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Getting organized – your life, your kids, your house, your car, your office, your closet – it shouldn’t really be that hard, should it? Afterall, it’s one of the very first things they start trying to teach us, the very first time we walk into school (coats on your hook, bags and shoes in the cubby, etc.). But oy, for some of us getting organized is like trying to run away from your shadow on a sunny day – you can try but it’s going to end with you laying on the grounding, exhausted and conquered by your unseen adversary every time.
So who do you call if you need to get your stuff straight? “Getting Things Done” guru David Allen, of course!
Listen to the interview here
“One of the world’s most influential thinkers on productivity.” – Fast Company
A blurb like this can be intimidating before an interview!
Now it’s important to realize at this point in time in the conversation that I am a life long organization striver. By that I mean I’ve been striving to get organized since I first learned of the concept and realized it could have some useful purpose in my life. However, by nature I am a “chaos clutter rider” which means that my organizational life setpoint seem to be set at a level that leaves me most comfortable when surrounded by a variety of my things (in no particular order).
When I was younger I fondly remember the excitement of the first days of school. For years I would start with my Trapper Keeper (remember those?) squared away and organized. Folders coded and organized by class. Paper and pens sometimes even stowed away in their proper spots. Regardless of the preparation though ……. by the second day of school (no seriously, this isn’t a joke) my system(s) would begin to buckle and by day three, forget about it.
I believe my all time record for sort of holding on to some semblance of order was 5-6 days (semblance of order being defined VERY broadly here).
Which is why I like David Allen and his advice because while he does lay out specific systems …. his overall approach is more assimilating what works for you within in some broad guidelines. Therefore, if you are a Type A personality (a very close relative comes to mind here but if I say my sister’s name she’ll kill me) his approach works well. However, if you’re somewhere south of the Type A personality his approaches can also work.
How can you not like an organizational / productivity guru who explains that the reason he came up with his approach wasn’t because he was organized but because he was lazy!
Great conversation, great guy (have to admit I was a bit nervous that he’d be kind of the stern librarian/disciplinarian type), great approach … hope you enjoy.
What organizational approach do you use?
Anything unorthodox that works well for you?
How do you teach your kids this stuff?
David Allen Resources, Tips, Tools
- FREE Articles To Get You Started (really free & real tips and usable advice – you do have to give basic and pretend you’re placing an order)
- Tips and Tool
- David Allen Podcasts
- The Getting Things Done Blog
- Twitter – David Allen
- Who Is David Allen – BNET
- YouTube – How David Allen Gets Things Done (3:23)
- YouTube – Getting Things Done (presentation @ Google) (45:52)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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