355: Michelle's System

How do you keep your system working when life throws a big disruption your way? We talk job loss and other curveballs, keeping a temporary situation out of your main system, letting go of what nags at you, and giving ourselves permission to start things we may not finish, with a nod to Becky Blades' Start More Than You Can Finish. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com Download the podcast here!

What does a working GTD® system look like day to day? In this episode I jump through mine as a GTD'er and a formal project manager. We dig into how I name and file things the same way everywhere, the templates I build for projects I repeat, and how I handle Someday/Maybe and my weekly review. We share what works (and what doesn't) for us. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com Download the podcast here!

How do you manage the big stuff that sits between your projects and your higher horizons? We kicked around initiatives, job searches, and whether you really need more hierarchy in your system or just a clearer view of the one you have. We share what works for us, from simplified areas of focus to a flower exercise. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

What do you do when the work is coming in faster than you can handle it? In this episode we talk about being underwater, from triage mode and the two-minute rule to blocking time at the end of the day, and how to tell whether the overwhelm is coming from outside or from inside. We share what works for us. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

How do you keep Inbox Zero when the email just keeps coming? We dug into what it really means in practice, why your in-tray may matter even more than your email inbox, and how to make clarifying and organizing feel less like a slog with a little gamification. Lots of great stuff! Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

Life happens, and sometimes it happens to a coworker. When one of us had to step in and cover a colleague's projects with no notes to go on, it got us talking about how to set up our systems so someone else could pick up where we left off. We dug into checklists, handoff docs, holding our boundaries on weekends and vacations, and that sneaky feeling of being indispensable. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

What happens when a client wants the same work tracked in their system, a consultant's app, and your own? Denise brought us this one, and we dug into the friction of living in other people's tools, the case for a single source of truth, and where the line falls between managing your work and reporting on it. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

Finishing the year strong isn't just a work thing. In this episode, prompted by Christine's topic, we talk about closing out the year well, both professionally and personally, and get into where GTD® draws the line between projects and the ongoing routines that never quite end. We also dig into layering new habits one at a time instead of overhauling everything at once. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

How do you actually forecast how much work you can get done in a week? Ray brought us this one, and we dug into building buffer for the unexpected, using milestones and monthly reviews to see further out, and leaning on tools like Gantt charts and defer dates to keep our systems honest. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

Transitions are everywhere, and most of them are not on the calendar. In this episode we dig into the ones that repeat every year, like back-to-school and fiscal year-end, plus the ones that just show up, like onboarding a new hire or planning a move. We even get into end-of-life planning with the Nokbox, and how a GTD® system keeps it all manageable. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com