November Reads

Getting Things Done

I first heard of this book when I was in design school. I remember a classmate telling me that there was a whole following of “Getting Things Done” and I remember thinking that seemed like an unusual thing to be interested in, then forgetting about it for the next eight years or so. Then, I heard the By The Book episode where they followed the GTD method outlined in this book, which was an interesting listen. Then, I started a new role at my school, where there’s a lot more variety in the tasks I have to complete, and it was suddenly a lot more to manage. My supervisor recommended Getting Things Done and I read it, then worked to implement it. I am good at consistently getting everything that I need to do recorded on my Trello board and out of my head, and good at completing the tasks that are on the Trello board. However, I’ve struggled with the step of reviewing – updating my lists and reviewing progress every week. I think it’s something I need to set aside time for in my calendar and be more deliberate about following through with – without it, the system just becomes a huge list of things I need to do, but lacks purpose and direction.