Whenever I talk to pastors about the battle of the schedule, I typically encourage them to read David Allen’s classic book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity (Penguin Books).  Though it’s been around many years – and is widely known in the business community – many church leaders have yet to discover Allen’s helpful guide to getting your “to do” list (and your life) under control. He’ll help you understand that your mind was made to think, not store data, and that with a few steps you can enhance your productivity and get a good night’s sleep!

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David Allen is author of the outstanding book Getting Things Done. He also does a newsletter on the subject, and in a recent issue he shared the fundamental process of GTD: “The fundamental thinking process of GTD is simple, but not simplistic. Whether you are applying it to an e-mail that just landed in your inbox, a problem that just showed up for you to solve, or a great idea that just popped into your mind—there is gold to be mined from these questions in clarifying what “done” and “doing” looks like. Here’s a quick exercise to try:

1. Write down a project or situation that is most on your mind at this moment.

2. Now, describe in a single written sentence your intended desired outcome for this problem or situation. What needs to happen to mark this done?

3. Next, write down the very next physical action step required to move the situation forward.

4. Put those answers in a system you trust.

(For an assortment of GTD resources visit David’s site here.)