HI All!

Happy New Year!

Hey, I am on an organizational roll right now and having a great time at it!

I've always been pretty organized, but as I ended 2009 and thought about the new year, I had this feeling that there were some areas which I could tighten up and stream-line and get more control.  So I bought a copy of David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done"(on CD so I could listen while I run), and I really liked what I heard.  So I did a quick search and located some awesome GTD-style software called "OmniFocus".  I've been putting them both together the last few weeks, and am seeing large increases in my productivity and sense of control.

So I thought I would outline for you the main elements of the Getting Things Done system, so that you can decide if this is for  you.  I'll outline the system this week, and then explain the usefulness of the software next week.

The five-major components of the system are "Collect, Process, Organize, Review, Do".  Simple enough, but just having a methodology alone is a good start for many people.  Many people "fly by the seat of their pants" just doing whatever urgent thing seems to come along.  For teaching pastors, of course, the number one focus is the weekly message or class lesson, but after that, it could be whatever current "fire" needs putting out.  Allen's system gives us pause to stop and get organized before we begin taking action.

The key idea of his book is "stress-free productivity", which basically means that you need to get all of that "stuff" that is floating around in your unconscious psyche regarding your various responsibilities, out of your head and into a safe place where you can forget about it until it is actually time to do it.  That way, you can concentrate and work on what you are doing right now without a nagging fear at the back of your head that you might be forgetting something.

Here's what each stage includes on your way to stress-free productivity:

1.  Collect - Get EVERYTHING that  you must do into ONE PLACE where you can track and follow it.

This would be a "safe place", as he calls it, where you can trust that it will be there when you need it.  Since there is only one main place to keep everything, you will not have to sort through multiple systems to follow it.

• Start at the top
• Deal with one thing at a time
• Never put anything back into the 'in basket'
• If an item requires action, then

• If an item does not require action, then

• Next Actions - something that needs to be done now, and is ready to be done, and can only be done by you
• Projects - anything which requires more than one action step becomes a project, since you can only do one thing at a time, something must wait while you finish each step.  This makes it a project.
• Waiting for - sometimes your work depends upon someone else's actions.  This list helps you track items for which you are ultimately responsible for, but someone else currently has "the ball in their court".
• Someday/Maybe - projects which would be great to do someday, but are not urgent but you don't want to forget them, or have them constantly clogging your current projects list

So these five elements: Collect, Process, Organize, Review, Do, make up the GTD system.

I'm not quite done with the book, but so far, I like it, and have not only developed a new way of looking at and interacting with my work by using the GTD system, but the book is also filled with tons of little tricks and tools to stay organized, which is always welcome.

I've used a lot of organizational systems through the years, from paper-based Day-Timer systems, to the digital Day-Timer software, to all manner of Microsoft Office software of Outlook, Entourage, to Apple's iCal, to the OmniGroup's Outliner.  They have all been good in various ways, but I like the way that David Allen has organized a simple, flexible system that will work for me whether I am in the office, at home, or traveling.

And next week, I'll tell you about the desktop software, and also the iPhone app that totally makes this system a beautiful thing for any pastor who wants to stay organized, and make a difference for the kingdom of heaven, by focusing his or her life on the tasks that are of eternal significance.

Yours for the Kingdom of Heaven in 2010,

Dr. Bill Miller

HighPowerResources.com

SermonBase.com