Getting Things Done for Technical CommunicatorsKaren Mardahl17 September 2014#TCUK14#TCUK14GTD

This is a personal “case study” for

inspiration –

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

© - permission from Instagram.com/pedrsn#GTDtechcommFAIL?

High-level philosophy

or…

Hands-on practical stuff?

Takeaways

• ?

• ?

• ?

Let’s be clear:A project(set of actions)

vs.an action

Let’s be clear:A project(set of actions)

vs.an action

The GTD ”workflow” steps

1.Capture/collect/gather

2.Clarify/process

3.Organize

4.Review

5.Do

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

Colour-coding, rules, categories in Outlook

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

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

Close your loops

Hashtags in Outlook subject lines

Sending Outlook messages to OneNote

Turning a message into a checklist

Connecting the dots in meetings with Outlook and OneNote

Connecting the dots in meetings with Outlook and OneNote

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)

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

7 things to keep track of

1. Projects2. Project Support Materials3. Calendar actions and info4. Next Action lists5. "Waiting For" list6. Someday list7. Reference Material

To do

Reviews

Mindlikewater

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

.jpg

Tickler file

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

Tickler files, or 43 folders, in OneNote

Tickler files, or 43 folders, in OneNote

Tickler files, or 43 folders, in OneNote

Warning: This talk does not do your

work for you!

It can help you masteryour timemore 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

• Next actions

• Reviews

So questions, much contact

• Karen MardahlTechnical WriterSimCorp.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.

Additional resources to read and inspire are available athttp://www.mardahl.dk/2014/06/25/continuing-to-get-things-done-ua-europe-conference-follow-up/