The Savvy Entrepreneur

I finally started reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. I just finished the first chapter and already I feel well on my way to being a productivity powerhouse!

So, today’s Anti-Procrastination Month assignment is: Outcome thinking!

Sounds like a lot of work? Not when done ‘David Allen style’.

It takes only 2 minutes, so get a pen and paper, and go through these 3 steps right now. Ready?

1. What is the one project, task or situation that you most want (or have) to deal with? What is that one thing that consumes most of your conscious attention? Write it down (just one).
   Here’s mine: Figure out what to make for supper tonight. (Don’t laugh, it’s a thorn in my side!)
2. What needs to happen in order to mark it off as “done”? Don’t get fancy. Write down, in a short sentence, your intended outcome for this one thing.
   For me: Have supper ready and everyone fed by the time I have to leave for my presentation tonight.
3. If you had nothing else to do today, what would be the very next visible, physical action you need to do to move this forward? Got it?
   I would: Go to RecipeZaar and choose a recipe.

Is your action step something you can do within the next few minutes? Do you feel a little lighter? Do you feel like doing that one thing right now? Me too!

What a shift!

While I still don’t have the big picture of David’s system, I already appreciate the value of taking his “bottom-up approach” (starting with the everyday stuff first), instead of going from the top down (starting with the “big” stuff — listing values, mission statements, vision, objectives, etc.).

What did you discover through this exercise?