Getting Things Unstuck

Getting Things Unstuck

If there’s something on your list that you’re struggling with, it’s just not moving forward, or you’re feeling stuck – today Todd provides one of the core principles of GTD® as a quick tip to get you moving again.
How To Make Your Lists REALLY Work For You

How To Make Your Lists REALLY Work For You

In this video, GTD® veteran Robert Peake outlines how you can make your ‘to-do’ lists much more functional, why your brain needs help when it comes to getting stuff done, and how you can reduce friction when you need to work on something on your...
Why Do You Want to be Productive? No, Really…

Why Do You Want to be Productive? No, Really…

What motivates you to get things done – is ‘productivity’ connected to a greater sense of purpose or a deeper ‘why’? Here’s how you might want to approach the concept of productivity differently, to make progress towards those...
How I Lost 31kg With GTD

How I Lost 31kg With GTD

I’d like to tell you it was virtue, but it wasn’t. At a certain point, I just couldn’t take it anymore. The desire for change came slowly, then suddenly. I can pinpoint the moment. It was when I saw a picture of myself with a seriously overweight dog on my lap. Lucy...
A Blizzard of Odd

A Blizzard of Odd

The lines in the centre of the road had become the key to survival. Somehow, within a matter of minutes, my life had been reduced to a series of yellow lines on the highway. Why? A blizzard that became a whiteout. If you’ve ever driven in one, you’ll know it’s...
KISS

KISS

Every time I am given a seat above the wings on an airplane I am amazed by the instructions written on them: « Don’t walk outside this area ». The written instructions get even shorter on the jet engine itself: « no step » and « no grab » can be seen there. Having...
“What?” Maybe Better to Ask “Why?”

“What?” Maybe Better to Ask “Why?”

Last week, I hosted a regular conference call with our certified trainers and coaches here in the UK. One of the many hats I wear at Next Action Associates is that of Master Trainer, which basically means that I look after developing and certifying our trainers, and...
The Hole in the Ground

The Hole in the Ground

In traditional English seaside towns, some things never change – the fish’n’chip shops, the amusement arcades, the ice cream parlours and the seafood stands, to name but a few. I know this because I grew up in one on the north Norfolk coast in the 1970s and in...
Am I Going in the Right Direction with GTD?

Am I Going in the Right Direction with GTD?

You won’t get the great benefit of seeing your world from a higher perspective in your Weekly Review® without first having a complete Projects list. And… You won’t fully understand why you should keep a complete Projects list until you’re getting the benefit of seeing...
Enforced Idleness

Enforced Idleness

Susan Hunter, currently in limbo, works to create order in service and manufacturing organisations, from privately owned SMEs to large international groups, in the UK, Continental Europe and North Africa. Susan is a graduate of London University and has a diploma in...
‘No’ is Guaranteed

‘No’ is Guaranteed

“Not my circus, not my monkeys.” Ever heard that one? It is one of my favourite linguistic imports. If you are not familiar with it, it is the very visual Polish take on staying clear of problems that are not yours to solve, and for me it captures what might be a...
Clarifying Your Commitments

Clarifying Your Commitments

In this week’s video blog, Todd Brown discusses the ‘clarifying’ questions in the Getting Things Done® (GTD®) methodology, to help you optimise your commitments in the most productive, stress-free way.
Guest blog: my life with Getting Things Done® 

Guest blog: my life with Getting Things Done® 

Dr. Peer Wiethoff is the Foreign Trade Manager at NOKIA and has been a user of Getting Things Done® (GTD®) for over nine years. His journey with GTD revealed interesting benefits for him, even as a person who is already organised. Peer is now a certified GTD Trainer...
Of pale ales and rabbit trails

Of pale ales and rabbit trails

Tim Sismey first encountered GTD in 2006, and within a week of implementing his system he was sleeping better, making more informed decisions and delegating more effectively, whilst simultaneously more able to focus on his family, friends and his passions of music and...
How refined are your open loops?

How refined are your open loops?

It came to me, as many of my moments of inspiration do, when I was doing something completely unrelated. I was enjoying a beautiful walk in the hills with my wife last weekend, and it occurred to me: “we all have lots of things we need to do, our ‘open...
Riffin’ on GTD

Riffin’ on GTD

Earlier in the month I took a week off, as I do every year, to join a group of about 80 musicians who gather to play jazz music in the hills of Surrey here in England. It’s an intense week, about 14 hours a day for seven days, filled with rehearsals, workshops,...
Guest interview: GTD and the power of podcast presenting

Guest interview: GTD and the power of podcast presenting

This week we catch up with Andrew J. Mason: husband, father and host of the Getting Things Done podcast. He’s also presenter of The ProGuide Podcast and a narrator on Audible.com, and enjoys running, editing video, and helping others craft their communications....
Eating the Menu

Eating the Menu

It’s a nice place. You have been here before, and recall how much you like the food. Yet as you scan down the first page of the menu, your breath quickens and your pulse shoots up. Turning to the second page, your eyes widen; you are practically hyperventilating...
Scale Up and Delegate Out, with GTD

Scale Up and Delegate Out, with GTD

Scalability is the holy grail of good business practice–both for big companies looking to get bigger, and one-person bands just starting out. The Getting Things Done (GTD®) method is an extremely powerful approach to “scale” an individual’s...
Scale Up and Delegate Out, with GTD

What Cowboys Know about Productivity

Growing up in the American Southwest, I have long been acquainted with a familiar parable about the young greenhorn (inexperienced rancher) attempting to brand cattle. What I never realised is how relevant the tale is to twenty-first-century knowledge work. The story...
Scale Up and Delegate Out, with GTD

Invincible Summer

What a lovely warm summer we have had here in the UK. Too bad it seems to be over in August. As crisper weather returns, I recognise winter on the horizon. The cold, bleary days make me want to hibernate, and the lack of sun can start to get me down. Yet thanks to my...

Frequently Asked Questions…

This week, a dive into some of the detail with a round-up of answers to frequently asked questions we are seeing on the web: Question: Can you have more than one next action going at any one time for a project, or do you suggest focusing solely on doing one thing...