The World's Simplest Productivity Method, with Bonus Mini-Processing Examples
Friday, March 6, 2009 at 11:12AM 
When I get media inquiries for expert opinion, I'm often asked for easy-to-understand descriptions and examples. As you know from posts like Extreme GTD: How Low Can You Go (or: Can We 80-20 GTD?), I like simplifying. Following is the simplest description I can come up with of how methods like GTD work.
I'd Love To Know...
- What do you think of my description? How would you improve it?
- Do you have a method for managing yourself?
- How would you describe it?
- How well is it working for you?
The World's Simplest Productivity Method
- Capture all incoming items into a small number of inboxes [1]: email, paper, and voice.
- Empty those every day.
- To empty an inbox, apply the 5Ds [2] one by one to each item: DELETE, DEPOSIT (file), DELEGATE, DO, and DEFER.
- The last three Ds take action and need tracking in a system:
- DELEGATE: Hand off to someone else, and track in a Waiting For [3] list.
- DO: If the action can be done in a couple of minutes, do it right then.
- Otherwise, DEFER doing it for later, and track in either the Calendar or an Actions list:
- If the action is date-related, put it on the Calendar.
- Track all other actions on an Actions list.
- During the day work the Actions list as your Calendar permits, and review the Waiting For for needed follow-ups.
What's neat is you can see there are four actionable categories in this approach: A Calendar and three lists (Projects, Actions, and Waiting For).
Additional concepts
I sometimes include a few other ideas:
- Use chunking to break larger tasks into small, doable actions.
- Call the large tasks "projects," and list them all on a master Projects list.
- Every project must have at least one "active" action on the Actions list.
The Method Applied: Mini-cases
To see it in action, following are a few email messages, and how I'd handle each one. (Sidebar: This is a simplified version of the "Stuff Practice" exercise I do in my workshops. I do it at the end of the workshop to pull together all the day's concepts. It's a popular group exercise that gets uniformly high marks. Best yet, it's fun!)
- Message from boss asking for quick status.
- Can reply in a minute, so reply then move message to email project folder.
- Message from partner asking me to order equipment.
- Can order in two minutes (1-Click), so order it, track order on Waiting For, and move to email project folder.
- Message asking for quarterly report.
- Will take longer than two minutes, but can be done in one sitting.
- Not date-related (should be done ASAP), so put on Actions list.
- Message setting up a meeting for next week.
- Date-related, so put appointment on Calendar then delete message.
- Message asking to arrange a conference on a specific date.
- Complex multi-step task, so add entry to Projects list.
- Pull out starting action (e.g., "research venues") and add to Actions list.
- Put date on Calendar.
- Move message into new email project folder specific to the conference.
References
- [1] An attempt at serendipity and synchronicity: Arbitrarily-selected posts mentioning "inboxes":
- Use These 5W/1H Questions To Test Your Productivity Chops
- A Dozen Small Ways To Get Productivity Improvements To Stick In An Organization
- Reader Question: Getting Personal Productivity Changes To Stick?
- The Productivity I/O Sweet Spot, Or Why Balance Is A Bad Thing
- Dealing With Meeting Notes - GTD To The Rescue!
- Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide: Productivity Lessons From Basic Math
- Small Steps To Big Results: Do One High Value Task A Day
- Some Answers To "Should I Keep It?" When Filing
- [2] See How To Process Stuff - A Comparison Of TRAF, The "Four Ds", And GTD's Workflow Diagram.
- [3] I'm using David Allen's terminology because 1) GTD is so popular that maintaining consistency taps into shared language, 2) it diverges from more traditional terms (e.g., "to-dos" and "tasks" for actions), and 3) they are damn good names! :-)
Reader Comments (22)
Wow... That's the simplest, shortest and most understandable explanation i've read. Great post.
Nice having your here, Daniel John.
I totally agree with above... simple, easy, straight to the point.
Think this is what most of us really need to manage our lives.
Currently I'm in "simplification mode" getting rid of unused applications, deleting old files, keeping just couple important list.
Great summary of what's realy useful!
Thanks
Always a good practice to review what we're doing.
Simple and elegant. But on the reasonable assumption that we all have more work to do in a day than can be done in a day, those calendar pages and action lists will begin to fill to overflowing, and when that happens the DEFER function will become very problematic indeed. Fires will break out, emergencies will lead to interruptions, and then one day, out of time, you won't empty your inboxes. I think the review function needs to be elevated in importance, perhaps right before you DO anything. And I think the calendar should be used as a tactical, not a strategic, tool: if you start your day with a review (or end it with one), the next step is to pull items off the action list and onto a calendar which defines that day's work and only that day's work. The calendar should be a closed list, or else it becomes a club with which you beat yourself with the evidence of your own inadequacy. As with the recession, there's a consumer confidence element here which keeps the whole operation running, and nothing is more discouraging than having a simple system that isn't up to the task. The media's desire to have something complex simplified matches one's inner desire for a free lunch, and should be resisted with the canniness of an auto executive testifying before Congress.
Just wanted to put my two cents here.
Simplification is great tool for returning to balance. I think there is a tendency to take more, want more, do more but at some point we reach our limits. We need to step back and find another way/ approach to life, economy, etc.
As you say simplification is not a solution to complex problems. Yet complex problems can be solved by series (even large) of simple actions. All we need to do is to tackle them one after the other.
Cheers
Hi Greenman. I agree; I think efficient processing is just the first step, but a [ Do Not Pass Go | http://www.ajnproductionsltd.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/do-not-pass-go-2.jpg ] one.
and when that happens the DEFER function will become very problematic indeed.
Yes. And thanks for the 2x2: deferring effectively (increasing list) vs. doing regularly (decreasing list).
I think the review function needs to be elevated in importance, perhaps right before you DO anything.
This is a good point. I'd be concerned that too much reviewing while emptying leads to spending too much time on a process that needs to be as fast as possible. I.e., seems like different thinking. However, one thing I've been playing with is making more explicit the action-goal connection. A simple text icon or rating, perhaps?
calendar a tactical tool, not strategic...
Agreed. This is the best-expressed use of the calendar I've seen. Thanks!
if you start your day with a review (or end it with one), the next step is to pull items off the action list and onto a calendar which defines that day's work and only that day's work
Yep - I call this the Daily Review.
The calendar should be a closed list
Hmmm. Not sure I agree. In one sense yes, a specific time slot on the calendar can't be added to. However, it has an infinite number of those...
consumer confidence index
Blog post!
The media's desire to have something complex simplified matches one's inner desire for a free lunch, and should be resisted with the canniness of an auto executive testifying before Congress.
Spoken like a true fellow ____? :-) I'm sure science writers like Carl Sagan walked that balance carefully and explicitly. To me it seems to have worsened. Faster, simpler, less nuanced.
Thanks again for the great comment!
Great question, Rafal. I wonder when it applies. If it's simplifying your perspective, I can see pluses and minuses. Ditto for simplifying actions, though the latter seems more universally positive. Thoughts?
Ah, the Daily Review. Therein lies the world ....
One very significant refinement you've made to David Allen's work is to increase the frequency of two components of the system. He says to bring your inboxes to zero at least once a week, and to take the occasion of the Weekly Review to do this. You say do it every day, no matter what. He says do a Weekly Review. You say do a Daily Review. I'm firmly with you on these, to the point that I think the system will break down if you don't handle those two components daily. Obviously, you and he both bring much more nuanced thinking to these ideas, and neither approach is mutually exclusive, but I think it's important, in the crush of daily work and interruptions, to keep this simple concept foremost in one's thinking and doing: Process and Review Daily. I'd go so far as to say that this part of the process needs to be "protected" from the rest of the work one does, in an almost physical, lock-the-door-and-unplug-the-phone way.
I think that across the spectrum of personal productivity writing, there's not agreement about this. Tim Ferriss advocates batching. Mark Forster advocates "doing it tomorrow." And so on. There's a tendency to take a kind of marketing approach to this and portray the process of getting things done as a sort of automatic, self-maintaining system. I think it's far from that, and that because we're all in the position of signing up for more work in a day than can be done in a day, entropy is present from the moment of creation. This is a real threat to happy outcomes.
Exellent thread!
The way I see simplification is like a reset button. You push it everything goes black and you start again.
Similar with productivity systems. When we (I) start with implementation everything is nice and clean, everything has it's edges but over time the clutter crawls in and blur dominates.
I haven't figured out this yet. Whether it's bacuase habits are not implemented correctly or may be there is something in human (my) nature that leads us (me) toward letting things slip.
I'm leaning toward "blaming" the nature :) but need to think about this more.
Fantastic discussion.
I'm very interested in how "clutter crawls in and blur dominates." This is a force that I battle on such an ongoing basis that I think it should not be treated as an ancillary effect of working but as an essential characteristic of working. These systems we set up need to be resilient enough -- perhaps "recursive" would be a better word -- to address their own breakdown.
Thanks a ton, Greenman. I agree the system is fragile without them, though to clarify: David Allen does say to empty at least daily. The daily review is my addition, the the idea's been around for decades.
Tim Ferriss advocates batching. Mark Forster advocates "doing it tomorrow." And so on.
Batching is central to almost every practical, widely-applicable method. There's simply too much coming in to do in one day. Mark makes this point, and it's what I tried to address in [ The Productivity I/O Sweet Spot, Or Why Balance Is A Bad Thing | Matthew Cornell - Personal Productivity Specialist | http://matthewcornell.org/2008/06/the-productivity-io-sweet-spot-or-why-balance-a-bad-thing.html ]. I like Forster's idea of configuring your life so that, on average, you have one day's equivalent work coming in each day. For example, if you get 4 hours of solid work in per day (a not unreasonable expectation in an 8 hour day), the you should have < = 4 coming in each day, including emptying inboxes. Tracking this is a great [ micro-experiment | http://matthewcornell.org/2009/02/micro-experiments.html ].
portray the process of getting things done as a sort of automatic, self-maintaining system
I think it's far from that, and that because we're all in the position of signing up for more work in a day than can be done in a day, entropy is present from the moment of creation. This is a real threat to happy outcomes.
Well said.
I love it! Thanks for yet another great idea for a post. With credit, naturally. Factors: Natural, including [ entropy | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_entropy ] (us, our work, and our world). Structural (poorly implemented system); Behavioral (missing or bad habits)
> Fantastic discussion.
Much obliged.
Hi Matt, my first time here, a friend of mine who knows my work pointed me here. Great content, by the way. I am convinced that the reason why more people are hacking GTD rather than following the full approach is because the whole methodology, as set out by David Allen, is quite complex and carries an overhead that most busy people can't justify / sustain.
The Underpinning philosophy, like many articulated in this arena, is rock solid, it is just that practice can tend towards the shifting sands - especially with so many variations available, ranging from technology add-ons to alternative takes on almost every element of the process. I'm not disrespecting it, I just think, from my experience of working with thousands of people, that it is more utopian than utilitarian.
It is important however, because like 'First Things First' and many other well researched, well written and well marketed approaches, it gets people engaging with purpose and process and – to declare an interest – this is where my life work is focused.
My philosophy around this can be summarised as: ‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Goals bridge the gap’.
My approach to tools is ‘Use fewer and integrate them more’ I use Microsoft Outlook (with suitably customised views and no add-ons) + Mindmanager + a synchronised Smartphone. I also carry a beautiful Italian leather bound journal but anything written in there that needs action is transferred to Outlook as my trusted system.
Vision / Goals / Projects: all documented and actioned from Outlook Contacts
Actions: All driven through Outlook Tasks – usually driven directly from (and thereby permanently linked to) their parent Contact forms.
Emails: Empty the inbox of all new mails through 4D approach executed in this order: Delete or file, then Delegate (with chase up Task if appropriate), then Date Activate (by inserting into Task with a start date, category and priority attached) then Do now. Then – importantly get out of the inbox and back into my one-day calendar view with meetings, conference calls and today’s key Tasks before me. I do not subscribe to the 2 minute rule. Too many people spend too much time dealing with quick action emails, in my view.
This approach works well for me. Obviously this is not a detailed exposition but it overviews the key elements.
I look forward to contributing more,
Kind regards
Richard
I've not studied clutter as a subject, partly because it's in the realm of Professional Organizers, an association I actively dissuade for a couple of reasons. It's important, though. My perspective is to address structural causes by implementing a system. Dealing with underlying causes (as we discussed in our deep [ How To Approach Solving Procrastination | http://matthewcornell.org/2009/02/how-approach-solving-procrastination-hint-think-magnifying-glass-not-tips-tricks.html ] thread) happens in the process framework, but I look at this and other topics in my initial consult with prospective clients.
Funny you mention resiliency - I listed "Too Brittle" as a [ GTD "hole" | http://matthewcornell.org/2008/04/10-gtd-holes-and-how-plug-them.html ].
Finally, see [ Rafal`s comments | http://matthewcornell.org/2009/03/the-worlds-simplest-productivity-method-with-bonus-mini-processing-examples.html#comment-2188 ] on entropy for why it happens.
Good topic.
Somehow I'm happy with falling behind as it forces a re-evaluation of life. Although I not happy when it happens too often :)
Love the idea of recursive system. Would that be somewhat similar to idea of perpetual motion? A system that never breaks and is always in top shape. Is it possible?
But is it the system that breaks or it's the user that breaks it?
Greenman, Matt I'm learning a ton here! Thanks!
Cheers
Rafal
Welcome, Richard; thanks for stopping by. First, I like that you quantify client improvements. In [ How Do You Measure Personal Productivity? | http://matthewcornell.org/2008/04/how-do-you-measure-personal-productivity.html ] I wrote about challenges to doing this. It'd be fun to learn more about the research behind getting 47 minutes/day freed up. Thanks also for describing your system. I really like beautiful Italians.
the reason people are hacking GTD... full approach .. methodology is complex and carries an overhead that most busy people can't justify / sustain
I agreed the full implementation of a GTD-like method can be daunting - it's basically why I'm hired. As I wrote in [ Extreme GTD: How Low Can You Go (or: Can We 80-20 GTD?) | http://matthewcornell.org/blog/2008/01/extreme-gtd-how-low-can-you-go-or-can.html ], radicaly simplifications are possible, with the attendant tradeoffs.
from my experience of working with thousands of people, that it is more utopian than utilitarian
Crikey!
it gets people engaging with purpose and process
Absolutely. Excellently put.
My philosophy around this can be summarised as: ‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Goals bridge the gap’.
I'm reminded of this quote, by Kimsey-House:
From [ The Naked Desk: Everything you need to strip away clutter, save time & get things done. | http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978973003?ie=UTF8&tag=masidbl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0978973003 ]Empty through 4D approach...
Very nice. I collect these. They are yummy. I especially like "chase up Task" and "Date Activate."
I look forward to contributing more,
Always welcome. Thanks again.
Nice insight. Thanks again, Rafal.
Hi Matt,
you do mean Italian journals don't you?
I didn't know where to address the question on measuring personal productivity so I thought I would answer briefly here and explore the site further to provide a fuller response.
I said in the title that this area can be difficult but it is always necessary to provide some form of measurement for both the individual and the business. Individuals need to have some form of scale against which they can 'measure' their improvement or progress towards a goal and businesses need some form of 'measure' to justify their investment in their training investments.
Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation is well founded and respected. Level 4 is the Gold Standard, the obvious problem is that to obtain a secure Level 4 evaluation would probably cost more than the training intervention being measured!
It is important, in my view to 'measure' hard and soft criteria - we are, after all, body, soul, flesh and blood and there is nothing wrong with capturing that 'softer stuff'.
Our approach is to get delegates to complete pre and post training evaluation forms. These ask them to grade their specific behaviours within specific categories of workload management on a 5 point scale. The post training evaluation is completed 4 to 6 weeks after the training so as to measure sustained behaviour changes, not just post workshop euphoria and promise. The form also asks the question 'How much time do you feel you have gained each day as a result of this programme? Purely subjective BUT it comes after a bunch of specific behaviour based questions. We also ask about their sense of how they are managing their stress levels and work/life balance and to provide a brief narrative on what the programme has meant to them.
I am told by our delegates that this post workshop evaluation is a motivating exercise and have often thought that it would be fun to be able to measure the impact of just doing this exercise!!!
We then present an anonymous group report to the Learning and Development department and to the sponsoring Manager if appropriate. We provide a ROI calculation based upon the average time gain per day across all the delegates, with the caveat that this is a 'sense' number not an independently observed, recorded and verified absolute number. This, along with the general 'softer' feedback from each delegate to the L&D department, line manager and colleagues, seems to be more than enough for our clients.
I hope this gives you a general idea of our approach to this area.
Best wishes
Richard
Great concepts Matt. Keeping it simple is key. The biggest challenge for many might not be the process but getting through the main bit: regularily emptying your inbox. This is where it is important to look at ones´ personality and lifestyle.
Suggestions?
People do have a preferred style of living and playing. A lot of this actually is set when are are kids. Dumping a rigid system or process makes many feel in distress. You can change a habit. But what does it take to change multiple habits or your whole perferred lfe style. If you ever went through a MBTI or Birkman program, you will be able to relate to this. The most important piece to simple productivity is awareness. Yet this is also the most difficult one to teach.