Getting Things Done: Step 2/3 - Processing & Organizing

This article is part three of a seven part series on Getting Things Done^® (GTD^®) -- the time and productivity management system by David Allen.
Columns In Series:
GTD Post #1: Getting Things Done: Introduction
GTD Post #2: Getting Things Done: Step 1 - Collection
Getting Things Done: Step 2/3 - Processing & Organizing

Now that you've Collected, you should have a huge stack of stuff as well as a bunch of index cards. At this point, you might start to freak out a bit. "What am I supposed to do with all this stuff? This doesn't feel like I'm getting organized! GTD should stand for Getting Things Disorganized!" Hang in there.

Processing and Organizing involves getting everything out of your temporary Collection Buckets and putting it where it belongs. At the end of Processing & Organizing, you'll have nothing in your in-basket and all of those index cards will be gone. Of course, so will several of your other 8 hours, but trust me when I say it's worth it.

Start with either the index cards or the physical stuff. Pick up one thing or card at a time and answer this question:

Is it actionable?

What to do if it is NOT Actionable
There are three possible outcomes:

1. Trash. I LOVE trash. It's such a great feeling to get rid of something. If it's junk, it's junk. The more you throw away the less you have to Process and Organize.
2. Reference. You might pick up something that isn't actionable but that is important. For example, a map, manual, or reference sheet. Since you don't want to throw this out, it must go somewhere. Hum, where should it go? If you have physical stuff, you can create a filing system. Or, if you want to get fancy, you can scan most of your physical stuff into your computer and organize it in folders digitally. Even if you digitize most of your physical documents, there will still be some stuff you either can't scan in or that will be too cumbersome (e.g., printer manual).
3. Incubate. Huh? I didn't understand this at first. Trash I got. Reference I got. But "incubate?" Here's the lowdown . . . if an item/thought isn't immediately actionable and it's not trash or reference, it goes here. For example, let's say a friend tells you to check out a new restaurant in New York. You first Collect it (you could keep a small notebook with you, write it on a Post-It note and drop it in your Inbox, or use some pretty cool electronic GTD tools like I do). Now three days later you're Processing and Organizing all of the stuff you've Collected over the past few days. You come across this Post-It note and ask yourself, "Is it actionable?" Well, if I was going to be in NY next week it might be but it won't be actionable until later. Do I throw it out? No. Is it Reference? Not really. It could go on a generic Someday/Maybe list where I put everything, it could go on a Restaurant List, or if I travel a lot to different cities it could go on a Restaurants - NY list, or maybe I drop the Post-It into a Restaurant folder. Whatever your poison, you're getting the Post-It out of your Inbox/Collection Bucket and putting it in its home. Won't you forget about this if you stuff it away on some list or in some folder? Come on now; Uncle David wouldn't let that happen . . . but we'll get to that later.

1. Projects. If your thing/idea requires multiple steps to complete, it's probably a project. For example, you might have "Have a garage sale" on your Collection list. While it would be lovely if there was just one step to this, there are dozens. Therefore, you'd tuck this item in a generic Project list/folder, or better yet, you'd create a separate list/folder titled "Project - Garage Sale."
2. Do it. For small tasks that you can knock out in less than two minutes, you might as well just do them. For example, your friend highly recommended the book The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth and Purpose (I couldn't resist!). If you're at or near your computer you could quickly go to Amazon.com and buy it in less than two minutes.
3. Delegate it. Why do today what you can get someone else to do? Get as much off your plate as possible by giving it to others who are just as capable. For example, if you GTD correctly, you're going to need several clearly labeled file folders (e.g., Projects, reference folders). If you have someone you can delegate this task to, go for it. Delegation is fantastic if it's done correctly. Here's how not to delegate: "Joe, can you create these six file folders?" If Joe is conscientious you'll get your folders, but what if Joe is GTD-less and forgets? What if you forget to remind Joe? You must delegate effectively by creating a reminder mechanism for all of the stuff you ask other people to do. Here's how to GTD Delegate:
   
   1. Single Waiting For List. You can create a single list of all of the stuff you've delegated. If you don't delegate much, this could work okay, but it's not ideal.
   2. Multiple Waiting For Lists. Each person you delegate to could have their own Waiting For list. For example, you'd have a list titled "Waiting For - Joe" with all of the tasks you're waiting for Joe to complete for you. Note: when I say "list," it doesn't have to be a physical list. It can be a Word doc list, or if you want to get fancy, you could use some of the cool GTD applications I use.
   3. Email Waiting For Lists. If you get nothing from this article or entire GTD series, remember at least this. This single email tip will revolutionize how you handle tasks via email. I live and breathe email. Over 95% of my delegated tasks originate from an email I write. For example, I'll send an email asking, "Ann, can you make sure Susan gets a copy of my book. Her address is below." Who's to say Ann is actually going to send the book to Susan? I used to just hope and pray it got done, but not anymore. I've created several folders in Outlook titled "@WAITING". For example, I have @WAITING O8H for all tasks related to my Other 8 Hours book. I have @WAITING PWA for all tasks related to my wealth management firm (Pacifica Wealth Advisors). I have @WAITING LIZ for all tasks related to my wife. And on and on. So far so good, but we're only half-way there. Once I created these folders, I then created a simple Outlook Rule that says whenever I copy myself on an email that I send it should automatically be moved to my general @WAITING folder (see end of article for how to create this rule in Outlook). Now whenever I send an email with some sort of follow-up required (maybe a reply to me, a task that needs to get done, etc.), I copy myself on the email. Seconds after sending the email, I get a copy of the email and it is automatically moved to my general @WAITING folder. I can then leave it there or I can move it to one of my more specific @WAITING folders. I then religiously go through my @WAITING folders to see who's slacking and if I need to send a reminder email (this can be done in about 10 seconds by opening the email, clicking the dropdown menu Actions, then clicking on "Resend This Message").
4. Defer it. Why do today what you can do tomorrow? There are two possible outcomes:
   
   1. Calendar. Anything that has to be done on a specific day, you put on your calendar. For example, while going through your Collection list, you come across a note to call a client about an order. You know he's going to be leaving the country on Friday, so you would put an appointment on your calendar to call him on Thursday. Since it's not a scheduled call with a set time, you can just make it an "all day" calendar item in Outlook.
   2. Next Action. This is the holy grail of GTD. Put everything and anything that has a physical and visible activity associated with it on the Next Action list. For example, put air in bike tires, update Smith plan, sketch new homepage design, call sister, complete marketing proposal, etc. All of these require a physical action and none require more than one step.

It would be nice if someone developed some kind of flow chart graphic for this process . . . oh wait, they did. See the beautiful chart below (Renoir has nothin' on David Allen).

How to Create GTD WAITING Email Rule in Outlook
Tools --> Rules and Alerts --> New Rule --> Start from a blank rule --> Check messages when they arrive --> select both "where my names is in the Cc box" and "from people or distribution list" --> click the link "people or distribution list" and enter your email address or select it from your address book --> move it to the specified folder --> click the link "specified" and select the WAITING folder you created

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