gsd3

Yearning to scribble

For years, I fought the good fight, shoehorning my life into a clusterfumble of digital devices, trying to align the vagaries of an analog world into the rigid structures of a drawer full of computers, PDAs, and mobile phones. But it was futile. I yearned to scribble in the margins, draw big circles around things, dash off arrows to connect thoughts.

Oh sure, I tried out the Hipster PDA (verdict: too hipster), read up on the Moleskines (verdict: too much pressure to be the next Hemingway and Picasso), and even thought about Getting Things Done, but I just wasn’t up to the task.

It was all just so ... involved.

And then, one fateful day in early 2005, a random stop at a stationary store changed my life forever. No longer was I going to be hamstrung by electronica, for I was going full-on analog, with a thick black Miquelrius and a shiny new pen.

So for the next few months, I slowly evolved my own style for personal organization, using just paper and pen. It was brutally simple, didn’t require much forethought or planning, and kept me focused on the tasks at hand rather than on the task of organizing. And it worked.

But it wasn’t until a fateful encounter with Dave Gray and a few others in San Francisco several months later that I realized that I actually had a system here.

So with a bit of goading, I wrote up what I’ve been doing and gave it a name: Getting Sh-t Done, or GSD. It’s quick, it’s dirty, and it doesn’t require a lot of preparation, special materials, or rigorous thinking.

So enough intro babble...

How does this system actually work? Let’s get started:

GSD in four easy steps

Step 1 : Create the Master list

The core of the whole system is pretty simple. I start off by banging out a stream-of-consciousness list of the things I have to do, putting an empty box next to each of them - and not spending any time prioritizing or organizing.

But the key is to make sure that each item is a task that I can actually do. Not “figure out dishwasher repair”, but “make list of five dishwasher repair people and phone numbers”. Otherwise, they’ll just linger there on the list, mocking me, and never actually get done.

Step 2 : Create the Daily list

Early each morning, I sit down with my notebook (laptop closed, phone off, newspaper closed) and open it to the next blank page. I write the day and date at the top, and pull forward my Post-It tab I use to mark the current page.

Next, I brain dump a list of the things that are top of mind, in no particular order. That’s important, because it lets me get everything out without worrying about structure. I combine work and personal items, although you may not want to.

Then, I go back to previous days and look for unfinished items. For each one I find, I draw a diagonal line through its box (indicating it’s been moved forward), and rewrite it on today’s page. The goal is to move all open items onto the current page, and eventually have every box on prior pages filled with a check (it’s done), an X (I’m never going to do it), or a diagonal line. Once I’ve moved everything forward from a prior page, I put a checkmark in the upper-right hand corner of that page to show it’s closed out.

Finally, I review my Master list for items that need to be addressed. Usually, a lot of them have already come through in the brain dump, but it helps me remember and stay focused on longer-term goals.

Step 3 : Work the Daily list

Next, I look at my entire Daily list, pick the top 3 or 4 most important items, and put little dots in their checkboxes. Then I get to work, cranking through my list and getting sh-t done, banging out check marks as I complete my items.

Once I’ve completed my priority items, I go back and put dots next to the next most important items, and work on those ... on so on.

The key, however, is to make sure that you’re only working on things that are on the list. If something new comes up, add it to the list, and then re-prioritize.

Step 4 : Reboot

This system works pretty well for me, but sometimes a guy can end up overwhelmed by everything he has on his plate. When this happens, I start over, returning to Step 1 and revisiting the Master list, deleting things that are no longer important, and braindumping new tasks.

Tips and tricks

Prioritization

From time to time, even the dots don’t work, especially when I’m up against some sort of timeframe. That’s when I draw out a time ladder.

I start with the current time, map out the hours through the end of the day, and then map activities against the timeline in rough 30- or 60-minute blocks. This usually works for about two hours, then the whole thing goes to hell and I just wing it.

Out and about

I’ve found a great little trick for whenever I’m out and about and don’t have my notebook with me. Whenever I think of something, I pull out my mobile and hack out a quick e-mail to myself, and then when I’m back at my desk I manually transfer items from my inbox to my notebook.

Scheduling

Several people have asked about how I do calendaring and address management. Actually, it’s nothing special. I just use iCal and Address Book in Mac OS X.

And that’s it!

So that’s it, GSD in a nutshell. One place for all your to-dos and notes, a quick and dirty way to managing them, and no need to buy special software or spend your Sunday fighting with a cumbersome prioritization scheme.

If you’re looking for a Miquelrius notebook of your own, I have found them periodically available at my local Barnes & Noble. I prefer the 6-inch x 8-inch 300-page version with a black cover and smaller grid rule.

Enjoy, and contact me if you have any questions or comments.

See what others are saying

“A wonderful, slightly irreverent, lightweight system for those not interested in joining the GTD cult.”

Mike Rohde’s “Creating a Custom Moleskine Planner”

Isahrai M. Azaria ‘s “To Do Gone Wild”

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