torstai 18. joulukuuta 2008

Work culture 1: Background - Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a systematic way to maintain to-do lists and to bring clarity to work. The system was first described in David Allen's book and it enjoys legendary reputation in self-help circles. The difference between Indian and Finnish work culture crystallizes in GTD, so I'll describe it in detail.

Basics


Suppose you need a doghouse to your summer cottage. You write a to-do list about things to remember next weekend when going to there:

  • ...

  • Doghouse

  • ...


GTD has some simple rules for each to-do item, and this list violates them all. First of all, you must list actions which you can execute. How do you "doghouse"? Same in the action form:

  • ...

  • Buy a doghouse if you find one

  • Build a doghuose if they are expensive or hard to find

  • ...


Secondly, GTD aims at closing to-do item by finishing them. It also wants to make it easy to start activity by forcing you to think difficult questions beforehand so that all you need to do is to execute. That's why each to-do item must have first action and end criterion:

  • ...

  • Find out how to buy a doghouse. First action: Search online for doghouse providers. Finished when you have a chart which lists most important sources (hardware stores, Huuto auctions, etc.) and their addresses.

  • Find out how to build a doghouse. First action: Search for assembly instructions for a doghouse. Finished when you have read and bookmarked a page.

  • ...


At this point you remember that a friend of yours has a shed and construction equipment, and a hardware store near you had exhibition of playhouses. You have more options:

  • ...

  • Buy a doghouse

    • Find out online how to buy a doghouse. First action: Search online for doghouse providers. Finished when you have a chart which lists most important sources (hardware stores, auctions, etc.) and their addresses.

    • Visit the local Bauhaus. First action: Get there. Finished when you know what's available in the doghouse section.


  • Find out how to build a doghouse.

    • First action: Search for assembly instructions for a doghouse. Finished when you have read and bookmarked a page.

    • Ask Pekka how he would build a doghouse. First action: Raise the question next time you go to beer. Finished when he answers it.



This illustrates the division actions into subactions. Actions get split into smaller and smaller pieces until the goal is reached or abandoned.

GTD also classifies the actions. Pending actions are something you can do anytime. Deferred actions require that something happens before you can do them. Non-actionable items lack either first action or end criterion. They need more thinking before they can be done. Delegated actions are given to someone else to execute. GTD also recommends dating actions, since it's quick and can prove useful:

  • ...

  • Buy a doghouse [19.12.2008]

    • Find out online how to buy a doghouse. First action: Search online for doghouse providers. Finished when you have a chart which lists most important sources (hardware stores, auctions, etc.) and their addresses. [19.12.2008] (pending)

    • Visit the local Bauhaus. First action: Get there. Finished when you know what's available in doghouse section. [19.12.2008] (pending)


  • Find out how to build a doghouse. [19.12.2008] (deferred until you have concluded that buying one isn't easy and cheap)

    • First action: Search for assembly instructions for a doghouse. Finished when you have read and bookmarked a page. [19.12.2008] (pending)

    • Ask Pekka how he would build a doghouse. First action: Raise the question next time you go to beer. Finished he answereds it. [19.12.2008] (pending)



Why do we have category non-actionable for badly thought to-do items? Because there is one more rule above all: The to-do list must contain everything you need to do to achieve the goal. If your relative has an unused doghouse outside his home and you consider asking him, then the list is incomplete. You can to desribe actions on high abstraction level where you know they need to be split - for example, building a doghouse - but it is not ok to leave actions unlisted. Getting a doghouse for free is not included in any of the actions in the prevous list.

GTD brings clarity to work by enabling you to concentrate fully to the task at hand. When reading assembly instructions you don't have a lingering doubt that maybe you really should just visit Bauhaus or ask your friend. You know that visiting Bauhaus and asking your friend stay in the list and you'll remember them because the list reminds you about them. So just keep reading the instructions so you can close one item from the list.

Fundamental concepts


Action item: Something you can do and which contains the first action and the end criterion.
Actionable: A goal is actionable for you if you can affect it by executing or not executing action items. For example, "prepare for depression" isn't actionable for me at work, because my actions don't have any effect on my employer's abiliy to weather depression.
Actionalize: To split a goal into actions.
2-minute rule: If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately. If it takes more, write it to the to-do list.
Time management Far too difficult...everything takes twice the estimated time (at least), deciding your next actions with GTD is easy and usually enough, and someone else sets the schedule anyway, so why bother.
What are the next actions? A question which you will start asking more often if you use GTD - non-actionable or non-actionalized goals become bullshitty and suspicious.

GTD and me


I've found GTD to be indispensable at programming work. When I don't quite know what I should do next and feel irresistible urge to procrastinate by browsing web, it's usually time to fire up GTD list and split the goal into more specific actions.

Often I have quite a lot of freedom on how to do my area of responsibility. Very often when programming, I notice that some spot of code is suspicious, looks potentially wrong or has far-reaching implications to other parts of the program. With GTD I no longer face the choice continuing what I'm doing or interrupting it. I simply list all things I need to revisit later, and I never forget them because things don't drop from GTD lists before I consciously remove them. Usually I have 20 - 50 actions, but once when I also was responsible for other people's work I had 200 items.

GTD's way of thinking fits perfectly to my analytic and textual mind, but it's not for everyone. Some people who have natural ability to get much done consider it snake-oilish. But I know that it struck straight to the weaknesses of my mind, and my reaction was "Why didn't anyone tell this before?"

Another crticism is that it doesn't matter how much you get done, since your wage depends on years of service, and your productivity only benefits people who do 6-hour work day and get paid double for it. This is a matter of attitude. Do you believe that the skills you develop at work will prove valuable to you? Answer no and GTD is a miserable and miguided effort of lifeless fools. Answer yes and you see productivity as the derivative of your skill (the more you get done, the more you see and learn) and with GTD you get more out of the time you have to do anyway.

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