based on book getting things done by David Allen

1. The art of Stress Free Productivity

2. A New Practice for a New Reality1

3. The Problem: New Demands, Insufficient Resources
No clear
boundaries
in work
Jobs keep
Changing
Old
models,
habits are
insufficient
Trying to
focus on
big picture
High
Stress

4. The “Ready State” of the Martial Artist
“It is a condition of working, doing and being in which the mind is
clear and constructive things are happening”
Anything that causes one to over-react or under-react controls us

5. Dealing effectively with internal commitments
Capture anything
occupying mind-
space into external
system
Decode stuff
Put reminders of
the outcome and
actions required
Define outcomes

6. The Process: Managing Actions
Managing
stuff
Managing
Actions: Clarity
on next steps
Bottom-up
approach:
Clearing
mundane things
clears way for
imp ideas
Horizontal and
Vertical control
Getting it all out
of your head:
Capture thought
and actions in
objective tools

7. 2

8. Management of Horizontal Aspects
Capture Clarify Organize Reflect Engage
All five stages are integrated yet should not be done together

9. A. Capture
Nothing possibly useful
will get lost gives one the
freedom to think

10. Gathering 100%
of the Incompletes
A. Capture

11. A. Capture
Capturing tools
• The Physical In-tray
• Writing Paper and Pads
• Digital and Voice Note taking
• E-mail and texting

12. A. Capture
The Success Factors for capturing
• Get It All Out ofYour Head
• Minimize the number of capture locations
• Empty the Capture tools regularly

13. “Stuff” In-basket
Do it
What is
it?
What is the next
action?
Delegate it
Is it
actionable?
Defer it
Willittakelessthan2min
Yes
No
Reference
(retrievable
when required)
Someday/Maybe
(Tickler file; hold for
review)
Trash
Projects
(planning)
Project Plans
(review for
actions)
Yes
No
Waiting
(For someone
else to do)
Calendar
(To do at a
specific time)
Next Action
(To do as
soon as I can)Clarify
Organise
B. Clarify

14. 8. Reference7. Incubation6. Trash1. Projects
2. Project
Plans
3. Waiting 4. Calendar
5. Next
Action List
The Next-Action
categories Non-actionable items
 Time-specific actions
 Day-specifications
 Day-specific
information
 Someday/Maybe
 Tickler system
C. Organise

15. Having an overview of all the outstanding projects and loops
What to review when
 Calendar
 Next Action List
 Waiting list
D. Reflect

16. The Four-Criteria Model
for choosing actions in
the moment
 Context
 Time Available
 Energy Available
 Priority
The Threefold Model for
Identifying DailyWork
 Doing predefined work
 Doing work as it shows
up
 Defining your work
The Six-Level Model for
ReviewingYourWork
 Ground : Current Actions
 Horizon 1: Current Projects
 Horizon 2 : Areas of focus and
accountabilities
 Horizon 3: Goals
 Horizon 4 :Vision
 Horizon 5 : Purpose and
principles
Three Models for Making Action
Choices
E. Engage

17. Trying to do “the most important things”
Reason for Failure

18. Getting Projects Creatively Under Way3

19. Vertical Planning
“What is the need of vertical
planning?”
• Greater rigour and focus to
get a project under control
• Ensure the right steps have
been determined
• Validate and support our
thinking

20. Natural Planning Model
This is how we plan things naturally in a day.
But it may not be the normal planning model!

21. 5 phases of Natural Planning

22. Purpose and Principles
Principles are the standards
and values that define the
criteria for excellence in
behavior and parameters
for action
Purpose asks the ‘Why?’
question. It provides the
juice and direction!

23. Vision and Outcome
Having clarity and focus
helps brain’s reticular
activating system (RAS) to
start making you aware of
how it can happen
Vision asks the ‘What?’
question

24. Brainstorming
External brainstorming helps see everything without
having to remember it all!

25. Organizing
Helps figure out the things
that are must occur to
create the final result and
their order
Should create project plan!

26. Next Actions
Involves decisions about
the allocation and
reallocation of physical
resources
Activate the Moving parts!

27. 4: Setting Aside Time

29. Getting set up can take a couple of days but can be done in smaller chunks

32. !
If you travel a lot, make a portable version with the basic files and supplies

36. Collection:
Corralling Your Stuff
5

37. Capturing
The Ready, Set…. Go model
• There are two ways of capturing
• Physical organizing
• Mental gathering
• Capturing helps segregate the
important from the unimportant

38. Physical gathering - Process
Move stuff to the
“In – Tray”
• Move previously organized stuff to
“still processing” list
• Prioritize and ensure that your
organizing is going to put it first in
the to-do list
• Identify unchanging activities and
ensure no action plan is associated
with them
Routine

39. Physical gathering - Issues
• More than what will fit in the tray
• Purging and organizing – derailment
• Previously organized stuff
• Running into critical things
• Make lists, notes, reminders etc.
• Putting dates on everything is a worthy habit
• Clarify and clear your lists quickly,
• Create smaller projects to purge and clean

40. Mental gathering - Process
• Make an extensive list of incompletion triggers
for tray items
• This is handy and helps in prioritizing focus on
one item at a time and avoids clutter
On completion of physical gathering, move on to
work on your mental RAM space
It is better to overdo the process than to risk missing out things, make enough stacks

41. Clarifying:
Getting “In” to empty
6

42. • Process one item at a
time
• Never put anything
back into 'in'
The Next Action
Pending tasks are then moved up for further organizing and planning
Identify the next action to be done
•The action must be the absolute next
physical thing to do
•No next action? Trash or file it in your
'reference system'

43. Do It
• If it takes less than 2 minutes
• Does not need tracking
• Spend task time considerately
The Next Action
Delegate It
• “Best person to do it” question
• Find a delegate and handoff tasks
• Keep dates and reminders
• Track the delegation
Defer it
• Takes longer than 2 minutes
• Move them to pending list
• Add reminders to notify oneself

44. After the project identification the stance of the “In” Tray is on actionable terms
Project Identification
• Make broad project definitions
• Adds a reviewing aspect to completion
• Add tabs and placeholders on tasks
• Avoid complacency of completion

46. HOW
?

47. Keep a track of
‘Seven’
Primary Things

56. Calls Computer Errands
Office
Actions
At home Agendas
Read/
Review

58. Reflecting:
Keeping It All Fresh & Functional8

59. 1 : Calendar
2 : Next Action List
3 :Waiting list
Daily review

60. Weekly review
Get Clear Get Current Get Creative
 Collect Loose
Papers and
Materials
 Get “In” to
Empty
 Empty your head
Review the following
 “Next Action “ List
 Previous Calendar data
 Upcoming calendar
 “Waiting For” List
 “Projects” list
 Any relevant Checklist
 Review the “Someday/
Maybe” list
 Be creative and
Courageous

61. Engaging:
Making the Best Action Choices9

62.  Four Criteria Model
 Three fold model for evaluating daily work
 Six-level model for reviewing your own work
Narrow down actions to take by

63. All
Actions
Prioritized
list
Context
Time
available
Energy
Availabl
e
Priority
Four Criteria Model

64. Context
We have been
here for 30 min
already.. Such a
waste of time!
I had my list of calls
to be made ready in
advance. I should be
done by the time the
traffic clears
Of your next action
folders, ask
yourself, what can I
work on right now,
given where I am?
Ignore all other
actions!

65. Time Available
I think I have a
maximum of 15 minutes
before the next meeting.
Let me reply to those
mails….
Ask yourself, “How much
time do I have before my
next activity?”
For a 10-min slot, a list of only
the “big” things won’t help.
Choose a relevant short
activity!

66. Energy available
• End of
tiring day
• Fresh early
morning
• Talk to
prospective
client
• Process expense
receipts
• End of
tiring day
• Fresh early
morning
• Talk to
prospective
client
• Process expense
receipts
Take on the big, important things when you’re energetic.
Use the tired times for mundane work like refilling the
stapler!

67. Priority
Ask yourself, “Out of all my options that match my context,
time, and energy, what is the most important thing for me to
do?"
An interplay between goals, responsibilities, responsibilities
and relationships help decide priorities

68. Threefold model for evaluating daily work
Doing pre-
defined work
Doing work
as it shows up
Defining
our work
Maintain a balance between:
Avoid tendency to get lost in the second option

69. 10,000-feet
Runway
20,000-feet
30,000-feet
40,000-feet
50,000-feet
• Runway: Collect, process, organize, review, do
• 10,000 feet: Project-level (review, clarify,
organize)
• 20,000 feet: Current focus areas. List, update,
review, use as triggers every 1-3 months;
• 30,000 feet: 1 year goals;
• 40,000 feet: 1-5 year goals; and
• 50,000 feet: Overview of your life.
Six-Level model to review own work

70. How much Planning to do?
80% projects can go
through this in the head
15% require external
brainstorming and 5%
need deliberate
application of steps
To need more clarity,
shift up towards purpose
To need more actions to
happen, shift down
towards Next Actions

71. Getting Projects Under Control10

72. More thinking or planning
2 types of thinking
Ones that need
attention even when
next actions are known
Uses more
brainstorming,
organizing or
gathering information
Ones where useful
information/ideas keep
showing up
Add more collection
methods for the ideas

73. Tools to support thinking

74. Tools to support thinking
Get good quality stuff you actually want to use!
Spend an hour or two with
your tools thinking, top to
bottom, about any major
projects that warrant it.
Good filling system is
important

75. Project Planning Software
Project Planning Softwares
are mostly overkill
More useful includes
anything that can do
outlining, capture brainstorm
results, and write/attach
notes to other things

76. The Power of the Collection Habit11

77. The Power of Collection Habit
When people with whom you interact notice that without
fail you receive, process, and organize the agreements they
have with you, they begin to trust you

78. Avoid negative feelings
Negative feelings come from
our broken agreements with
ourselves
To avoid –
• Don’t make the agreement in
the first place
• Complete the agreement
• Renegotiate the agreement
consciously

79. Notes sitting idle
A note sitting idle in
someone’s in-basket
unprocessed, or nodding ‘yes,
I will’ in a conversation but not
writing anything down is
unacceptable behavior

80. 100% Collection standard is a tight ship

81. The Power of the Next-Action Decision12

82. Defining the Next Action
Define the
Next Action
Asking
"So what’s the next action here?”
increases Clarity
When working in a group this adds
Accountability

83. Most importantly it leaves the possibility for Change
Defining the Next Action

84. The Power of Outcome Focusing13

85. Productivity
Take action
Choosing and taking
next actions are
the essence of productivity
Small actions in natural planning
may lead to
significant improvements

86. Recap
Capture Clarify Organize Reflect Engage
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