Why I Don’t Use Getting Things Done
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity* is almost 20 years old, and is one of the most ground-breaking systems out there. I no longer use it out of the box, though.
For a long time I searched for the perfect system to help me achieve peak productivity with ease. I looked high and low, went through every planner out there, and tried every piece of software I thought would help. I read GTD soon after it came out, and I was hooked. I was drawn to a system that seemed like it would do everything, and I could focus on working, rather than figuring out what to do. In short, I thought it was a system that would feed me what needed to be done, without any work on my part loading the machine. Of course that was unrealistic, but it was still the best thing out there. So I proceeded to try and bend myself into the system. Over time, though, my productivity system began to shed parts of GTD.
Getting Things Done (GTD)
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity* was released in 2001. It was a ground-breaking book because it outlined a complete productivity system that took into account the ability to work in places other than your office.
It was ground-breaking at the time because it asked us to think about where we were and what equipment we had access to in order to determine what tasks could be done.
The Strengths of GTD
There are many strengths of Getting Things Done. The first is the use of contexts. Contexts are a physical place or a piece of equipment (or a combination thereof) that was needed to do the task. It allowed us to filter the task list to the point where we were not seeing things that we couldn’t do at the moment.
A second strength is the use of next actions. A next action is the very next thing you need to do to move your project along. This is a great procrastination-buster, and helps us to define tasks in a way that they are do-able, rather than “amorphous blobs of un-do-ability”.
GTD also encouraged us to examine, and minimize, the points at which information is coming at us. The theory is the less places we have to remember to check, the less probability of missing something.
The Complications of GTD
Getting Things Done is not without its complications. Now that cell phones and portable computing are available in just about every pocket, the lines for contexts have blurred to the point that they are mostly irrelevant.
GTD in its breaking things down in to next actions can lead to over-managing the system. The definition of a next action, “your next physical, visible action step” allows you to put actionable items on your list, instead of vague words that can be skimmed over. However, pinning down the granularity of next actions can lead to complication on the system. I’ve talked about it before here.
The goals part of GTD, which are often overlooked, require you to have a 1-year, 5-year and beyond plan for where you are going as well. This can be a problem if your primary purpose for using GTD is to get a handle on the day-to-day. As a trained project manager, I think the project management and goal setting set forth in GTD is weak; probably the weakest part of the system. I believe this is why most people ignore it instinctually.
Why I Don’t GTD Anymore
After using GTD for over a decade, trying to cram the way I work into the narrow confines of the system, I gave it up. Not entirely, but mostly.
My main problem with GTD is that it no longer applies to the modern era. It doesn’t take into account that most of us have a computer and phone with us at all times, thereby rendering contexts moot. In addition, it doesn’t address the psychological issues of having these work devices with us at all times, and the overwork that this can lead to.
The second problem out there is that GTD, with its popularity, has led to rigidity in its adherents. When I was seeking ways to make GTD work for me, rather than modifying how I work to match GTD, I was old that I wasn’t trying hard enough. Sorry, but I don’t work to the system. The system has to support the way I need to work to get the most done. (The articles that I have written before on my problems with GTD have comments that point to this. But instead of giving me solutions, they just criticize the way I am working.)
What I Use of GTD
There are aspects of GTD that are still part of my productivity system.
I minimized my inboxes as much as possible. This was straight on GTD. However, I take it a step further and use automation wherever possible to minimize the places I have to check. Not quite the same as eliminating a capture point.
I still use the concept of projects (more than one physical action step). But the project has to have next actions that require either physical location changes or equipment change. Changing a light bulb is not a project, even though there are multiple physical actions. And I don’t list all the next actions. I list where I left off, and I list steps that I don’t want to forget.
I still do a weekly review, although it is less of a review (looking back) and more of a planning session. It is during this session that I look at what is coming in the week ahead and then figuring out what I have time for. A packed week doesn’t allow me to work on much other than the necessities; planning to wedge in those extras just leads to frustration.
GTD Is Right For Some, but not Me
I’m not knocking GTD. There are a lot of people out there who use it and are successful. They may not mind the overhead or have adapted it to fit the way they work.
But for me, I can only use a few of the concepts. This allows me to be more fluid in the way that I plan and get things done.
A Special Note
In August, I will be laying out all the aspects of how I work. This includes how I process email, my complete task and project management system, how I keep notes, and my calendars.
Image by dennisreimann. Licensed under Creative Commons. Text added and photo modified.
