354: Middle of Horizons

How do you manage the big stuff that sits between your projects and your higher horizons? We kicked around initiatives, job searches, and whether you really need more hierarchy in your system or just a clearer view of the one you have. We share what works for us, from simplified areas of focus to a flower exercise. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Making It All Work: Winning the Game of Work and the Business of Life by David Allen (Amazon)

• What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles (the source of the flower exercise) (Amazon)

• OmniFocus

• ChatGPT

• Evernote

Download the podcast here!

353: Underwater

What do you do when the work is coming in faster than you can handle it? In this episode we talk about being underwater, from triage mode and the two-minute rule to blocking time at the end of the day, and how to tell whether the overwhelm is coming from outside or from inside. We share what works for us. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Fancy Hands (on-demand virtual admin help)

• Basecamp

• Evernote

Download the podcast here!

352: Inbox Zero

How do you keep Inbox Zero when the email just keeps coming? We dug into what it really means in practice, why your in-tray may matter even more than your email inbox, and how to make clarifying and organizing feel less like a slog with a little gamification. Lots of great stuff! Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal (Amazon)

• Boomerang (the Chrome extension from Baydin, the company behind The Email Game)

• Pandemic (the cooperative board game)

• Microsoft Outlook (the emoji reactions in 365)

• Evernote

Download the podcast here!

351: In Case Of Emergency

Life happens, and sometimes it happens to a coworker. When one of us had to step in and cover a colleague's projects with no notes to go on, it got us talking about how to set up our systems so someone else could pick up where we left off. We dug into checklists, handoff docs, holding our boundaries on weekends and vacations, and that sneaky feeling of being indispensable. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Time Off by John Fitch and Max Frenzel

• Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

• OmniFocus

• Asana

• Trello

• Basecamp

• Smartsheet

Download the podcast here!

342: Execution — Getting Derailed

What holds us back from actually doing the work, even when we know we're working on the right things? Christine brought us this one, and we dug into the four blockers that derail us, building buffer into the week, time tracking as a wake-up call, and giving ourselves grace when the day falls apart. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Team: Getting Things Done with Others by David Allen and Edward Lamont

• Deep Work by Cal Newport

• Getting Things Done® Podcast - GTD For Creative People

• Getting Things Done® Podcast - Interview with Evan Taubenfeld

Download the podcast here!

320: Defining the Higher Horizons

Projects, Actions, and even Areas of Focus and Responsiblity are pretty easy to define. The higher horizons, not so much. In this episode, we talk about the higher horizons, how we've developed them, and how we use them to guide our life's work. Definitely a great listen if you're struggling with the higher horizons... and just know that we all have, so you're not alone!

Resources from the call:

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

• Making It All Work by David Allen

• Ready For Anything by David Allen

• Start With Why by Simon Sinek

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Riuz

• Mazlow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The by Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Download the podcast here!

318: A Meander Through GTD®

318: A Meander Through GTD®

We had some fun just wandering around without a set topic in this episode. We talked about all sorts of stuff — system bankruptcy, dealing with backlog, someday/maybe management, collaboration on projects and shared task management, system tweaking, areas of focus, horizons of focus, and everything in between... Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• FacileThings

• OmniFocus

• Nirvana

• Todoist

• TeuxDeux

• Matt D'avella Video @15:05 (warning: rabbit hole!!)

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

• Making It All Work by David Allen

• Ready For Anything by David Allen

• GTD® Shop

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (Abridged Audio Book)

Download the podcast here!

316: Hard Edges in Action Lists

One of the tricky things in keeping hard edges in a task management system is capturing and processing projects and tasks without enough clarity around them. Sometimes our verbs seem actionable, but might be a bit vague in reality. Same with next actions which might actually be a project. In this episode we dive into these ideas and the friction they cause in our systems and look at solutions to bring clarity and engagement. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• FacileThings

• Todoist Made Simple Facebook Group

• 25 Productivity Tips by Augusto Pinaud

• Unschedule, The by Dr Neil Fiore

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Todoist

• Nirvana

• OmniFocus

• Asian Efficiency

• MacSparky

Download the podcast here!

309: Experience with GTD®

In this episode we share our experiences with practicing the GTD® methodology through the years. The benefits we've experienced, the things we love about it, some of the tweaks we've made over time, and why we've stuck with it. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

• Nested Folders podcast

• Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World by David Allen, Mike Williams, and Mark Wallace

Download the podcast here!

281: When is Enough?

Sometimes life hits you with a whole bunch of projects all at the same time. How do you deal with the overwhelm? How do you know when to say "when"? In this episode, we share our experiences and how we've handled these situations. Enjoy!

Resources from the call:

• Getting Things Done Fast seminar

• GTD® Weekly Review Checklist

• GTD® Horizons of Focus

• Marie Kondo

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown

• Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

• Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

Download the podcast here!