Staying Present: I come to embrace “Getting Things Done”

I  was introduced to, and strongly encouraged to read, “Getting Things Done” a few years ago. The book came so highly recommended that I didn’t question the importance of it and dove right in. It wasn’t long before my resistance to the message started to creep in and the more I read the more distant I became to the material. My first take with GTD, as it is loving referred to, ended with me, quite literally, throwing the book across the room… truly.
At the time,  I was a more than full-time working wonder woman  – desperately passionately trying to build a business – balancing being available to my small kiddos and giving my design clients all the creative mojo I could conjure up. So, when I read David Allen’s suggestion to stop all work for a few days in order to structure my life in his suggested way… well that was it for me and the book chucking started.
I will admit today that my reaction to David Allen’s suggestions on how to increase productivity, in particular the bit about no work for a few days with an administrative assistant or the author himself posed to run interference, says a lot about where I was at at the time  – maxed out completely. I didn’t get paid if I didn’t work – and I chose to divide my time into segments devoted to work and to family… I didn’t feel like I could bring the whole  system to a screeching halt. I do have to say that just thinking about the bit where the author describes helping the many executives he has worked with by field calls and blocking interruptions still gets my goat. I don’t have a secretary to review and log my phone calls for me and I don’t imagine David Allen is going to show up at my home office to help – that would be totally cool, don’t get me wrong… just thinking… hmmmm… probably not happ’nen.
And so, my relationship with “Getting Things Done” stayed in a very cold and disdaining space for a few years. We agreed to disagree and go our separate ways – the book to the shelf and me to focus on the business at hand.
“Getting Things Done” came back into the spotlight when a friend reminded me of my habit to see things in total black and white. He shared that he used the pieces of the book that worked for him. He did not adhere to the system to perfection (what a novel idea!) – but he did do things like “close the loop.” I began to almost sub-consciously weave bits of the “Getting Things Done” philosophy into my life… making sure emails got put into clients folders rather than my in-box actually did make it easier to find things… the little bit of time invested did save me time in the end.
There has been a renewed energy around “Getting Things Done” in my life recently and I have taken a moment to step back a bit and observe my life and how it is different from when I was first introduced to the book. Over the last few years I have done some growing up, some evolving spiritually, some work in the area of self awareness and conscious living – I have also experienced the ups and downs of owning a business, had a few hard knocks life lessens.
My biggest take away from “Getting Things Done”  today is to be present. I am committed to living my life consciously… present and experiencing each moment. The most important piece of “Getting Things Done” for me is to create a system of working that allows me to place the pieces of my work into their designated spaces so my mind can focus on the task at hand. This way of being with the data in my life also works in my relationships with family and friends. If I have an out-standing to-do item hanging out there and I don’t know if I have taken care of it… that’s the thing I will obsessively think about during dinner rather than listening to my son talk about his day. The time I have with my boys is a particularly powerful reminder of how important it is to be present in the moment… they really do grow so fast, if I don’t pay attention, I will miss it.
The organizational system is the logistics of the “Getting Things Done” philosophy. David Allen has put together a suggested system he has seen work for himself and his clients. I just got lost in the logistics and couldn’t see the forest for trees. I have created a system that works for me. I believe the most important part of whatever kind of organizational system you come up with is to be consistent. I have to keep doing something long enough until my brain actually trusts that things will be taken care, balls will not be dropped and no, I don’t have to worry about when the field trip is while I am in a meeting with a client, because it’s on my calendar – color coded in the boys designated shade – with a reminder set for 24 hours in advance – with the what to pack list on the fridge at home.
That’s all well and good, you say – but what the heck does that look like? Well, here a few things I do:
At work: