"GTD even works in space." Lifehacker's interview with productivity father David Allen

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

David Allen, author of How to Get Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, which Time magazine named the best business book of the decade, told Lifehacker what GTD is and who needs it, how to write a book and not get drunk, and how complex task structures can make your life easier.

Thirty-four years ago, David Allen realized that you can give advice to people and make good money on it - he opened his own consulting company and developed the Getting Things Done system, which allows you to maneuver between cases and free up time for what you really enjoy. Since then, his clients have included astronauts on the ISS, rock musicians, and CEOs of major companies, and Forbes included him in the top 5 best business coaches in the United States.

GTD is a fairly simple technique for increasing your own efficiency, which requires very serious discipline at the initial stage. According to GTD, in order to successfully do one thing, you need to free your head from all other tasks and focus on it. That is, instead of occupying the mind with memorizing all the upcoming affairs, tasks are fixed in accordance with a certain system.

David, tell us about your audience. Who should follow your advice and live the GTD system?

- GTD is equally relevant for everyone, but those who really use it are not united according to social, age or geographic principle - they are people with a certain mindset. Anyone with an interest in GTD, after 18 months, notice how their lives are changing for the better. In fact, the system can work equally effectively for both teenagers and CEOs of large companies, or it can be equally useless for them.

Do you use everything that you recommend?

- Yes, otherwise I just can't cope - everything will get out of control for me. The image of a surfer on a board, on a big wave, comes to my mind. You've probably noticed that they are tied to the board with a special strap. What for? To be able to quickly return back to the board after a fall. What GTD teaches is to be on the wave, be creative and productive. But even the most effective people allow themselves to spiral out of control. If you do not periodically fall off the board, then you are choosing waves that are too simple. GTD allows you to realize that you have dropped out of a productive state and quickly return to it.

When you take on a new business, subscribe to an unusual task - you can easily be washed off the board. Nothing wrong with that, but with a structured approach, you know what to tackle and how to get out of the water.

What problems do they come with most often, what do they complain about?

- Mostly people turn to because of stress, a general state of anxiety due to brain congestion. Too little time and too much to do. But in fact, the problem is not in time, but in the fact that people want more mental space, want to be more creative and do what pleases them.

The most unusual cases?

“We did coaching for astronauts when they were on the space station. Among them was Catherine Coleman, one of the first female astronauts. These were interesting sessions, since we had to interrupt when she was on the other side of the planet, and then return to the conversation when she again got in touch.

What are you most proud of?

- Writing my first book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, took a tremendous amount of effort and time. I practically became an alcoholic while writing a book on how to live stress-free. But then I worked full-time and could not afford a separate time to prepare the book. Most importantly, I was not sure if I could transfer the knowledge accumulated over 25 years in such a way that it would really help people. We still receive letters from grateful readers on a regular basis, but there is one problem: after reading some people, they find themselves overwhelmed with information, because I have included in the book everything that humanity could need in case I was hit by a bus.

What's the difference between GTD and standard daily to-do lists? Almost all of us write such lists every day, and sometimes it takes longer to compile a list than deleting it

- Often, people record only the most important things, and hundreds of cases that are not so important are not taken into account at all. People believe that if the matter is not important, then it is possible not to write it down, but just such small tasks, scrolling in the head, use a significant part of the brain's resources.

In order to be free and to be able to focus on the most significant issues, you need to get rid of everything that is not so important.

Yes, but things can be so insignificant that it takes longer to write them down than to do them

- But, if you do not do them right away, they will bother you, and you will return to them repeatedly. How many times do you want to remind yourself to buy food for your cat? Or that you need to call your sister? Every time you come up with some even the smallest task, you need to get out a notebook and write it down, unless you plan to complete this task right now.

How many such list categories do you have?

- To be honest, I don't remember - let's see. There are about 20 in total, but there are about eight direct reminders for action.

I have a category "Projects", "Conversations" - tasks are stored here, according to which the next step would be to discuss a topic with someone else.

Then there are “Calls”, followed by “Things I need to do on my computer” and, note, those that do not require the Internet. I have a lot of flights, and not all planes have Wi-Fi, and, accordingly, this is the only list with which I can work.

The next category is “Working on a connected computer”. Well, everything is clear. I also have a list of "Writing texts", this is also work on a computer, but it requires a completely different state, in a certain mood and context.

"Turnover" - questions that can be solved on the go. "Home" - actions that I have to do while at home.

I also have such a list, I called it "Surfing". These are all sorts of funny or educational videos, for example, cats playing the piano, in general, videos that were sent to me or that I came across. I almost never look there, but, in principle, when I have the connection, time and desire, I can return to them.

And here is a list of "Questions on which I am waiting for information or actions of other people." And of course, the calendar is the main skeleton or landscape of my life. Imagine putting all these things on one list - there will be real confusion. Therefore, I created a more complex structure to simplify it. If today I have only a few free minutes, I will probably forget about the creative texts that I need to write. If I'm not at home, there is no point in looking at the Home list. I sorted everything so as not to forget anything and not waste my mental space on memorization, while being able to quickly turn to tasks for which I have time.

Do you prefer paper media or electronic applications? What advice can you give?

- In order not to forget something, I always carry a small notebook with me, where I record everything. After that, I enter all the tasks into the computer. In general, any task manager will do. People try to use their head as an office, and all life hacks are essentially versions of the outer brain. How can I make suitable reminders so that I can see what I need to do at the moment when I need to do it.

It is up to you to decide whether such a lifestyle is suitable for you, and GTD is actually not a system of techniques, but a lifestyle in which, on the one hand, everything is clearly regulated, and on the other, there is an opportunity to go headlong into that, what you really like, and not occupy your head with what paper can store.

You can read more about GTD in the latest edition of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, due out in Russia in September 2015.