Managing the Minutiae
Sheena Kelly, Teacher-Librarian | Peak to Peak K-12
“stress free productivity”
The start of the school year is anxiety laden and, if you’re anything like me, is always accompanied by a fresh set of stress zits. But after about a week I remember...I’ve got this. My organizational system keeps me relatively sane while juggling the endless tasks I have to do at any given moment. My journey to “stress free productivity” (a phrase I literally lol’ed at when I first bought David Allen’s book circa 2009) has been one of steady progress and even though I’ve been getting things done for years, I’m still discovering better ways to organize my commitments.
The problem with doing a thing is that it’s never one thing. Working on a blind date with a book program involves creating display signage (which involves making a digital flyer or assembling die cuts and butcher paper for a bulletin board), pulling books, wrapping books (which involves finding/gathering paper, tape, scissors), promoting the program (which involves creating/printing/posting more flyers, intercom announcements, email blast to English teachers), assessing the program, and this list could go on and on. The thousand little things that have to be done in order to be successfully with the end product of a single endeavor can be overwhelming. Each of those “open loops” buzzes around in your brain until you accomplish the task (sometimes the same “oh! don’t forget to...” popping up several times in the same hour/day/week). That’s where Getting Things Done comes in.
Step 1 : Brain Dump
Use the Incompletion Trigger Lists to identify the open loops in your life. Get several blank sheets of unlined paper and write down everything that comes to mind as you look over the lists. A key tenet of Getting Things Done is getting things off of your mind and turning your open loops into actionable tasks. This “brain dump” is a good exercise to do weekly.
Step 2 : Werk
Use the Mastering Workflow diagram to work your way through each task/commitment you identified. The workflow takes you step by step as you process the “stuff” in your life. I recommend using the app Todoist to keep track of tasks identified during processing. Once you’ve finished with the trigger lists, move on to the other “stuff” in your life (email inbox, stack of mail, notes from that meeting...).
My personal organizational system is heavily influenced by GTD but also very different. I’ve settled (for now) on a hybrid paper/digital system for organizing personal and professional goals and obligations. You’ll discover a system that works for you, and remember to be patient with yourself along this journey. Here are a few screen shots of my Todoist to inspire you to organizational bliss!
Suggested Resources
“Getting Things Done” by David Allen
This is a must own for ready reference and writing in the margins. If you want to save a few pennies, the first edition is just as good as the newer one.
Listen to GTD podcasts online for free!
Todoist task manager (web and mobile)
I lived quite happily with the free version of Todoist for many years before upgrading. The paid version has some nice perks (notifications for example) that are indispensable now that I’m used to them.
Boomerang for Gmail [Add-On]
With only 10 free messages a month, the paid plan ($4.99/month) is necessary if you want to make truly effective use of this tool.
I created this to help me manage the hundreds of oddly specific passwords and security questions/answers I have to manage. I have one of these spreadsheets for work, and one for my personal accounts!
Great post, Sheena. A book my husband and I are listening to also talks about a brain dump so that the little undone tidbits don't pop up in your head throughout the day (or middle of the night). [The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, by Daniel J. Levitin.] Getting Things Done is probably more about how to do it, while the Organized Mind is about why organization systems help your brain. I'm going to read Getting Things Done next! Thanks!
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