Productivity Doesn’t Happen By Itself

Today’s reading, which focuses on the topic of personal productivity, comes fromDavid Allen’s August 3, 2010 Newsletter, and can be found at <http://www.davidco.com/newsletters/archive/0810.html>.  A number of you know David Allen from his Getting Things Done book as well as the GTD website.

He begins this piece by reminding all of us that “productivity is not happenstance.”  He continues by defining three behaviors that when established as “automatic, habitual behaviors” will focus us to get the things before us done.  Sounds like practices to me.  Here they are:

1.  Make decisions about what we are going to do with our stuff — the stream of issues that come across our desk — and the next actions required to do it.  I.e., turn the stuff into actions to be taken.

2.  Put those desired outcomes and planned actions down in written form.  If you don’t, you’ll loose any sense of priority.

3.  Keep these reminders in a place where you can visit them regularly; for example, when you reflect on your day.  (I use a small software package called “Things” to help me keep track of my open stuff.)

Give this approach a try.  I think that you’ll find it’s a big help.

.  .  .  .  .    jim