{"id":2936,"date":"2009-12-24T10:55:17","date_gmt":"2009-12-24T18:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gtdtimes.com\/?p=2936"},"modified":"2014-02-03T14:32:50","modified_gmt":"2014-02-03T22:32:50","slug":"what-are-the-first-steps-in-getting-organized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gettingthingsdone.com\/2009\/12\/what-are-the-first-steps-in-getting-organized\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the first steps in getting organized?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gtd5phases\"<\/a>David Allen answers the timeless question, “What are the first steps in getting organized?”<\/p>\n

If by \u201cgetting organized\u201d you mean getting relaxed and in control, it actually involves five steps, only one of which is actually the specific \u201corganizing\u201d component.\u00a0 1) Collect <\/strong>the work. Corral everything that has potential meaning for you. 2) Process <\/strong>the collected work and associated notes. What specifically do they mean in terms of your commitments about them? What can you toss? What are the actions required on what you keep? 3) Organize <\/strong>the results of what you\u2019ve collected and processed into retrievable lists and groupings. For instance, when you\u2019re at a phone you should be able to see all the calls you need to make. 4) Keep things current\u2014which involves a weekly review<\/strong>. What are your outstanding commitments and agreements? What new ones have emerged? 5) Decide what you want to do<\/strong>. Make a choice about how to allocate your resources, and feel comfortable about that decision.<\/p>\n

Grab the free article<\/a> or buy the laminated card set<\/a> that summarizes these phases as well.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Allen answers the timeless question, “What are the first steps in getting organized?” If by \u201cgetting organized\u201d you mean getting relaxed and in control, it actually involves five steps, only one of which is actually the specific \u201corganizing\u201d component.\u00a0 1) Collect the work. Corral everything that has potential meaning for you. 2) Process the … <\/p>\n

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