Getting Things Done (GTD) is an interesting system for managing one’s time and making things happen. It was originally pitched at CEO,with a lot of different projects on their plates at the same time. Lately,however,I have noticed a significant uptake of it by system administrators,programmers and other IT geeks.
Being a geek myself,I think it is because we also have to juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Some people I know could probably beat most CEOs by number of projects they are involved in.
I have not implemented GTD fully yet,but keep taking small steps towards it. The benefits exist in any level of implementation though –apparently –they are exponentially higher with a full implementation. But while I am perfecting my process,I am on the lookout for good material on GTD that will help me get there faster and (being honest) will motivate me by example.
Couple of resources I found interesting are:
- A long talk between Merlin Mann of 43 folders and David Allen (author of the book and the system) about GTD
- A short video presentation of one person’s implementation of GTD within Outlook from Ignite Seattle conference
- GTDInbox –a freeware Firefox extension for Gmail to implement GTD on top of Gmail interface . I use this one,since I spend most of my time near always-on Internet connection and most of my action items flow through email anyway.
I have read the book and would like to try to use the GTD system. I need to make some time to go through my ‘in-boxes’and make sure everything is in the system. Until I do that it’s hard to say how useful it will be but I’m sure it would be an improvement on how I do things currently!
http://www.backpackit.com and http://www.highrise.com and http://www.wridea.com all look like useful resources too.
I haven’t heard about wridea,but I looked at the other two. They looked interesting,but the free options were not comprehensive enough (no surprise) and the commercial were a bit too expensive for my taste.
I think once I will get into GTD fully,it might make sense to pay for one of the better solutions but,for now,what I have is probably sufficient.
Alexandre –thank you for trying GTDInbox,I am glad it suits your needs. I’m largely the same as you,in the sense that most of my tasks and personal requests pass through my email;so this is priorty #1.
We’re actually in the process of revamping GTDInbox,so if you have any requests (mangeable requests!) that will improve your productivity,do drop me an email.
Andy,
Actually,I am quite happy with the GTDInbox and the features you rolled out over time. But the standing invitation to comment is always a nice thing to have.