Getting Things Done for IT Professionals

Information Technology (IT) professionals juggle a constant stream of tasks and demands. David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) system offers a powerful framework to manage this complexity and achieve stress-free productivity.

Developed in 2001 and updated in 2015 to reflect the digital age, GTD focuses on the core concepts of capturing, clarifying, organizing, reflecting, and engaging with your workload. By applying GTD principles, IT professionals can transform their workflow from feeling overwhelmed by a never-ending to-do list to a state of calm control.

 Allen acknowledges that leveraging ever-evolving technologies adds significant pressure to establishing workflows.

Key Concept: Addressing the Source of Stress

IT professionals are no strangers to interruptions and unexpected challenges. Balancing these demands with personal life can be a recipe for anxiety and stress. But what's the root cause of this stress? Most people mistakenly believe it's the sheer volume of undone tasks.

GTD argues that the real culprit is are "open loops" in your mind. These open loops represent uncompleted tasks, unmade decisions, or vague commitments. They lurk in the back of your mind, draining energy and focus on inopportune moments. This constant mental tracking not only fails to produce any benefit, but it also erodes trust in yourself and others when commitments are broken.

Imagine an IT project thrown into disarray by an unexpected change. With a clear mind, you can analyze the situation, identify the best course of action, and respond effectively. However, open loops cloud your judgement. The mental burden of those unaddressed tasks makes it difficult to focus and prioritize effectively.

Key Objectives of the GTD System

 GTD empowers IT professionals to achieve a state of "ready" – a clear mind prepared to tackle any challenge. Similar to a martial artist poised for action, GTD equips you to:

• Analyze situations: With a clear head, you can assess complex IT projects and identify the best course of action.
• Respond effectively: GTD streamlines your workflow, allowing you to react quickly and efficiently to changing priorities.
• Prioritize actions: By having your next steps clearly defined, you can make informed decisions about which tasks to tackle first, considering context, time, and energy available.

An unexpected project shift? No problem. With GTD, you'll be in the "ready state" to handle it calmly and effectively.  

Implementing the Methods of ‘Getting Things Done’  

At the core of the GTD process are five stages of mastering workflow, which are quite practical and loaded with common sense. Allen notes in the book that most people will have to modify some major habits to fully enjoy the benefits of the system, but he indicates the results are quite often “transformational”. While we certainly recommend reading the book, attending seminars, reaching out to others who practice GTD and more, below is a brief overview of this process. 

Capture: Collect what has your attention 

Is something on your mind troubling you? Get it out of your head! There is a peace once you are confident you have collected everything, and it is accounted for.  Anything incomplete that is a “should,” “need to,” or “ought to” becomes an open loop. Get it out of your head and into a logical, trusted system outside of your mind. Allen suggests using an in-basket, notepad, or voice recorder to capture 100 percent of everything that has your attention. That includes little, big, personal, and professional. 

Clarify: Process what it means 

Take everything captured and use a processing mechanism in place to easily determine what each piece of “stuff” is and what to do about it. A basic bullet diagram of the process looks something like this: 

• What is it?
• Is it Actionable?
  • If NO
    • Trash it
    • Incubate it for possible action later
    • Reference it: File it in an organized manner so you can get to it in less than one minute
  • If YES
    • If it takes less than two minutes: DO IT
    • If it needs to be delegated: DELEGATE IT
    • If it needs to be done later: DEFER IT
      • Sort reminders for deferred actions
      • Identify projects and the associated actions which need to be done 

Organize: Put it where it belongs 

Processing all of life’s random inputs won’t result in much benefit at all without setting up the right buckets. Examples of some of the more common useful buckets are:

• List of projects – A desired result with more than 1 action step.
• Project support material – Storage for project plans and materials.
• Calendar actions and information.
• Meetings and day-specific actions. 
• Next Actions list – Lists of reminders for next actions is the heart of the process.  These should be organized by project, context, time available, energy available, priority, or any other subdivision which makes sense.
• A Waiting For list – List of reminders that you are waiting for.
• Reference material.
• A Someday/Maybe list – Bucket for those things we incubated for possible later action.  

Reflect: Review the results frequently 

The lists should be reviewed as often as necessary to determine what to do next. This enables your brain to move toward more elegant and productive activity. Achieving this requires consistent engagement with commitments and activities. You must keep your lists totally current to establish the trust essential for the GTD system to succeed. If you do not trust the system you have put in place to keep things off your mind, your stuff will be back on your mind. 

A weekly update is suggested to clean up, update lists and clear your mind. Look over all projects, open loops, next action lists, waiting for lists, and any other buckets you’ve established. Obviously, there are things like your calendar which you will be reviewing daily. You should also be engaging in periodic big picture reviews, which clarify larger outcomes, long term goals, visions and principles which drive and test your decisions. Like everything in GTD, the general rule of thumb is that you should be doing it often enough to keep it off your mind. 

Engage: Simply Do 

Once you have built your logical and trusted system, it’s time to get things done and take appropriate action with confidence. Trust is a critical part of GTD. Not just trust in the accuracy of your system, but trust in your own ability to select the correct next actions at the right time. When doing things, you must trust yourself and the source of your intelligence to attain maximum freedom and productivity. GTD introduces the four criteria model for choosing actions in the moment: 

• Context: Where are you? Certain tasks should be done at home, at work, while commuting, at your desk, and so forth. The tools available also create context. Are you at a computer? Are you on the phone? You can also have context lists for things like specific people, groups, and meetings.
• Time Available: How much time you have available obviously restricts the things you can do at that time. Having lists of tasks by estimated time of completion helps you make the best use of your available time slots.
• Energy Available: Of course, certain tasks require more energy and focus than others. Organizing actions by energy requirements allows you to stay productive whether you’re in a state of energy abundance or deficit.
• Priority: Given the context, time, and energy available, you want to be doing the most important tasks first. 

Getting Things Done with Others

 In early 2024, David Allen expanded on GTD. Team: Getting Things Done with Others applies the principles of GTD to the challenges of collaboration and teamwork. In it the new book, Allen focuses on the three original GTD models (Control, Horizons of Focus and Natural Planning Model) as they relate to working on teams. While the same elements of the system apply, the unique challenges of implementing GTD across team members using collaboration tools are addressed.  

Team then shifts the focus to leadership. For the system to best work in a team environment, having a collection of talented individuals isn’t enough; leaders must pay attention to the mechanics of the team and ensure they have the tools, structures and processes in place to execute on the vision. Allen likens a strong leader to a gardener; they don’t actually grow plants or make flowers bloom, but by tending the soil, placing trellises for support and clearing weeds, they provide the environment for that growth to occur.  

To Recap 

Getting Things Done (GTD) offers a powerful framework for IT professionals to achieve stress-free productivity. This overview provides a foundation for understanding the core principles of GTD. You can even begin implementing a basic GTD system to experience the benefits firsthand. To deepen your knowledge and maximize your success with GTD, here are some resources:

• David Allen's Book: Getting Things Done by David Allen is the cornerstone of the GTD methodology. Team: Getting Things Done with Others and Getting Things Done are both available on Amazon.
• David Allen Resources: Visit https://gettingthingsdone.com/resources/ for additional information, articles, and insights.
• Take the GTD-Q assessment to evaluate your current productivity habits and identify areas for improvement:  https://gettingthingsdone.com/gtd-q/.

Beyond the Basics:

• GTD Implementation Tools: Numerous tools can support your GTD implementation, from software applications to organizational charts. While software offers a powerful and efficient way to manage your GTD workflow, exploring various options is key. Conduct your own research by searching online for "GTD app" or "GTD software".

The Power of Community:

• Connect with GTD Users: GTD's popularity within the IT industry is a testament to its effectiveness. Consider seeking out IT professionals who have successfully implemented GTD in their workflow. Learning from their experiences can provide valuable insights and motivation.

By taking advantage of these resources and potentially connecting with a GTD community, you can solidify your understanding and maximize the benefits of GTD in your IT career.