Recently we held our first Startup Princess Networking Tea Party of the year and we discussed the David Allen book, Getting Things Done. It’s already changing my life.
Warning! This is not a book for reading in your bathtub….it really is a book that requires digesting with high levels of energy to concentrate and take notes. But don’t get scared, I highly recommend the effort. It’s definitely a “must read” regarding personal organization and processes for managing “piles of stuff” so there’s a reliable system. Confession: I’ve been the “slightly scattered” Startup Princess and I’d really rather be the “organized and effective” type, so I’m on a quest to change my behavior and decrease my mental stress and burnout/ADD functions because “I have so much to do, if I can just concentrate on where to begin.”
Last Fall I digested Timothy Ferriss‘ “4 Hour Work Week” and it shifted my paradigm of hard work and enjoying life more fully and now I’m working 10 instead of 50, taking more time to do other things important to me, including vacations and family activities, service, etc. I’m over my email addiction (90%) and my obsession with checking my web traffic (getting a desktop computer and putting it in the basement was the secret there, instead of lugging my mac laptop wherever I went like it was my nursing babe). Now if I can just manage the 10 hours that I AM working with order instead of chaos, I think we’ll see great levels of effective outcomes in 2008!! So, I begin with Getting Things Done and have high expectations…afterall, it is a national bestseller, so I hope it will work for me too.
Because I am quite overwhelmed with the thought of tackling my messiness, I’ve decided to just take a new baby step each week. In the book there’s a workflow chart (you can download for free under “free articles” if you create an account on David Allen’s site). 
In the book’s workflow chart it breaks down “what to do with stuff” by saying you should first (1) identify “what is it?” is it trash? is it something you need to keep for future as a reference? what do you need it for? Is it yours? Once you identify with the object and there’s an action associated with it (2) then you’re supposed to just do it then if it will take you less than 2 minutes. This is the teeny tiny baby step I’ve taken in the last several days and it’s really making a difference because I’ve realized how many quick and painless things I overlook often that I can get done in a heartbeat. I love it. Perhaps you will too…
Today’s Magic Wand: If you’re looking at your “To Do” list or in box and you can “get it done in 2 minutes”, don’t put it off any longer. You’ll be amazed by how quickly things will start getting done and your mind will start feeling lighter because it’s such an easy thing to check off. You’ll start to feel energized and organized because you ARE…one baby step at a time.
What’s the NEXT Baby Step you’d recommend?? I’d love to hear your thoughts… what do you think is essential for reclaiming my space and my thoughts? If you’ve read the GTD book, what do you think I should focus on next? What has worked for you?Â
First off, I’m enjoying your blog.
Secondly, I’ve heard really good things about GTD but I simply don’t have enough time to start something that will save me time. The “just do it if it’s brief” idea seems to be a good one, though. Now, I guess, is just sticking with it. That would be my problem.
wonderful post kelly. i am all about baby steps towards a change to better my everyday. i am getting the book and will post about your post – this is information every women needs – not just a business women. i appreciate all your information you share and always look forward to reading more.
Thank you for all the inspiration.
I think you are off to a great start. What I find is that this in an ongoing process and constantly evolving and realizing that takes off the pressure to make quick changes. I started simplifying my life more than 2 years ago and it has made a major difference for me. It took me 1 1/2 years to get to at a point where I felt great about the whole thing. I did this with all areas of my life including all my possessions. The most important thing is to get clear about what really matters and then start eliminating the rest. One day at a time. At the end of each day appreciate all that you have accomplished. Keeping a journal is helpful too.
I have read the book and found the idea of having a “Project” section area help. I also purchased a label maker as suggested in the book – not only is it fun to use, it makes everything look so neat and tidy which is important to me. It is definitely a book that needs to be read several times to totally grasp the system and understand it, it is on my list of books to reread in the next month of so!
This was the most helpful seesion for me! I was in the process of moving my office upstairs when I suddenly needed to take over the business fully and move all our operations into our garage and office. That was 16 months ago and I have had boxes of stuff waiting for me with no systems in place to get through them. The best thing I have done since last weeks meeting was to download the files from the GTD site,put together the Tickler file system (it’s magic)and spend 6 hours Saturday conquering one huge pile! Next is changing my filing system to the “no-hangfiles” alphabetical referrence file system. Then on to projects!
Thanks a ton. It was a life-saver meeting for me!
Hello Everyone! I’ve been head-down in completing my 2 minute tasks…loving it. I even felt the urge to dump out the contents of our hall media/linen closet and it’s looking sharp now.
Dustin, welcome to SUP. Glad to meet you and best wishes with your GTD projects, I’m confident you can do the 2 min thing consisently…as he says it’s about creating new habits!
SUP Kami, so happy to see that you’re in the same carriage as me…baby steps along the journey to GTD! I highly recommend downloading the free articles on http://www.davidco.com please tell us how it goes for you.
SUP Fatma, thanks for the reminder of how journaling (and not just blogging) helps us to get back to simplicity. You have a wealth of great info to share, thanks.
SUP Leigh Anne, labelmaker is on my list of “to buy refills”, I have one but if you don’t have the supplies, well then…it’s really no use. thanks for the reminder! Rereading is definitely a must. I’d like to just tackle a chapter a month.
SUP Jan, I am so happy to hear you enjoyed our SUP Networking Tea Party featuring the GTD. It was great to see you and I’m so inspired by how you’re GTD!! Way to go, you’re doing wonderful! Would you like to write a post about this for us?
Hey, Startup Princess! I would write a post but I’m feeling a little inadequate and time challenged!
My biggest challenge is to keep doing the system when it’s not yet a habit, a storm blows in and I need to shift into autopilot.
“Projects” are not yet clearly defined for me and they don’t have a home or clear link into my system. I am looking forward to learning about them when I get my next free block of time as that seems to be the missing link that sabotages the system.
My storm is a manufacturer who has completely dropped the ball and it has thrown me for six. He has put me back a year with Chinese New Year keeping me another month out. I am trying Mexico for manufacturing!
So, I’m still looking for a period of relative calm to recommit to the system! I use it enough to see that when I do use it consistently and completely I will the trust it. That’s my goal!
Thanks for all you do!
Jan
I’m looking forward to the 13th!
I am a professional organizer living in the Utah Valley area. My business’ name is Organizing Mind over Matter. I too am a believer in small steps forward. However, rather than baby steps, I would suggest early childhood steps. I recommend to my clients that they work in segments of 15 minutes at a time. Set a timer and work, uninterrupted, for 15 minutes. If you are on a roll and would like to continue, set the timer for another 15 minutes. (I am a believer that it takes more than 2 minutes to make much progress.) If you do not have the know how to set up a system that will continually work, call in someone like myself that has systematized successfully and individually over and over again. I wish you well in your endeavors to regain calm! Kind Regards, Vicki Winterton