The GTD Starter Kit
Monday, January 28th, 2008
I recently had a coworker hit the wall on the number of task and activities she could manage and still keep her sanity. The constant sighs of frustration and panting was a dead giveaway. I think most of us have been there at one time or another; the frightening feeling of being pulled in all directions simultaneously with no way out. Since this person has been a friend and a coworker for some nine years, I felt it my duty to throw in a life preserver.
This was the perfect opportunity to reveal the wonders of Getting Things Done (GTD). The problem is that once a person has landed in this situation, it is very difficult to get out. When you feel that you don’t have time to complete the immediate actions, you are unlikely to spend time researching solutions. So, I started thinking about what a GTD starter kit should contain. The bare minimum to get someone started and on the right path as quick as possible. Since I work in the technology world, I geared the kit to that environment.
The first item is David Allen’s book Getting Things Done; no rocket science there. Since in this situation a little acceleration is in order, the audiobook version from iTunes would be item number two. This way the commute time can be used to get the mind moving. For a consistent place to store notes a GTDer’s ever present Moleskine notebook is number three. The fourth item is a pack of multicolored index cards otherwise known as the Hipster PDA. The index cards can be used to track tasks until a computerized system such as OmniFocus or FusionDesk is chosen.
Investing in others success has a funny way of improving your own life. Think about how great it would be if everyone in your office was using the GTD system. Well this is how it starts. For about $32 you can get someone started down the road of Getting Things Done.
M Nassal
