GTD and Beyond - Making Ideas Happen

I have often blogged about GTD and ways to keep focussed on the right activities.  I have also spoken numerous times with colleagues about the opportunities which it presents to be more productive and feel more in control.

However, it is still only a system which requires actioning to generate actual achievement.  Other authors such as Seth Godin seem to approach from the other end and start with the execution first (See, 'Ship It').

What is often missing is the middle piece, the practical advice on what happens day to day in between the system and the shipping.

I've been reading a book by Scott Belsky called Making Ideas Happen.  It suggests a focus on creative types that struggle to deliver beyond the idea, but really,  the concepts within are completely transferrable to everyone.

What I like is that it covers the process as a whole with real world advice which complements systems and approaches which I current use.  It's split into 3 distinct areas:

1. Organisation and Execution - The GTD bit
2. The Forces of Community - How to engage others to make your things happen
3. Leadership Capability - The steps you need to take to actually see it through

I really couldn't put this one down.  Would recommend this to anyone struggling with seeing it all through to the moment of achievement and success.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

Going Paperless?

Having been out of the creative loop for a while now, I've managed to get back on top of the focus of what's important and working for me day to day.

Although I've not been talking much about it (more to come in later posts), I've been developing my paperless system to ensure I have what I need, whenever i need it, wherever I am (Very GTD).

My ScanSnap scanner and Evernote account are indispensable to deliver this for me.

However, I was excited to read today David Sparks (@macsparky) new book, Paperless on the iPad. It's a multimedia extravaganza and, as always, even just one top tip from David justifies the time spent on it. And believe me, there's a lot of top tips in here.

£2.99 or $4.99 from the iBooks store. Worth every penny.

Thanks David.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

Data Management and the Rent v Buy Model

Ownership and possession was once the goal.  This was at the time that possessions were hard to come buy and very hard earned.  As the 'wealth' of the average person increased the goal of possession became easier to attain.

However with the ownership of items came the relative devaluation of those items and in fact a negative aspect; clutter, disruption (potential loss) and lack of focus.  More items mean more work to manage them. (There are some noticeable exceptions to this such as home ownership in the UK where ownership fulfils a deeper security and stability need).

More and more people are now rejecting this model in favour of renting an item or service.  You only need to look at services such as Spotify for music or Netflix for movies.  Why own an item when, for a relatively low monthly charge, you can have access to whatever you need whenever you need it.  And most importantly, no storage, clutter and disruption for the other 364 days of the year that you don't.

In addition, the delivery of this information is through the web which arguably is available from almost anywhere rather than wherever the physical item is stored.

Is there an equivalent of this in the workplace?  I think there is and it centres around documents, data & information.  Working in an HR department, I have and need access to a whole host of information.  That used to mean cupboards and cabinets full of folders of information all neatly filed and stored for years to come.  It meant purchasing market data in books chocked full of raw data to be used once (if at all) for one off jobs.

Ownership meant management and potential distraction.  What I really want at work is an answer to my question, whatever question it happens to be at the time.  That answer will come from the information at hand.  I want it:

Unrestricted - Whatever data I need, is available, not just some of it
At point of application - wherever I happen to be at the time
In a timely manner - Accessible (& searchable) quickly enough to efficiently find what I want

(Some readers might find parallels in the above to the mantra, Right People, Right Place, Right Time)

This idea has the airs of "Paperless Office" but is more to do with "Online Document Management".  Although I don't think it will work in the corporate environment just yet, Evernote is a service I use in my home life which is accessible online, on a programme on my computer (for offline use) and on my mobile devices through an app.

This convenience is about unburdening yourself and therefore acting quicker and getting things done.

Have a think about it, do you really need to possess everything? Is a little bit of freedom and loss of burden in fact what you need right now?  What might you active instead!

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

(Photo by spykster via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)

Getting More Focussed - Pick Four

Regular readers will know I try and adopt the GTD system in the way I organise myself and my work.  The hardest part I have always found is prioritising (the part that GTD won't do for you).

I recently picked up on a concept publicised here by Seth Godin and based on Zig Zigler's Performance Planner Methodology called Pick Four.  Its all about accepting that you can't deliver everything and instead to focus on those critical few that give the greatest personal benefit.

By committing entirely to these four goals daily over 12 weeks, it gives a turbo boost to these particular commitments (providing you actually do the work).  But you cannot just forget about your other commitments.  This is how it fits into my workflow/thinking.

Might this method of focusing on the vital few give you some big success over the near future.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

How best to start your day

I'm on holiday this week and can more easily reflect on the activities I do in a normal working week without the pressures of actually having to do them.

I'm a GTD'er and use products such as Omnifocus and techniques such as Pomodoro.  I also work in a global company so inputs come through to me 24hours a day even though I don't work 24 hours a day.  So how does it actually work for me.

My work email inbox is my primary inbox.  I also have a physical inbox on my desk but nowadays less and less come 'in' to me through this.

So what do I actually do when I first get into the office in the morning.  If you've read Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy, Rule 1 is to do the most difficult thing on your list first (before even reading your email).  In a similar vein, Tim Ferris states in his blog; One piece of advice for improving self-discipline: Spend the first two hours of every workday working on outstanding projects, before you check your e-mail.

I have to disagree with both.  Although I agree with the intent, I disagree with the fact that ignoring email is the right thing to do.  Based on the GTD methodology, you process all your inputs to ensure you are focussing on the right thing right now with no distraction.  With emails coming into me overnight, I can't be truly focussed until I have processed those overnight emails.

I have two rules for this method though:
1. You must only process, not jump into tasks based on those overnight emails.
2. Spend no more than 30 minutes on this activity.

This 30 minute rule is actually quite manageable if (and only if) you have processed your email at the end of the previous email to zero (See Merlin Mann's Google Talk on the subject here, essential viewing in my opinion).

I have a daily checklist that I try and adhere to as much as possible.  It goes:

8am: Turn on PC laptop and wait 15 minutes for it to load up and run all security checks, (all the time wishing I had an apple computer at work)
8:05am: Make myself a coffee.  Might as well do myself a favour to help my brain get into gear
8:10am: Process overnight email
8:40am: Write up a paper based todo today list (I use the downloadable Pomodoro one here) based on my Omnifocus lists and anything last minute or from the overnight email that is urgent
8:50am: Turn off email and do the work

I do turn the email back on periodically throughout the day (every hour or so) but having it off helps me to focus on the tasks to be done.  Having the paper based todo today list helps by avoiding the need to reference the computer unless it is required.

I don't look at Twitter or Facebook at all during the day but I do check my personal emails on my iPhone at lunchtime to give me a distraction and mental rest.

I try and stick as best as possible to the todo today list and get the activities completed.  I find that this is only achievable if I have completed the steps above at the start of the day.

Do I do this every day?, No.  Sometimes things just don't go right even at 8:01am but these are the exception rather than the rule and I reap the rewards because of it.  See if this commitment to starting the day the best way you can will help you.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

Give a Due Date for everything

This is one of the simplest techniques I think I have every learned in management.  When assigning a task or discussing it, make sure you assign a due date to it right then and there.

Now it might need reviewing or modifying later but that will be a conscious decision.  Not setting one on the other hand leaves things open to interpretation and inevitably to slipages and missed expectations.

It also has two additional benefits:

1. It reinforces that it is important.  By giving a due date you are implying that it is important enough for you to set a follow up date up front.  Don't underestimate these unspoken messages.

2. It simply makes it very easy for you to plan your follow up and takes it off your mind.  You don't need to put any more thought into how and when to revisit the topic.  Just put a reminder in your diary, and forget about it.  Not doing this will mean that it is always on your mind worrying about when the right time is to follow up.  That's not time well spent in my opinion.

These are such simple (almost insultingly obvious) things yet we fail to do them and make our lives harder time and time again.

Do yourself a favour and try and remember this one thing this week.  I guarantee you'll see some results immediately.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

(Photo by Claude via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)

Who's on your reading list?

An original thought is hard to come by nowadays with your thinking becoming a culmination of influences and inputs from a whole host of sources.  This is no bad thing as the output is always greater than the sum of its parts.

So who do I follow?  Whose 'Tribe' am I in?  Who do I listen to?

I thought I would share some of my influences to open up your world to some of mine.

Creative thinkers

• Seth Godin - This blog and books - A great provoker and has never ceased to make me think
• Dan Pink - His books and twitter feed - You must read 'Drive'
• Merlin Mann - I don't much follow him specifically as I really struggle to handle his rambling communication style but he does keep popping up with some great stuff

Presentation

• Garr Reynolds - His blog and books - He really knows what presentation is all about
• Nancy Duarte - Great books and presentation design
• Ted Talks - By various folks, check out as many as you can

Efficiency and Productivity (making your life and work easier)

• David Allen - The master of Getting things Done (GTD), Essential Reading
• David Sparks - His books, blog and webcast (MacPowerUsers) - Just the nicest guy on using a mac and getting on with work and life
• Kourosh Dini - Brilliant GTD, OmniFocus and Pomodoro advice
• Practically Efficient - Tips and tricks, aways worth a read of the blog
• Asian Efficiency - Great web site and guides to using OmniFocus and twitter feed (although repeats their posts a lot)

I hope you try a few of these and get as much from them as I do.  Enjoy.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

What and How in order to Why - 2 Stage Development Planning

I've spent much of the last month working with various managers at all levels in a business to focus on development planning of their employees.

Much of the time, it is seen as a simple box ticking exercise in order to 'fill out the paperwork'.  The reason for development seems to have been forgotten by all but those who are actively focussed on progression and promotion.  Of course, everyone can develop and improve.

Stage 1

Drivers for your Development

Begin with the outcome in mind. The goal is the activity in which you are trying to deliver a result.

What you need in order to deliver that goal is both the technical skills required for that activity and more importantly the behavioural competencies to help you be more effective in delivering that great result.

Your development should focus on satisfying a need for one or the other of these things, either the technical skill or the competency to help you make a success of it.

This is the first stage; identifying why you are doing it.

Stage 2

Stage two is to figure out the mechanism in which you are going to 'develop'.  This is the second stumbling block to people creating a good development plan.  A simple thought process to this however is to follow the model What and How in order to Why.

What?

What is the actual need, the specific thing that is required?  Is it a strength that you want to develop to greater effect (yes, development doesn't need to be focussed on a weakness) or perhaps plug a gap?

Is it a skill required or a competence?

Some examples might be develop presentation skills or learn how to type.


These are not the activities themselves (the How) and they are not the rationalle for doing it (the Why) but they are an essential part.

How?

How really starts to get into the interesting part which requires you to truly get into the specifics of how this can be achieved.  This will likely be more than one action step.

For those followers of GTD, this taps into the idea of a 'Next Action'; what actually needs to happen to turn the 'what' into reality.

Continuing the examples above, it could be read Garr Reynold's book Presentation Zen or complete tutorial from online touch typing class.

Why?

Lastly, the Why.  This actually brings us all the way back to the starting point in Stage 1 of beginning with the outcome in mind.  What goal are you ultimately trying to reach some kind of output on?

When you couple these three things with the transition phrase 'in order to' then you get:



Develop presentation skills by reading Garr Reynold's book Presentation Zen in order to have a more effective communication style when pitching ideas to senior management.
or
Learn how to type by completing the tutorial from the online touch typing class in order to become more efficient in creating monthly technical reports.

Now these are relative simple development plans (if only skills and competencies could be gained so easily) but I hope they give you the idea.

Development planning does not need to be complicated but you do need to step back and get back to basics.  Why don't you try this two stage model with something you want to achieve this month.  Good Luck.

Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

('What' photo by judepics, 'How' photo by ivanwalsh, 'Why' photo by theeerin via flickr used under a creative Commons Licence)