Spring cleaning: GTD @home

Time for clearing the cobwebs and a spring clean.

In a household with kids our house is lived in. Sand and dirt collect in the hallway and stairs, then gets its way around the house. Everything settles and collects in corners or piles. "Papa where are my shoes?" "I need my Russian books, I had them last night!" Just an example of the daily questions. But over time stuff collects to a point where a big clean up is needed.

Not the daily sweep up, washing, cooking and dishes: a Spring clean. And we did that yesterday!

Now this is not only good for finding those long lost CD's, papers or school books (under the pile of papers on your desk or in the corner next to the Lego). A spring clean means sorting out the winter clothes and everything that is too small and making space for a new look. It means a clear view.

A quick focus on what we wanted to achieve during breakfast - the big picture and goal setting for the day. A review of tasks and areas of focus - what needs to be done. Some groans, some questions. And who wants to clean the windows? "Me... me... me... me!"

Clean the windows!

I had forgotten what a difference clean windows makes. "How long has that tree been there Papa?" Clean windows means being able to take a fresh look at the world outside. A clear view.

Because its now Officially Spring Time, a chance to get back into Gardening with a passion too. Some of that gardening I will be done at the office. Trimming dead files. Dumping completed projects to the archive and making plans for an improved work space on two levels - sitting and standing.

I find the way I use GTD an active way of working. Jumping up to make a cup of coffee... then filing the project papers... helping the kids... checking the mail... making notes for an ongoing project (and putting it in the right place to continue later)... a phone call or two. Not to mention the wash, cooking, shopping and everything else.

Clear vision and a weekly review.

I will have to describe a typical week sometime soon, I sometimes I don't realize how much I do get done with GTD during a week. Especially when my attention gets stuck on what is not working. It is hard to remember that which gets done in auto-pilot - like the phone call or conversation in the car and then the question "did you see that sign back there Papa?" No! Good habits are great to have and to learn, like a regular review of current status, which is a big help to remind me of where I am and what I want to achieve. The weekly review.

Clear vision! It's like seeing the clear blue sky after a long period of dull weather. And then to have clean windows too, brings back the connection between the runway and my higher goals.

How do you do your Spring cleaning? What great ideas did you get this week? What stuff did you discover after thingking it forever lost? GTD gives me clear vision and the kids love helping there too!

An interview with David Allen Interview

Posted by on www.lifehacking.nl by Bert Verdonck on February 3, 2009

David All David does not need to be introduced anymore. Everyone knows "Getting Things Done" (GTD) and his latest book "Making It All Work" strengthens his guru status in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. Martijn Aslander and I had the privilege of interviewing David recently. Of course we like you share in this too...

David Allen describes himself as a very lazy person. This laziness was the impetus to develop what is now known as "process improvement". David devised a number of "tricks" to more easily succeeded in and develop his career.

Two basic elements of GTD that he quoted during his interview are:

1. Collection of everything you have in our head
2. Determining your next action step

He got the advice that the publication of a (bestselling) book would make a significant strategic step forward for the expansion of his business. It took another 4 years for Getting Things Done to appear on the market.

David had to first learn what it meant to write a book. He had never written a book before nor a had he developed a business plan around that. After learning that, he needed a year to find a publisher and another year to write the first draft of Getting Things Done-The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Then came the second draft and work on the title and graphics.

David did all this in addition to his regular full-time job. But "not recommended" says David Allen!

GTD it is easy to understand and to implement because it starts from our own concrete experiences – that is the reason why GTD is so successful according to David Allen himself.

What unique about GTD, is the fact that it takes the position not of starting from what we think we should be doing, rather how we can simply and effectively improve how we think and do things.

Thanks to GTD, you get immediate control (back) over your thoughts and actions. In this way you can then develop your productivity.

The immediate effect of GTD in David's own life was of relaxation. Thanks to his own techniques, David Allen succeeded in emptying his head ["mind like water"].

David describes himself as a researcher and educator. He had 25 years to acquire to learn to become who he is today. The next 25 years will be focused on the dissemination of this knowledge.

In the accompanying audio track you hear a piece of David Allen's life philosophy, guaranteed a great tip for you. Enjoy!

David Allen will give his public seminar in Amsterdam on February 19: GTD Seminar Making It All Work!

What is your GTD-IQ?

How is your personal productivity level today? What has your attention? Do you know what you are committed to, and why? Test Your GTD-IQ

A very Happy New Year! My resolutions for GTD in 2009

At this time of the year we are all greeting with "Happy New Year!"

A very Happy New Year

How happy are you? And what difference does being happy make to you and your work? Or life with your children for that matter.

GTD helps give me more time for fun. GTD helps me to achieve a balance and meaning in life. GTD is about making the right choices for my life and work. At least that is what I am working towards when I sometimes fall off the wagon.

My resolution is to do more with GTD in 2009. To reach new heights (thanks Oliver) and greater happiness.

Martin Seligma is a positive psychologist who tells us more about what being positive can do for us (see TED talk and The BBC happiness formula).

I recommend taking a closer look at the Authentic Happiness testing center. Measure your overall happiness, your current level happiness and your approach to happiness. Test your own and your kids chracter strengths too—I found this particularly insightful—I am curious and have an interest in the world.

Take a listen to the happiness anthem!

GTD makes me happier person! And wishing you all a very Happy 2009!

GTD - Making It All Work

Want to know more about David Allen's new book? GTD - Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life, here is a full chapter excerpt on bNet.

Creativity and Play. Book review of "The Red Rubber Ball at Work" by Kevin Carroll

A fascinating book about the serious business of play is "The Red Rubber Ball at Work". Its all about play at work. Kevin Carroll reminds us of our childhood connections to play and of how often we have forgotten how. Forgotten how to play and the fun of it all.

Using a creative mix of book, internet, links and video, you are encouraged to discover your own game. Scoring in Business is like play. As in GTD like David Allen points out: its about "winning at the game of work and the business of life".

In this book we meet many successful people who have not forgotten how to play at work. I particularly enjoyed reading the different perspectives of play taken from different angles in peoples lives. Memories of childhood and how these childrens games and play went on to form the successes in adult life. Successes in every sense, part and walk of life.

Challenge yourself! And challenge your children to learn to play (with) music and share a lifetime of ways "to tap into imagination, be more inventive and discover new things" as Kevin Carroll discovered when he took up playing the Cello again.



At whatever age music and singing is a very creative way of learning. Like a recent school concert that my twins gave of Mozarts Requiem. Rehersals started several weeks ago. These were disciplined, repetitive and structured, teaching the children to listen to their own voice and that of the whole choir.

I was taken by the enthusiasm with which this singing project was undertaken. Shown in little comments, like Thomas coming home from school one afternoon "I want to learn Latin!" "Why?" "So I can understand what I am singing!"

Singing in the adult choir, I was able to experience how everything came together with orchestra, choir and finally the concert. Mozart's Requiem is a powerfully moving piece many will remember from the Film Amadeus. Days later the twins are still singing parts of the Requiem.

The Red Rubber Ball at Work needs to be understood from a child's perspective. And remembering how I loved to play as a child, I share Kevin's belief that play is essential to growth and development of healthy children.

At a young age, more important than learning to read or write, is learning to play. Many educators (and researchers) of young children realize the need for more playtime in spite of some worrying trends by national Governments.

Play is many things at work and Kevin shares interviews with authors such as Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell and Paulo Coehlo:

• Play is innovation
• Play is results
• Play is teamwork
• Play is leadership
• Play is curiosity

And now for something completly different! Monty Python - Office Sketch.


Please use the comments to share what your game is? Where is your ball? Which colour is yours?

GTD balancing act in three steps: The weekly review with kids

“Work and play are words used for the same thing under differing conditions” —Mark Twain

All good things come in three’s—just like the steps of the weekly review:

1. Get Clear
2. Get Current
3. Get Creative

Getting work done

First get clear. Collect everything in one place—the loose bits of paper, assignments, toys, (school) books and randomly ordered thoughts. Put it all in one place, like the IN basket. Then work it down until you get it is empty.

Doing this for myself regularly keeps me in control. Similarly with my children, the effects are most obvious when I am not asked where the clean socks or trousers are—the wash-IN basket is empty.

Or where that missing library book is to be found. And when my daughter has the conversation with me about doing less English at school so that she can concentrate more on her Russian. (We speak German together at home).

The balance between work and play

Then get current. Connecting with everything and identifying what to do with or about it, is a balancing act.

This is most obvious to me in the moment of now. In reviewing everything, I know how and when to keep in balance. That careful balancing act between work and play.

“The richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve inner balance between 3 realms: work, love and play. That to pursue one realm to the disregard of the other is to open oneself to ultimate sadness in older age. Whereas to pursue all 3 with equal dedication, is to make possible a life not only with achievement but with serenity.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Doris Kearns Goodwin on learning from past presidents | Video on TED.com

How often do you get to play?

Get creative. Creative ideas seem easy for kids. Wild outrageous and seriously fun things are so easy for kids because it’s most like play.

Sometimes it is also important to do just nothing. Sit out in the garden and enjoy the view of how the seasons change. Or enjoy a coffee in your favorite café—doing nothing. Not even with your notebook. Just doing nothing can be the most productive time of the day. Kids do it (almost) all the time.

“Hey what are you doing?” — “Oh? Nothing!”

The habit of GTD

The music of GTD

The GTD weekly review is a great habit. Almost everywhere I read about its importance. Also the struggles some have. A recent lecture at school helped me understand why I struggle and how I learn.

Learning new habits

A habit is something we all have plenty of. Learning a new one takes time. Children are quick to learn but like me need time to make it their own. It takes something like 4 weeks to aquire a habit.

Every day diligent repetition of a task helps make that a habit. It takes a year to make a habit part of me. A skill. Longer still until that habit reaches perfection.

Music lessons and GTD

My children each play their own instrument. Charlotte the violin, Judit cello and Thomas piano. The daily rhythm of playing is important to establish. Weekly lessons support the practicing habit.

Orchestra rehersals and regular concerts bring joy to music. And the christmas street concerts are not only great fun, but raise extra pocket money too.

Goals and projects

"I want to play every weekend at the Market!" What do you need to do to get there? When can you play? How many songs do you know? Which are fitting for Christmas? Which piece are you going to learn next?

Focusing on these goals means we often forget that we are learning about habits. Its just about having fun!

Getting the (wash-) IN basket to empty

Getting wash done

I love the way David starts the RoadMap seminar: "this is all about the lazy way of getting things done". It just got me thinking. Where can I find more time for fun?

Getting the wash-IN basket to empty. It can be done in 2 minutes. Not all of it. However each stage in the process need not take longer. Be that collecting or processing, organising or reviewing - doing the wash, even big piles of it, takes me a couple of minutes at each stage.

Collect all the socks

We all need to do the wash. The piles grow everyday, especially with children. Mostly clothes just get dumped on the floor. In the oddest places too, like a left sock under the car seat or a sweater next to the sofa and a hat on the kitchen table. As a visiting friend once pointed out "this house is lived in!".

Collection is a continuous daily task to the wash-in basket.

Process, organise and colour code

What is this? Processing the wash-in basket gets done quickly. Involving the children can make this a fun task. It also takes the mystery out of what happens to my dirty trousers. And gives understanding to the question: where is my favorite shirt?

• COLLECT - all the socks and dirty stuff
• PROCESS - sort and colour code, one at a time
• ORGANISE - machine or hand wash? Dryer or hang it up?
• REVIEW - fold or iron, keep it or pass stuff on
• DO - putting it back, one thing at a time!

Like Michael Sliwinski mentioned in his last post on GTDtimes, doing things, like the wash, is all about the 2 minute rule.

Delegate it

I delegate tasks for the children. In fact they organise their own lists of who does what each week (more on lists in another posting). Collecting and putting away the wash for example are great habits to foster.