![]() Two months later (it was Saturday, April 25, 2015) Nick asked for it back. I skeptically accepted the book.and promptly forgot it in my car. "Trust me, Rach: it'll change your life." In the past, I'd dismissed most of Nick's reading recommendations (I prefer to keep my long-form reading to fiction since most nonfiction can be summed up in an article), but Nick insisted that I read "Getting Things Done," going as far as surprising me with the book when we met for coffee. and the Harvard Business Review to somehow find the root of my inefficiencies. Obsessed with trying to find the right productivity method, I subscribed to sites such as Inc. My shaky understanding of my priorities led me to feel that my stress level was unpredictable, and, worse, that severe erratic stress was normal. My ignorance to what I could realistically get done in a day led to a cycle of procrastination and overextension. I felt like when I remembered a task, I had to do it right away before it disappeared from my conscious self. ![]() I hated disappointing my coworkers-and myself-for my deadline absentmindedness. I constantly replayed my day before bed trying to remember if I'd done everything I needed to do that day.īurdensome. ![]() Why could everyone else work through their task lists when I couldn't?Īnxious. When I hit that low of disorganization, I felt.ĭepressed. Started projects that never got finished, even when others were relying on me.Ĭhoosing ignorance over self-reflection, leading me to sign up for more activities than I could handle.Īnd that doesn't even get to the psychological effects of being disorganized. Missed taxes, phone bills, library book return dates, and important industry application deadlines. Lying to myself that I'd quit smoking "eventually," to the detriment of my teeth and my self-worth.Ĭhronically rescheduling appointments, from work meetings to doctors' visits. The ultimate consequences of these failed attempts at productivity included:Ī Katrina-level messy room, trashed kitchen, and cluttered desk. With each of these methods, I found myself productive for a few days, then abandoning the system. I created online checklists and marked up my work calendar for long-term goals (so I'd inevitably run into the task the week it was due).Īfter I didn't see a significant change in my workplace efficiency or satisfaction, I tried formal productivity methods, including: " Don't Break the Chain" (mark the days you work toward a specific goal compete against yourself to make the longest "chain" of days) " Eat the Frogs First" (prioritize the hardest stuff first and do the easy stuff later) and Timeboxing (marking off specific time in my calendar to work on dedicated tasks). So next, I tried traditional organization methods. The scale never tipped toward "delightfully efficient." For example, I'd leave unread emails in my inbox for self-reminders, spread out to-dos and research between five notebooks (I couldn't keep just one because I kept losing it), and keeping-easily-20 or 30 tabs open to "remind" myself what I needed to work on. Like a half-committed dieter, I tried a host of inefficient productivity "systems" that would last a week or two at a time. I knew (kinda) what I needed to get done on any given day, but task management beyond a week-to-week basis wasn't possible for me to remember. I knew it was a disaster my priorities ranged from "quit smoking" and "read 100 classics by the time I'm 30," to short-term goals such as "write article on project management and parenting." When my friend, Nick, first tried to lend me David Allen's book, I didn't want to examine how I was managing my schedule. No productivity tool can fix a broken system on its own. Productivity and happiness are intertwined.Ĥ. Life and work don't 'balance.' They 'blend.'ģ. What is 'Getting Things Done,' and how does it work?ġ. Why I needed 'Getting Things Done' to save my career I'll give you some background on GTD, some of the key lessons I learned, and show you how you can use my methodology to improve your own productivity. Here, I'm sharing the productivity method I've adopted-a customized version of GTD-which has not only become central to my workplace productivity but has become melded into my fundamental identity. It's day 752-two years and 21 days-into using David Allen's famous productivity book, "Getting Things Done." I've learned to manage my time and my stress level, when I work best and when I need a break, and what activities I can focus in on and what tasks need dedicated effort.
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