Personal Productivity
Why Do You Need a Personal Management System?
AUTHOR: Francisco Sáez
"Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those goals." ~ James Clear
We have been unconsciously falling into a great little delusion: “The more I work, the more productive I am”.
This way of defining productivity comes from the industrial revolution and no longer makes sense, except for assessing the productivity of an industrial manufacturing line: more inputs, more outputs.
When we talk about personal productivity, in today’s society of knowledge and information, we are not talking about working more hours but about efficiently dedicating out time to tasks that produce greater value in the context in which we operate, our work or our life in general.
We cannot do everything, so we must be able to focus our attention on what matters most at any given moment. In today’s society, time is our most valuable resource and we must protect it.
Just as companies need to define work systems that allow them to be efficient and sustainable, individuals need a structured approach that helps us use our time and attention effectively.
GTD (Getting Things Done) is a personal management method that has proven to work very well in a wide range of applications. It encompasses a set of productive behaviors that are fully functional today and will continue to be so tomorrow: Have an idea, capture it in a trusted system and make sure it’s processed and organized properly so that it gets back to you at the right time. This is something that will not go out of fashion no matter how much artificial intelligence advances.
As opposed to doing things as they come, having a system in place is a very good idea that will bring you great benefits:
- Increased efficiency. A system defines a consistent way of doing things and the rules of the game. This reduces the time needed to make decisions and take action.
- Higher quality. When you know that you are focusing on what really matters, you stop being in a hurry to move on to the next task, and you focus on giving your best in what you are doing now.
- Better decision-making. A system provides a structured approach that determines how decisions are to be made in each situation. This allows you to make better decisions and minimize mistakes.
- Better communication. Having all your personal information available and clear lets you share it and communicate more effectively with your collaborators, bosses, colleagues, family, etc.
- Greater adaptability. Systems are often flexible and customizable entities. The goal is that you can respond quickly to changing circumstances and remain effective.
How would you like to have the ability to regain control and perspective whenever you feel like you have lost them? Having the confidence of being able to get back on track whenever things go wrong is a great feeling, and this is achieved when you trust on a totally secure and reliable system, such as GTD.
We live in a world full of surprises and uncertainty, and every decision is a risk. You don’t need a system that decides for you, you need a system that generates trust, that generates a state of freedom in which you can make the best decisions.
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