Volume 7 Number 3

Time to break the silence on this blog re: David Allen's "Getting things done". This book is a wonderful blessing in personal organisation.

It is the kind of book that if you are already fairly organised you can flip through and get lots of hints and tips from to include in your own way of doing things, such as:

• For any job, goal, meeting, plan, chore always ask 'What is the next, actual, concrete, physical action I need to do to get this done?'. That can be quite a difficult skill to master. We tend to gloss of the next actual action to the overall outcome. For example if I want to get my car fixed, my first action is to find the mechanic's number. In a meeting, when a problem gets raised, the next action may be simply to talk with the person who raised the problem and then re-evaluate next time, rather than devoting 10 mintues with everyone giving their opinion on the problem.
  
• Make your filing system as uncomplicated as possible. Don't bother with hanging files in your filing cabinet. Just let the manila folders sit in the filing drawer. If you are going to use hanging files, restrict it to one manila folder per hanger, so that you don't complicate the system by having to find the right hanger then the right file.
• Whenever a job, task or chore requires more than one action to be completed (even writing aletter, buying a stamp and posting it), consider it a 'project' and keep track of it on a separate 'projects' list. That helps you break down even the most mundane of jobs into do-able actions... rather than seeing 'write to Grandma' on your TODO list, and getting a gush of all the things you need to do to get that done.
• Keep separate TODO lists for each sphere of activity: @ Phone, @ Computer, @ Home, @ Office, Errands etc
• Have an INBOX. One INBOX. Regularly flush it clean. Don't even put anything back into the INBOX. You don't need to necessarily do everything in your INBOX. Just get it into your system so it will be done later.
  
• Have a series of checklists on your overall goals, things to remember for various levels of life:

1. Runway items: things you need to keep being mindful of day-to-day
2. 10 000 foot items: things to be aware of in your various projects
3. 20 000 foot items: things to be aware of in your overall areas of responsibility
4. 30 000 foot items: 1-2 year goals
5. 40 000 foot items: 3-5 year goals
6. 50 000 fot items: life goals

• Do a weekly review where you scan over everything, to capture any outstanding items. Plan for the future week. Do this early afternoon of the last day of your working week, so that you enjoy your day off and start the next week well.
  
• Keep your calendar free of everything except those things which must happen on that day. Never put the things you'd just like to do on that day.
• Change anything in your personal organisation system that makes you resist getting organised: never have a filing cabinet more than 2/3 full, have your INBOX within reach of your computer/desk, get a stapler that makes a satisfying 'thump'.
• When ideas or possible actions come up along the way, write each new idea on a separate piece of paper. This means that each separate piece of paper can be filed away immediatley, rather than being re-written/crossed off etc.
  
• There are three ways to decide what you should be doing:

1. By first asking what context your are in, then by time is available, third by asking how much energy you have and lastly by asking what is the greatest priority.
2. By considering the three types of work you could do: Predefined work, Defining the work you have to do, Doing work that just turns up.
3. By consider your higher-level goals.
   

But I think there is probably a large mass of us who would most benefit from putting the whole system into practice. It's threatening to read a book on personal organisation, because most of us take some degree of pride in our self-discipline. But because of this it's very hard to hear the suggestions of a different approach. I think that even to get the most out of the book, it is worth reading it as if you are going to implement the entire system.

So what is the system? Well it means having 10 buckets that capture your life:

1. INBOX: Everything goes into the inbox. If you can't fit it in there, write a note about it. You must regularly (daily/weekly), flush your inbox item by item. Start from the top and work your way day. Never put anything back into the inbox. Never get more than one thing out at a time. You don't need to do each thing, but you need to put it in the system. So your email inbox should always be getting to empty. It is not a reminder page. Archive emails you won't answer immediately and put a reminder in your system.
   
2. Rubbish: If you are not going to do anything about it, if you don't want it for future reference, then get rid of it.
3. TO DO lists: Have separate lists for each different context. These are all single-action items. If you need to do more than one thing to complete a task, it is really a project (see below).
   
4. Calendar: Only for 1. Things that are going to get done and have to get done on that specific day. These need to be actions not just topics (eg 'call David', 'brainstorm conference'); or 2. Reminders of things that will be happening on that day (eg 'preaching at Montrose').
5. Waiting for: The list of things you have asked others to do, that you may need to return to and follow-up (eg 'Bernie send me Kevin's email address', 'Beckett return my encyclopaedia').
   
6. Remind me later: A filing system or part of your calendar that contains things you definitely want to start thinking about again at a later date. I have a page inserted in my diary (it's a binder-style diary so i can insert pages), that lists actions I need to address each week/month of the coming year - 'start planning sermon on Acts 20'.
7. Someday/maybe: List of actions that you don't need to do now, and you don't necessarily want to do in the forseeable future, but you want to keep record of (eg Learn Chinese).
8. Project support material: The various checklists, information and other items relating to the more-than-one-action items you are doing at the moment.
9. Checklists: Those things that you want to make sure that you remember in a certain area of task (eg things to do when packing for a holiday). Can be kept in reference file or project file.
   
10. Reference file: Stuff that requires no immediate action, but that you want to keep to refer to later. Books, Bible studies, letters, brochures. File in one A-Z system, only have one extra level (eg Conference/Church Conferences)

Each of these are very clear and distinct buckets. Everything needs to go in one of them. They should never serve more than one purpose. An INBOX shoudl not also be a reminder list. A calendar is not also a general TODO list. A project folder should not contain general reference info or ideas for next time you do that action.

As you flush your INBOX, then you ask the following: What is it? What is the next action?

1. If no next action... Dump it? Put it in the Reference file? Put it in the Someday/Maybe file?
2. If next action... Either Do it (if it takes less than 2 mins), Delegate it (and put into Waiting for list) or Defer it (and put it into TODO list, Calendar or Remind me later system) - simple to remember: Do, Dodge, Delay or Destroy.

Ok that's enough. John 14:31.