This link has been bookmarked by 128 people . It was first bookmarked on 16 Feb 2007, by Tim Rogers.
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31 Dec 17
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06 Aug 15
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03 Aug 15
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01 Aug 15
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outline for getting control of your life
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five stages of mastering workflow:
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Part 1
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Part 2,
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collection, processing, organizing, reviewing and doing
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Part 3
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more detail on the application of Allen’s methodology
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why Allen’s methods work
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inputs, processing/thinking, and outputs (actions and action lists)
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one must have completely downloaded from one’s short-term memory
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to be one’s most productive self, one must be able to think clearly
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frees the mind to do naturally what it does best -- think about things rather than of things
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one has to decide, "What’s the next action?"
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action must be completed or tracked in a trusted syste
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Allen also has a two-minute rule
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"What’s the next action?" question must be asked on the front-end, when the item from the "in" box is first reviewed
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societal shift to knowledge wor
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capture all one needs to accomplish somewhere outside the brain and second
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most productive when the mind is clear, free of what he calls "open loops"
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next physical action must be organized in a system one reviews regularly
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one must write down the outcomes they wish to achieve
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Doing these things is the equivalent of what Allen calls "horizontal" focus
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five stages of mastering workflow
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Collection stage
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gather all the items that remain to be completed.
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Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head.
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empty them regularly.
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must have as few collection buckets as you can get by with
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Is it actionable?
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tickler file or put it in a reference file
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trash it
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next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.
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what’s the next action?
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delegate it or defer it.
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If it will take longer than 2 minutes, consider it a projec
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eight categories of reminders and materials
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trash, incubation tools, reference storage, list of projects, storage or files for project plans and materials, a calendar, a list of reminders of next actions, and a list of reminders of things you’re waiting for
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most effective for project plannin
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five steps to accomplish most any task
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Natural Planning Model
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creates decision-making criteria
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defines success
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Defining purpose and principles
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one asks "why?"
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aligns resources
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motivates, clarifies focus and expands option
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create the boundaries of the plan
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criteria for excellence of behavior
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provides a picture of the final result
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Outcome visioning
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view the project from beyond the completion date, envision "WILD SUCCESS", and capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in place
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you won’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it
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identifies how one gets from here to there through the generation of lots of ideas
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Brainstorming
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writing down these ideas to help generate many new ones that might not have occurred had the brain not been emptied by writing down the original ideas
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idea of writing to spur thinking has been labeled as "distributed cognition
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don’t judge, challenge, evaluate, or criticize
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quantity, not quality
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analysis and organization in the background.
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Organizing
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sort by components
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sequences and/or priorities
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identify the significant pieces
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project is sufficiently planned when every Next Action has been decided on every front
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good general-reference filing system is key to the success of a personal management system
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keep files at hand’s reach
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purge your files at least once a year
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one will have trashed unneeded items, completed any less-than-two-minute actions, delegated, put reminders in one’s organizer of actions one must complete, and identified any projects.
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Processing
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deciding what to do with each of the items in the "in" box.
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Resist the urge to pull out the most urgen
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process the top item first
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process one item at a time
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orces the attention and decision-making needed to get through everything
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never put anything back into "in."
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"what’s the next action?" If none, the item is trashed, incubated to a "Someday/Maybe" list or "tickler" file, or put in reference material
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"Projects" list, project support material, calendared actions and information
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"Next Actions" lists
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Someday/Maybe" list.
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"Waiting For" list
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reference material
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advises against trying to prioritize among these lists
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setting priorities is more of an intuitive process that occurs as lists are reviewed
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Actions that should go on the calendar are ones that must be done on a specific day or tim
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may also include triggers for activating projects,
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"Next Actions" should be organized by context
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Waiting For" list should be reviewed often enough to determine if one needs to take any action
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important to organize nonactionable data
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includes reference material and "Someday/Maybes"
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ideas that are not ready for actio
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Someday/Maybe list, trigger them on one’s calendar or put them in a "tickler" system
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ost frequent review will probably be of one’s daily calendar and daily tickler folde
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Trust is maintained by keeping the system up-to-date
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next actions lists should be reviewed.
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Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment
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criteria of context, time available, energy available, and priority
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during a workday, one engages in one of three activities: doing predefined work, doing work as it shows up, or defining one’s work
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Threefold Model for Evaluating Daily Work
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the sacrifice of not doing the work you have defined on your lists, because something else came up, can be tolerated only if one knows what he’s not doing
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one’s ability to deal with surprise a competitive edge
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Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work
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- 50,000 + feet: Life
- 40,000 feet: Three- to five-year visions
- 30,000 feet: One-to two-year goals
- 20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility
- 10,000 feet: Current projects
- Runway: Current actions
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rying to manage oneself from the top down can create frustration
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Each of these levels should enhance and align with the levels above it
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starting at the bottom level, first ensuring all action lists are complete, and then working up the model.
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projects that may need more planning are first
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formal planning tools and techniques might be overrated and favors creative, proactive thinkin
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"vertical" project level again.
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first require a revisit to the Natural Planning Model
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second require tools and structures to capture those random ideas
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second, those for which ideas just show up
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hose that still have one’s attention even after defining next actions
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act of writing ideas down facilitates a constructive thinking process like nothing else.
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t people feel badly about their unprocessed "in" boxes because the incomplete items in them represent broken agreements with themselves. To remedy this, he advises three choices: don’t make the agreement, complete the agreement or renegotiate the agreement.
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anything held only in "psychic RAM" (not conscious) will carry equal weight and many small things will create more mental stress than they deserve
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twenty minutes before the end of a meeting, one should ask, "So what’s the next action here?" to increase clarity
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dark side of a "collaborative culture" where people are too polite to hold others accountable
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generate lots of ideas, both good and bad, is a critical piece of creative intelligence
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even the slightest increase in the use of natural planning can bring significant improvemen
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lauds the ability to envision success when how to achieve it is still unclear
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Honing and organizing ideas is a necessary mental discipline
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choosing and taking next actions are the essence of productivity
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28 Jun 15
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15 Dec 14
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13 Aug 14
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28 Jul 14
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outline
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three parts
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application
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benefits
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flowchart
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completely downloaded
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short-term memory or RAM
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think clearly
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What’s the next action
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two-minute rule
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live in the present moment
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make decisions
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capture
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Five Stages
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collect, process, organize, review and do
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in your collection system
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three "collection success factors"
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out of your head
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few collection buckets
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empty them regularly
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actionable
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next action
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less than 2 minutes
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do it
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defer
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delegate
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project
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eight categories of reminders and materials
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asks "why
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picture of the final result.
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from here to there
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Writing ideas down
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significant pieces
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can actually be moved
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trashed
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completed
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reminders
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projects
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delegated
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Friday afternoon
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Six-Level Model for Reviewing
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19 Jun 14
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25 May 14
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Defining purpose and principles
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Outcome visioning
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Brainstorming
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Organizing
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Identifying next actions
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17 Jan 14
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08 Dec 13
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21 Nov 13
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29 May 13
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25 Mar 13
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19 Mar 13
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02 Mar 13
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25 Jan 13
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19 Dec 12
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to collect, process, organize, review and do.
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most productive when the mind is clear, free of what he calls "open loops"
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too much "stuff" stored in a person’s short-term memory can blow a fuse
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the conscious mind is a focusing tool, not a storage place.
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for every outcome, one must determine the "next physical action" required to move the situation forward.
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write down the outcomes they wish to achieve
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it defines success, creates decision-making criteria, aligns resources, motivates, clarifies focus and expands options.
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defining the desired outcome
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envision "WILD SUCCESS", and capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine
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identify the significant pieces; sort by components, sequences and/or priorities; and detail to the required degree.
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a project is sufficiently planned when every Next Action has been decided on every front that can actually be moved on without some other components having to be completed first.
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09 Dec 12
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collect, process, organize, review and do.
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three "collection success factors": 1. Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head. 2. You must have as few collection buckets as you can get by with. 3. You must empty them regularly.
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Process stage
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- What is it? Is it actionable?
- If not, trash it, put it in a tickler file or put it in a reference file.
- If so, what’s the next action? The next action is defined as the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.
- Will next action take less than 2 minutes?
- If yes, do it.
- If no, delegate it or defer it.
- If it will take longer than 2 minutes, consider it a project (defined as requiring more than one action step) and put it in your project plans which will be reviewed for actions.
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These areas include: a "Projects" list, project support material, calendared actions and information, "Next Actions" lists, a "Waiting For" list, reference material, and a "Someday/Maybe" list.
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Actions that should go on the calendar are ones that must be done on a specific day or time.
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"Next Actions" should be organized by context, such as "Calls", "Errands", and "At Home." The "Waiting For" list should be reviewed often enough to determine if one needs to take any action. Items in one’s "Read and Review" pile and emails that require action are reminders themselves, and Allen recommends pulling emails requiring action to a separate folder in one’s email system.
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14 Nov 12
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15 Sep 12
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05 Jun 12
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01 Apr 12
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28 Jan 12
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15 Jan 12
Scott Le DucGreat overview of the book!
gtd productivity summary books wiki organization reference howto lifehacks
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09 Jan 12
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- Defining purpose and principles -- In defining purpose, one asks "why?" Answering this question provides the following benefits: it defines success, creates decision-making criteria, aligns resources, motivates, clarifies focus and expands options. Principles create the boundaries of the plan and define the criteria for excellence of behavior.
Chapter 3 -- Getting Projects Creatively Under Way: The Five Phases of Project Planning
This chapter is about "vertical" focus, the thought process behind successful project planning.
Allen states that the brain goes through five steps to accomplish most any task and that this Natural Planning Model is also the most effective for project planning. These steps are:
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- Outcome visioning -- A vision provides a picture of the final result. Allen discusses the Reticular Activating System within the brain and how it acts like a search engine. In defining the desired outcome, this filter in the brain brings to one’s attention those things that match the vision. In addition, Allen states that you won’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it, and his advice is to view the project from beyond the completion date, envision "WILD SUCCESS", and capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in place.
- Brainstorming -- Brainstorming identifies how one gets from here to there through the generation of lots of ideas. Allen recommends writing down these ideas to help generate many new ones that might not have occurred had the brain not been emptied by writing down the original ideas. Writing ideas down also provides an anchor to keep one focused on the topic at hand. This idea of writing to spur thinking has been labeled as "distributed cognition". Keys to effective brainstorming are: don’t judge, challenge, evaluate, or criticize; go for quantity, not quality; and put analysis and organization in the background.
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- Organizing -- Allen describes the key steps to include: identify the significant pieces; sort by components, sequences and/or priorities; and detail to the required degree.
- Identifying next actions -- Allen states that a project is sufficiently planned when every Next Action has been decided on every front that can actually be moved on without some other components having to be completed first.
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03 Dec 11
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10 Nov 11
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27 Sep 11
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09 Aug 11
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07 Jun 11
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05 Jun 11
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31 May 11
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25 May 11
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18 May 11
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12 Apr 11
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07 Feb 11
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28 Dec 10
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18 Nov 10
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the very act of writing ideas down facilitates a constructive thinking process like nothing else.
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18 Aug 10
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14 Aug 10
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Chapter 1 summary -- A New Practice for a New Reality
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Chapter 2 summary -- Getting Control of Your Life: The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow
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Chapter 3 summary -- Getting Projects Creatively Under Way: The Five Phases of Project Planning
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Chapter 4 summary -- Getting Started: Setting Up the Time, Space and Tools
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Chapter 5 summary -- Collection: Corralling Your "Stuff"
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Chapter 6 summary -- Processing: Getting "In" to Empty
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Chapter 7 summary -- Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
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Chapter 8 summary -- Reviewing: Keeping Your System Functional
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Chapter 9 summary -- Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
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Chapter 10 summary -- Getting Projects Under Control
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Chapter 11 summary -- The Power of the Collection Habit
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Chapter 12 summary -- The Power of the Next-Action Decision
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Chapter 13 summary -- The Power of Outcome Focusing
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13 Jun 10
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29 Apr 10
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23 Feb 10
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22 Nov 09
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04 Jan 09
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08 Apr 08
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18 Mar 08
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12 Jan 08
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19 Feb 07
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16 Feb 07
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a list of reminders of things you’re waiting for.
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put it in a tickler file
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The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work is presented in terms of altitude: 50,000 + feet: Life 40,000 feet: Three- to five-year visions 30,000 feet: One-to two-year goals 20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility 10,000 feet: Current projects Runway: Current actions
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The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work is presented in terms of altitude: 50,000 + feet: Life 40,000 feet: Three- to five-year visions 30,000 feet: One-to two-year goals 20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility 10,000 feet: Current projects Runway: Current actions Each of these levels should enhance and align with the levels above it. Priorities are driven from the top. However, without a sense of control over current projects and actions, trying to manage oneself from the top down can create frustration. Allen recommends starting at the bottom level, first ensuring all action lists are complete, and then working up the model.
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The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work is presented in terms of altitude:
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50,000 + feet: Life 40,000 feet: Three- to five-year visions 30,000 feet: One-to two-year goals 20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility
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He also discusses the benefits he has observed his clients realize over the years, including an increased level of trust with others and with oneself. He states that people feel badly about their unprocessed "in" boxes because the incomplete items in them represent broken agreements with themselves
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50,000 + feet: Life
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28 Jan 07
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