Getting Things Done

“When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I
mean.” – Lin-Chi

I came across this quote this morning on David Allen's website. He's the author who has written "Getting Things Done." It's a great book for people who could benefit from getting all those whirling messages out of their mind and onto a list. Here's a capsule of his system:

* Capturing anything and everything that has your attention
* Defining actionable things discretely into outcomes and concrete next steps
* Organizing reminders and information in the most streamlined way, in appropriate categories, based on
how and when you need to access them
* Keeping current and "on your game" with appropriately frequent reviews of the six horizons of your
commitments (purpose, vision, goals, areas of focus, projects, and actions)

Implementing Getting Things Done alleviates the feeling of overwhelm, instills confidence, and releases a flood of creative energy. It provides structure without constraint, managing details with maximum flexibility. The system rigorously adheres to the core principles of productivity, while allowing tremendous freedom in the "how." The only "right" way to do GTD is getting meaningful things done with truly the least amount of invested attention and energy. Coaching thousands of people, where they work, about their work, has informed the GTD method with the best practices of how to work (and live), in that most efficient and productive way.

It takes some time to set up and requires continued attention, but it really works. For one thing, it teaches you how to look at projects as a series of next actions. Another of his tips is if the Next Action can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it when you first pick the item up.

As for the quote, I think it represents a reminder to indulge in extreme self care. This is the mantra of one of my clients and I'm giving it a try. I'm tired, so now I'll close my eyes.