GTD Step 1: Collect

“For disappearing acts, it’s hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work.” Doug Larson

Here is a common scenario in which I have fallen off my GTD schedule. My inbox has hundreds of emails which need to be sorted and processed, I am moving from one project to the next without getting anything accomplished, books are left unread half way through, my desk is cluttered with to-do lists and post-it notes, and overall, things are just not getting done. As an entrepreneur every day spent in such chaos is a day wasted. Time flies by, and I am left wondering when the day started and when it ended. According to David Allen, this scenario is a result of having too many ‘Open Loops’ in our brain. An open loop signifies thoughts in our brain which need closure. When these loops are left open for extended periods of time, we tend to procrastinate and get stressed out over all the things that need to get done. If you are carrying too many open loops presently, read the steps below to start clearing them out.

Step 1: Clear your Workspace: Our desks are where we spend the better part of our working day, they reflect our state of our mind. A messy desk serves as a reminder to our brain, of all the open loops we are carrying. At one moment we may be working on an important report, suddenly our eye catches an unpaid utility bill. Our focus suddenly switches to the bill, and we begin worrying about getting the payment in before the due date. Beneath the bill, we notice a letter for a seminar we needed to register for yesterday, we have missed the deadline to sign up. This process goes on and on until we sit down and clear our desk of all, but the necessary items which need to be on it.

Step 2: Clear your Computer: Somehow, desktop screens seem to collect a lot of stuff very quickly. Downloaded files, new documents, attachments and a host of other new creations. These serve as constant reminders of open loops and can be very distracting. Create folders, set dates and time to clear them as soon as possible. Next, move to your email box and begin dealing with all unanswered emails, delete those which do not need a response and archive important emails to designated folders for easy retrieval.

Step 3: Clear your Mind: This is one my favorite exercises. When I cannot bear the open loops any more, I take a piece of paper and start putting down my thoughts onto the sheet of paper. This can literally cover anything which is bothering me. For example, it could be, buy a box of chocolates, call the cable repair man, chart out a timeline for the new project, make a Doctor’s appointment, make reservations for saturday night dinner, or, start doing some charity work. This is one of the most therapeutic things you can do for yourself and putting it all down feels really good.

During these steps many documents and files need to be handled. Set up a basic ‘in’ and ‘out’ tray to manage all the data, and set dates and time to process all the information which has been gathered. I also use basic file folders for specific information, and I review those folders on a periodic basis. There is no point in collecting all this data, thoughts and action points, without setting up a system to manage your collection properly. Before you begin the collection process have a couple of fresh envelopes, file folders, labelers and, the trash bin nearby.

2 Comments GTD Step 1: Collect

  1. Pingback: 5 Steps to Get Things Done (GTD) « Journey of a Serial Entrepreneur

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