A Millenial’s 6 Step Guide to Getting Things Done
It seems like every corporate blog out there today has their own take on getting things done. Solutions range from intricate Gmail manipulation to specially formatted task sheets. These solutions may work for some but, I like to take it down level and focus on the plan and process. I find I spend way too much time organizing my tasks if I get lost in the sea of GTD solutions out there. Here are a few methods I use to get things done by getting back to the basics:
1. Start the day with a clean slate. This means getting a up little bit early, grabbing some coffee and clearing out my email. Here are 4 great ways to take control of your inbox.
2. Use a reader and stay on top of it. Newsreaders like Google Reader help you stay on top of your feeds without hopping all over the web. Plus, it’s much easier to skim everything quickly during your lunch break than to cave in to tempatation and skip all over the internet throughout the day. Caution: stay on top of this like your inbox, it will bug and distract you if you let it build up.
3. Make a basic to do list and relish every check. As I mentioned, there are a ton of online to do tracking sites, I can’t use them because I spend too much time on the site and not enough time getting my tasks done. I reccommend a good old pencil and paper tactile to do list. It feels great to check things off physically and it’s a great record of all your tasks that you can summarize when it comes time to ace that performance review.
4. Get away from your computer to consider your progress and remaining tasks. Blog express calls this “Changing your scenery” while Modern Worker says you should “take the scenic route“. Whatever you call it, I find that I am distracted while staring at a screen. If I get away from the computer, tons of tasks and things to do start resurfacing. Just get away for a bit, grab coffee or talk to someone and you’ll be surprised how much you remember.
5. When you get big things done, celebrate and record. When you accomplish that final step to a big task, celebrate it. It will make you even more motivated to move through the rest of your list. Also, don’t forget to record your accomplishments so you can market yourself and increase your share of feed.
6. Write it down before you go to bed. Keep a pad of paper next to your bed and write down things that pop into your head as you fall asleep. You’ll sleep better and you won’t forget any of those important tasks for the next day.
Do you have your own tips and strategies? Share them in the comments.
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Tags: focus, Getting things done, GTD, Life
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January 14th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Good list. Thanks B
-Eric
Formerly of YoungGoGetter.com
January 14th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
This is a good list, Brandon. I’d also seriously point you to the Getting Things Done methodology through the book of the same name by David Allen. Using the methodology, regardless of the tools, will significantly enhance your productivity and your satisfaction with what you do.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I personally love the new Leopard OS. It allows me to subscribe to all of my RSS feeds in the Mail app., including my Newly Corporate feed, and alerts me when a new blog entry has posted. It is a great way to keep my email and feeds organized.
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