Kolz Blog

Jason and I were talking recently and we started discussing what GTD is like today in the world. There recently has been some big name press happenings (CNN and Time) lately and there has always been the grass roots movement of GTD. We came up with a couple of question to ask ourselves and present it to you as what we think the State of GTD is in the world. - Jason and Michael Is GTD becoming so mainstream that David’s teachings are being watered down somewhat? [Michael] I think that the blogosphere and Internet has definitely helped the spread of GTD into the mainstream. Without the Internet, I would not have taken up GTD to the extent that I have. The fact that GTD is really just “radical common sense” lends to the ease of entrance into using the system. I don’t feel that David Allen’s teachings are being ‘watered down’ as much as they are not being as adhered to as they probably should. Brett Kelly is asking in his interviews what they do not like about ‘canonical GTD’. As I stated in my interview, I do not believe that there is a canonical GTD. When you think of anything that is canonical, you immediately think of laws (or rules) that cannot be broken under any circumstance. GTD is a framework for people to structure their lives to be more productive. I do not believe that there are any unbreakable rule within the pages of GTD. Adoption of any of the principles that David Allen writes about will make you more productive…if you adopt them properly. From the littlest (The 2-Minute Rule) to the biggest (Wholesale system adoption), every part adds to the productivity of the person. [Jason] I agree with Michael, that the presence of the GTD community in the blogosphere is a great thing. I do personally think that there are a few fundamental pieces of the GTD puzzle that are so important that you cannot say you are “GTDing” without them. I agree that applying any of the tips and tricks that David teaches would make one more productive. But applying a couple of pieces, without the foundation does not make “GTD”. For example, without the weekly review, a project list, next actions, etc., you cannot say you are “GTDing”. For me, it is like the commercials for Dr. Scholls where you see people who are “gellin’” and those who really want to look like they are “gellin’”, but they are “soooo not gellin’”. In some respects GTD has become the same way. The way in which you apply these fundamentals can be personalized in a way that is best for the user. You can keep your projects in a simple list on paper, or you can do it in a high tech Java enabled solution. But in whatever form, it is a must for GTD. Is this popularity a good or bad thing? [Michael] I think that the popularity of GTD is a good thing. There are so many good bloggers out there that are spreading the news of GTD it is scary. When we started BBP in April of 2006, we were shocked at how long it took for our names to get out there. It literally was 1-2 days before we were making contacts from people that we did not know, based on our opening post that was really not even GTD related. From that moment, we took our responsibility seriously and tried to post relevant information that could help the community. I like to think that we had a little hand in helping some of the newer blogs out there get started. I thoroughly enjoy finding and reading the new bloggers that are out there. I hope that the trend does not stop anytime soon. [Jason] The latest explosion of the popularity of GTD is awesome. David Allen has become a celebrity of sorts in recent years. There are GTD communities, Yahoo groups and forums popping up all over the place. The only thing is that it is now all the rage to be GTD. That is cool as long as people are applying things and it is making them more effective. Are more people attempting to GTD without reading the book? [Michael] I think that there are growing number of people who are coming to GTD through blogs like ours, and our GTD Primer, and more visible sites like 43Folders, and even the David Allen Company’s own forums. While this is all good, we feel that at some point the book MUST be read. The book was not my first exposure to GTD. I learned on 43Folders like a lot of folks, but one of my first acts was to get the book and read it. Just like everything else, the book is the best source for the facts of how the GTD Framework is structured. The book is the ‘bible’ for GTD. Every time that I read it, I find out something new, or something that has been on my mind is clarified. I have even gotten to carrying it around with my in my laptop back because I am referencing it so much. I really cannot fathom how much information could be missed by not reading the book. [Jason] All of the info that is available via the web is great. That information is a great tool to get people into GTD. However, to understand all of the parts of the GTD puzzle and how they fit together, it is very important to read the book. The book is THE resource on GTD. Now I do not have the book in my briefbag…but I should (*adds to project list*). When we fall off the wagon, and we all do, the book can be a great resource to get us back in line. Understanding the book can make all the difference in the world between “gellin’” with GTD and “soooo not gellin’”.