Thx Przemek video is cool:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7vUdKTlhk

(David Allen presentation at Google; add to my recent interest in GTD)

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I decided to examine the “Getting things done” (GTD) more closely, mostly inspired by nozbe. I use this application, but didn’t care about underlying “ideology” till now. I will probably write more about nozbe later.

Anyway, the bible for GTD seems to be David Allen’s book titled, you guessed it, “Getting things done”.

I searched our online library, but they didn’t have it. But Russians, and you can always count of them, stepped forward and published a pdf with the book, which can be found on google. For preview purposes, riight.

Anyway. I started the book it seems super cool so far (or maybe I just have unlimited needs in the organization area).

Even the introduction was interesting, which is usually not the case for books. It gives background why nowadays should be more stressed than before and what has changed and why are previous tools inadequate.

Work has no edges

In the old days, work was self-evident. Fields were to be plowed, machines tooled, boxes packed, cows milked, widgets cranked. You knew what work had to be done?you could see it. It was clear when the work was finished, or not finished.

Now, for many of us, there are no edges to most of our projects. Most people I know have at least half a dozen things they’re trying to achieve right now, and even if they had the rest of their lives to try, they wouldn’t be able to finish these to perfection.

?In knowledge world… the task is not given, it has to be determined? (Peter Drucker)

Our job is constantly changing

We are rarely doing what we were hired to do.

Previous tools inadequate

• Calendars
• Todo lists
• “Big picture” approach (starting with mission etc.)

Sources of stress

• We have more commitments than we are aware of ? from big ones to trivial ones
• Our sub-conscious mind is constantly tracking all of them
• These “open loops” take our energy and add the stress

Goal

For me, the most appealing vision presented in the introduction was – to stay relaxed and productive under circumstances of constant work and information overload. Metaphor to karate’s “mind like water”. Either overreacting or underreacting to the inputs makes us less effective. Water on the other hand – responds to the object with exactly the same force that it was hit with.

I might add more notes as I move along.

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