Getting Things Done for Technical Communicators!Karen Mardahl!6 June 2014!#uaeurope!#uaeuropeGTD!

This is a personal “case study” for inspiration –

Your Mileage WILL Vary!!

Background for this talk!Or, how I almost lost it!

Pizarros CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Administrative_burden.JPG!

Takeaways!

• Closing loops!• Reviews!• Next actions!

A project!(set of actions)!

vs.!an action!

Five workflow steps!1. Capture/collect!

2. Clarify/process!

3. Organize!

4. Review!

5. Do!

Shared with kind permission from Customer Service at The David Allen Company !

Next actions!

Make action lists, not context lists!

Calendars!•  Only for very specific actions!!

•  Day specific (report due Tuesday)!

•  Time specific (meeting at 10.00)!

•  Not for what you would like to do! (take over the universe)!

Reviews!

Computer © 2007 Nuno Pinheiro & David Vignoni & David Miller & Johann Ollivier Lapeyre & Kenneth Wimer & Riccardo Iaconelli / KDE / LGPL 3!http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxygen480-devices-computer-laptop.svg!Nuremburg Funnel stamp Public domain http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_Funnel_-_ad_stamp_1910.jpg!

Close your loops!

Computer © 2007 Nuno Pinheiro & David Vignoni & David Miller & Johann Ollivier Lapeyre & Kenneth Wimer & Riccardo Iaconelli / KDE / LGPL 3!http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxygen480-devices-computer-laptop.svg!Nuremburg Funnel stamp Public domain http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_Funnel_-_ad_stamp_1910.jpg!

Mind!like!water!

xlibber CC BY 2.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ripples_(3144091676).jpg!

7 things to keep track of!1. Projects"2. Project Support Materials"3. Calendar actions and info"4. Next Action lists"5. "Waiting For" list"6. Someday list"7. Reference Material"

Tickler file!

John Blyberg CC BY 2.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Eastman_House_Part_of_G._Eastmans_card_catalog_.jpg!

Warning: This talk does not do your work for you!!

It can help you master!your time!more efficiently!

FOCUS!!Campephilus CC BY-SA 3.0 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sciurus-vulgaris_hernandeangelis_stockholm_2008-06-04.jpg!

Takeaways!

• Closing loops!• Reviews!• Next actions!

So questions, much contact!

•  Karen Mardahl!Technical Writer!SimCorp.com!

•  @kmdk!

•  about.me/kmdk!

•  mardahl.dk!

References!•  Allen, David (2003). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free

Productivity. Penguin Books. !

•  Negrette, David (2013). Getting Things Done the David Allen Way with Microsoft OneNote, Second Edition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.!

•  Wolff, Dominic (2013). Master Getting Things Done the David Allen Way with Evernote: Your 7-Day GTD Immediate Action Plan [August 2013] Edition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.!