Organize IT

2009 is almost over so that means it’s time for a yearly review! I like to do these sorts of posts because it’s a great opportunity to re-introduce old, forgotten about content in one handy collection. For those who are in a hurry, it’s a quick way to catch up on a blog. Below are the most popular posts from each quarter so if you’ve missed any, this will be a great opportunity to read the highlights.

The holiday season is now in full flow (much like the snow) so I thought I would do something a little different and a bit of fun this week. Who is up for a GTD Christmas quiz? Below I’ve come up with a few questions which revolve around Getting Things Done, that will hopefully give you all a little bit of a challenge. Leave your answers in the comments and the best ones will get a free copy of my Productivity Tips ebook!

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Christmas is meant to be fun, enjoyable and even meaningful, but people seem to be increasingly becoming jaded by it. Whether it be the hassle and expense of buying everyone presents and cards, the stresses of arranging and preparing all the food and decorations or the yearly disappointment of the TV schedule, Christmas has lost some of it’s sparkle, don’t you think?

Cranking widgets:

• To stimulate, activate, or produce.
• Something considered typical or representative.

One of the big things that David Allen covered in GTD was the distinction between simple, mindless tasks that required little thought or focus, and those complicated projects where copious amounts of planning and thought are required, and which can send you into a spiral of stress and confusion. Allen described the former as widget cranking – the equivalent of going to work in a factory and doing whatever simple task was required of you as items came down the conveyor belt.

I don’t really like priorities. I think prioritizing causes more trouble than it’s worth. It’s one more layer of complexity between you and simply doing it. Don’t get me wrong, prioritizing does have its uses and we all (need to) do it on a very basic level every day. The customer that comes through the door has to take priority over the paperwork you’re filling in. But when it comes to the whole prioritizing tips and tricks that self-help and business books go on about (even I came up with my own), all it’s doing is covering up the fundamental problems – you’ve got too much to do and/or you’ve not got enough time to do it all.