Ever feel like all you do is respond to a fire hose of email? Is it hard for you to keep track of all your tasks and projects? Are you often losing track of important information? Maybe it's time to rethink your entire approach to managing information. We're not big on "personal productivity systems," but we've become converts to David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology. It's helped several staff members here at ONE/Northwest get a handle on their "to do" lists.

Getting Things Done ("GTD" for short) is a set of techniques for managing tasks and information that, in the words of our friend Carl Coryell-Martin, "is the first system based on the assumption that you are managing 50-100 projects and have 200 things that need to be done right now."

The GTD process is extremely simple, and can be implemented both offline and online. Applied diligently, GTD will allow you to literally empty your inbox, while helping you to manage your tasks and projects more actively. You can apply it using a range of tools from Outlook to scraps of paper. (Although there is a handy Getting Things Done Outlook plug-in available for $70.)

The best way to get into Getting Things Done is probably to get the book -- it's available in paperback for $14. You can support ONE/Northwest by buying it online from Powells.com

To find out more:
Getting Things Done web site
Getting Things Done users' forum

Adopting the Getting Things Done system requires some upfront work and some ongoing focused effort, but we've found it to be time well spent.