Image Credit: PhotoBucket
Life can easily become overwhelming. From tweets to texts, emails, and more our inboxes always seem to be filled. In order to manage the chaos and limit our stressors, it’s important to organize and prioritize all tasks, big and small. Through my ed tech graduate course MAET year 1, I have learned about a process to help maximize productivity created by David Allen. Using Allen’s process allows me to streamline my professional and daily tasks with ease and most recently, has inspired me to create a functional resource list to continue my learning after completing my graduate class.
David Allen has coined the term, Getting Things Done (GTD), which is a process to help individuals manage their lives for optimal productivity (Allen 2001). Through videos, blogs, books, and services, Allen preaches his time-management methods to organizations and individuals alike. Allen suggests, that by freeing the mind of an exuberant amount of “to-do’s” we are able to focus more clearly and therefore complete tasks more efficiently.
The key to Allen’s GTD workflow resides in a five-step process, explained well in a video created by Brevedy, Getting Things Done ® in 3 Minutes (2001). I find that the visual representations of the GTD process provides a great reference to collect, process, organize, review, and do. Now that the process is established, it’s time to take the leap and get started.
Currently, I am a novice in the GTD process, but so far I have found success. As a frequent technology user, I decided to take a digital approach to the five stage process. In each of the five stages, I have found a digital tool helpful to me during the process. It’s important to remember that there are an endless amount of apps, website, extensions, and programs to use for organization. I am just highlighting the tools I use in the GTD five stage process:
- Collect – I use the free website/app called Wunderlist. I find this tool easy to use as I collect tasks in lists and folders.
- Process – By using the rule: “Can I complete this in two minutes or less” I am able to process through tasks. I use my school Gmail account to organize tasks that need additional time.
- Organize – I use a variety of Google-based tools that work together to organize information including Google Drive, Google Chrome Bookmarks, and Google Calendar.
- Plan/ Review – I utilize a mix of the above tools during this stage.
- Do – Again, I utilize a mix of the above tools during this stage.
Photo Credit: M. Ciotta
By creating an easy to follow system, I have found I am able to complete those small tasks right away. Also, through my organization system, I am aware and reminded of future tasks. Now that I am beginning to master the GTD process with my personal and professional life I wanted to tackle some tasks in my educational life.
Throughout the six-week span of my ed tech graduate course MAET year 1, there has been a plethora of high-quality information provided to me at a fast pace. During the course, I have saved many of the articles, books, and book/article suggestions supporting many of the ideas discussed in MAET. In order to better access all of this information in the future, I decided to take the GTD approach in solving this problem. At this point, I have collected and processed a number of items using Wunderlist and Google Drive. Using Google Drive I am in the beginning stages of organizing all the items.
Photo Credit: M.Ciotta
After completing this stage I will continue onto the Plan/Review stage and then into accomplishing the task or Do stage. Using the GTD process for this task has allowed me to establish an interactive resource that I am able to use throughout this next school year and for many years to come.
Overall, Allen’s GTD approach to time management is a helpful way to improve productivity. By using the GTD process I have been able to accomplish tasks in my personal, professional, and now educational life. Using technology in the GTD process is a great way to customize what tools you use to best suit your lifestyle (2001). It’s important to remember to utilize the framework, but most importantly make it your own!
References
Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. New York: Penguin.
Retrieved from http://transhumanism-russia.ru/documents/books/gtd/Getting_Things_Done_-_The_Art_Of_Stress-Free_Productivity.pdf
Brevedy. 2014. Getting things done ® in 3 minutes: video.
Retrieved from http://www.brevedy.com/getting-things-done-3-minutes-video/
Ms.Ciotta 