GTD method of organization promises to make your life more practical

Phrases like "I don't have time for anything", "I can't go to the movies because I have to tidy up the house", "my life is a mess" are common among women. The day is 24 hours, which is often not enough to handle all the tasks that the woman accumulates.

To be able to take care of the house, work, children and still have time to practice hobbies and have fun, it is enough for the woman to get organized, review her priorities and start doing what really matters. Using an organization method can help women better manage their time and organize their lives.

One of the most talked about methods today is GTD or Getting Things Done. This method, which in Brazil was named "The Art of Making It Happen", was created by the American David Allen and released in the book of the same name.


GTD is intended to create a system that can manage all areas of a person's life and not just their work or homework and is therefore considered a complete and quite comprehensive method.

For Renata Montone of Call Daniel, an expert in productivity in GTD methodology, from Call Daniel, a company accredited by the method to manage training in Brazil, GTD is a method that allows to have all tasks, projects, dreams and ideas organized and under control. ? This facilitates simple and uncomplicated prioritization without anxiety and stress.?

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The benefits of GTD for women

The benefits that the methodology can bring to women are numerous. "Women in general, by their very nature, tend to take on many activities in various areas of life's responsibility, and as a result, stress, anxiety and stress are high," explains Renata.

As you begin to apply GTD, you will find that your anxiety and stress levels are greatly reduced. ? With the GTD, the woman will also keep all demands under control, and speed up the execution of these tasks ?, reinforces the instructor. In addition, women will be able to do more in less time and without stress and anxiety.

Anyone who wants to have a more organized and productive life can use GTD. "If a person has tasks, goals and dreams to achieve, they will benefit from the methodology," says Renata.


Applying GTD: Five Essential Steps of the Methodology

The first step for anyone who wants to start applying the methodology is to read the book? The art of making it happen? David Allen or do one of the Call Daniel trainings. "It is essential to know the five steps of the methodology to understand the whole process before starting", teaches the instructor.

The five steps the instructor refers to are summarized below:

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  1. Collect: The collection is done so that you eliminate everything that is in your head and keep your mind clear and calm. This step is all about getting to paper all you have to do, either today or sometime in your life. It is a way for you to stop forgetting your tasks or worry about them constantly, as everything will be noted;
  2. Process: In this second step of the GTD, you will process everything that was noted in the previous step, that is, you will evaluate if what you have noted is an action, if this action is a priority, if it should be postponed, if it has more than one. achievable stage or many other possibilities;
  3. Organize: Once you've processed it, it's time for you to create and organize a system that works for you. David Allen suggests in his book a very practical and easy-to-apply system. One way is to organize your tasks by context, so you can work on certain tasks when you are at your computer, on the phone, in the office, etc .;
  4. Review: In GTD methodology one of the most interesting items is the review, where you access your system and see if everything is going on and being done the way you intended. This is the time to reassess priorities and not let only urgent things get done;
  5. Run: This last step is the time to do what you have organized to do, without stress and anxiety, just by performing as planned. It is time for you to put your lists into action and do everything that has to be done, always knowing that you are doing the right thing for that moment.

For Renata, execution is the time-consuming step. If the method is well applied, the most time should be spent on execution. All previous steps aim to provide agility in execution ?, ponders the instructor.As for the most important stage, Renata believes that both the review and the processing stand out in relation to the other stages, since they are decision-making moments that guarantee the success of the other stages.

The tools that help in GTD

The GTD methodology is quite simple and so basic tools like notebooks, folders and calendar are more than enough to apply the method. ? For those who like technology there are hundreds of applications made for GTD that make life much easier as they allow synchronization with the phone or tablet ?, says Renata.

Here are some of the applications you can use to apply GTD:

  • Evernote: This app is considered the ideal space for you to manage your work, as with the same system you can create to-do lists, store important links, attach documents and even create meeting presentations. It is a free application that can be used in various places such as computer, tablet and mobile;
  • Toodledo: The application was created to manage GTD, containing all the ways David Allen indicated to make a perfect system and easy to run. It is an application that can be used on many different devices, however, for mobile devices the application is paid. Another problem with Toodledo is that it is in English, so it requires a certain command of the language to use it;
  • Todoist: is a task management application that lets you apply GTD. Very colorful and practical, Todoist is free and can be downloaded on any device. It offers the ability to add dates, reminders and priorities so you can manage your tasks as simply as possible;
  • Outlook: Another great tool for applying GTD is Outlook itself, which offers you the ability to manage tasks, organize calendars, store documents and even integrate with your email to leave everything in one system, making life easier for those who don't like it. of many applications.

In addition to these applications, any other task manager enables you to apply GTD. According to the instructor, the ideal is to choose the tool that most pleases or has the most useful resources for the person. I recommend choosing the most accessible tool at the beginning and only after the five steps have become a habit to migrate to another tool. Make the GTD happen first.

GTD: making it happen

Although it seems quite complex, GTD is a working method that can be used by anyone, especially women who need a little more organization in life. To fully implement it, you need to take the time to first collect everything that is still in your head and then process and organize a system that works for you. "In addition to this time, there is a period of adaptation where it is necessary to create the habit of using the five steps and this period revolves around one to two months," says the instructor.

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To keep the system up and running, the weekly review is of utmost importance, but a quiet mind is not achieved with just this step, as all steps are important. “But it's the weekly review that will make all the difference and keep the system running week after week. Fulfilling the five steps is critical, even if one cannot maintain the desired discipline in some critical periods, but one should not fail to follow the five steps. The success of each step begins in the previous step well done ?, reiterates Renata.

For those who want to know more about it, the instructor has shared some places you can get. Call Daniel's own website maintains a blog that is always up to date with tips for GTD. Already the GTD site in English brings a lot of information about the method, however, it is necessary to know the language.

There is a Yahoo mailing list for anyone who wants to join and learn a little more about GTD. The Organized Life blog features a special session on methodology as its author is an expert on the subject and shares a number of tips with its readers. But nothing compares to having access to David Allen's original ideas by reading his book The Art of Making It Happen.

After all this information, it's time to start making it happen and get GTD into action. Soon you will realize that your life will be more organized, planned and productive, taking time to do what makes you happy and what is really important for that particular moment in your life.

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