Getting (some) things done

Getting Things Done is the bible of the burgeoning Life Hacking movement, which is proving popular among web designers and other techy types. I was curious, so I bought the book.

I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve picked up a few things that I’ve found useful. In particular, the book suggests two key rules: the two-minute rule, and the “do/delegate/defer” rule. They’re both very simple (and sound like they’re stating the bleeding obvious): if you can deal with something in two minutes, do it. If you can’t do it in two minutes, take the do/delegate/defer rule: either do it now if you have the time to spare, delegate it if you’re not the right person for the job, or defer it for later (and pick a time when you’ll do it).

Obvious? Perhaps. Effective? Yup.

There’s lots more – making sure your to-do list covers actions rather than vague, amorphous concepts, sorting out your working environment, getting the most from PDAs and other handy gadgets – but those two rules are already helping me deal with information overload.

Right, my two minutes are up. Back to work :)


Posted

in

by