It’s so easy for motivational speakers to advise people to set long-term goals, isn’t it? In practice, it’s tough to keep a razor-sharp focus on your long-term objectives when future horizons are obscured by a desk full of “here and now” crap.

And so, to manage the day-to-day demands on our lives we turn to time-management systems. Unfortunately, all too often, we purchase the all-leather time-management planner and the ridiculously expensive calendar refills (and the custom hole punch for the non-standard rings inside the aforementioned planner) only to find it’s woefully inadequate.

We label and color code our entire work space, and yet still can’t lay our hand on that crucial piece of paper (or digital file) when we actually need it.

Then we discover we can’t trust our memory-joggers to jog our memory. And so to-do lists rub our brain circuits raw as we keep each task top-of-mind. Work thoughts start intruding into our down time, right up until the moment they actually become relevant. Then, distracted by something else, we forget them! Sound familiar?

Neither do we have anywhere to file material that might be useful (such as an idea scribbled on the back of a napkin) or will be useful at some (yet to be defined) future date. And, in the absence of a definite place to put them, these items generally get “filed” on our desk right next to other scribbled Post-It notes and ripped-out magazine articles. Furthermore, this “maybe someday” stuff not only litters our desk, it weighs heavily on our mind.

Fed up with constantly rewriting to-do lists to meet shifting priorities and your fluctuations in energy and enthusiasm? Then listen closely: imagine a time-management system that could capture each and every one of your projects, associated resources and next action steps. A simple, flexible approach able to accommodate the realities of the modern workday (riddled with interruptions and data overload). In this idealized future you could let it all go, totally confident that your time-management system will pop the next item into view at the appropriate time.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity stands head and shoulders above the gaggle of “only touch each piece of paper once” time-management systems. Here are some of the components of David Allen’s system that have made the most difference to my work life:

Article Author: Motivational Speaker

Motivational Speaker (aka Dr. Steve Bedwell) is a medical doctor who teaches business and healthcare leaders psychological tactics for solving problems, diluting toxic emotions and managing radical change.

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