A vision without a task is but a dream, a task without a vision is drudgery, a vision and a task is the hope of the world.
— From a church in Sussex, England, ca.1730
Conclusion
I HOPE THIS book has been useful — that you have started to reap the rewards of getting more done with less effort and stress. And I really hope you have tasted the freedom of a "mind like water" and the release of your creative energies that can come with the application of these techniques. Those who begin to implement these methods always discover there's more here than meets the eye, and you may have begun to experience your own version of that.
I'll bet Getting Things Done has validated much of what you already know and have been doing to some degree all along. Per-haps, though, it will make it much easier for you to apply that common sense more systematically in a world that seems to increasingly confound us with its intensity and complexity.
My intent is not to add more to the plethora of modern theories and models about how to be successful. I have tried, on the contrary, to define the core methods that don't change with the times, and which, when applied, always work. Like gravity, when you understand the principle, you can operate a lot more effectively, no matter what you're doing. Perhaps this is the Leading Edge of Back to Basics!
Getting Things Done is a road map to achieve the positive, relaxed focus that characterizes your most productive state. I invite you to use it, like a road map, as a reference tool to get back there whenever you need to.
To consistently stay on course, you'll have to do some things that may not be habits yet: keep everything out of your head; decide actions and outcomes when things first emerge on your radar, instead of later; and regularly review and update the complete inventory of open loops of your life and work. I hope by now you at least have established a reference point for the value these behaviors create. Don't be surprised, though, if it takes a little while to make them automatic. Be patient, and enjoy the process. Here are some final tips for moving forward:
• Get your personal physical organization hardware set up. Get your workstation organized. Get in-baskets. Create a personal filing system — for work and home. Get a good list-management organizer that you are inspired to play with. I also suggest that you give yourself permission to make any changes that you have been contemplating for enhancing your work environments. Hang pictures, buy pens, toss stuff, rearrange your work space. Support your fresh start.
• Set aside some time when you can tackle one whole area of your office, and then each part of your house. Gather everything into your system, and work through the Getting Things Done process.
• Share anything of value you've gleaned from this with someone else. (It's the fastest way to learn.)
• Review Getting Things Done again in three to six months. You'll notice things you might have missed the first time through, and I guarantee it will seem like a whole new book.
• Stay in touch with people who are broadcasting and reflecting these behaviors and standards. (We're available. Visit http://www.davidco.com anytime for tons of free support material, conversations about these best practices, current information about supportive products and services, and access to our global network of people sharing the best practices in productivity. For anything, contact us at The David Allen Company at info@davidco.com or 805-646-8432.)
Have a great rest of your life!
Notes
1
I consider "work," in its most universal sense, as meaning anything that you want or need to be different than it currently is. Many people make a distinction between "work" and "personal life," but I don't: to me, weeding the garden or updating my will is just as much "work" as writing this book or coaching a client. All the methods and techniques in this book are applicable across that life/work spectrum — to be effective, they need to be.
2
If, however, you were handling the celebration for your best friend's recent triumph, the complexity and detail that might accrue in your head should warrant at least the back of an envelope!
3
You can also plan nonactionable projects and not need a next action — for example, designing your dream house. The lack of a next action by default makes it a "someday/maybe" project. . and that's fine for anything of that nature.
4
After hours is actually a good time to crank through a group of similar tasks that you wouldn't normally do in the course of your typical workday, like filing a big backlog of papers, organizing photographs, surfing the Web about your upcoming vacation location, or processing expense receipts.
5
A great time to do this is Christmas Eve Day, or some similar near-holiday that falls on a workday. Most people are in "party mode" anyway, so it's an ideal opportunity to get funky and clean house.
6
One of your extra stack baskets is ideal for this purpose. Use it temporarily during this initial processing to gather things to organize later. Afterward you can use it to hold pending work-in-progress papers and physical reminders of next actions.
7
Digital list managers (like the Palm's) or low-tech papers in separate folders have an advantage, here over lists on paper because they let you easily move an item from one category to another as the action changes, without your having to rewrite anything.
8
This approach can be dangerous, however, if you don't put those "Bills to Pay" or "Receipts to Process" in front of your face as consistently as you should. Just having them "organized" isn't sufficient to get them off your mind — you've also got to review them appropriately.
9
Microsoft Outlook allows users to copy or move e-mails into its "Tasks" context, which, if organized according to my recommended categories, could work equally well.
10
Many Lotus Notes users don't even realize they can do this, but in fact it's one of the program's most powerful features. If you have Notes, check with your resident IT resource person and have him or her request system permission and show you how.
11
If you're using a group-accessible calendar, you must maintain discretion about these kinds of triggers. Digital calendars usually have "private" categorization functions you can use for entries you don't necessarily want everyone to see.