Getting Things Done

Being organized and following a set plan as a way to effectively meet life's tasks and challenges is not a new idea. But for many people I do not think it gets past the concept phase and to an actionable process (to the point where it becomes habit and is done as a normal routine).

I, like most, am a busy person, juggling multiple, ever-changing work projects along with personal obligations and tasks, and managing my family duties and community events along with continuing my education. While I usually don't feel totally lost, I often think that I could do a better job of planning and organizing the tasks I need to complete.

The book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen offers five simple stages to follow to become more organized. I have listed them below, along with my current status and how each step can help me better plan and facilitate my activities to become more efficient:

1. "Collect" - Which is the act of listing all the tasks that need to be accomplished -- in one physical location (excluding your memory, which if like mine, is not always reliable!). -- I personally do collect and list my tasks out, but where I have failed in the past is not listing them all in one location. I'm great at writing something in my work calendar, adding some tasks to post it notes, etc. and then trying to find where I've placed everything. For the future I am going to list these using an online application, so not only will the list be in one spot, but I can access it from anywhere that I have Internet Connectivity.

2. Process - This is making a decision with the information that was collected in step 1: what does the task entail? Can it be delayed to another time, or is there someone else that can complete it? Can it be done quickly (in between other large tasks) or does it require devoting special time and attention to it? -- I have become quite good at this aspect, assuming I have properly collected all the tasks I must make a decision on.

3. Organize - This is determining the expectations/time frames as to when a task is to be completed. Sort the immediate, high priority/high impact tasks so they are worked on first. Tasks that have open dependencies may be able to moved towards the end of your list. -- I personally interact with my professional and personal contacts to ensure I know where each of my tasks fall in terms of when it is needed, who is benefiting from the completion of the task, and where tasks can be delayed without significant repercussions.

4. Review - This is where one regularly checks the status of their "To Do" list to see what has been accomplished, what is outstanding and what is (or will shortly become) overdue. -- I usually review first thing in the morning, and then at the end of the day, in case I need to make changes to the task order.

5. Do - As it implies, this is the actionable step of performing your tasks, using the steps before it to create a list that is efficient, effective and can be adapted based on how one's schedule or tasks list changes. -- Here's hoping this process may make your daily tasks easier to schedule and complete!