This is the fourth day of my participation in the August More Text Challenge. For details, see “August More Text Challenge”.
It’s been four years since I started working with TODO tools such as OneNote, Magic List (now called Microsoft TODO), and Tick List. However, many todos in use remain TODO until the end of the project.
Until the recent encounter with GTD, it was like opening the door to a new world.
Getting Things Done, or GTD, is a behavior management method and the title of a book by David Allen.
The main principle of GTD is that one needs to take tasks out of one’s head by recording them. In this way, the mind is not filled with things that need to be done and can focus on what is being done.
Clear the brain
The first step to GTD is to clear your mind. Yes, you need to clear your mind. Only by clearing your mind can you focus on one thing and get more done with less effort.
If your mind is empty, always in a state of readiness, then it is open to everything.
Sometimes, because we have too many things in our mind, we can’t completely concentrate on one thing while we are still thinking about another thing. Sometimes in the middle of A project, the product suddenly comes to you and asks you to help modify A style problem of B project. Many unresolved problems are around you, making you feel powerless.
The human brain is like the CPU of a computer. It’s a computing device for processing information, not a storage device. You can only think about two or three things at a time. Just like keeping the CPU running at high speed, you must keep memory queued for as few tasks as possible, rather than overloading it. Therefore, we need to minimize the number of tasks in the CPU cache.
The way to clear your mind is to pour everything out of your head, regardless of priorities or whether it’s in progress. Keep it all together using post-it notes, a notebook, or a memo on your phone. Of course, you can also use professional tools, such as the MAC’s built-in reminders.
The next step is to demonstrate the GTD process through the MAC reminders, changing the default list of reminders to a collection box, and then pouring everything you have in mind.
Sort out things
After putting everything in the box, we need to deal with it and classify it in a scientific way. GTD provides a methodology that allows you to answer “yes” or “no” and quickly categorize.
Take out the things that were put in the collection box before and check them one by one:
- Buy an iPhone 13
- To donate blood
- Refactoring your personal blog
- Issue of income certificate
- Also the credit card
- Added private test audit in management background
- Let’s meet at 4:00 p.m. in conference room 202
- A thousand jump ropes
Buy an iPhone 13: Recently, I saw a lot of Revelations about iPhone 13 on the Internet, which led me to this idea. However, iPhone 13 has not been released yet, so this thing can not be acted on at present. At this time, I should put this thing into the possible list and think about it after the release of iPhone 13.
To donate blood: because on the way to the company in the morning, I saw a blood donation car, so I had the idea of donating blood in my mind. Then I consulted my doctor friend, and found that high myopia is not allowed to donate blood, so I can not act on this matter, and will not be able to act in the future, at this time, I can only delete this matter (or put it into the recycling bin).
Refactoring my personal blog: This is something I can do right now, but obviously it can’t be done all at once, so I’m going to create a new list of projects to map out how to refactor.
Issue of income certificate: This needs to be submitted to OA in the company first and then reviewed by the company administration. Therefore, I can’t complete this by myself, and I need to wait for the review of the administration. So, this thing needs to go on the waiting list.
Return credit card: the China Merchants send text message to remind me today: today is the day of repayment. All I need to do is take my phone out, and I can do it quickly in the App, so I can do it right away, and then I can just mark it.
Added private test audit in the management background: This is the demand given to me by the product today, and I need to complete it today. Obviously, this is not a demand that can be completed within two minutes. I may spend two hours in the afternoon to complete this demand, so this is a task to be implemented, and I need to put it on the list of implementation.
4:00pm meeting in conference room 202: there is a definite time for this event. We can directly set the time in the reminder, and then it will proactively remind us. Of course, if you fill things in according to the software’s specifications, it will unsolicited suggest a time.
However, meeting at four o ‘clock, remind you at four o ‘clock, seems not smart enough, can only manually set the time ten minutes earlier 🤔.
One thousand jump rope: the last one can not be completed immediately, need after work, have free time at home to do, of course, may also appear other things interrupt my plan. In my mind, I usually put it on my to-do list and set a time, like 8 p.m., for a reminder to pop up to remind me.
Constantly review
When using GTD, you need to put the things in your mind into the collection box often, and then you need to sort out the collection box at fixed times, and classify the things in the collection box according to the previous process. It sounds very tedious, but in fact, it has solved many problems in my life and work, and made many things have a plan, so that I will not be forgotten in the corner because of something, and will be in a rush when suddenly comes.
In addition to organizing the collection box, you need to regularly review your list to see if there is anything on the possible list that you might be able to do, or to make sure that the waiting list has been completed.
In my experience, reviewing is often harder to stick to than recording and categorizing. Without regular reviews, all of the toDOS documented previously become meaningless.
MAC reminders are easier to get started with, but still lack some smart features. I have been using tick Tock list for two years, which is not only good looking, but also supports tabs, calendars, clocking, tomato clock, etc. (PS: not ads, I don’t get paid 🤣).
conclusion
I’ve only scratched the surface of what I’ve learned about GTD, and a lot is still being explored and iterated. The GTD methodology may not be for everyone, and some people may find it more tedious to do these things, or even delay their time. Still, I suggest you give it a try, because you’re young and the cost of trial and error is very low, in case it helps you?