GTD Is An Attention Management System
I’ve always wondered how best to describe GTD to people. I’ve found that once you get through the hyping up and the fancy wording that David Allen increasingly uses when discussing his methodology, it’s a fairly straightforward system (though of course, understanding it and being able to use it on a regular basis are two entirely different things). However, that doesn’t really help me when somebody comes along and asks what the hell it’s all about.
Explanations abound
I’ve noticed lots of people point the puzzled productivity-aspirant to the GTD entry on Wikipedia. That certainly helps explain the methodology and all the various stages and elements that make up GTD, but it doesn’t exactly sum it up in one neat package. And don’t even bother with the official David Allen Company description. Groundbreaking? Sophisticated without being confining? Subtle effectiveness? Its ability to enliven, enlighten, and empower is its magic? Sounds more like a fine wine, a sport car or a dubious drug to me. But I can’t judge. He has the GTD brand to sell and a business to run.
Management this, management that
That just left me with time management, project management… you know, those buzz words. However, a time management tool can technically be a calendar and a project management tool can just be a to-do list. I’d like to think GTD is a bit more than just an advancement of the same-old thinking and the same-old tools, right? Those buzzwords have been around for so long and been used to describe such a wide range of things that their entire meaning has been watered down.
It’s Twitter time
Yesterday I had my weekly Twitter session. Yes folks, Tuesday is my Twitter day (control social media, don’t let it control you)! Anyways, I came across one little tweet that inspired this entire post. It roughly said that GTD isn’t a time management tool, it’s an attention management tool (apparently originally from Lifehack.org, if anybody has a link please share). Ding! Of course, what a great way to sum it up, I thought. Every element of GTD, from the vertical map to the someday/maybe list is designed to capture those things that have your attention and manage them in such a way that they don’t become distractions or drains on your time and energy.
But wait!
Next time somebody asks me what GTD is all about, I might say it’s an attention management system and go from there. Or maybe not. It occured to me as I wrote this post that anything that has your attention is ultimately just another throught in your head. So… how about GTD being a thought management system? Would really like to read your comments on that. How do you go about describing GTD?
5 Comments
I replied to you on Twitter, but you said Tuesday is your Twitter day, so to follow up from there, you can find the original line from the review of Making It All Work.
Hello, I’ve put a signature at the end of all my emails which states, “I use an integrated system for a stress free productivity. Everything is noted down, found and done. I’m GTD, what about you?”
But I agree with you, it’s difficult to quickly explain what GTD is, though once mastered it’s quite simple. The how is simpler than the what.
Interesting post, and interesting question. I really see GTD as a self management tool. Even when I try to pull out all those to-do lists, nothing gets done unless I manage myself and put myself accountable to all of them.
I’ve not got 100% into GTD yet. Will have to research it further after reading this!
Thanks for clarifying that David. I wonder if Allen has ever specifically called it an attention management system…
That’s a neat signature you have there, Nicolas. It’s also another good way of describing it. As you say, once mastered it’s quite simple. The relatively basic and structured format of GTD doesn’t really reveal quite how effective and subtly powerful it can be.
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