How I GTD

I’m a pretty productive guy and I’m often asked what I do to get things done. Well, I thought it’d be cool to talk a bit about how I stay productive as my first blog post of 2008. It’s actually pretty simple, I mean, keeping it simple is kind of key to my whole philosophy. In my opinion, one of the biggest deterrents to getting things done is having a system that has to be managed. If you’re spending more time looking for new ways to help you get things done you’re missing the point. Keep it simple.

I’ve got a few “rules” and methods that I stick to pretty religiously that make up about 90% of what keeps me productive. Want to know what they are? Read on.

Capture everything.

The first rule: capture everything. I hardly ever “try” to remember anything. I simply record anything I need or want to remember. I do this in several ways. I’ve got a few notebooks for brainstorming and recording ideas by hand and when at my computer I jot things down into Scrivener. I tend to take lots and lots of notes and make lots of lists and I really try and get things down as I think of them.

Lately I’ve also been using Sandy, a lightweight and easy to use capture/remind application. They recently added Twitter support which is awesome as I can now direct message Sandy any time I want something remembered. Sandy will record anything and I can even easily set it up so that it’ll SMS me reminders whenever I want. I haven’t been using Sandy long, but I’m really impressed with the ease of use and the fact that it integrates easily into my pre-existing process.

It’s all about getting things out of my head and somewhere I can find them easily when I want to. I can’t tell you how much this helps free my mind up for other things. If there is one thing I took from David Allen’s book it’s the idea of capturing everything as soon as you can.

Do it now!

My second rule has to do with not letting small tasks pile up. I’m really good about dealing with things as they cross my plate and lot letting them linger and pile up. It was a bit tough at first, but now that I’ve been doing it for awhile it’s almost second nature.

What it boils down to is taking the time to immediately deal with anything that’s going to take less than five or so minutes to do. For example, responding to e-mail or checking my mail. I never let this stuff pile up. Some days are harder than others as sometimes small tasks can come at you in large numbers, but even then I’ve found it’s better overall to just deal with them and save the bigger tasks for when you can focus on them and only them. Which brings me to my next rule.

Focus. Don’t multi-task the big stuff.

For “larger” tasks I tend to clear everything away so that I can focus on one thing. For example, as I write this I’ve effectively turned everything else off. I’m ignoring e-mail, IM, the phone, etc. For things I really need to focus on—designing for example—I’ll literally turn off everything that might distract me from the task at hand. I’ll also set aside ample blocks of time to dedicate to getting something done. Usually in 2-4 hour blocks, depending on what I’m doing. This really helps as I can lose myself in the flow of work.

Not only does this make my a bit more productive, I find the quality of my work is greatly increased when I’m able to focus on it.

E-mail and a clean inbox every day.

“Inbox Zero” is all the rage these days, and there are good reasons for that. I’ve actually been striving for an empty inbox at the end of the day for years now and I find it really, really helps me focus. To do that I’ve got a few other, related rules:

• I don’t check my e-mail constantly. I usually let it pile up a bit. But just a little bit. :)


• Respond to anything it takes less than five minutes to respond to as I get it. This is key, I don’t ever wait to respond unless it requires a complicated response or some other action.


• File anything I can’t respond to. I’ve got three places I file things; the first is a massive and really organized archive, the second is a “waiting” folder for things I’m waiting for more info on and the third is a “action” folder for things that I need to attend to later on. I review these folders a few times a week.


• Delete anything I won’t be needing later. I make pretty liberal use of my delete key.

Keep things clutter-free.

This goes for my physical and digital work spaces. Clutter is distracting. I do a really good job of cleaning and organizing my workspaces and this really helps me stay focused when I need to.

The bottom line.

I think GTD is really about finding a system that works for you and sticking with it. All to often I see folks derailed simply by constantly trying to come up with a system that’s bigger and better. GTD doesn’t need to be complicated; for me it’s mostly about eliminating distractions, focusing when appropriate, taking care of the small stuff before it can pile up and capturing everything. It’s not hard to do and doesn’t require any complicated software or systems.

Well, I hope this is helpful for some of you looking to be more productive. Again, if you have a system that works for you, stick with it and if not, well, you might try some of what I do here. Best of luck getting things done in 2008!

Tips for a Better Design Review Process

One of the hardest part of a designers job is presenting their work, selling their designs to clients or stakeholders and gathering feedback. The design review cycle. I know it used to be something I dreaded. As I’ve gotten older and more experienced I’ve come to really enjoy it. If nothing else, it’s that first big step before something I’ve created becomes something real. It’s also one of the key spots in a project where I can really engage my stakeholders.

Hopefully, if I’ve understood the project, made the right design decisions and put lots of hard work into it, it’ll go smooth as pie. Occasionally that happens. More often than not I’ve got to grease the wheels a bit.

As much as you’d like them to, your designs can’t speak for themselves. Well, maybe they do, and if so, you’re a better designer than I am. Walking a client through a design and gathering feedback is always a bit of a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be something you dread. I’ve written up some tips, tricks and advice that will hopefully help a few designers out there turn this dreaded task into something they look forward to.

Know Your Stakeholders

One of the most important parts to a good design review process is knowing who will be reviewing your work as early as possible. Don’t trust that your clients will simply give you this information and don’t rely on assumptions. Ask them specifically who you will need to present your work to. Then ask who will be making the decisions.

Doing this will help you tailor your presentation and could influence your design decisions as well. If nothing else it’ll help frame your discussion and appropriately set expectations.

Make Considered Design Decisions

I’m going to assume that you’ve done the necessary up-front work to come up with a wonderful and appropriate design. However, you’ll want to make sure and think through (and know well) your designs. You should be doing this anyway, but in order to sell something and gain consensus and buy-off you’ll need to be able to explain why certain decisions were made. This may seem obvious but I’ve been through enough design reviews to know that sometimes designers make decisions without really knowing why. It’s easy to work on instinct or not fully think through decisions as they’re being made. Don’t fall into that trap, it can come back to hurt you when it’s time to sell your designs.

Only Show The Good Stuff

I’m a big fan of doing some up-front creative work to really capture what a client is looking for, and then targeting one single design. However, I realize that this isn’t always an options and some clients need choices. If you present multiple designs, you should only present designs you feel are a good fit and only designs you can get behind. If you’re asked to show three designs, for example, and you show two “good” designs and one “so-so” design, you’re not only doing your stakeholders a disservice, you’re just asking to be stuck with a design you’re not happy about.

Set Expectations

It’s important to set yourself up for success from beginning to end. Tell your stakeholders what you are going to be doing and how the design process is going to go down. When it comes to review, explain your design decisions, tell your clients why they’re a good fit. Tell them they’re going to love the work you’ve done before you show them anything. The more you can do to set yourself up to have a good review, the better it should go.

Remember that your clients hired you to help them, they’ll let you lead them if you step up and take the reins.

Be Prepared For The Phantom Stakeholder

Even if you are damn sure you know who is reviewing your work and who is making the decisions, be prepared to present your designs to just about anyone. I don’t know how many times a new stakeholder was introduced in the middle of a design review, and what’s worse, they’re usually someone who’s opinion and feedback carry a whole lot of weight. It will happen from time to time, regardless of how much prep work you do. Be prepared for it.

Ask For Specific Feedback

When beginning a feedback cycle with stakeholders be sure and let them know in detail the kind of feedback you’re looking for. For example, I tell my clients that “I don’t like that” won’t cut it and that they need to be extremely specific and detailed in the feedback they give me. Make them work for it, make them really have to think about what they’re telling you. Not only will it help get your designs through, it’ll give you much better feedback to work with when it comes to revisions.

A good designer needs to lead their stakeholders to a certain extent. By taking the time to direct them when it comes to feedback you’re setting yourself up for an easier time of it while at the same time asserting some authority and building trust.

Defend Yourself but Don’t be Defensive

Chances are that somewhere along the way in a design process you’ll get some feedback that you don’t agree with. Sometimes it’s fairly inconsequential and sometimes it’ll really damage the integrity of a design. When it’s appropriate you should defend your decisions. The goal here is to come up with the best possible design and your client can be one of the biggest obstacles to that. If at all possible, don’t let your clients do something they’ll regret later and whatever you do, don’t roll over on major design decisions.

Having said all of that, be wary of getting defensive. That’s the last thing you want to do. If you’ve made the appropriate design decisions, and you’re truly behind your work you should feel good about the feedback you’re getting. Don’t let your ego get in the way. A defensive attitude will show and you’ll damage your credibility and that of your designs with it.

Oh and when it comes to smaller stuff, go ahead and let the client win. It’s not worth fighting over something trivial. Pick your battles and fight those only worth fighting.

Make Them Choose

If you’re offering choices and presenting several design options force your stakeholders to choose. The last thing you’ll want is a bastardized combination of two totally different designs. You want to avoid the design “camel” if you can help it. One of the problems with offering choices is that stakeholders just love to mix and match. Make sure they know up front, before you show them anything, that that isn’t an option.

Listen up!

One of the most important things you can do during a design review is listen. You should set expectations, defend your decisions and explain why you feel your design is a fit, but more important than all of that is listening and understanding your stakeholders questions and feedback. The simple act of listening and letting them share how they feel about your work will help you sell it. Always remember that you’re working for and with them. They are an essential part of the design process and you need them to succeed. Listening, really listening, to what they’ve got to say will help you in a multitude of ways.

Try an Iterative Process

One way to avoid some of the common pitfalls in a traditional design review process is to try and go with an iterative process. It won’t work with every client, but when it does it can have fantastic results. By showing a client a single design very early on and making small course corrections on much smaller cycles you’ll create a dialogue that will really help get to the best design quickly and with quite a bit less effort. You effectively remove those big changes and risk areas that force you back to the drawing board.

An iterative process isn’t for everyone though. You’ll need lots of trust, some frequent and honest dialogue and a very, very good understanding of what the client is looking for in a design. Then again, you’d want all of those things regardless of your process. Iterative design, when I’ve been able to do it, has worked out great for both me and my clients.

Go With What Works For You

Learning how to sell your designs is an educational process. You’ll get better as you become a better designer and as you gain experience interacting with stakeholders. As you go along you’ll likely find ways to help speed the process up and get your stakeholders on the same page with your designs. Just remember the idea is to get to the best possible design for your client—not for you.

Speaking of educational, please post any related tips, stories or advice in the comments. These come from my experience and I’m sure y’all have come up against situations I’ve not. I’d love to learn from you.