Getting Things Done – finally

This is more than a bit ironic, and just a tad embarassing. But it’s a good story, so I’ll share it. Last year, I posted about the ABCs of personal knowledge management, in which I linked to thought?horizon’s review of David Allen’s Getting Things Done. But here’s the thing: I completely forgot about this post.

Apparently my post made an impact on Ernie, who not only bought a copy of Getting Things Done, but also implemented the system to great success. And he’s repeatedly thanked me for tipping him off to the GTD system. Except that I had no idea what he was talking about.

So back in March, I sheepishly admitted (finally!) to Ernie that while I was thrilled he thought I’d helped him revolutionize the way he manages his day, I really couldn’t take any credit for it. (If a tree falls in the forest, can you accept credit if you don’t remember cutting it down?)

But at his urging, I bought myself a copy of Getting Things Done, and am nearly done reading it and am just about ready to dive in. (My Brother P-Touch labeler is on order, by the way.)

So thanks to Ernie for wholeheartedly recommending Getting Things Done, and to Buzz, Ed, and others who have also strongly endorsed the rocess. I can already sense a change in the way I look at my inbox (both digital and analog) and am eager to start changing the way I manage my day. I can’t speak for results yet — I’ll post updates occasionally as I have anything to report — but the book itself makes a lot of sense. Well worth the $11 it’ll set you back at Amazon.com.

5 responses to “Getting Things Done – finally”

  1. Rick, thanks for the link. I think I'm doing about 10% of the total plan, and find myself trying and doing and then not doing various parts of it. One thing that has changed, though, is a goal to get the inbox down to zero. Keeping un-done “action” items outside of “inbox” and away from “waiting for” and “just in case” has been a big plus.

  2. Thanks for the tip Rick – I just placed my order for Getting Things Done. I already have a Brother P-Touch, which means I actually am ahead of you on a piece of technology! Good heavens, the end must be near.

  3. Finally Getting It DoneRick “rediscovers” David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I’ve been a little more focused on the process over the past couple of weeks. With any luck, Ian’s desk is going to get cleaned up. As I’ve been reading and worki…

  4. What is it with this absolute obsession with mortgage correct pitch? I'm fairly sensitive to things loan being sung out of tune myself, but honestly, loan some of the stuff that Randy Jackson and Paula directv Abdul pounce on and pronounce as “a bit pitchy” dish network sounds absolutely fine to me. Some of the greatest direct tv pop performances are a little bit out of tune

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