prioritize; learn to remain confident in any eventuality.
Allen has perfected his methodology for application in all areas of life, not just in the workplace.
The new book will give confidence in their abilities. After all, in the conditions of an eternal lack of security and stability, the only thing really worth fighting for is constancy. It turns into a saving straw in the whirlpool of endless changes.
A vital question for a modern person: how to keep everything under control, direct the situation in the right direction, act as efficiently as possible and at the same time not be exhausted either mentally or physically? The answer was offered by David Allen, author of the legendary book Getting Things Done (GTD), which saved thousands of grateful readers from the rubble of current affairs of varying degrees of urgency and complexity.
This book is about why the technique works and how to expand its scope. Eleven proposed models will help set up the GTD system for long, trouble-free operation. And for this - to understand what creates inner discomfort for you; select and prioritize; learn to remain confident in any eventuality.
Who is this book for?
For GTD users, both advanced and beginners.
For those who have just decided to finally take control of their own lives.
"Chip" of the book
Allen has perfected his methodology for application in all areas of life, not just in the workplace.
From the author
No one is born with the thought "What is the right thing to do in this case? What do I want to achieve? What are the next steps? Who will do it"? If this were the case, such abilities would have to be programmed by someone outside of us at a very early stage of our development. I know only a few people who have this ability. But even such people are not always fully aware of their gift and do not use it in other important aspects of their lives. An IT project manager knows how to get a new product off the ground, on schedule, but can be completely helpless in applying the same methods to his relationship with his mother or personal finances.
Although both there and there you can and should use the same principles.
The GTD system allows you to realize, understand and identify the methods of your actions, as well as bring them to a level where they can be taught to others.
Our reality and our tasks are becoming more and more difficult to formulate and ambiguous, as life is constantly becoming more complex. In order to get this whole mechanism up and running, it is worth thinking more about our way of thinking and applying the results of these thoughts to various areas of our life and work.
Expand description Collapse Description
Allen David_ Things are in order. doc
You will improve your self-organization skills
You will be able to put in order not only professional affairs, but also an avalanche of personal information
BOOK SUMMARY
David Allen. How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling life without stress. Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", M. - 2010
Plans are the external manifestations of the inner free will of man.
annotation
A vital question for modern man: how to keep everything under control, act effectively and not be exhausted? Getting Things Done (GTD), outlined in his book Getting Things Done, has rescued thousands of readers from the rubble of current affairs.
This GTD book is about " personal expanded thinking system» and how to properly configure GTD for trouble-free operation.
Feel the freedom! 006
1. Introduction 008
2. Phenomenon GTD 018
3. Starting the system and maintaining it 059
4. Basic principles of self-organization 072
5. Full control: fixing 092
6. Complete Control: Assessing Significance 126
7. Full control: ordering 160
8. Total control: verification and analysis 206
9. Full control: performance 216
10. Total control: application of the 245 system
11. Gaining Perspective 255
13. Ten thousand feet: projects 274
14. Twenty Thousand Feet: Focus Areas and Responsibilities 287
15. Thirty thousand feet: goals and objectives 297
17. Fifty Thousand Feet: Purpose and Principles 315
IS. Perspective: revisiting Grade's Gardens 331 store
19. How to keep the system running 337
20. Conclusion 358
Feel the freedom!
You need a map to follow the route. This metaphor applies to the routes of our lives as well. In his new book, How to Keep Things in Order, David Allen presents his GTD approach as a road map to help you achieve your goals in unpredictable circumstances. This book will help those who feel that the track of life is getting harder and visibility is getting worse. .
This book is the result great work. Self-organization is not about bringing everything around you into a sterile order. Her goal is freedom.
The feeling of freedom will constantly accompany you, and many things will fall into place.
Vitaly Kolesnik ,
dedicated to personal development and productivity
1. Introduction
The art of driving progress isit is to keep order while making changes, and to make changes while keeping order.
Alfred North Whitehead
To make life meaningful, we must be able to start and finish our affairs.
After all, the ingredients for success are doing it right. choice and its effective implementation.
Today, methods and tools are available that help self-organization, teach to increase labor productivity. But there is still no fundamental understanding of the dynamics of these processes as a whole. The question arises: is there a way at all to gain this understanding?
I dare to hope that you will find such a way in this book. I created it as a guide for optimizing any process - from solving a business problem to organizing an unusual vacation, or courting a lady of the heart.
The same principles and methods apply to any of the tasks, and things will go smoothly if you understand the essence and purpose of the work, create plans and control their implementation.
When mechanism Everyday life not thought out, the possibilities of self-realization are reduced.
And if you care about family, health and well-being; if you want to implement your creative possibilities and satisfy the need for rest, all issues must be treated like a business.
In 2001, I published my first book, How to Get Things in Order. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”, which was distributed in thirty languages of the world. My system has a wide following, including executives, professors, software engineers, and even clergy.
It turned out that any person thanks to systematic approach is able to bring the methods I have proposed to perfection in all aspects of life. Already at the beginning of acquaintance with GTD, people note their success in concentration of efforts. However, experience has shown how great is the gap between understanding and realization of what is understood.
The multi-layered structure of GTD is like an onion: many layers must be removed to get to its deepest essence. Even its loyal supporters have not yet realized its true potential, which goes far beyond the limits of a simple system of self-organization.
All these years, I have tried to convince users of GTD that the more strictly and consistently they adhere to its postulates, the more successful will be the transfer of this experience to other areas of their activity.
Gradually, I began to understand what exactly I should say with my new book.
The book presented itself to me as a practical guide to "guaranteed access to all opportunities" in work and personal life.
Understanding what all things are directed by you personally in the right direction, creates a sense of security and stability. GTD helps to achieve control over the situation and provides vision in the most different areas human activity.
Specific approaches may vary depending on which one is optimal at the moment. For example, at the beginning of the day, the incoming documents are cleared of unnecessary papers, and in the afternoon they organize a brainstorming session on an important project.
It is impossible to be in all places at the same time and concentrate on everything that requires your control in all areas of life. Any team, before taking action, must decide on its primary goals, values and priorities.
Any family, before embarking on vacation planning, must first complete some important and urgent matters. It is always useful to know what is best to do when a particular problem arises and from what point of view to consider the circumstances offered by life.
All eleven The GTD models I present in this book can be applied to all walks of life. Each one has its own practical value. But do not forget about the balance of reasonable and useful.
Once you grasp the principle of increasing productivity by reducing stress and learning how to properly relay information to the outside world, you will immediately discover countless ways to benefit from this new state.
Understanding the principles behind GTD techniques will help you understand how they work, and this new degree of freedom will open up an arsenal of previously unknown ways to better organize your living space.
A few words for those who are already familiar with the GTD system
Speaking of GTD, I divide people into three groups:
1. Those who thinks as if he had mastered this system (which is far from reality).
2. Those who have mastered part of the system, but do not use it in in full and understands it.
3. Those who have mastered GTD and use e` at the "advanced user" level.
To the representatives of the first group, I would like to say this. Try to understand what you can get when using all methodology resources. Control over aspects of daily life and managing the flow of information is so important to some people that they do not even try to dig deeper.
They do not think that beyond the step they have climbed, the next step awaits them - to understanding thinking. And it leads from the compilation of lists to the solution of issues that appear on these lists. But it is precisely this work that occupies a central place in the whole process.
For the second group, I would like to inspire the possibilities of extended use of GTD.
In the readers of the third group, I really want to strengthen the faith in success and offer them new methods for in-depth understanding of the previously acquired knowledge. Your group is still small, but it has real methods of increasing productivity and has even richer opportunities for improving them.
A few words for those who are not yet familiar with the GTD system
Getting Things Done in Order can be a useful supplemental resource for step-by-step learning about the productivity system. I focus readers on the key GTDs, and explain why they affect different people different impacts, what positive results can be achieved due to new possibilities of their application, what negative consequences can arise if these principles are ignored.
How to use this book
Recordings can then come in handy at the most unexpected moment for anything, because in the process of reading various thoughts may pop up in your mind - do not lose the opportunity to find golden dust in them later!
Recording equipment should always be at hand. They may not come in handy, but having a pen will make you feel confident: this is a set-up tool for getting benefit anytime, anywhere.
Act as if you are sure to find something useful for yourself in any situation, and this will become an “automatically self-fulfilling prophecy” for you.
You will learn about models that can be used in consulting, because in the process of creating this book, I talked with a lot of smart, accomplished, creative people who confessed their interest in the GTD system and believed that they could do a hundred times more if they knew how to apply this technique in full.
The concept of success
Any participant Olympic Games it is known that the visualized dream of victory unusually increases performance. I suggest you stop reading right now for a while and "visually dream" about what you really would like to get as a result of studying the material of the book.
Why did you buy this book?
What attracted you to her?
What do you hope to get after reading it?
Let me help you.
Think:
What would happen if you had the ability to easily regain control of the situation every time you lose it?
Do you like the feeling of confidence?
What new risks would you be willing to take, knowing that you own such tools?
What kind of success could come to you?
I guarantee that if you're willing to experiment, you'll only need a little concentration and a few simple techniques to get to this level and even go above and beyond.
As we read, we will work through the various levels of your activity, but you will have to be patient so as not to lose sight of the ultimate goal. You must always remember her.
(V: As "Word" provides support in working with texts, so "Outpost" should support the work with plans in every possible way! This is for working with Buchatsky Jr.!}
A book about trusting your answers
This book is not an encyclopedia of recipes. Do not expect from her categorical answers to questions in the spirit of: what to do to change jobs? Should I buy a company? Or - do we need to get a puppy?
This book teaches you to understand the tools and apply methods that will help you develop confidence in your abilities, and therefore, trust your decisions. That is my main task.
The book "How to get things in order" gave readers a specific vector of development. A new book will give confidence in their abilities. What is really worth fighting for is persistence. It is salutary in the whirlpool of endless changes.
Understanding the problem provides a point of support, provides freedom from stress and optimal solutions.
2. GTD Phenomenon
As the chaos of a thunderstorm brings the rain that gives life, so in society times of success are preceded by times of disorder. Success comes to those who can endure chaos.
And Ching. Book of Changes
GTD- this is not a system of ethical assessment and not a movement for a completely transparent organization, which is allegedly more important than the unstructured creative process itself.
David Allen page 199
Analyzing the reasons for the popularity of GTD, I can identify four factors:
Its concepts work, and the mechanism of this work is transparently clear.
They can be easily implemented by anyone with the usual tools that are always at hand.
The range of problems that GTD solves continues to grow rapidly on a global scale.
The proposed holistic model has touched upon something that resonates with the human soul on many levels - deep and intuitively inherent in smart people.
These concepts work
The GTD model has been researched, tested and perfected under normal conditions with the most common of people. I tried to get to the bottom of the already existing fragments of self-organization methods that really work, and fold them correctly into the system.
I wondered why, having formed a one-stop list of things that I had previously just kept in my head, I begin to feel very different feelings when I think about challenges? And why did the tasks become clear and transparent after that? After all, essentially nothing has changed.
And the conclusion was: while the task remained with me only in my head, I constantly afraid to forget her, thereby driving himself into a state of stress. If I immediately fixed it on some external medium, the thought would let me out of its annoying embrace.
Can these principles be applied by anyone?
And will they always provide results?
I followed all the procedures meticulously, striving to obtain an adequate set of key principles that would collectively constitute the GTD system.
It turned out that they are effective precisely because they are based on project implementation mechanism and our work on projects.
Sorting the "routine" in the "inbox" is a natural way of forming the right approach to the new. Viewing the status of your backlog means that you are now in full control of the scope of work and, among other things, manage the related projects.
And assessing the significance of your focus area or area of responsibility helps to feel that you are in complete control of the situation on all projects, and allows you to achieve peace of mind, more widely use their life experience.
The scale of application of GTD or its elements seems to be limitless.
GTD and IT - harmony of high technologies
I noticed how quickly the number of GTD supporters in the blogosphere, high-tech and IT segment began to grow. Why was she accepted here with such enthusiasm?
I'm like all the lazy people, of which there are so many on the planet. Almost all of my friends who are obsessed with computers also belong to this category,
and programmers - everything, and always - stubbornly laboring, trying to invent something that would free from stubborn labor.
After all, the purpose of computing is to make it easier for people to do their job. And for GTD, the motto "Maximum results for a given resource" is its essence! Naturally, people associated with the world of computers are drawn to such ideas.
Computer programs work in their area in all modes only when complete absence of errors. And this is achieved by creating a systemic set of rules. Same for prescriptions. GTD systems characterized by the absence of failures.
One techie (and novice "GTD" guy) explained these processes to me from his belfry: "David, you just highlighted subroutines that always run, regardless of subject area any particular program."
GTD is a system independent concept, meaning it can be used effectively with any personal tool or software as long as it is designed to be streamlined. It allows you to finally take advantage of some programs that were rarely used before.
Among the thousands of users of popular enterprise desktop software such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, there was little demand for features such as Tasks or To-Dos.
By discovering that these features can be customized for use within the GTD, users have access to new features in the software they already have. In addition, there was a basis for generating and organizing ideas, which gave impetus to the emergence of hundreds of new applications, which are now based on the principles of GTD.
Difference GTD from other models and systems
Speaking of "personal self-organization", we mean gaining control over one's own mental state and over the situation in the world around us.
With the help of "just ordinary activities" this goal will not be achieved.
To solve such a problem, you need to fix and evaluate the significance (for the future) of everything incomprehensible in the world, and then delete everything that has nothing to do with you.
You must provide for a regular review of cases once they have been fully sorted out. GTD teaches you to start any business by making a list of all the tasks and problems, with which your head is stuffed. Only then can the significance of the list positions be assessed.
Using only priority problems, it is impossible to decompose goals by types and sublevels. But each of the sublevels needs non-priority, but specific forces and means.
The systems I've researched seem to suggest the same thing. Their authors proceed from the fact that you can always start (from scratch) right away with a holistic view of your perspective; that you will "immediately formulate" the tasks, determine the forces and means and ensure the balance of your affairs.
Good luck! Have you ever seen a single person whose life was so simple? Practical situations are much more complicated than such an idealized mise-en-scene.
We stubbornly try to manage our world, we try to control the situation, but we are constantly under pressure from new information and blows of fate. We grow and change our own ideas about our own prospects.
If all of the above factors are not taken into account, nothing will come of it. And with the GTD system, everything will work out!
Criteria for successful development = removal of obstacles
The effectiveness of GTD is easier to understand if you try to look at the whole situation from the point of view of removing any obstacle to activity.
I've wondered for years why GTD is most interested in those readers who don't really need it. Why? The answer is simple: it is for this group of people that a deep understanding of the negative consequences of system interference is characteristic.
If a person is already doing well, and he has lost interest in improving his performance, then such systems are deeply indifferent to him. The popularity of GTD is due to the shortage of people who, in life or work, would own at least some kind of system that can remove obstacles.
GTD just became a tool for managing situations. It allows you to maintain stability in the face of a variety of growth forms, changes and fluctuations.
Versatility and ease of implementation of the system
To implement GTD in life (almost immediately) you do not need to purchase a software product or master new skills. Enough common sense. The only requirement is that you have some sort of recording tool and a secure place where you can keep your to-do lists right.
I haven't found any particular category of people that GTD is more suited to than anyone else. It is used by corporate presidents, artists and project managers, families and clergy, students and retirees.
We have delivered GTD training to Fortune 50 corporations, family businesses and government agencies. We introduced this system to representatives of healthcare and energy, transport and aerospace, science and education, and almost all business areas.
She was equally perceived in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Estonia, Canada and Brazil. We also did not find differences in the perception of methods depending on the type of personality, learning style or gender.
Growth of problems and understanding of the need to solve them
If GTD only helped solve unique problems, or was a panacea for unimportant problems, it would be foolish to expect its popularity.
People are increasingly experiencing stress, a feeling of loss of control over the situation. Around the world, there is a growing awareness of the need to restore peace of mind.
What do we all want? We want more freedom and less work. We want to be prepared for the unexpected. We all desperately want to know how to manage - no, not information - affairs! And to understand how all our affairs affect each other.
When the amount of fluctuation goes off scale
I am often asked: “what is the novelty of your method in terms of the factors that cause stress?” My answer is always simple: “There is nothing new in GTD methods. The novelty is solely in increasing the frequency of updating cases without stress.
Change always brings stress. The new is inevitably associated with a reconfiguration of relationships and a change in self-image. So it was, and so it will be.
Today, in just three days, there are so many global changes, so many new projects appearing and so many reassessments taking place, as in the days of our parents’ youth, it happened during the year.
They were more comfortable with stress. We live in conditions of constant stress: new technologies allow any information to settle in your mailbox, and a voice message can at any moment blow up your inner world and destroy priorities.
Not information, but overload
Popular self-improvement systems are focused on solving two problems: time management (time management) and information management. Their solution is to simply reload your projects into the system of your choice.
Typically, a calendar plan and an hourly schedule are used, taken into account as pace, space, sorting, choice of tools and technologies. But neither time nor information by themselves can become a source of stress, can they?
You can't control time: that's hyperbole. You can only direct actions and focus your attention. Time only helps to understand under what conditions, i.e. ( where and when) you need to allocate specific resources ( strength and facilities).
If you manage things effectively, the time factor is neutralized. You do not feel a lack of resources or imbalance.
The real problem under these conditions is overload. Nature helps us to relax due to its organicity and variability.
The information that comes to us from nature is obvious and leaves positive memories. Information received by e-mail is often stupid and even harmful.
You need to open the folder, read the email, understand and evaluate it, and then systematically integrate the received messages. At the same time, the load is as if you are faced with a hundred bears during the day.
As practice shows, you can cope with such stress in a proven way, applying in relation to each of the positions effective methods and consciously sorting the incoming information into the appropriate folders.
This is what GTD teaches. And she works in tough system mode.
The ability to "get things in order" is easy to develop
A factor in the widespread use of GTD was an increase in the requirements for its own efficiency. The world is increasingly demanding the ability to quickly put things in order and achieve your goals. Enthusiasm and innovation are critical factors. And if a company or an individual cannot fulfill the plan, then any, even the most wonderful ideas, are useless.
But I argue that anyone can learn how to achieve goals, although it is still widely believed that some people are naturally more productive, while others are not inherently capable of it (this preconceived notion is characteristic of successful sales managers!)
And in the field of creativity and innovation, it was believed that a person from birth is endowed or deprived of a talent for discovery and creativity. And this is not so.
If you strictly follow the rules, then at the exit, any person will receive a heap of creative and innovative ideas and solutions.
There is a simple but specific process for putting your affairs in order. Its regulations form the basis of the GTD system. And this process needs to be studied.
We all have something intuitively fundamental
In GTD, in the course of its explanation, subtle moments appear that are rooted in the peculiarities of the psyche - intellect and aesthetics. I doubted that I would be able to properly explain this process.
We strive to interact with the world in an unbiased way, but at the same time without connecting linear formal logic and the principles of an inductive approach. (Of course, we are capable of this kind of thinking, but the manifestations of the surrounding reality do not fit into the framework of these rational categories.)
It seems that there is something deep in the soul (impulse) that without consistent argument so inspires and leads.
But for most people, this impulse does not always offer a coherent and sound subject matter. plan, but only a successful local fragment of the plan - some secluded course of action. Evaluating your experience, you will find in it the presence of this predestination, which did not seem obvious to you, and therefore you did not even try to use it.
After all great amount the things you were doing were unexpected. However, you quickly drew the necessary conclusions and acted. In other words, you have always been engaged in developing your specific attitude to events: your internal conceptual design and what you encountered in the environment have always been interconnected.
The most productive way to proceed is to alternate: first, looking for ways to improve your usual lifestyle, then choosing tools and methods for analyzing and implementing these new ideas. GTD is equally effective in organizing information from both external and internal sources.
To launch these "self-acting" mechanisms, one does not need to specially prepare and think about something in advance. After all, we perceive, evaluate, sort, unconsciously plan and execute all our lives.
The basic formula of GTD makes this whole process conscious and allows you to productively bring your ideas to life.
It's a system to help you discover what you already have.
We are busy with a lot of things. We do not have enough time even to highlight the most important of them. Will GTD help stop being a hostage to "routine" and chaos? Undoubtedly, I say.
Considering the accumulated cases, you highlight the most important of them at the moment. The only condition is that you must be full of creative energy, recognize the situation and remove obstacles.
You will need tools that will help you understand and articulate your abilities and opportunities in this world as fully as possible. GTD is good because it does not impose its goals on anyone. It only provides functions to help you return the most in a simple way control over the situation.
The GTD system has its own style.
GTD is certainly not too easy and it has a certain level of complexity. It is important that in a particular situation you will receive a “road map” from her that opens up prospects. Please remember that GTD is not so much a system as it is a systems approach.
GTD provides the same approach to everything, p. what you may encounter in life. For her, everything is important at the same time, but at the same time not essential: how are you with the fulfillment of your destiny? Fine. Do you need to feed your cat? Amazing. And if certain questions do not disturb your heart, do not waste energy thinking about them.
I would say that GTD is delicate. It is often used in sensitive situations: intricate problems deprive us of peace and sleep, occupy our attention; in such cases, the GTD system becomes a kind of anchor, which allows you to assess problems and "ground" disturbing thoughts for a more accurate understanding of the essence of the problems.
So what exactly is the GTD system?
For those who are not yet familiar with the GTD system, I would like to briefly list some of its key principles.
GTD is adjustable common sense system. With its help, having a list of regularly monitored cases, you can focus on your outer and inner world, make the right choice at the right time. GTD is a light, phased and effective method achieving high productivity without stress.
Among its main features:
Recording information that arouses your interest;
Setting goals and developing plans for issues that are significant to you;
Rank reminders and information into relevant categories that suit your needs;
Monitoring the state of affairs simultaneously across the six horizons of the tasks you face (purpose, vision, goals, focus areas, projects and plans events).
Following GTD inspires confidence, reduces overload and releases a powerful flow of creative energy. With its help, you can learn to flexibly manage any details and nuances of your life.
The system allows you to strictly adhere to the principles of productivity, while providing freedom in choosing methods. The experience of mentoring, during which we practiced the most advanced work organization technologies, helped to polish the GTD system.
Three models of the GTD system
The GTD system is a simple compilation of three models. I myself discovered and verified them in the process of communicating with people who daily needed to clarify their life situations and choosing a course of action.
Here short description these three models. Later I will explain how they work and how to work with them.
Workflow management
The workflow management model consists of five steps*:
Collection/identification;
Sorting;
ordering;
Overview of the state of affairs;
Execution.
* A more detailed diagram is presented in Appendix IV.
It is a technique developed as a way to collect/identify, analyze, organize and manage lists of "routines". That is, what we must systematize and win.
The technique involves recording raw input material, making decisions, arranging results into categories, evaluating the system as a whole and its individual parts, as well as choosing the right one. option actions. She, so to speak, works with options»
This GTD component is the simplest tool capable of immediately increase productivity.
natural planning
Typically, the workflow model involves planning and managing projects, but does not consider them as independent goals. Sorting information (in e-mail, in the inbox, or in the minutes of meetings) is associated with the selection and initiation of projects as ideas arise and with the development of an action plan for the implementation of these projects.
Often you have to work on the implementation of goals that require careful thought. These include, for example, your wedding, a new website, writing a book or a long-awaited vacation.
To plan and implement such projects, I have formulated a simple model with five phases.
In the early days of management consulting, Project Planning was of secondary interest to my clients.
Typically, they asked the same question: "Which model or software is best for project planning?" It seemed to them that the developments available in this area are either too simple or too complex.
I told them about the usual approach to planning, where we think about things without trying too hard to organize them. It is gratifying to note that in most cases we are still not very clearly aware of how we do all this.
Even just leaving the house to work on the garden plot, we somehow do some kind of planning, taking tools with us. In my opinion, it is generally impossible to go through a day and not plan your actions.
Whether big or small project is at work, our consciousness in the process of translating ideas into reality naturally goes through a five-stage process that looks like this *;
Purpose and principles;
Vision;
Brainstorm;
ordering;
Planning for follow-up activities.
Whether we hatch a plan, whether we realize our destiny, the direction of thoughts and the model of behavior are determined by our value system. We then develop vision, that is, their idea of what kind of reality would satisfy us.
See Annexes II and 111.
Not matching reality with the standard plunges us into stress, and we begin to generate ideas on how to achieve the realization of our vision (brainstorming). Next, we proceed to sort the ideas received by components, sequence and priority, - our personal action plan is formed.
This planning model is natural. It can be used as effective method focusing forces and means without any unproductive tension and allows you to form a "vertical" section of reflections necessary for various projects, situations and topics.
The rest is prioritization.
Focus Horizons
Management is just the distribution of limited resources (forces and means), which implies mastery of the art of choice, or the art of prioritization.
I've always felt that the way the time management models dictate the process of prioritization was a mess. It has not been worked out, it does not take into account the factors that really influence our actions.
We all naturally prioritize, but we can further streamline this process. To this end, I discovered six focus horizons and explored their influence on our choices.
I discovered the horizons of focusing to some extent by accident. One day I was approached with a request to organize a coaching session for a top manager from Wall Street. The man's main problem was "too many meetings." His assistant fought off employees who were eager to make an appointment with the boss. The schedule was booked months in advance.
When I came to his office, he closed the door and immediately asked pleadingly: “What should I do with this schedule?” I decided to start by clarifying the perspective, and on the board hanging by his desk, I wrote down my version of such important points as:
Purpose and principles;
Vision;
Areas of responsibility;
Projects;
Action plans.
Each of these levels had its own content. And before I could complete the list, my counterpart exclaimed: “I understand!” - "What did you understand?" I asked. “No, I'm not talking about meetings. I'm talking about my children!
After that, he began to closely analyze his own, convinced that our meeting would help him understand the causes of his severe overload. After all, it dawned on him that endless meetings stole from him a lot of time, which he could usefully spend communicating with his growing sons.
As a rule, when solving various problems, we, sometimes without even realizing what is happening, work without distinguishing them and not separating them, with all six levels.
We all have a purpose, values and vision. Turning the idea into reality, we must simultaneously control several key areas of our work and life, and at the same time adhere to certain standards and principles.
We all have projects where we complete certain promises to ourselves. We all perform some action based on the set goals, using a certain number of focusing horizons from the five known ones in our work.
At the same time, the choice of actions taken directly affects the performance at the highest focusing horizon.
This is the essence of prioritization: the more an action you take brings you closer to fulfilling your purpose, the more valuable it is to you.
Focus horizons aren't the only thing to consider when deciding what to do at, say, 3:15 tomorrow afternoon. Responding to this question, you must take into account such practical things as time, inspiration and location. The proposed six-level structure provides a reliable tool with which we can think about any situation systematically*.
How to combine these models
I recently realized that all of my methods deal with several key aspects of controlling the development of a situation and perspective, regardless of subject matter, place, or circumstance. I have reduced the number of GTD techniques to two main parts, which, in essence, are ways of understanding processes.
*Cm. Appendix VII.
People cannot grasp the concept of "loss of horizontal orientation" as easily as the concept of "loss of control." The concept of "loss of vertical orientation" is not given to them as easily as "loss of perspective".
The art of managing the workflow "collect / identify, sort, organize, review the status and execution of cases" provides control over the situation. The natural planning model and focus horizons give a sense of perspective.
Planning horizons provide a planning model for general scenarios. They are an example of hierarchical thinking, which allows you to evaluate the significance of the entire “routine” and correct the situation.
Here are important operator questions that require clear answers:
Why are we doing anything at this moment?
What is the expected result (WHAT)?
What components and from whom do we need to complete the work (FROM WHOM)?
What is the follow-up plan (WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, FOR WHOM and at what COST should be done)?
This system is nothing more than the art of focusing
GTD is first and foremost the art of focusing, that is, eliminating all distractions. It is a set of tools to help you focus on the manner and timing of actions needed to achieve a goal.
Having lost control over the situation, you will not be able to focus on anything and will not be able to answer a single question-operator (regarding this event).
If control over the progress of tasks on all horizons of focus is suddenly lost, it becomes important to regain a sense of perspective, to restore focus.
Hence the second subtlety of the art of management: the development of the correct analysis algorithm, which is used to review the state of affairs and subsequent predictive adjustments to everything related to the area of attention on all horizons of focus.
What has been said is embodied in practical measures at every given moment. No matter how aware you are of your actions within the framework of the "five stages and six levels" concept, you should never stop working.
Then the concept will provide the main thing: that you always stay firmly in the saddle, confidently managing the process of identifying and selecting options for action.
GTD System: Mental Foundation
AT last years I observe a steady interest in the concept " emotional intelligence". Common sense is interpreted in it as the ability to control one's feelings. This is directly related to personal effectiveness and professional results.
Communication, collaboration, teamwork, and managed relationships become important factors in professional life, making it useful to focus on the emotional component.
However, I contend that the rationale for our theories lies in the realm of mental intelligence! We must manage the process of thinking, constantly honing it. I do not deny people and the ability to think.
We simply do not bother ourselves with this occupation and do not use our potential with due efficiency. The reason for this is sheer laziness.
For example, we don't have an obsessive desire to clean up our mail and phone records, and this reduces the overall effectiveness of our operations. And in the same way, an overly emotional or, conversely, indifferent attitude to the matter is rewarded with the result.
The role of thought control in such situations cannot be underestimated. The concept of "thinking" in its broadest sense means the process of the emergence of emotions under the influence of thoughts, but not vice versa.
At your consciousness no own consciousness
People seem to me to be more than intelligent beings. Analyzing the motives of their actions, I, of course, make a distinction between thinking and consciousness.
I can say that thinking is the result of the combination of intellect with ideas. The use of consciousness and intuition helps to distinguish between concepts and make decisions.
If you have ever changed your mind, then you are capable of creative focused thinking.
Consciousness is a great servant, but a terrible teacher. It is ready to remind you of the problem at the very moment when you are no longer able to change anything.
And empty thoughts about problems and their real solution are completely different things. People are capable of generating wonderful ideas, although they do not think about their true value.
Unfortunately, often it does not come to managing the content of their ideas. But if you understand how this reactive and mechanical part of our thought processes works, then the key to victory is in your hands.
We are not born with these abilities.
At birth, no one is programmed to think: “What do we have in the asset? What do I want to achieve? What is the action plan? Who will do this?" In my life, I have met only a few people who acted in this way, considering it natural.
More often, people do not use their gift of structural thinking in their personal lives. A project manager in a company, knowing the principles and methods, may hold meetings, know how, plan to launch a new product on the market, etc., but may be helpless in applying the same principles to his relationship with his mother or to personal finances, although in in all cases it is possible and necessary to use the same methods.
Somehow one top manager got acquainted with my material and was surprised that I "revealed the heuristic mechanism" of his company's success present in its internal culture at the value level.
However, he did not know how to teach these corporate values to his employees. GTD allowed him and his employees to logically understand and identify their own methods of action and bring them to a level where they, as a coherent model, became a logical part of the process of corporate training of new employees.
Focus issues are generally key to productivity.
In order to start the whole mechanism and keep it running, we must take care of our own way of thinking and the possibility of productive adaptation of the results of our reflections to various fields of activity.
attention to attention
How does a person's consciousness focus on their own attention and the ability to control it? This is what is increasingly occupying the minds of researchers. But it is surprising that close interest in the phenomenon of attention didn't demanded its study from the point of view of the scientific organization of labor.
The development of technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging and cellular communication has brought to the forefront the issue of unnecessary costs due to debilitatingly heightened and fragmented human distraction.
At the same time, researchers have repeatedly tried to document the decline in business activity due to distractions to the level of loss of focus. However, the economic losses were not measurable.
Nevertheless, on the basis of the obtained statistical data on the decrease in the average concentration time and the increase in the relaxation period, certain conclusions could be drawn.
Companies responded by "attacking" this with their own developments under such names as "No Email Fridays" or "Quiet Hour". These actions were designed to reduce the losses due to psychic noise, and free people for the creative-reflective process.
Most research on this problem focuses on external factors: too much mail, too much (or little) interpersonal communication, too much change, etc. Solutions that focus only on reducing the volume or speed of incoming information become, at best, temporary measures. and at worst lead to paralysis.
We must be more mobile in the areas of thought and action (two sides of the same coin).
After all, from birth we are happy owners of consciousness, which gives us the ability to think and gives us an amazing opportunity to solve the most complex cases with the help of simple, properly composed, ordered and ranked lists.
Some of the information we get is really useful, but a lot of it is distracting and stressful, reducing our productivity and our ability to focus.
One of the biggest benefits of GTD is that it helps you differentiate between creative thought and ineffective worry.
It does not require mastering arcane sciences or achieving "mystical insight" (although both theorists and mystics consider GTD to be a valid method). Understanding the workings of the intellect and correctly fixing its products with an appropriate concentration of attention on the object of attention is as simple a matter as, for example, preparing dinner.
However, this happens only when you are doing business, and not hovering in the empyrean.
GTD System Logic
Strength is determined by access to open space. I experienced the truth of this statement myself while studying martial arts. And the metaphor "mind like water", which came from the philosophy of karate, has become widely used in connection with the application of GTD methods.
Water in all manifestations corresponds to what it interacts with. And this happens without stress and inappropriate waste of energy.
So we, when nothing distracts us, get more possibilities rule your world. We acquire the ability to abstract from the solution of one problem or another, if it is necessary to focus on another. Flexibility and focus are real sources of strength.
But something is holding us back...
Dealing with e-mails from your boss, pondering an important thought, worrying about the unusual silence in the nursery, dealing with a crisis in the department - these are all situations for which we find a solution. It also depends on many factors that make up our objective world at the moment.
But if you indulge in fruitless reflection, instead of thinking things over carefully and take on for their decision, the state of “consciousness like water” will turn out to be an unattainable ideal, and deeds will take an enormous amount of energy and strength.
It will not be funny at all if you take the experiences received at one meeting with you to another; if you bring domestic problems to work or put the burden of work issues on the shoulders of the family.
But how does it all work? What is the process logic?
Strength = Concentration
Concentrated energy creates momentum and has an impact. Nothing can be achieved without concentration, whether it is a game, interrupting the board with a blow of the palm of your hand, or a conversation with a teenager on sensitive topics.
Concentration = Elimination of distractions
Have you ever lost your sense of focus? And what happened to your productivity? Who distracted you the most?
But everyone experienced these unpleasant moments, becoming a victim of hundreds of external circumstances that interfered - a loud noise, an outsider, a computer failure. Have you been distracted from work while in a quiet room? More like: after all, one's own random thoughts are just as easy to lead astray, as well as any extraneous factors.
The book will be useful for those who want to learn how to plan their employment, and for those who are subject to constant fatigue, stress, anxiety due to "turnover" at work.
Description
Name: How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling life without stress (Eng. Making Work: Winning Game Work Business Life)
This book is a continuation of the bestseller "". On its pages, the author tried to find a use for his GTD method not only at work, but also in everyday life. Work will be useful both for those who want to learn how to plan their employment, and for those who are subject to constant fatigue, stress, anxiety due to "turnover" at work.
David Allen himself wrote in the preface: “Our reality and our tasks are becoming more and more difficult to formulate and ambiguous, as life is constantly becoming more complicated. To start this whole mechanism and keep it running, it is worth thinking more about our way of thinking and applying the results of these thoughts to various areas of our life and work.
The main idea of this book is the transformation of the GTD formula from a tool for a businessman into a universal mechanism for planning all employment - both at work and at home. This allows you to plan time, save it, avoid haste and the associated inconvenience. Allen's new creation is wider, deeper and therefore bigger.
about the author
David Allen- an expert, consultant in matters of time management and personal productivity. At the university, he specialized in American history. After graduating from college, D. Allen was looking for his place in life for quite some time. By his own assurance, he changed at least 35 professions before the age of 35. Today, Allen runs his own performance and management coaching company, although he very rarely gives public seminars. He is also one of the founders of Actioneer Inc, a company that specializes in the production of office supplies.
The self-organization expert who came up with the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology, designed to defeat the work routine and help gain control over life, decided, like most consultants, not to be limited to one job, but to develop his idea in a new book. Keeping Things in Order was created as a guide to the successful optimization of any process. The book presents the key models of the GTD system, which, in the author's opinion, can be successfully applied in almost all areas of life.
Self-organization matrix
The GTD system, described by Allen in the book "", is a technique for focusing, eliminating all that distracts attention. For the correct and uninterrupted operation of the system, two key factors must be monitored: control and perspective. Allen writes that these are two sides of the same coin, but require different approaches.
To make it easier for the reader to choose a landmark and direction for further movement, David Allen suggests using the following matrix:
The horizontal axis is control, the vertical axis is perspective. As Allen writes, the optimal state is high levels in both elements, and our goal is to achieve the position of Captain and Commander both in life and at work. “In this state there is no place for depression, division into personal and professional, situations of choosing life or work,” the author explains. - You act, you can just live actively and dynamically ”(more about the matrix - in).
Thus, the path to complete control passes through several stages. From the stage of fixation (gathering information that is important in terms of the focus of attention) through the assessment of significance (focusing attention on what is the object of your attention), ordering, checking and analyzing (reviewing the state of affairs and gaining a sense of perspective). “Acquiring full control through fixation, salience, ordering, and review clears your “inner table” by providing a clear view of all available options,” writes Allen. The final stage is execution.
Gaining Perspective
The second factor is perspective. In fact, where and why are you moving. To highlight the different levels, Allen uses terms related to the measurement of height - these figures help to represent the scope of the perspective.
So, at the "runway" level, you need to be ready to answer the question "What do you need to do?". For example, washing the car or discussing a new idea with the boss. This level involves developing a plan of activities and determining how to implement them daily.
Ten thousand feet. This horizon provides a focus on short-term projects, where each project is a miniature goal, the status of which should be reviewed at least once a week. "Regularly thinking about what's going on over a period of one week to several months will help relieve stress and ensure high productivity of thinking," writes Allen.
Twenty thousand - focus areas and areas of responsibility. These are seven to ten areas in which you can group your interests (self-expression, career, relationships, finance, and so on). The control chart for this horizon, Allen writes, can be the roles and key components of your lifestyle.
At thirty thousand feet, goals and objectives come into play. The basic question is: “What do I want to achieve?”. “It makes sense to rethink essentially annual and long-term goals at least once a year,” the author believes.
Forty thousand. At this frontier we are talking about long-term success, namely, determining what your goals are, for example, for three years. Moreover, “long-term” is a relative concept. Above is the level of purpose and principles. The first gives purposefulness, and the second represent basic values. David Allen is convinced of the need to clarify the absolute destination. "If you don't know why you exist or where you're going, you can be taken anywhere," he explains.
"The balanced integration of all these elements provides the individual with the most innovative productive business practices," says Allen. - All elements are so interdependent that your net productivity will be at the same level as the weakest element of the entire chain ”(For how to keep the system running, read
