Jason M. Hanley :: Custom Software Developer

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a pretty organized person. I always have a lot on my plate, and I do a pretty good job of working my way through it. That said, there’s always room for improvement. So naturally, when I heard about the book, “Getting Things Done”, by David Allen, I wanted to learn more. After reading the Wikipedia article on it, I decided I needed to get the book, and ordered it from Amazon.

So far I’ve read the first two chapters, and I’ve already come across several really good ideas to improve the current way I get things done. David advocates a 5-step process:

1. Collect “stuff” that may require action
2. Process what specific actions need to be done
3. Organize the actions into groups and projects
4. Review to decide which actions we will do and when
5. Do the actions!

He points out that one key problem with how a lot of people try to organize themselves is that they only start making lists when things are already out of control. Then they will often try to do all of the steps at once. Another key point is the collection process. Some people try to keep everything they have to do in their head.

David makes a point that short-term memory is actually a really bad place to store to-do items since you rarely remember things in the correct context to actually do them. For example, when do you remember that your flashlight needs need batteries? When you need to use it and try to switch it on! Not when you’re in the store at the battery aisle.

This book seems to be full of great time management advice. I’m looking forward to finishing it and I’ll probably write some more postings about the material as I get further into the book.