Getting Things Done

In an effort to avoid copyright/trademark infringement liability, let me first disclose that "Getting Things Done" is actually the title of a book I read in college, forgot mostly, and am now reading again. The subtitle? "The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" Cue judgmental head shaking.

Let me also disclose that I am not writing a book review. For one, it will likely take me a month or two to actually get through this book (ironically, once I finish the book, I should know how to get through it in a week, stress-free). Second, it's been around for nearly 10 years, has likely been reviewed hundreds of times already, and is likely full of advice on not repeating already completed tasks. See, I've only read the first dozen pages and I'm already learning.

I'm reading the book largely because I find myself being far too reactive at work. Mostly, I think it's because I haven't yet crossed the line where constant emails go from confirming my "importance" to confirming only that the light of the end of the tunnel is indeed an oncoming train. Net, nearly every email screams "Read Now, Act Now!" and I end up stopping for a cup of coffee with four open reply drafts on my laptop (so far, I've managed to navigate the deadly shoals of "Reply All"). Since I've already had a few days where the messages were not crying wolf, I figured I should learn some system for telling them apart and leaving the bored sheep herds to the side.

Although I won't review the book, I will plan to pass along my favorite "Learnings" (a word I've added to my vocabulary since June) and let you know how they work when applied in the office.

That's for much later, however. This weekend, it's all about catching up on Leverage, Burn Notice, and season 4 of the West Wing.