Getting Things Done - GTD
How to Implement Your GTD System: Getting Started With Loading Data
AUTHOR: Francisco Sáez
How to Implement Your GTD System:
1. Initial Setup
2. Getting Started With Loading Data
In the previous article we saw what elements and tools should be taken into account to implement a solid personal management system, based on the Getting Things Done methodology, and how they should be arranged to generate an attractive work environment.
If you already have a good working environment and the right equipment, the next step is to actually get the system to do the work it was designed to do, i.e. to keep your mind from doing the job of remembering things.
As your system becomes complete, meaning it contains as much information as possible about the things that make up your current reality, your mind will need to retain less and less and will become freer. With a mind less occupied with trivial matters, your stress level will be much lower and your ability to think clearly will increase.
Let’s see what you need to do to start populating data into your system and enjoy that promised clarity.
Make time for managing your system
Something that many people are not aware of is that managing a work system takes time. This can be very frustrating for those who are not aware of the advantages of self-management.
You have to process and clarify all the issues and information that come into your head, write down new projects, organize reminders, think, make decisions, do regular reviews to keep the system up to date, etc.
This type of activity is not something you can do while doing other tasks. You must “make time” every day to do them. And for this activity to become a habit it is best that at the beginning you set aside a specific time in your calendar every day for it (over time you will not need reminders, you will be updating things naturally as needed).
You may need an hour at the beginning of the day, or a while at the end of the day, or maybe a couple of short sessions at the beginning and at the end of the day. Think about what timing will best fit your lifestyle, and start there.
Do mind sweeps
A Mind Sweep is a process in which you capture all the things in your life that currently require some kind of action. It’s a simple but slow process, because it involves carefully reviewing the areas of interest of your personal and professional life, and writing down what is pending in each of those areas.
You’ll probably have to do several sessions, each one based on a mental area of your psyche (pending work projects, financial issues, health issues, readings…), or on a physical area of your real world (your home, your office…).
You can do a mind sweep with any capture tool using the Incompletion Trigger List.
If you use FacileThings, you have a mind sweep wizard, which helps you think through specific issues based on topics and trigger questions, allowing you to save the status of different sessions. This way you can concentrate on thinking about what’s important without worrying about the process.
Once you’ve completed an initial mind sweep, you’ll have a good collection of reminders in your system to start working on.
Do weekly reviews
The Weekly Review is a process that helps you bring your world up to date and is crucial for a successful implementation of your personal management system. If it’s not already a habit, schedule this weekly activity in your calendar.
You may need up to one or two hours, depending on the amount of work you have to deal with each week, and you only need your usual tools (inboxes, calendar, lists). Follow these steps to make it.
In FacileThings there’s also an assistant for the Weekly Review that guides you through the steps that make up the process and shows the data you need in each step, simplifying the task and reducing the time you need to spend on it.
Work the highest horizons
Defining the higher levels of perspective —objectives, areas of responsibility, vision and purpose— require a specific, more reflective and introspective mental work.
You’ll also need to dedicate specific time to it if you want your day-to-day life to have a deeper meaning than just doing and crossing off tasks. Plan and schedule in your calendar the events you consider necessary so that the thinking and conversations about these concepts can flow.
In FacileThings you also have a section to work and define the elements that make up each level of perspective, and align them with your projects and daily tasks.
Improve your system
Now that you’ve set up your system and started working with it, you’ll probably be able to come up with potential improvements. It’s important you identify projects and actions to support your own processes.
Effort and time spent on improving your work style and working conditions will always be a good investment. Keep an active project on improving your personal management system until you reach a point where you are fully satisfied.
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