In the mid 2000’s, Getting Things Done was the latest fad when it came to finding ways to organize your life and, well, get things done. In many ways, it was a welcome change from the 90’s fad created by 7 Habits.
Now, don’t get me wrong. These fads existed because both books were grounded in a variety of truths that resonated with people.
Those truths still hold.
But surrounding the truth, and partially obscuring it, was the fad. The part where tons of people got excited about the ideas, tried to implement them in their lives, and eventually gave up, fizzled out, or got excited about the next fad.
As the fad increased, people naturally become suspicious. They ignore the good that is there because they’re rightfully dismissive of the fad.
But the underlying principles, the ones that work, endure.
“Inbox Zero” was one of those from GTD. Many still strive for an empty inbox, because they know what kind of peace of mind it can bring.
So, how do you avoid the fads? How do you pull out the nuggets of wisdom, so that you actually get things done? So that you actually become a “highly effective” person?
The answer is pretty simple: you need a system of continuous improvement.
You need a system that supports your inherent antifragility.
The system has to be dead simple, because you’re going to layer techniques and tools on top of it.
It has to be more than robust or resilient to change. It must get better with stress and change.
And it has to work.
I think all of the “truthful” fads out there touch on this foundational system, while adding in a bunch of cruft on top.
I’m sure that my own thoughts on this add cruft on top. That’s ok.
Because the system is antifragile, the cruft will burn off and blow away in time. The natural stresses of life will burn away the dross and improve the core approach.
In my experience, the foundation is to plan your day every day. I think there are better and worse ways to do that, but just do it.
And when you do it, reflect on the past day. You’ll naturally try to do better the next day. Or a week later. When you’re ready to.
You don’t need a fancy tool.
You don’t need a ten point checklist.
You don’t need a flowchart.
Instead, you’ll build those as you go. They’ll be customized to the way you think, the way you work, the life you live.
I’ve got more ideas about what works – maybe just more cruft to add on top. That cruft can be helpful when you’re just beginning and want a little structure. And some of it will stick.
Some will become core to your own antifragile system for getting things done.
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