GTD: Getting Things Done

1

It's been a week since org-mode was used, during which he flipped through david allen's getting
Things Done, GTD) I like this idea.

GTD
There is no confusion with other time management methods. Naturally, there is something special. First, imagine a time management tool like planner, but first set a big goal, a small goal, and then subdivided into many operational
Things with high performance are arranged every day. This idea of going up and down has been accepted by most people, but Rao is so, people still feel exhausted every day. If it is hard to say, a bunch of unexpected things will pop up one day, forcing
You become a fireman;
Or suddenly you receive an irresistible command from your boss to make all your plans fail ..

So what exactly is wrong? There are at least a few points:
The top-down list of things may make you unable to take care of any subtle things that may erupt on any day.
Some of the things you listed do not have to be done on the current day. Forcing the columns will hold your energy down.
Generally, time management only lists a few of the things you have to worry about, rather than all of them. There are still a lot of things in your mind that affect your work efficiency.
Any temporary emergency will charge you for your previous arrangement

The emergence of GTD is aimed at the above points. Before entering the topic, we should first establish some ideas, because to do everything well, we need faith (just like open source, emacs, and latex, we cannot stick to it without faith :), the details are as follows:
The less things are installed, the higher the work efficiency.
Things are rarely blocked due to lack of time (although everyone thinks so). They are often in trouble because they do not know how to take action at the beginning.
From the bottom up, list all things that may be lingering in your mind and use a reliable external system to manage them for you.
Collect all your own ideas, only encourage not to fight, the pursuit of quantity is not quality
Review and sort out the external system, analyze everything, and determine the next action.
2. Collection and Processing

According to the idea of just doing (GTD), you need a reliable external system to take over all the things that may disturb your mood, and you should have no worries in your mind, you can "just do it.

Here, org-mode is naturally the reliable external system, which comes with emacs23 and is slightly configured in. emacs.
(Add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist' ("\. org $". org-mode ))
(Define-key global-map "\ c-Cl" 'org-store-link)
(Define-key global-map "\ c-ca" 'org-Agenda)
(Setq org-hide-leading-stars T)
(Setq org-log-done t)

The following is the official start. Create a folder first, as shown in figure
/. Org/, create an org file in it. For example, all personal transactions unrelated to work are stored in self.org. It looks like this (explained after the first line ):
+ Tags: Easy (e) Comm (c) Office (o) read (r) Urgent (u) Future (f) Wait (W)
Memo (m)
* Reading and Charging
** Computer
* Strong fitness
** Strength, bodybuilding
** Aerobic Exercise
* Interpersonal relationship
* Basket
** Temporary basket

Then start to calm down and patiently, from the bottom up, move everything that lingers in your mind to this system. Keep in mind that you are all. Do not leave any hidden dangers. If you are not specific or mature, you must write them down. In short, do not let them harass your mood.

For example, today, you find that there are many new books you are interested in the new study room of the library. From time to time, you may feel that you should improve your expression, writing, and speaking skills, as well as a bunch of books you want to read, hope to cultivate
With good reading habits, I also want to learn how to use blender for 3D modeling. I think that Beijing is not long in autumn. I should go out and enjoy the sun and enjoy the rusty bones, I think that my undergraduate students have not been in touch for a long time.
... Write it all down. Whether it's something specific, vague intentions, or immature ideas, write them down first. It may take about an hour or two to do this for the first time. It is not surprising to write hundreds of records.
Pay attention to accumulation.

The following is an example:
# + Tags: Easy (e) Comm (c) Office (o) reading (r) Urgent (u) Future (f) Wait (W)
Memo (m)
* Reading and Charging
** Develop reading habits
* ** If you do not have any conditions, go to the library for two hours away from your computer at night: Easy:
* ** Download the jar ebook of interest to Todo and upload it to your mobile phone.
** Computer
*** Read <mastering algorithms with Perl>: Future:
* ** Learn blender 3D modeling: Future:
** English
* ** Never learn English: Easy:
-[] Listen to the same tape repeatedly every day
-[] Listen for dictation and follow-up after a month
* Strong fitness
** Strength, bodybuilding
* ** Todo: Easy:
** Aerobic Exercise
* ** Go to Badaling's Great Wall
*** Participate in a 1.3 + level Traversal
*** Cycling around Beijing city in half a lap
* Interpersonal relationship
*** I haven't seen any old students for a long time
* Basket
** Temporary basket
* ** The graduate study room on the second floor of the document center is very good and powerful: memo:
*** Improve the ability to express and write: urgent:
*** Improve the speech ability: Future:
* ** Read <philosophical story>: reading:

All items start with *, and * number represents the level. org-mode is actually an outline.
Mode, with * is the outline item. Org-mode supports the following operations on the outline item (move the cursor over the outline item ):
Tab collapse, open subitem, shift-tab collapse, open entire document
C-c specifies the current item label, as shown in the following figure: urgent:,: memo:, to facilitate future classification search.
M-Number of left and right direction keys minus/increasing *
M-Move the current item position with the up and down arrow keys
C-c-t: set the current item status to Todo done or blank
C-c-s planning time (only recommended for appointment or not at this time)
C-c-d deadline (deadline)

Now, assuming that you already have a list of hundreds of rows, don't let it pile up like this, so you're done with it, the things that are hard to clear from your mind may be lingering in your mind in a short time. What you need to do now is to clear all the information you put in the system on which you are dependent. The specific process is as follows:
Process them one by one and make a decision immediately.
If it is determined to be spam, delete
If someone else can be appointed and assigned, set the label to: Wait:. You do not need to do anything under this label)
Killing immediately within 2 minutes
Actions should be taken as soon as possible, but c-t should be set to Todo if it takes more than 2 minutes.
This is a non-specific transaction (such as reading habits), so determine how to implement the next step (Create conditions and download jar books)
The tag for future tasks may be: Future:
Do not add any unhandled items at any time. Check and handle the items in time (for example, there are four or five unhandled items in the previous example, which should not be handled)
3. Planning and implementation
A university lecturer brought a bag of sand, a bag of small pebbles, a few big stones and a bucket during his class and asked if anyone could load these different shapes into a bucket. An enthusiastic student volunteered
On the podium, I grabbed the sandbags and poured them into the bucket. Then I put the pebbles into the bucket. But when it was the turn of the big stone, he found that the bucket was not enough space. The lecturer shook his head with regret. He emptied the bucket.
First put the several stones into the barrel, then put the pebbles in, and then pour into the sand. Finally, he shook the barrel and saw the three different shapes work seamlessly together to squeeze the barrel full.

The first principle of our planning is to give priority to big stones. We set the priority of the important tasks of the week to the highest level in org-mode before each week (SHIFT + up and down keys set the optimization of each item ).
Level), but set as few things as possible, because these things must be completed and should be completed as soon as possible. As for whether or not to set the date at the beginning, it depends on my personal preferences. Some people work better under the pressure of the time limit, while others do
It will lead to anxiety, but generally GTD does not recommend that you set the date at the beginning (unless of course there are time-limited things ).

Then, the daily plan should also be determined. Generally, there are two to three most important things. In org-mode, c-c
C-s will plan it to the current day, and set the priority to the highest (SHIFT + up and down keys to set the optimization level for each item), things should be described as specific as possible, and ensure that the task can be completed on the current day (detailed if the task fails to be completed ). Then
It's about fixing your big rock as soon as possible. Don't look for any reason for delay. After that, praise yourself. As for other transactions, of course you will be happy to do something by the way, isn't it? After a while, you will find
Many things are done without knowing them, especially when important things are not delayed.
If you concentrate on your work for a few hours, you will surely get more results than the ever-distracting work day. Generally, it takes 15 minutes to enter the focus state.
It is important to maintain a focused external environment and psychological environment. A few minutes before you enter the focus state, it is better to clear all the things that are lingering in your mind (written to org) than to be disturbed again after you enter the focus state.

As for execution, needless to say, of course, the more focused the better, only one thing at a time, while the trivial matters in mind have been cleared up in advance. In addition, try to improve your working environment.

C-C
Change c-t to done, praise yourself, scan the list, and find out what to do next. Remember that the next step is truly feasible. All things are delayed because you have not thought about the specific next step.
What, not because of the lack of time, so it takes a minute to think about what to do next for anything that is not specific. This minute is definitely worth it.

As for the scan list, because the list is too long, the org-mode will provide a series of methods to help you find it:
C-C/: Click keywords in the current org. For example, you can find a tag such as Office: C-C/<RET>
Office <RET>
C-c:
Calendar, in the calendar state, D or W is viewed by day or week. to jump to the day, the left and right keys are one day before and after (week)
C-c a t:
List all the todo items. You can jump to the corresponding org by pressing the middle key on each item. The operations are also very convenient. Check the menu for details.
C-c a m:
Search by TAG. This is the reason why tags are used for each task at the beginning. It is convenient to query them at this time. For example, if you want to query the office in the office, if you want to go out, check out what can happen on the trip.
If you feel that your mind is swollen and you need to change your mind, you can find out what is easy. If you want to give your finger, you can see what has been done by others in wait, looking at the future
Great planning ....
C-a m: search by tag, but only for todo items
In addition, C-a c can customize some search methods. Try it by yourself.
4. Review and Simplification

The review here is not a weekend or evening reflection, but a review of all the things recorded in the target and org-mode.

The significance of Weekly Review is this: it gives you a chance,
To reorganize everything and check what is the most important task.
The following are the steps for GTD weekly review:
Review your long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals
Add tags (c-c)
C-c ).
C-c a. Look at the calendar and see if there is any appointment or deadline.
Check the task list in each situation (c-c A m ).
Set a big stone, but don't worry about putting it on every day

As for the review at the beginning of each day, the most important thing is to set the three most important things first, and the three things will be done, and the description should be as practical as possible, and should be completed in the morning as far as possible, in this way, we will not feel that we did nothing on the day. In addition, one of the three major stones should be related to your long-term goal or life plan, which can improve your sense of accomplishment.

Then there is simplification, because the principle of GTD is to ensure that you can focus on one thing. It builds a system to help you clean up all the things in your head to focus on it.
Eight bad things fill your schedule for your attention, and it only sets three things on the schedule every day for your attention. If the list in your org-mode is so long, does it affect your focus,
Simplify it.
Clear. Sometimes we will find that many things do not have to be done or delayed. There are still many things that can be done in 2 minutes.
Clear your goals and then filter them based on your goals.
Reduce your commitment
Refresh the velocity that can be heap together, and complete all the attacks when appropriate.
There will always be only three things on the day's agenda, the most important three, and one is related to your long-term planning.
Remove trivial things, such as my calendar (c-c
A) Only two org files are searched: work.org,
Self.org, but I can have a bunch of other org files, such as a study plan for a subject or book (by the way, it's good to take notes with org, for example, you can first list the chapters in the book, each chapter
In the following section, use-[] Question
List all the questions you want to know, learn about each item, update the answer to the question, and change it-
[X] answer format)
For the separated org files, you can use [description] to link them. In fact,
The link function provided by org is very powerful, and you can even use shell commands.
5. Reflection and passion

The fundamental purpose of using GTD or org-mode for time management is to take control of your own life, neither to be delayed by meaningless things, do not get killed in seemingly endless work.

To maintain a strong spirit and passion, we need reflection and self-motivation. Benign psychological cues are definitely unexpected.

To fully reflect on the situation, you may create a review.org without adding it to the calendar. The content example is as follows. Of course, what exactly should be written according to your personal situation, A self-conceived system can be used effectively:
* Review
** Daily reflection
-[] What do I do today? How do I pay?
-[]
What are the three major stones today? Which one is related to my life plan? Are they all put down? If no, what is the next step?
-[] 1.
-[] 2.
-[] 3.
-[] What have I learned today?
-[]
What qualities have I improved my life today? What kind of investment have I made today for the future?
** Weekend reflection
-[] Have all plans been completed this week? What is the effect?
-[] Are you in a hurry this week? Which adjustments are required?
-[] Is the work status focused this week? What makes me distracted or worried? How to eliminate it?
-[]
What have you done every day this week (such as memorizing English articles, reading books, and cultivating certain habits )? If not, why not stick to it?
** When you are bored, review
-[]
What makes me feel happy now? To what extent can I be happy? How do I feel?
-[]
What makes me feel exciting at the moment? To what extent does it inspire me? How do I feel?
-[]
What do I feel grateful for in my life? To what extent can I be grateful? How do I feel?
-[]
What makes me feel appreciated in my life at this moment? To what extent do I appreciate? How do I feel?
-[]
What is worth my effort in my life at this moment? To what extent can I work? How do I feel?
-[]
What kind of people do I like? Who like me? To what extent do I like? How do I feel?

The last important thing is to do what you want to do. Imagine that everything you do every day is what you like to do, so you will certainly be willing to make more efforts to do what you want to do, that is, extend your
However, there will be fewer things, and things will be almost impossible to accumulate (as I have said more than once, things will never be completed because time is not enough, or you do not know how to proceed next, or you didn't leave)

You may laugh: "do you have to say what I want to do? "So I ask you, do you know what you want to do? If you know, do you know what to do next? Can the next step be implemented immediately? If all of the above answers are answered, why not do it?

For example, if your current job is exhausted and it is time to reflect and make changes, add the following after review.org:
** I want to find my favorite job.
*** Investigation
-[] Who is engaged in your favorite job?
-[] How did they get the job?
-[] What are the requirements and standards for obtaining this job? Or what is a stumbling block?
-[] A higher degree?
-[] A good job experience?
-[] Or other skills?
* ** Set a plan: come up with some useful methods to solve your stumbling block.
-[] Training and training
-[] Seeking advice and accumulating relevant experience
-[] Self-study
*** Start action, don't wait
-[] Daily reflection: I have not removed any stumbling block or took a step towards the goal? What is next?
-[] Weekly reflection: Are I persistent? What should I do next?
6. End

GTD (Just Do It) was accidentally seen when I searched for org-mode. In fact, it was also a rough look. It may be far from the essence, but I still like this theory, including org-mode is also very good for me. It is used not only for daily planning, but also for Reading Notes, learning plans, and learning notes.

As for the note I wrote, in fact, every article was written in a rush. It was written to a large extent to complete the task. Please forgive me if anyone thinks it is too bad. Maybe I will rewrite it later based on my understanding.

You can find the original book and more information about GTD from the fading ink. If you are interested in this book, we recommend that you read the original book. As for org-mode, I think it is still very powerful. I use M-X.
Org-info is helpful. You can use your creativity and imagination flexibly.

Of course, you can also combine GTD with other theories to improve your system, such as using the Franklin self-cultivation form to change the first column to your daily reflection or weekly reflection project. As for introspection
Let's look at yourself. For example, if you want to change your selfish and cruel character (joke), or you want to change your routine, you can write it. In addition, like Franklin, each period of time should be particularly focused on one of them.
And so on.

Finally, let's take a look at how org-mode can be exported to HTML or text (and the XOXO format is actually html. Try it yourself ). However, the default HTML style is really not very good. Fortunately, it can be customized. First, add the following to. emacs:
(Defcustom org-export-HTML-style
"<LINK rel = \" stylesheet \ "type = \" text/CSS \ "href = \" wheer.css \ "> """
: Group 'org-export-html
: Type 'string)

Then the output HTML can use custom CSS. The following is an example:
HTML {font-family: Times, Serif; font-size: 12pt ;}
. Title,. Author {display: none ;}
. Todo {color: red ;}
. Done {color: green ;}
. Timestamp {color: Gray}
. Timestamp-KWD {color: cadetblue}
. Tag {background-color: lightblue; font-weight: normal}
. Target {background-color: lavender ;}
Pre {border: 1pt solid # aebdcc; Background-color: # f3f5f7;
Padding: 5pt; font-family: courier, monospace ;}
Table {border-collapse: collapse ;}
TD, Th {vertical-align: Top; Border: 1pt solid # adb9cc ;}
H2 {margin: 5px 0 10px 0; Background-color: # aec5ce; font-size: 1.5em ;}
H3 {margin: 0px 0px 5px 0; padding: 5px 5px 5px 10px;
Font-size: 1.2em; border-top: solid 1px #9ab7c2;
Border-bottom: solid 1px #9ab7c2; font-variant: Small-caps ;}
H4 {color: black; margin: 3px 0px 5px 0px;
Padding: 3px 5px 3px 15px; font-size: 1em ;}
H5 {color: black; margin: 3px 0px 3px 0px;
Padding: 3px 5px 3px 25px; font-size: 1em ;}
P {margin: 0px 10px 0px 18px ;}