What’s Your Weakest Link?

The last two letters were based on David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. As promised, here are the basic parts of his system. 

Capture - Many to-do’s and ideas pop up throughout the day. It’s important to write them down to capture them. This could be as simple as a designated notebook or sheets of paper in a tray. 

Clarify - What does the thing on your mind mean to you? Decide if it is something to be dealt with now, deferred, delegated, incubated, trashed, or stored away as reference material. This also includes determining the next step necessary to bring the action closer to completion. For example, if you’re planning a wedding, it could be calling the caterer. 

Organize - Put the to-do’s where they belong. If they need to happen at a specific time, calendar them. Otherwise they can be put on a list of things to be done as soon as possible.

Reflect - Frequently review what you’ve stored away so you can decide where to focus. 

Engage - Choose the next step you will execute and do it.

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. David Allen points out that we are often proficient in one or more parts of the above system while being weak in another. We might be good at capturing but terrible at clarifying. Or we might be good at reflecting on our lists but poor when it comes to engaging with the next steps. It pays dividends in productivity to practice and gradually improve in each of the above areas.

This week, I invite you to ask:

In which of the above areas am I already strong? Which is my weakest link? What will I do from now on to make this link stronger?

God bless,
Dan