I can only describe the process by which David Allen’s life-changing book “Getting things Done” came into my possession as synchronous, fortuitous and timely! This book does exactly what it says on the cover but via a system of workflow management that is far more complex than the modest title suggests. In my opinion it’s nothing short of gold-dust for anyone wishing to take their workflow in hand. By just putting into practice some of the ideas in the book I noticed a measurable improvement in my productivity but, perhaps more importantly, a real improvement in terms of how the whole previously dreaded subject of admin made me feel.

As a commercial photographer I tread a fine line between managing my workflow and the need to make time for creative work and development : the everyday details can all too easily crush the creativity and, at the same time, being permanently in creative mode means the bills don’t get paid! I would normally wind up resenting one or both avenues depending on whether I was cursing the lack of time available for creating or beating myself up because the day I had spent printing up my portfolio meant I had missed making that all important call to a prospective client!

The Getting Things Done method, or GTD as those in the know refer to it, is an attempt to enable all avenues of one’s life to be addressed equally: work, creativity, spouse, children, home and holidays, even longer-term life goals.

Getting things done isn’t just a guide to time or stress management – although I have already discovered that by putting its principles into action I can maximise my time and reduce the pernicious impact of stress. At its core is the need to change the perspective from which one views one’s work: rather than summoning up the courage to confront the tidal wave of tasks that greet us on a daily basis, the GTD approach seems to encourage users to develop a more “eagle eye” perspective : GTD enables you to get a hold on your workflow so that you can decide what tasks you wish to engage with. I found the shift from a reactive way of working, i.e. task comes in, go into emergency mode and try to sort out a solution as soon as possible (an approach which is doomed to failure), to a more considered structured approach to my workflow really empowering.

One of the premises of David Allen’s message is that in the process of getting a handle on a task or project you need to identify the very next action that will propel that project forward. Simply identifying the very next tangible step that one needs to take in order to progress a project a little closer to closure was a revelation. Similar perhaps to the idea of chunking down when setting goals, the identification of that one next key action entrains precision, clear thinking and most of all results! I have already noticed projects which have been outstanding for weeks coming to completion simply by working through them systematically via the David Allen method. It’s a great feeling.

I don’t believe, though, that the best way to learn something is to simply read a book: Todd Brown and Ed Lamont, both of Next Action (geddit?) Associates, offer training and coaching in the David Allen method. The Getting Things Done one day seminar they presented showed the system in practice: real life projects and tasks being apportioned and integrated into a workflow that was systematic, logical, precise and yet fluid. This is a method which almost needs to be coached rather than taught. The concept can be grasped relatively quickly by the very clear workflow maps in David Allen’s book: but it wasn’t until I attended the seminar that I began to see how this model could become an habitual part of my workflow. For it is really a challenge to live and operate in way that may be wholly different to what one is used to. There’s no doubt that it takes a brave step: Allen recommends taking out two full days to perform the necessary purge of one’s “stuff” before the GTD system can be installed. In my opinion it was a bank holiday well spent!

Presenter Ed Lamont likens the process of GTD to surfing the metaphor of the martial artist constantly responding and adapting to what life “throws” at him or her in a masterful way. I don’t know about my ability to break wooden planks yet but I am certainly knocking tasks off my lists with satisfying regularity! Ed also described the sensation of taking control of one’s workflow as “surfing the wave” rather than being tossed and turned on the great swell of tasks that seems to rise up in front of us daily. The “mind sweep” exercise he encouraged us to undertake is a fascinating process whereby we literally emptied our minds of every pre-occupying thought and concern. As the list amplified I experienced a sense of openness and clarity for the first time in ages. By taking each item that was produced from this “cull” and configuring it into an organised workflow system I actually started to feel good about many of these tasks and projects and, in a curious way, almost capable of taking on more, as though my mind, now free from the same old replaying thoughts, was ready to get working on something new. While GTD does not necessarily purport to be about stress management the result of its implementation is precisely that: early morning insomnia has given way to a focussed forty five minute hit at the start of the day when I work on my game plan for the work tasks ahead of me.

Ultimately GTD hands back control to you the driver: it cannot install the desire to follow through and do the work required but it can make you feel like a master in your own domain again. From a psychological point of view, among the many benefits of GTD seminar, that one thing could be its most useful effect. There are few things better for the spirit than the sight of a processed in-tray!

Todd Brown and Ed Lamont of Next Action Associates offer seminars and coaching in the David Allen method and can be reached at:

www.next-action.eu