FW: NU3 ­ Finally Get Things Done With less Stress by M080037

NU3 – Finally Get Things Done With less Stress

M080037

It has been a perennial problem of mine keeping things tidy: Papers, Books, Inboxes, notes. For years, I have been so disorganized that I tend to forget a lot of things. I fail at excelling primarily because of disorganization. I purchased a lot of organizing tools, folders, notebooks, Todo software, etc. to no avail. I find myself in trouble even more.

I realize that the reason I am disorganizes is that I allow things to stack atom each other. I often leave emails in the inbox; too lazy to move them to another folder. Well, one reason I have resistance moving them to another folder is because I have created a lot already. I guess finding a system that makes you to take action immediately, or have an efficient system for storing emails that need action in the future.

Reading Getting Things Done helped me a lot. I began creating these folders:

·      Need Action Now - Obvious, Ill work on the stuff in here untill it's done. Disaggregating complex task and create sub tasks and project folders if needed.

·      Delegated - Check later for updates - These are stuff I asked someone else to do. These are the things I will keep asking my staff from.

·      Waiting for Reply - These are emails and tasks I need more info about.

·     Someday - these are emails, folders, brochures, files that I want to take on someday when I am not too busy.

The key is to keep inbox empty so I can take in more. Decide on an item as I encountered it the first time: do I need further details, then I should move it to Waiting. Can someone else do this for me, then I put it in Delegated and inform the person about it. Do I need to work on this now...er...later but soon? Then move it to Action. Is it a nice book? Wow, I'd love to read thatsomeday, let me put that leaflet on my Someday file.

Inside the Someday and Waiting folders, there can be sub-folders named after the project. Files like timelines and important data can be stored there.

This, I believe will allow me to efficiently take on new tasks, be less worried by things I might forget doing and go crazy. I find, through introspection, that I tend to forget words, names, events, and a lot else because my mind is filled with worries. It's hard, for me atleast, to work on a task or project with a mind that is preoccupied by worries that are, by itself, unclear too. Creativity comes out when the mind is calm and clear, like water on steady flow. We disrupt the flow, clarity fades. With the "Getting Things Done" methodology, as long as I make it a way of life, or atleast a default way of working, I can go on day by day able to take on more and more, getting more done, and at the same time, be able to enjoy my free time. 3