I’m digging into “Getting Things Done” big time right now.

Since I have a bunch of other large projects in the works right now, I’ve mainly been listening to the material on audio while I drive. When I hear something poignant I type it into my phone and keep listening.

I’ve done some tweaking lately, and I figure I’d run through some of the changes that I have gotten a lot out of:

• I added a “Waiting For” list to my ongoing Project List. Until GTD I had never though of having such around, but now I see its validity. Making lists and getting ideas out of your head and somewhere where you can actually refer to them on your own time is brilliant. However, having a “waiting for” list provides me the ability to keep track on all of the phone calls or deliveries I’m expecting to receive (and by when). I had a million lists but for some reason never had this one, and now I can sense the relief of knowing those items are kept track of.
• Started processing notes immediately. As soon as I get home from my internship or from anywhere where I’ve recorded information about things I need to do, or delegate, or remember, etc… – I run through the notes swiftly and put them where they belong. This means writing that future event on my calendar, updating my project list, making phone calls (or making note to call later), recording important finance information, putting paperwork and receipts in appropriate files, and whatever else I need to do in order to process all of the random information floating around me and put it in its appropriate place.
• Consolidated my notes to a specific pads. This was certainly an important detail for me. I used to take notes in my day planner, on a scrap of paper, on the back of an envelope, and in my school notebooks. Keeping track of this information (be it a phone number, ideas for future writing projects, a reminder of a future action, etc…) was tough, and frankly I don’t think I can ever remember going through all of this stuff at the end of a week – nevermind at the end of a day – to figure out what I needed to keep and what I could throw away.
• Organized my car. This is different than making it “neat.” Sure I took out all the cloths, flyers, shoes, papers that didn’t need to be where they were (which wasn’t all that bad, I don’t allow it to overflow). I also designated where certain things would belong. Essentially, I treated my car like a desk. “Neat” just looks pretty. “Organized” means things are where you want them to be in a way that makes sense for functioning. No more chap stick in the glove box, alcohol towlettes in the side door, marketing material and beach stuff on the back seat. Now marketing material is under the driver seat, hygiene items are in the passenger door, notebook and pens are in the driver door, etc… Makes me think about applying this idea to other areas. What if my whole house could be like this??

These are a few new distinctions for productivity, but collectively these increases are going to pay off. Its about getting the “flow” of what I’m doing and what I will be doing, and streamlining it.

The biggest step here is in immediate processing. Of items. Notes, business cards, reminders – everything getting run through right when you get home. Its a pretty big change from the wishy washy processing I was more accustomed to, I already like it a lot more.

David Allen talks about having NO tolerance for the accumulation of unprocessed things. Even if you process a few, the rest might still take up space in your mind, and information to move projects forward will be left in the dust. Not to mention the nagging feeling that you’re missing something, or that you could be doing something more important than your current task.

I think cultivating an appreciation for this kind of processing is well worth it.

Let the experiments continue —–