Most endeavors have some sort of goals associated with them. This must be true for those of us who are striving to be more productive and maintain a better work/life balance. I know I’ve been taking steps, such as starting this site, to help move myself toward some goals I’ve set. I mean, I’m not trying to “get things done” just for the hell of it! ;)
So, I’m curious, and willing to share. Why are you trying to be more productive? What does less stress and more “getting things done” mean to you? Are you wanting more time for you to more of your 43 things? Do you want a better job? Maybe planning on a trip to Africa?
Let me know why you’re getting things done. I find this kind of sharing motivational and hope you do too. For me I’ve got a few specific goals in mind and a whole lot of vague ones.
h3. Why I’m Getting Things Done
* To write more clearly
* To start and finish a book
* To communicate more accurately
* To improve my health (less stress and all that)
* To be outside more often
* To earn more money
* To control more of my time
* To meet people
* To help people
* To take better photos
* To listen to more music
* To travel
* To teach
* To learn
* To grow
* To play more video games
* To read more often
* To sleep in
* To keep from forgetting things
* To be a better person
There has to be reasons for getting things done, what are yours?
Getting things done and being productive just makes me feel good. It puts me in a better mood and gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Having things left undone can make me feel guilty, or like there’s something hanging over my head.
Chiefly, I’m Getting Things Done (currently reading David Allen’s book for the third time in six months) to eliminate the guilt, worry, and stress that comes from having a big stack of stuff Not Done.
If I can get things done and keep them done, I can control my time and my life better, which will give me the opportunity to do some of the things on your list, as well as spending time with my new (11 weeks old yesterday) baby boy. I want to be someone he can rely on, in all ways.
Getting Things Done is great for ADD geeks like me. Like David Allen says: you can do anything you want, but not everything! I have so many little projects I would love to work on, but I have little time. Gettings Things Done has helped me enumerate all my projects and prioritize them to support my long-term personal goals and interests.
Why I started: To reduce stress. I was constantly floundering around in a mess of random ideas and half-finished projects.
Why I’m doing it now: to stop forgetting things; to earn more money; to make commitments consciously rather than randomly; to move towards my goals instead of just dreaming about them; to enjoy my free time without worrying about what will happen later.
At work, I want to finish some big projects so that I have time to focus on long-term issues. I’m constantly interrupted by little things, which drag out the timeline for the big things. GTD helped me better define my process, although I’m still working on it.
At home, my time is limited (two year old daughter) and I have several screenplays I’m working on. I spent a week in LA at a screenwriting workshop and found their process similar in ways to the GTD process. To finish a writing project, as you’re well aware, takes a fairly strict process.
My primary goals are to make more money for time spent working and to have more time at night to get away from the computer, get back into yoga, and learn something new.
Great question Keith! Why do we do what we do? I have found that I like to add an additional layer to my GTD routine, called “What is the next accomplishment?” I find if I ask this question daily and sort my next actions into “accomplishments” (meaning something I can accomplish today) I become more productive. I tend to have a lot of projects going at the same time. I have found that I can do a lot of next actions in a day but not really accomplish anything. This additional milestone layer has been real helpful in viewing the “big picture” and getting those “projects” done faster.
Hi.
So much wisdom in your post.
Why I’m Getting Things Done? is a very important question everyone must ask himself.
But sometimes dealing with your goals and taks can increase your stress level. I have a post in my website about Dealing With Stress In The Workplace.
Frank