350: Integrating Task Management Systems

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

So much comes at us all day, emails, chats, screenshots, sticky notes, that keeping capture centralized can feel like a full-time job. In this episode we dig into how we each corral our inboxes down to a manageable few, and the automations (think Hazel, IFTTT, LaunchBar, and Krisp) that move things along without adding more thinking to our day. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

Coming back is hard. Michelle's COVID brain fog sparked this one, and we dive into jumping back into GTD® after time away, whether that's a sick week, a vacation, or falling off the wagon entirely. We share tricks for taming the email backlog, doing a mind sweep, setting up out-of-office rules, and leaning into your GTD® strengths instead of your weaknesses. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

Overwhelm happens to all of us. This episode we dig into what to do when everything feels like it's on fire at once: overflowing inboxes, taking on work that isn't ours, and why your GTD® system (not you) should be the thing absorbing the chaos. We talk prioritization, the WOOP framework, and giving yourself a real reward for getting through the crunch. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

What does GTD® really look like on a messy, real-life day? In this episode we get honest about the ebbs and flows, the pull to reorganize your whole system when things get crazy, and why reprocessing your stuff (rather than rebuilding it) is usually what actually helps. Some great insights that might help tweak your own system. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com

What holds us back from actually doing the work, even when we know we're working on the right things? Christine brought us this one, and we dug into the four blockers that derail us, building buffer into the week, time tracking as a wake-up call, and giving ourselves grace when the day falls apart. Enjoy! Check out the Official GTD® Virtual Study Group website for resources from the call and more: http://gtdvsg.com