Getting things done

23 Jun 2005 21:12 - (0) comments

For freelancers working at home getting things done can sometimes be a problem. I just finished reading Getting Things Done by David Allen and can recommend it to everyone. It has some very good productivity and stress prevention tips. I certainly wish I had read it sooner.

Clear your mind

The main theme of the book was clearing your mind from the nagging to-do's by capturing them in a container. They keep nagging in the back of your mind at times when you usually can't do anything about them, thus increasing your stress. If you know you have recorded all to-do's in a dependable container you can clear your mind and stop the nagging.

You can use a paper list or a tool like Toodoo or TadaList. The book goes into more detail about setting up a variety of tools/containers.

The Two Minute Rule

Maybe the simplest and most valuable tip from the book is the two minute rule: if there's anything you really must do that you can do in two minutes or less: do it now. By doing this you'll finish all those little things that keep nagging at the back of your mind. Little things that take as much time thinking about as doing them.

The power of the next action

Most projects only need an outcome and a next action to get of your mind. Clarify your commitment and decide what you have to do. What is your intended succesful outcome? What is the next physical action required to move it towards that outcome? It's a lot easier to just focus on these next actions.

A lot of projects can stagnate because the next action hasn't been correctly defined. Avoiding deciding what actions need to be done next until the last moment creates inefficiencies and unneccesary stress.

Lower your standards

Broken commitments can make you feel bad about yourself. There are two options of dealing with commitments besides completing them: don't make them or renegotiate them.

A lot of commitments people make come from their values. The more you focus on them, the more you feel responsible for them, the more commitments you make. If you lower your standards, you'll make less commitments.

You can also renegotiate commitments by postponing them.

Don't overreact of underreact

Almost every project could be done better. Respond with force totally appropriate to the envisioned outcome.

Getting in the Zone

Signal vs. Noise has a nice blog post about alone time and getting in the zone. Using headphones can keep you concentrated to get in the zone and get some real work done.