I have just been diagnosed. I will give the book a try. Thanks

Is there something wrong with the forum at the moment?
There are two copies of this thread, and about 10 of the conversation before it. :{

Re: GTD & ADHD
If you google the above terms, there are a lot of articles talking about the two, and people with ADHD talking about how it works for them.

Thanks I will.
There is something definitely wrong… The page says “be patient… Don’t hit submit more than once,” but Safari gave me a crash error for timing out.

Something funny is going on today. I replied to this just minutes after it was posted and I dont see it here now.

I was wondering why this particular book shows promise. Is there something different in the suggested methods? I too am trying to reorganize - if only I could get organized, I could get started!

I have started reading Imagine by Jeff Lehrer. So far I find it is a very interesting read on ideas and creativity. It is discussing mindsets and thinking styles that are favorable to new ideas.

Reply posted to a duplicate conversation thread:

Organization is always hard. Make lists are easy once you have the time to make them. Also, books are great but distracting. Do them when you have everything done.

-Posted by Tony Friedman

Reply posted to a duplicate conversation thread:

It comes across as very practical and seems more like an “approach” than a system.

It seems very practical.

-Posted by Dr. Eric

I did try it BUT someone else came in and setup the principles for me. (Because they wanted to ‘help’ and she is a rediculously organized person)

I found out very quickly it did NOT work that way.
I need everything in front of my face. And trying to remember what month something might have happened in - uh, no. I need to look in folders labeled with a customer name, or labeled ‘car’ or something like that. Plus, if it gets filed in a drawer I forget it’s there!

So, yeah. It’s very individual, just like everything else. I sit in front of my PC most of my day so I have found ways to create habits that help me utilizing technology.

I was looking at this book over at Amazon. I looked at several others. This was one if the most reviewed. I may buy it. But I have bought and read soo many different self-help books.
I think the plan is to make a list of action steps rather than general to do list.
I am going to see if it is available at the library. I think it may be helpful.

I also have a difficult time organizing and staying with 1 “system” long enough. but… a rule of thumb is, if it doesn’t work then change it; so I waste time thinking, “Did I try long enough?, Am I thinking too much about it?” I realize I am thinking too much and not moving -whether forward or sideways.

Part of my issue is being indecisive.  Im trying to stop the fear of messing up, disappointing myself & others, etc. and gaining Self-Confidence

I also have information overload of different techniques.
For filing,  I tried to put labels on the front of my file cabinets so I know what’s in there. But sometimes I forget to add to the label OR I just stick papers in the front of the drawer because I didn’t make time to file. Then, trying to remember what I called the folder can be frustrating as a teacher.

I think I will try Dr. Eric’s book reading it at the bookstore before buying.

Unstructured time like summer vacations are a nightmare, and focusing on 1 thing is so so hard.

I know I’m all over the place but hey, it’s ADD day, again!

Organization sounds like a great technique but I find long to-do lists discouraging. When the list gets too long I spend more time worrying about the list than I do working on the tasks. Any ideas?

Zafra, I wonder how well the person who helped you set it up knew the system. Month tickler files are supposed to be for future months, not past.

I do everything online on evernote and/or Google docs.

I love this because I don’t actually need to file in an organized manner. I just dump the stuff in basic folders, then I use keyword searches to find it later.

Even at work, I went from having a bunch of email folders to just… students, staff, business/memo’s, personal.

Jangled,

That is one of the things with GTD… mind you, I am only 1/3 of the way through the book and not fully implementing it yet. He is sort of against tradition use of To-Do lists and limits how you use calendars.

I am a little excited, but my summer overhaul always works well in the summer.
Work pace is slower, and I am back from a vacation off of the Concerta… so it is working better.

Here is the Wiki-Summary, much better than the Wikipedia entry on it.

http://www.wikisummaries.org/Getting_Things_Done:_The_Art_of_Stress-Free_Productivity

I borrowed the audio years ago on a client’s recommendation (who was very gun-ho about the system at the time).  At first glance, the system seemed promising, but there were some things about it that didn’t work for me, and I knew it was a bit too much for me to be able to sustain it as a whole.  Actually, I’ve never come across a client who had tried to implement it and sustained the entire system long-term. But that’ pretty typical for us ADDers anyway, so don’t let that discourage you! 

I think the best system is the one that you actually USE!  My experience in working with many adults with ADD is that organizing anything is and needs to be a very personal and individualized thing.  What works for one of us, may have useful components for another, but it’s rare that any two of us do things quite the same way.  There are probably an infinite number of ways our brains can process and organize information, and we all have different preferences and tendencies. 

My preference when I’m looking at something like the GTD system is to explore it and see if there’s anything “in there” that might help me tweak the way I already do things, or to make a certain aspect easier or better.  Trying to implement an entire, complex system like GTD takes way more follow-through and patience than I have as an ADDer, but there are definitely some things I took from the system that work very well for me still!

He talks about filing and recommends your files be no more than “swivel distance” from where you use them.  That has been really helpful to me, and I recommend it highly!  (I now have filing cabinets flanking my desk on either side)  I’m much less likely to let files pile up if I don’t have to move (even roll my desk chair!) to do put them away.

I also changed the way I file certain things to reflect his suggestions, but not everything.  Things I reference often go into their own files, and are not combined with other things.  (For example. my cell phone info, kids’ ipods, game system, and laptop info are now each in their own files, rather than in the “electronics” file because I pull those files more often for service or warranty work, while I left others needed less often grouped together).  Not sure if that makes sense, but it works for me!

Whatever system you choose to implement, giving yourself time to get in the habit of using it until it becomes a habit is key!  And how we do that is a little different for each of us.

Just a few thoughts! 

Lynne Edris, ACG
Life & ADD Coach
http://www.CoachingADDvantages.com

“I think the best system is the one that you actually USE! “

Yeah, there’s the rub!

So far the only that I have really used is an awesome assistant.

A luxury that I won’t have at my current job, for now.

I think our approaches are the same, if I implement 1/2 of what it says, I will call it a winner.

I actually perform at a pretty high level, but my jobs only get more demanding.

That’s great, Dr.Eric!  So often, if we manage to implement 1/2, we call ourselves losers (or worse!) because we didn’t get it “perfect.” 

That’s a great perspective! 

Lynne

I’m in the midst of implementing it. I’m using OmniFocus software to help structure my Mind-sweep of to do’s and unfinished business.  There’s a lot out there as far as reviews for GTD & ADD.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and doing it no matter what. I’m tired of not having a system or structure that works. There’s always some damned excuse. I’m building the habits to embed this, or die trying. It makes most sense to me, in the world of endless distractions, but it won’t go anywhere unless I truly build the new habit necessary to make it all functional.

FYI : once you have read the book (or before), you can join the “GTD Connections” site that has a whole library of helpful info regarding all aspects of GTD. I’d recommend doing it after reading the book, so you can make the best choices about the large library of info you want to pilfer from.

https://secure.davidco.com/connect/free/14days

also youtube is a good resource for interviews etc

Hi ALL:

I purchased the Getting Things Done book about 3 years ago and because of my ADD which had not diagnoses at the time, I had trouble finishing the book so I purchased the audiobook from Audible.  I listened to the book and then I went back through the book to gather more insight and details that he left out of the audio version. 

Overall, the system is good, however I believe that someone with ADD/ADHD would have a bit of trouble trying to maintain it. I did however take a few of the ideas from him and I try to incorporate them into my “system”.  I have also subscribed to the GTD connect and periodically I receive emails from David Allen giving ideas and tips for getting things done as well. 

I will bring this post to close, however I will leave you with the most profound thing that I got out of the Getting Things Done book and that was that his philosophy behind the GTD system. David Allen’s approach is that in the GTD system we have to respond correctly to everything that comes at us.  Be it work, personal, etc., there is an correct response.  I think for anyone who wants to learn more about the GTD system, it is a good book and some of us ADDer’s you can take a lot of good ideas from it.

I had the Allen book, but only skimmed through it; it seemed more suited to someone still in the workplace (which I am not), or someone with very extensive files and the need to be super-organized.  Like most ADDers, I can’t handle anything very complicated or complex (unless I’ve devised it myself and tweaked it to my own needs.)

I have a book called Getting It Done by Dr. Andrew J. BuBrin.  Though I haven’t got all the way through it, I am finding it useful.  Its main theme is self-discipline and the power of learning ways to overcome obstacles like procrastination, stress, and counterproductive habits.  While it is also slanted toward the working person, it doesn’t get into actual organizational “systems” as such, but rather into ways to discipline oneself effectively to achieve better results in all areas of life.  I’m finding this approach more useful for me.  It talks about enhancing creativity, too, which I like, as I’m a creative person who would like to be more productive.  When I finish the book, I’ll try to post a short review.

Mara

Hi Dr. Eric and All,

GTD has profoundly changed the speed and efficiency of the way I get many things done.  I have read and listened to all of his books, more than once.  I was raised by an ADD mother and picked up some traits or bad habits even though I do not have ADD; mostly I have a large and diverse workload.

I devoted many hours studying and implementing his system using OneNote in MS Office 2012.  At frist I set up OneNote exactly as he suggested and continued to change it based on others systems and my preferences.

Basically, I send emails to an Action Tab (like a notebook tab) and on a new page in my digital notebook I have a list of Actions with links & notes to help me.  I also list other actions I have gotten throughout the day from meetings, managers or my brain.  For larger projects, I just start to brainstorm under the Action.  These brainstorming bullets identify the steps which need to be accomplished for a project.

The GTD book is a bit behind the times and speaks of using manila folders. In this day and age of a paperless society, I can really track everything in OneNote which I keep on the MSN Skydrive so I can see at work, at home, or on mobile devices.

Well, my mom with ADD would never even make it to the end of this tedious post, but I hope someone here likes my GTD & OneNote testimony

My post is very similar to Jenniferk’s description of GTD and OneNote. David M. Ward, the author of “Evernote for Lawyers” combined GTD with the Evernote app to create a method that works for me. Don’t discount the book because of its title: The method works for anyone. What’s great about Evernote is you can instantly capture a thought, an idea, or a picture and put them in ONE notebook. Audio notes, emails, texts and Web pages are captured in the moment. A couple of times per day you access your notebook (mine is “In Box”) and process all items according to a schedule of your design. The biggest problem I had with GTD is its attempt to incorporate goals, aspirations, etc. into one package. I just need a method to help get me through my daily tasks and start planning future projects. This books shows you how to do it. It requires minimal set up, but it does require attention at least twice per day. That helps keep me focused on my day.

I had tried to implement GTD a few years ago using Lotus Notes To Dos and it was not sustainable. I didn’t read the book at the time just purchased the GTD for Lotus Notes guide for $10.  I thought it had promise, but i didnt have te discipline that it requires.  I recently attended a GTD Workflow seminar for $400. It has been very successful for me as I am using Email folders not the To Dos. It has been about 3-4 months. Here is my take.

There is an initial step “Collect” that is key which is hard - capturing everything. It was hard but fun at the same time.  This took me about 2-3 days and only for work -not for home. It includes all the notes that I had on paper that were things to do. And I had 3 active note books, manila folders with paper scraps, notes on meeting hand outs, post-its with to dos, stuff in my head, etc.  That week I setup my Lotus Notes using my Inbox folders as the categories.

Then it takes discipline to “process” new items into their appropriate folder (Next Actions, Waiting For/Follow Up, Someday/Maybe, Read/Review, Reference, etc.) DAILY.  One of the most important thing that I found was to just delete the items that are not important, save thing for thinking about later, and clear my head.  It’s also cool to know that some things are someone else’s responsibility and that this helps me keep them accountable. Things that I put in Next Actions include emails to respond to, tasks, planning a project. I only put the very next task for a project in my Next Actions.  I keep project folders for each of my projects. If I have to do something for a project I don’t file it in the project. I move it to Next Actions until it gets done.  I’ve been doing it daily and getting my Inbox to Zero everyday. At 30 seconds per email it only takes 20-30 mins a day or 2x a day. I have found that I don’t take as many unnecessary notes because of the daily processing.  It seems easier now to differentiate between stuff I need to do (Next Actions) and things that I may need to remember for later but is Reference for a project.

So far - and this is key - I haven’t actually done any Next Actions. Except for the actions that can do in 2 min or less like a quick yes/no email response.  So far it’s about getting it all down and sorted until my Inbox is at Zero.  Then I look at all the Next Actions to see what I need to do and Waiting Fors to see who I need to follow up with.

Then it takes discipline to “act” on the on the Next Actions I need to get done.  I am much more focused on the immediate Next Actions that I need to be doing.  It’s also key to note there is not a priority setting activity. You just look at the list of Next Actions and it becomes apparent what needs to be done first.  There is no excuse. At first I felt very controlled and robotic, but after some time it has become habitual and liberating.

For home I am using Omnifocus, but haven’t competed the Collect phase. I have the vast majority but I do have the next actions defined but it doesn’t feel as good as my work system.

Thanks… as an update.
I started a new job with a long commute, so I have switched over to the Audiobook.
I am about where I left off reading - which is about 1/4-1/3 through it.

I am starting to implement some of the stuff superficially.
Starting the new job helps, kind of a clean slate.

I use Evernote.
I don’t have an office yet.

Also, with the long commute, I am falling in love with Siri (no, my wife has nothing to worry about)...
I ask her to send me reminders of things I think of while I am on the road.

I did my major (at home, not work) Inbox collection and Processing.

It was a whole lot less painful and far more productive than I thought.

However, that has never been my issue.
It is the “maintaining” and weekly reviews that I need to stay of top of…

Hoping to get my office set-up soon, so I can do the same at work.