Getting Things Done: A Guide To Next-Action Lists

Getting Things Done (GTD), is a productivity methodology designed by David Allen. GTD increases your productivity by getting things out of your mind, and into a reliable system that you can trust. This frees your mind to work on the task at hand, instead of trying to remember a myriad of things at once. You will find yourself more relaxed, and more productive at the same time.

In particular, one easy-to-use part of GTD (which I describe later), only takes 2 minutes to learn, but can increase your efficiency by phonemenal levels.

There are many parts to GTD. One important component is next-action lists, which replace to-do lists in other methodologies.

David Allen realised that in today's dynamic society, todo lists, daily plans, etc, often do not work. If everything and everyone around you is going 100% to plan they can work, but how often does everything go according to plan? A meeting runs longer than expected, the report you need isn't ready yet, or the computer network goes down for an hour, and your whole day can go out of whack.

David Allen's solution to this was next action lists. Rather than plan out the day based on projects, you list the next-action items for tasks you have to do. You record these next-actions into separate lists based on context.

This is best shown with an example...

Suppose you had the following todo list:

• Research buying new Palm pilot
• Arrange next marketing meeting
• Service car
• Buy new Apple Mac
• Cancel magazine subscription
• Prepare for the department meeting

The first step in GTD is to change the list to be based on the next physical action for each project:

• Search online to find different potential Palm Pilots to buy
• Phone John to arrange next marketing meeting
• Look in car manual to find qualified mechanic for car
• Phone Apple Reseller and buy new Apple Mac
• Phone and cancel magazine subscription
• Print out the financial report for the department meeting

By listing the next specific physical action, it becomes much easier to proceed on the projects. You might procrastinate on "Prepare for the department meeting", but "Print out the financial report for the department meeting", seems like a much easier thing for you to tackle, and therefore, you are MUCH more likely to get it done. Just this one idea alone will increase your productivity dramatically! It seems simple, but it is actually quite profound, because it focuses your mind on ACTION.

The next step in Getting Things Done, is to move these next-action's into separate lists based on context:

@Phone (Things I can do when I am at a phone):

• Phone John to arrange next marketing meeting
• Phone and cancel magazine subscription
• Phone Apple Reseller and buy new Apple Mac

@Computer:

• Search online to find different potential Palm Pilots to buy
• Print out the financial report for the department meeting

@Home:

• Look in car manual to find qualified mechanic for car

Why have separate lists? The main benefit is that it lets you look at the tasks that are only suitable to where you are at the moment. If you are at work, you aren't distracted by the tasks that are on the @Home list, and if you are at home, you aren't distracted by the work tasks. The actual GTD contexts that you use are up to you. The standard ones that David Allen recommends are generally based on location (like the ones above), but you can use whatever works best for you.

Another benefit of separating out the lists into contexts is that it becomes easy to change what you are working on quickly if something goes wrong. Suppose your in the middle of some research online, and the computer network goes down. Whilst other people might decide it's time for a coffee break, you can just look at you phone list, and start tackling some of the @Phone tasks instead.

Breaking your todo lists into next-action lists based on context may seem like a lot more work than a standard todo list, but it isn't really. It only takes a little bit longer to plan, but the increase in productivity more than compensates for this.

Next-Actions lists are a small part of the Getting Things Done methodology. They are useful on their own, but their power is multiplied when used with the rest of David Allen's system. GTD is incredibly effective, and I highly encourage you to try it out for yourself, by reading David Allen's book ("Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress Free Productivity"), or by trying out some GTD software.

Dan Fletcher is a developer at dogMelon. They make Note Studio, an easy-to-use tool, being used for GTD on Palms, PC's, and Macs.

---

5 Steps From Clutter To Control

Are you overwhelmed by clutter wherever you turn? Here are... Read More

Organizing Solutions for the Disorganized Entrepreneur

After more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and a... Read More

Basic Organizing Principles

So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't... Read More

Saying Goodbye to Stacks of Paper and Distractions

A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and... Read More

Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More

Kids Clutter: Organizing at Every Age

Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have... Read More

After the Clutter: 5 Steps to a New Daily Routine

I've noticed that in the two years since the major... Read More

10 Easy Maintenance Tips vs Piling on the Chaos

Whether you are in your own business or an employee... Read More

Overwhelmed? Try the Red Zone Tactic

Some people seem to be born organized. You probably remember... Read More

Clutter-Clearing and Your Authentic Self

Have you ever felt so discouraged, your life so out-of-control,... Read More

Organized Living-Secrets About Your Lifes Hidden Power Revealed

An organized living lifestyle can cause you to weed out... Read More

Organization and the Opposite Sex

In many of the companies I have worked in, there... Read More

10 Common Roadblocks to Getting Organized

1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much." I'm going... Read More

Spring Clean Your Life

Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More

Compartmentalize

The word "compartmentalize" means to separate into distinct parts. I... Read More

Is Your To Do List The Problem?

You start each week with great intentions. You are determined... Read More

Introducing the Power Hour Concept to Plough Through Mountainous Tasks

Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task... Read More

9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization

Home organization means being able to find your stuff when... Read More

3 Simple Filing Guidelines

One of the most basic ways to find papers when... Read More

To Make a Change -- Take a Chance

Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make... Read More

Family Management Tip #3: Getting Ready for the New School Year

Clothes. Check. School supplies. Check. No doubt you've got to... Read More

Be More Productive at Work: Avoid These Eight Traps

Obviously, productivity involves producing. Producing widgets, events, reports, sales. The... Read More

How To Organize Your Paperwork

Many people have a huge challenge coping with the incoming... Read More

How Clutter Affects Your Love Life

Clutter in any area of your home is a sign... Read More

Making Space - Letting Go of Clutter

To make room for new things to come into you... Read More

Four Easy Steps to An Organized Closet

The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More

Six ADD Tips for Organizing Everyday Things

Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant... Read More

Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster

Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink ?... Read More

Success at Work : Techniques : A Cluttered Desk

I followed my boss to a co-worker's cubicle where my... Read More

A Personal Action Plan for Change

There are eight distinct steps to constructing and executing an... Read More

Organize Your Desk ? Live Longer!

It may seem far-fetched, but by organizing your desk, your... Read More

1-2-3 Sort

Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space... Read More

Give Up Control to Get Control

For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove... Read More