Get Everything Done

There are lots of posts here about the differences between GTD and DIT, and the benefits of each. I've been playing with GTD for 7 years and it's made me much more organized, but had little impact on my ability to work to completion on anything. I've done a bit of DITing in the past and had some success, but my problem has been carrying too much of my GTD influence with me, so I really ended up planning my day from my context lists, which isn't DIT at all - no real connection to a "day's worth of work". I'd like to have some more specific advice on how to do the conversion from GTD to DIT. I have been using a Palm TX, and have many items on several context lists that have not been getting done. What do I do with them when starting out? For those of you who have moved from GTD to DIT, did you just dump everything into a backlog category and try to work on it each day? I suppose many of my items are related to projects, so I could just move the next actions into the note for the project and have just a few active projects? I can kind of envision what DIT would feel like once in place, but not sure how to get there with these extensive lists I have right now.

Hi Anthony, you already have some good ideas about converting from GTD to DIT, so go for it. Having converted from GTD to DIT myself, my biggest tip would be to get a page per day Diary and make that the main stay of DIT - this will allow you to get into the 'will do' list mindset and adjust to the three levels of priority in DIT (Urgent, Same Day, Tommorow). It will also act as a Tool for conducting the DIT Audit. This keeps the amount of Active Projects I have realistic. In contrast I found it very easy to get carried away with a massive Projects List in GTD, unfortunately though things never 'got done'. It may be the case that there was something in GTD that works for you and want to keep that is not in conflict with GTD, for example I feel a little less anxious when I have an Active Projects List to scan, so am I trialling ways of keeping this feature. Good luck!

Hi Anthony and Leon,

I too am a convert from GTD, whcih I practiced for many years. DIT has been wonderful in terms of increasing my ability to focus and realize just how overcommitted I am. I am a professor at a major research university in the USA and routinely have 60+ hour weeks. This is not going to change any time soon, but DIT has helped me to realize that one must say no when already overcommitted. With GTD, one just keeps adding next actions to multiple lists, or moves hundreds to a someday/maybe list and think that they are okay. I thought so too.

Yes, moving all of your next actions from your multiple context lists to a backlog list is the way to go in my opinion. I did this when converting to DIT and was able to clear my backlog in a matter of several days! I still end up with a backlog all too frequently, but now I know how to handle it.

I still maintain a someday/maybe list that is separate from my commitments on my will-do list. These really are things I want to think about, but am not ready to make a commitment to as of yet.

Best wishes,
-David

For me the concept of a days worth of work does not apply, as it is not measurable for me. What was a huge benefit was the idea of writing down the things I committed to do. I found next action lists useless without putting them on a list tied to the day I would actually do them. The simplicity of the daily will do list brought this to light. Additionally I find next actions intuitive. I don't really need to write them down unless I am going to do them. DIT works well for me because it is simple. Good luck

http://simpletimemanagement.blogspot.com/

Mark,

It is because the time to complete many of my assignments can vary and I don't know until I get into some tasks what that time will be. Additionally, the culture where I work is one of instantaneous response to email customer requests etc. From day to day you do not know how many of these I will get. So a will do list is frequently trumped by a boss or a customer.

Gerry

I'm a big fan of both GTD and DIT, but I personally believe they solve different problems. GTD is primarily an organisation system. DIT is primarily a task management system.

I use them both in tandem quite successfully. I have a GTD system which holds all of my "stuff", implemented in MyLifeOrganised software.

However, each evening I go through the tasks which my GTD system tells me I should do, pick which ones I'm going to do tomorrow, and write them on a 3x5 index card, which I carry round with me. That's my DIT will-do list, complete with current initiative etc. I don't look at the software again until I've crossed off everything on my index card.

I have used GTD for the last 5 years and I like to think I was very proficient at it. l found initially it did a really good job of organising me but didn't make me much more efficient. I found it too easy to add to lists instead of clearing them!

However, after reading Mark's book, I have twice in the last year tried to implement DIT whilst still clinging on to some context lists and GTD habits.

In the end I concluded that I couldn't do it. However, I did realise that I was more productive with DIT, more aware of what commitments I had and less restricted in some ways than I was with GTD.

I decided to completely ditch my GTD system, Palm etc and try again from scratch, sticking closely to the system taught by Mark in his book which I keep re-reading and learning from. The system is reasonably easy to learn but there is a lot of good stuff written around it that is easy to forget after an initial reading.

A month in to my 3rd attempt, things are still bedding down but I am greatly encouraged that I have made the transition and that it will be permanent.

I have made the switch to coincide with starting a new job which was a gamble but I have found the change assisted my switch rather than hindered it.

I hope this may help someone somewhere who is struggling to make the switch - try letting GTD go.

Cheers
Steve

I think GTD just creates more jobs to do and adds another layer of complexity to one's life, particularly if trying to bolt it onto to another system like DIT. My big issue with GTD was the sense of overwhelm, always having a sense I was behind. In my view the time investment needed to maintain GTD really isn't worth it in terms of the output that flows from it. I did myself a big favour the day I ditched GTD in favour of DIT. I believe David Allen and GTD will lose popularity over time as more and more people realise that being 'clean', 'current' and organised etc. comes at the *expense* of actually 'getting things done'. Sorry to rant on, just my opinion - call it therapy for almost driving myself mad trying to work GTD!

I think i may be having the problem Gerry mentioned. I'm very new to DIT and may still not fully understand what a day's work "is". First, what has worked is the wakeup call that I am overcommitted and treading water, really only staying afloat due to neglect of personal time.

But, let's say my boss on Monday gives me the task of "develop dashboards to compare the medical education of the various departments". Am I implementing the manana principle correctly by making the first step (such as contact peers at such and such medical school for advice) a task on my closed list for Tuesday? Then is what i find out tuesday, or my next step, take on the role of incoming work for tuesday and move to wed. list?

Great, thanks. With DIT, my email backlog is gone!