Getting Things Done! The Stress Free Way!
Getting Things Done! The Stress Free Way!
You cannot live your priorities if you don't know what they are. I'd like to share a way you can work through the process. A while ago I introduced David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology along with a video of David talking to Google. http://www.productiveandorganized.net/2008/01/getting-things.html
David talks about different “horizons” of focus. The horizons are the different ways we can look at what we do and how we determine what those things are.
To see a graphic of what I'm about to talk about, you can view the image here: http://scalahan.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/15/gtd_horizons_3.jpg
At the highest level, you ultimately have very few items. Why you are what you are and who you are.
The next level you have your vision for what you want your life to be and what you don't want it to be. Your vision is the "light at the end of the tunnel." It is the picture of where you ultimately want to be. It does not talk so much about how or when, but what is or will be.
Your long-term goals define how and when you will be reaching points toward your vision. At any given point, you normally have 5-10 long-term goals. Long-term is defined differently by different people. Some people, think far into the future, while others think about the upcoming year as long-term.
You have about 15 areas of focus and responsibility. These areas could be spiritual, relationship, physical health, mental health related, etc. These are things that you will frequently work to incorporate into your daily life as habits and patterns. For example, exercising 3 times a week, or having time for personal reflection or prayer daily.
A project is defined as "A project is a finite endeavor--having specific start and completion dates--undertaken to create a unique product or service which brings about beneficial change or added value." At any given point, we normally have 30-100 projects. Some of those projects align directly to the levels described above, while others are given to us.
Your next actions or to-dos are the detailed level actions that need to happen to complete a project. We typically have 150-225 tasks at any given point because there are many tasks that correlate to a project and so on.
With all of these things to do how in the world do we not end up feeling overwhelmed?
Systems!
The more your brain believes that you have systems to control all of the things that you have to get completed at given points in time the less you will rely on your memory. If you are not relying on your memory, then that same brain power can be focused where ever you want! You are more at ease because you are not continuously thinking about what you want to get done.
Getting Things Done The Stress Free Way - To learn more about this author, visit Stephanie Calahan's Website.
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Is it possible to really live a life that is stress free and focused on what matters? It is! But you have to be willing to make some choices along the way. How do you even know if you are focusing where you should? How do you know that you are defining things the "right" way.
You cannot live your priorities if you don't know what they are. I'd like to share a way you can work through the process. A while ago I introduced David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology along with a video of David talking to Google. http://www.productiveandorganized.net/2008/01/getting-things.html
David talks about different “horizons” of focus. The horizons are the different ways we can look at what we do and how we determine what those things are.
To see a graphic of what I'm about to talk about, you can view the image here: http://scalahan.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/15/gtd_horizons_3.jpg
At the highest level, you ultimately have very few items. Why you are what you are and who you are.
The next level you have your vision for what you want your life to be and what you don't want it to be. Your vision is the "light at the end of the tunnel." It is the picture of where you ultimately want to be. It does not talk so much about how or when, but what is or will be.
Your long-term goals define how and when you will be reaching points toward your vision. At any given point, you normally have 5-10 long-term goals. Long-term is defined differently by different people. Some people, think far into the future, while others think about the upcoming year as long-term.
You have about 15 areas of focus and responsibility. These areas could be spiritual, relationship, physical health, mental health related, etc. These are things that you will frequently work to incorporate into your daily life as habits and patterns. For example, exercising 3 times a week, or having time for personal reflection or prayer daily.
A project is defined as "A project is a finite endeavor--having specific start and completion dates--undertaken to create a unique product or service which brings about beneficial change or added value." At any given point, we normally have 30-100 projects. Some of those projects align directly to the levels described above, while others are given to us.
Your next actions or to-dos are the detailed level actions that need to happen to complete a project. We typically have 150-225 tasks at any given point because there are many tasks that correlate to a project and so on.
With all of these things to do how in the world do we not end up feeling overwhelmed?
Systems!
The more your brain believes that you have systems to control all of the things that you have to get completed at given points in time the less you will rely on your memory. If you are not relying on your memory, then that same brain power can be focused where ever you want! You are more at ease because you are not continuously thinking about what you want to get done.
Getting Things Done The Stress Free Way - To learn more about this author, visit Stephanie Calahan's Website.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Productive and Organized - Stephanie is a nationally known speaker, productivity consultant and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. She has worked with hundreds of clients, and understands that every person is unique and requires systems that work for them.
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