Side Hustle Sidekicks: Getting Things Done

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01

Aug

On to sidekick number 2 of my five favorite side hustle sidekicks! If you missed part one, check it out here. I am going to share some of my favorite tools that help me live that hustle life while dream chasing! This handy dandy tool is handy for anyone regardless of if they are living that corporate life, rocking a creative hustle, or being a super parent. 

 

 

 

 

Up next, GETTING THINGS DONE! 

Sounds pretty good already, right?! Everyong likes to get things done! GTD is a time-management method by a man named David Allen. For years and years I thought I was too good to investigate a time management system because I was pretty successful at managing things and I always felt like I had to find my own way. Ya know.. because I am so special and all. 

The truth is, you might be special but probably not too special to learn from the best! David Allen is one of the best and has been proving that for well over a decade. The basic attraction is pretty simple: you should never have to have the same thought twice. Have you ever told yourself over and over again, “I can’t forget to do XYZ tomorrow. Man, I really need to make sure I do XYZ tomorrow. Ugh, I need to make sure I jump on XYZ tomorrow as soon as I get home.” Maybe you can’t go to sleep or wake up in the middle of the night due to the long list of to-dos running through your head like an avalanche. 

I’ve been there for sure. I got to the point where no matter how many lists I made or sticky notes I had stuck to my computer screen, I just could not get my brain to give me a moment of rest. AND I was started to forget things. I was overloaded and my mind did not trust those sticky notes to do all the work so it kept on reminding me of all the things I really needed to do RIGHT NOW! If I was at work, I kept thinking of all the things I needed to do at home. While at home, I stressed about the things I did not get done at work. If this sounds like you, hang in there! 

“YOUR MIND IS FOR HAVING GREAT IDEAS, NOT HOLDING THEM.”

GTD is all based on a system to capture your tasks, put them in groupings that make sense, and going through the motions to help your brain TRUST that it can let something go after it is in your GTD inbox. Your inbox can be a physical place that all things go, but I live and work in almost an entirely digital work, so my inbox is digital. I sort my tasks in to things related to work, home, and photography. That way when I am ready to sit down and kick butt for photography, I can bring up ONLY those tasks on my screen. Same for work! Within each of those big headings, I have smaller projects too. Every thing you enter in needs to be a ONE STEP task. If it is a big project, you break it down in to lots of little tasks because who does not love checking things off a list?! 

 Screenshot from GettingThingsDone.com 

Screenshot from GettingThingsDone.com 

CAPTURE

CLARIFY

ORGANIZE

 REFLECT

ENGAGE

So there are the five main steps for GTD magic. Now, I no longer think in those steps because I have my routine worked out. But it is certainly how I got started! I am not too experienced in doing all of this with a physical inbox as I mentioned above, but I manage all of my tasks using a program called OMNIFOCUS. After lots and lots and lots of research and trials, I truly believe this program to be the BEST option for GTD. It has a clean interface, short cuts on my keyboard, and apps for all my devices. The downsides are that it is pretty pricey and it only works for Apple products. I do not regret a single penny I paid for this program and I have used it every day for years. You can even buy a setup guide for Omnifocus from Getting Things Done if you need help getting started. 

 mmmmmm, don't you just love a lineup of apple products?! Screenshot from Omnigroup.com/omnifocus 

mmmmmm, don’t you just love a lineup of apple products?! Screenshot from Omnigroup.com/omnifocus 

If you do not want to invest in something like Omnifocus or you are not a mac user, there are other great options such as:

  •  Things: this is another Mac only option and has super tempted me. Beautiful program with great functionality. It has the cleanest interface and I believe would be the easiest for a beginner to pick up. It is NOT cheap. 
  •  Todoist: this is what Nick (fiancé) uses. Works on all computers and it is FREE!! There are a ton of tutorials out there about using this program specifically for GTD. 
  • Wunderlist: this program works on all computers and there are advanced options to add team functionality (like you would see with something similar to a Trello board). The free version has everything you would need to get rocking as a GTD master. 

“YOUR ABILITY TO GENERATE POWER IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO YOUR ABILITY TO RELAX”

I really really believe you have to balance work AND play in your life or you won’t be as successful overall. If you’re like me, the only way to pull that off is to make a little extra space in the ol’ noggin. My first suggestion is to read David Allen’s book and I will give you a link to that at the bottom of the page. It is typically available for rent through most local libraries as well. There is an audiobook version if reading is not your thing and you can check out the podcast. There is a cool dude named Tiago Forte and he put together a pretty rad class about GTD. Just google it and you will find an abundance of resources. GTD has been around awhile and isn’t going anywhere any time soon! 


Why stop now? Snag some more information! 

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