Getting Things Done

Episode 89: GTD And Promise-Based Management With Michael Dolan

by amiel · Dec 18, 2018

In this week’s episode, Michael Dolan and I show you how to bring about the results you want in life by combining two powerful action frameworks: Getting Things Done (GTD) and promise-based management.

GTD, also known as workflow coaching, helps you manage agreements with yourself. David Allen, my guest on episode 13, outlined this model in his mega bestselling book, Getting Things Done. Michael has been bringing this approach to executives and senior professionals for many years.

Promise-based management helps you manage commitments with others. I heard about it 20 years ago, gave my first talk about it in 2003, and enjoy introducing it to clients. It has been one of the principal themes of this podcast. Many of you heard the integral mashup I did on this topic several months ago.

The question Michael and I explore today is this: what happens when you integrate both frameworks into your day-to-day work life? What becomes possible when you become adept at managing agreements with yourself using GTD and skilled at managing commitments with others using promise-based management?

Neither of us promises you will become superhuman or super-happy.

Then again, nor do we claim these are out of reach!

But seriously, I enjoyed rolling up my sleeves with Michael. Join us as we dig in below the level of concepts to explore specific behaviors you can start practicing today when you combine these powerful frameworks.

Highlights

12:00 How can promises from a 1-on-1 meeting end up in your inbox?
18:00 Processing items at your desk when you’re confused about who promised what
24:00 It’s easier to process (“What is this?”) when you’ve already discussed this with others
30:00 Check your “delegated project” list at the end of a meeting
37:00 Asking the other person to promise to bring up a topic in three months
41:00 You saying “no” to me could help me renegotiate agreements with myself!
47:00 You thought they were going to produce a brochure. They thought they agreed to get it approved.
52:00 What if you don’t trust others to manage their promises?
59:00 Why Michael is in awe of the volume of work his clients manage

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David Allen on the Updated (2015) Version of Getting Things Done (Episode 13)

by amiel · Mar 10, 2015

hon·or

/ˈänər/

Noun

Being one of the first to interview the world’s top productivity guru about his new book

It used to be that you were either productive or relaxed–but not both, at least at the same time. Sure, the world’s wisdom traditions have taught for centuries how to move forward in life with quiet minds. But modern organizations were slow to the game.

At least until David Allen entered the scene.

Allen’s 2002 book Getting Things Done not only proclaimed “stress-free productivity” to be possible. It showed people how to do it. The positive results of following the system brought many grown men (and women) to tears. And it led TIME magazine to declare the book “the defining self-help business book of its time.”

On March 17, a week from today, an updated version of the book comes out. (I pre-ordered my copy on Amazon). In Episode 13 of The Amiel Show, David Allen and I discuss what’s new in this version, what’s timeless, and why power naps and someday/maybe lists make life better. We explore (times are approximate):

Episode 2: Michael Dolan on Relaxed Productivity and Removing “Stuff” from Your Psyche [The Amiel Show]

by amiel · Nov 18, 2014

In episode 2 of The Amiel Show, Michael Dolan of Truly Productive Leadership and I speak about:

How Michael learned the Getting Things Done (GTD) approach
The biggest barriers he sees to relaxed productivity
The importance of managing agreements with yourself
Why it is important to collect all of the stuff swimming around in your psyche and place it in a trusted system, a process that he compares to popping popcorn
The tremendous relief people experience after doing this
The value of understanding yourself better as a person so that, in addition to being productive, you also feel a deep sense of meaning

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Getting Unstuck: The Vending Machine Incident

by amiel · Oct 31, 2014

A story about getting unstuck:

I once got my arm stuck inside of a vending machine. The scene of the crime was Camp Geneva in Wisconsin. I was six. The goal was to steal a Milky Way bar by reaching up the chute and opening the latch.

These were the 1970s. Vending machines were not yet designed to prevent such theft. That made this period the golden years for kids with a big sweet tooth, little money, and few scruples.

Lunch had just ended, and six of us – all boys my age – were in the cafeteria. Except for us, the room was empty: the perfect time for stealing candy. I was the last to perform the heist, mainly because I was afraid of getting caught. After a dose of goading from the others, I reached my arm up the chute, extended my fingers toward the Milky Way, and…found myself unable to reach my target. I pushed and wiggled, but no luck. [Read more…] about Getting Unstuck: The Vending Machine Incident

ASAP Is A Four-Letter Word

by amiel · Sep 19, 2014

Want to get things done more smoothly and reduce the number of crossed wires in your life?

Then stop saying “As Soon As Possible” (ASAP). Today.

On the surface, ASAP is useful in conveying urgency. It says I’m in a hurry, so do this fast. It also rolls off the lips easily. The two syllables convey that you are serious and need results now.

Unfortunately, as my first boss taught me twenty years ago, ASAP is one of the greatest sources of organizational conflict and suffering. Every time you say it, you triple the odds of misunderstanding, dropped balls, and disappointment. The reason is simple: ASAP means different things to different people—not sometimes, but all of the time. [Read more…] about ASAP Is A Four-Letter Word

How I wrote my book in three weeks

by amiel · Dec 16, 2013

A friend recently wrote me this email:

I love your practice with surrender. I am about to spend a week in NYC alone to move the dissertation forward. I will remember your counsel.

She was referring to a recent letter I sent describing what allowed me to write the first draft of my book last summer in three weeks:

It was one of those singular experiences where words pour forth without effort once you put your body in the proper place.

Now that I know she is about to embark on her own period of intensive writing, I want to round out the picture. Surrender played a big part in writing fast. Here are several other factors: [Read more…] about How I wrote my book in three weeks

Getting Things Done

Highlights

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