GTD isn’t complicated. This page proves it.
I’ve been using David Allen’s original system since late high school, so, for the better part of 10 years.
Parts of it have come and gone. I’ve been a slow adopter of many parts, especially the weekly review. I’m stubborn.
Of course, any experienced GTD’er will tell you, the review is the glue. We only learn that by not reviewing and falling off the wagon a lot.
But the most important part is the philosophy of work it provides. Whenever I find myself stuck on an action, it’s typically because the action is poorly defined or a project.
My presentation focused on defining some of the key terms with a bit of seminar-like exercise. While I think it was useful, the guided review sections were the most helpful. I could see the process clicking for my students – one commented “This will help me sleep at night.” Yes, it will.
My next seminar will be far more interactive. The goal will be more of a guided first encounter and less of a 30,000 view of GTD.
As part of the presentation, a few books were raffled off, and I was presented with a copy of the new edition for my time. A big thank you to The Catholic University of America Graduate Student Association!
On first glance:
I’ve revisited the original many times over the years. This one looks a little thicker, but… I have a feeling not much has changed. If anything, David Allen is probably even less specific about software than he was in the first go-around. For perspective, that first book references PDAs as a new and innovative device. The work landscape has changed greatly since then, and the names of the actions are different, but work is fundamentally the same everywhere and always.
The resilience of Allen’s work through this turbulent time vindicates its clear usefulness for the knowledge worker.
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