Monday, February 15, 2010

Why I Need the GTD Collection Phase

It happed seconds before writing this blog post. I thought of something that I should do. I turned to my Acer netbook, which already had a Chrome tab open to Gmail with Google tasks. I scanned my task list to see if that task was already listed, and forgot what I wanted to make sure I got done.

Personal productivity and effectiveness has been quite a journey to me. I've been writing about it as long as I've been blogging. Check out my Productivity category for my thoughts and experiences over the years.

I started with the Franklin Planner in 1996 when I was involved in A-Multi Level Marketing group that started with an A. Franklin merged with Covey. In 2005, I found a copy of David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, in my in-laws' house. I borrowed and read it.

I haven't been successful in getting a productivity system completely off the ground, but I am getting better. What happened to me just now was a failure in my collection. I did solve it though. I followed my last few activities back until I hit the blog post that triggered the thought, and I was able to recover the idea and record it so it gets done later.

I'd say that the two biggest problems with my productivity system are

1) Failure to collect

2) Failure to do a weekly review

I think if I could just follow through on those two things, I'd be a lot more effective. I'd also find more holes in my system.

What about you? How well do you collect ideas for things that you should do?

Here are four of the best books I've ever read (and personally own) on time management and productivity.

   

























Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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