Graphic Define on Getting Things Done and Creativity

Excellent piece by D Keith Robinson on Graphic Define about Getting Things Done and Creativity.

If you’re not familiar with Getting Things Done, it’s a personal organisation system devised by David Allen – yes I know, it doesn’t sound very inspiring, but the basic idea is that when you’ve got a system that takes care of all the mundane stuff you have to deal with day-to-day, you can free up your mind for more interesting and important things.

I’ve been using the GTD system since last summer (at Antonio‘s suggestion) and I definitely think it’s made me more creative as well as more productive. Like most of us, I’ve got loads of information and commitments to manage, and the GTD system means I can deal with it without having to make much effort to remember things, or worry that I’ve forgotten something important. Which frees up a lot of mental space, and makes it much easier to concentrate on the task in hand – creative or otherwise.

Keith’s article makes some interesting comparisons between GTD and the creative process – he also lists some good introductory GTD resources at the end of the article. And there are lots of other good articles for professional creatives on the Graphic Define site.

If you’re intrigued by GTD David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity” tells you how to do it. The bad news is it takes a fair bit of time and effort to get started – block off a spare weekend for the initial review. The good news is it could change your life – and your creativity.

Would you like your team to be more creative and productive?

If your team could do with some help getting creative work done in the midst of the demands and distractions of the 21st-century workplace, ask me about running my popular time management training workshop Time Management for Creative People for your organisation.