Ministry Made Easier With Getting Things Done (GTD)

Over the years I have sought to improve my time management skills. I have tried to learn ways to help me define my life’s mission, my objectives, goals, and action plans. I really wanted something that would help me make better use of Microsoft Outlook. Recently I read, “Getting Things Done,”by David Allen. His system of time management has really resonated with me. I have been implementing his methodology over the last 30 days and can already see a marked improvement in my peace of mind, clarity, focus, and efficiency. Here is a brief description of the GTD methodology from David Allen.

The Big Picture

Like your physical inbox, you want to touch messages that arrive in your Outlook inbox once and get them off your mind. This means you act on them or put them in a trusted place where you know they will be accessible and you will be reminded when it is time to work on them. Specifically, you should:

• Act on it. If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now and be done with it.
• Delegate it. Hand it off to someone else, setting a reminder to yourself so you can follow up later.
• Defer it to a specific date or a specific date and time when you should act on it. Set a reminder for yourself.
• Defer it to do ASAP. Put it on your task list to do as soon as possible. Categorize it based on the action you need to take and by project.
• Snooze it.Put it in a holding pattern to return to your inbox after a predetermined period of time.
• Assign it to a project.
• File it for reference.
• Put it on your list of things to do someday.
• Delete it.

When you’ve acted on the message or put it in a safe place to pop up when you need to act on it, you will be able to concentrate on what really matters. Your inbox and your mind will be clear and focused.

One of the greatest benefits to me is the Getting Things Done (GTD) Add-in tool that seamlessly integrates into Microsoft Outlook. The add-in helps me quickly act on the e-mails that arrive in my in-box using the GTD method.

Another great tool included in the GTD add-in is called, “Project Central.” With this tool I am able to develop and manage my related tasks, e-mails, notes, appointments, and other documents as projects. I have found this extremely helpful for the ministry related projects that I lead. If you are interested in learning more about GTD I would recommend that you purchase the book first. If you are an Outlook user you should try the free 30-day trial of the GTD add-in once you are familiar with David Allen’s methodology.