Self efficiency

David Allen's bestselling book promises to revolutionise your productivity, boost your creativity - and add six months to your life. Sabina Dosani learns how to Get Things Done
Sabina Dosani
Fri 28 Jul 2006 19.09 EDT

At the end of last year, there was too much to do, too little time. Not only had I landed two wonderful but busy jobs and started a business with my husband, I had also decided to write a novel, learn to play the piano and compete in a triathlon.

But to continue in this vein I had to make a major change, so I swapped constant overwhelm for calm control. My productivity soared, seemingly in direct proportion to my ability to relax; I handle email effectively, unflustered by unexpected demands and planning projects at speed.

It started four months ago when I bought three electronic labellers - one for each office, one for home - joining what David Allen lightheartedly calls, "the cult of the labelling people".

As a teenager, Allen studied Zen Buddhism. In college, he abandoned his Master's degree to pursue a black belt in karate and started a landscaping business. But for the last 25 years, Allen has been helping people achieve stress-free efficiency, and in doing so has been called one of the world's most influential thinkers on productivity. However he likes to refer to himself as "the laziest person you've ever met". So lazy that he developed a way of getting things done with "less effort, more ease and elegance".

If you delegate, or the next action depends on someone else's action, it goes on a "waiting for" list. If actions have more than one step, Allen calls them "projects". All projects should have at least one associated action. If you lack time or inclination to pursue them this year, they go on a list called, "someday maybe".

The two-minute rule

Allen claims adhering to this rule adds six months to your life. If the next action takes less than two minutes, do it straight away. When I'm overwhelmed, I blitz through several two-minute actions, rapidly regaining control.

Make information accessible

Allen demands you overhaul your filing system. Files should be swivel distance from your desk. Forget fancy categories and subdivisions. You need an A to Z reference system using folders and a labeller. "Something mystical happens when you label," says Allen. Although he jokes about "secret handshakes of the labelling cult", he calls the electronic labeller, "surprisingly critical". It makes it easier to label files, folders and numerous other things.

Reviewing regularly

The weekly review captures fine details of what you need to do. Once a week, Allen advises scheduling a weekly review into your diary. Two hours on Friday, between midday and 2pm seems to be the optimum time, although there is no reason why you cannot do this midweek or during the weekend. He recommends playing background music while you do this.

Does it work?

Robin Greelees of Barclays Global Investors, who has read numerous time-management books, says that through GTD he has become 20% more productive. "And I can see potential to develop further."

Entrepreneur Paul Kullich agrees. "GTD increased my productivity by at least 30%," he says. "Previously, work was email-driven. Now I just bite off the next thing and get on with it, often in downtime." Kullich had the Rolls Royce of GTD training: an intensive two-to-one coaching.

"It was a big investment," he says. "They came to my house for two long days, but I'm no longer stressed. I focus on my vision, instead of other people's."

And me? After reading GTD, I set aside two days to redo my files and start new lists. It took a month to finish filing. I have not noticed the confidence surge that GTD promises and struggle to do the weekly review regularly. But when I do, I'm faster, less frazzled and have a flurry of ideas.

GTD cured my email paralysis. Every day I address email actions taking less than two minutes and drag emails that take longer to act on into an "action" folder. Using my BlackBerry, I deal with those on the bus or when on hold on the telephone. Previously, I wasted time scrolling over thousands of emails, searching for the one I wanted.

One reason that GTD is increasingly popular is that you can go high- or low-tech. Steve Cheng, who works for a software company, furtively demonstrates his "hipster PDA", which is a set of small index cards.

"My wife thinks it's sad," he says. "I download templates onto A4 and cut them up. Unlike a real PDA, I can stamp on it, drop it in water and it still works. GTD isn't just for geeks."

It is not just for adults either. "One guy's five-year-old son couldn't tidy his room," says Allen. "They gathered everything in the room and put it in a big box. Then they took things out one by one, deciding where it went or what to do with it. The kid loved the game. That's why an in-basket is critical. It allows you to corral stuff so your brain can focus on one thing at a time."

Jenny Kowalczuk, the news and features editor of Safer Healthcare magazine, has used GTD for two years. "It puts you in the driving seat," she says. "Instead of a huge amorphous 'to do' list, my lists are organised by context. I have all my calls on one list, so when I am by a phone, I get a lot done. My labeller turns a horrid process into something beautiful."

But it is not all just about transforming your life through labels, says Allen. "There's more to it. It's not about lists, it's what lists get you to focus on. You're getting things done because you're seeing them done. You are in control, relaxed and inspired."

Holidaying with a clear conscience and a clear desk

"People feel best about their job a week before their holiday because they're clearing up, cleaning up, clarifying, identifying things that would fall apart if they didn't handle them, renegotiating all their agreements with key people in their life," says David Allen. "I suggest people do that every week. Most people want the freedom to have fun. Why reserve that for once a year?"

Here are 10 steps you should work through once a week, or before going on holiday.

1 Collect your loose papers. Round up all scraps of paper - business cards, receipts, meeting notes - and put them in your in-tray.

2 Process your in-basket. Pick each item out of your in-tray in turn and make quick decisions. Is it actionable? If so, what's the next action? If not, is it something you want to keep? Then file it in the relevant list.

3 Look back over your diary for outstanding action items and bring them forward.

4 Write down new projects, action items, "waiting for" items and so on.

5 Review outcome lists. Evaluate the status of each project, goal and outcome.

6 Review "next action" lists. Tick off each completed action. Look for reminders of further actions.

7 Browse through work in progress and update lists of new actions, completions and "waiting for" items.

8 Review "someday maybe" lists, looking for any projects that have become active and transfer them to the projects list. Delete any dead items.

9 Review "waiting for" lists. Record any follow-up actions. Check them off as you complete them.
