These free printables will help you clear your head by getting all of your thoughts down on paper, so you can finally get things done!
As you can probably guess from the title of his book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen shares his personal process for getting things done! This has been one of my favorite books ever since I first read it a few years ago.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
David talks about some simple concepts that make it easy to get things done. I started following his simple steps immediately after reading the book… and the results were amazing! I was finally able to get all of my thoughts out of my head and down on paper in an organized way so that I could have a clear head.
According to David himself,
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
Since one of my favorite things to do is cross items off of lists, I created some lists that help me with the Getting Things Done process.
Before we continue, I should say that I am not an expert and may not always use all of these lists in the exact way that is described in the book. I use the ideas from the book to manage my life as a stay-at-home mom and this is what has been working for me.
HOW TO GET THINGS DONE {WITH FREE PRINTABLES}
As soon as I finished reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
NEXT ACTIONS LIST
I use my Next Actions list to keep track of the items that I need to do as soon as I have some free time. These items are not on my calendar and are not assigned to a specific time slot. When I find myself with a little time, I can look at my list and cross a few items off.
It always helps me understand better when I see some examples. Some items that I have put on my Next Actions list in the past include:
- Buy Stamps From Post Office
- Make Dentist Appointment
- Deposit Checks At Bank
- Clean Out Fridge
These items are pretty straightforward. Just complete the item and check it off of the list.
PROJECTS LIST
I use my Projects list to keep track of the items that I need to do that require more than one next action step. I can’t complete these items in just one step when I have some free time. For all of the items on the Projects list, there is also an item on the Next Actions list. This helps keep the projects moving forward.
Some items that I have put on my Projects list in the past include:
- Build Shelves
- Donate Clothes To Charity
- Make A Baby Book
Let’s go into a little more detail for these projects.
BUILD SHELVES
I built some shelves for my daughter’s room. In this example, I wrote “Build Shelves” on my Projects list and several smaller items on the Next Actions list as I was completing the project. For example, some items that went on the Next Actions list were (1) measure wall space, (2) make list of supplies, (3) buy supplies, (4) cut wood, (5) assemble shelves, (6) paint shelves, and (7) hang shelves.
DONATE CLOTHES TO CHARITY
In this example, I wrote “Donate Clothes To Charity” on my Projects list. Then there were smaller, actionable items on my Next Actions list. Some examples include (1) gather clothes from closet to donate, (2) decide where to donate clothes, and (3) drop clothes off at donation center.
MAKE A BABY BOOK
In this example, I wrote “Make A Baby Book” on my Projects list. Some examples of items that went on my Next Actions list were (1) gather pictures for book, (2) choose a book layout, (3) add pictures to book, (4) add words and embellishments to book, and (5) order book.
These items are a little more involved. It is not one simple step to complete the item and check it off of the list. They take more time and there are multiple steps.
SOMEDAY/MAYBE LIST
Last, I use my Someday/Maybe list to keep track of items that I possibly want to do in the future. These items are things I don’t want to forget about, but that I don’t have time to do right now.
Some items that I have put on my Someday/Maybe list in the past include:
- Learn More About Photography
- Take The Kids On Vacation
- Add A Garden To The Backyard
These items are fun to think about and put on the list. It is also nice to know they are on a list, so I don’t have to worry about trying to remember them. The list will remind me of everything when I review it in the future.
[Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash]
David does a much better job explaining how to use these lists and goes into much more detail in his book. I highly encourage you to buy the Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Related: The First Place I Put All Of My Paper
How do you keep track of everything you have to do? I would love to hear about it in the comments!
Have a great day!
♥Jena♥
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