David Allen Getting Things Done

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

Getting Things Done - David Allen.pdf: Page 40

• some works are self-evident. You could see it as it finishes, see it as it starts, and you could simulate the whole process in your mind, you know how to finish the work the instance you see it.
• new works like “knowledge work” is not so self-evident.

The methods I present here are all based on three key objectives:

• (1) capturing all the things that might need to

get done or have usefulness for you—now, later, someday, big, little, or in between—in a logical and trusted system outside your head and off your mind;

• (2) directing yourself

to make front-end decisions about all of the “inputs” you let into your life so that you will always have a workable inventory of “next actions” that you can implement or renegotiate in the moment; and

• (3) curating and

coordinating all of that content, utilizing the recognition of the multiple levels of commitments with yourself and others you will have at play, at any point in time.

most of our projects could be expanded indefinitely to an extent that we can spend whole life in it and still on our way to perfection.

• big picture approach - clarify values first

possible reasons:

• too much distraction on hour-to-hour level -> higher level focus fail
• ineffective personal organizational system -> subconscious resistance to bigger projects -> stress
• clarify values -> bar raising -> more need clarify -> more work …

first, you want something to be different than it currectly is, and yet:

• you haven’t clarified exactly the intended outcome
• you havn’t decided what the very next physical action step is
• you haven’t put reminders of them into a system you trust

the next action is the “next visible physical action” to be performed for some desired outcome. It has to be a concrete, self-evident action like “collect articles from search engine keyword search”.

It can be termed as the whole of a task (NEXT collect articles from search)or just a kick-starter of a task (TODO get articles: next:collect articles from search engine keyword search. then use semantic scholar to get browse citation, reference and related articles for a bigger set of articles...)

But what’s important is that you have them at the end of each thread, otherwise the thread is not actionable at the moment and is likely not to be finished indefinitely(until it get it’s own next action).

This chapter is long. The first part mainly describes the context of GTD:

• some previous method with similar objectives fails
• mind-like-water state is the objectve

It’s mainly some observations. Not the fun part. Could skip, you already know them. It’s too long to be a preparation/warm up, so better come back later or something.

The second part defines commitment and the third part process. They are useful.

commitment

an agreement you made with yourself. to clarify it:

• define desired outcome (what “done” means)
• find next step action (what “doing” look like)

(no term)

standard operating procedure

In stephen covey’s lectures, there’s one about mental practice, imaging doing stuff make actually doing it easier. I remember seeing it from another book, maybe atomic habits? that research shoes that athletetic performance could be elevated in this manner. In Ray Daleo’s Principles, there’s this idea of script, where you first write the script and then act the script.

With my own experience, I find it much easier to remember the scene in theatre by watching it rather than reading/reciting it. Getting Things Done - David Allen.pdf: Page 60

• actions - 1 or 2 minute. (in appropriate context) to move project forawrd
• determinig actions - vary, could be very long.

And it is true in writing codes. To decide what code to write is the longer part. typing it is quick.