CrucialSkills, the official VitalSmarts blog
Helping you change behavior by answering your questions about soft skills.
Dear David, How does Getting Things Done relate to teams? Sincerely, Curious Dear Curious, I frequently get this question from people new to GTD and those interested in applying the skills within an organization. Because the GTD methodology focuses primarily on self-management principles and best practices for individuals, people struggle […]
Dear David, My company recently sent my team through GTD Training. Learning how to capture and clarify has been beneficial, but I’m struggling with the organizing, reflecting, and reviewing. That seems to require a lot of time, and because I value productivity, well, I tend to skip those steps and […]
Dear David, I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as a teenager. I loved it. I purchased the FranklinCovey planner and for years I defined my roles and tried to execute on important-but-not-urgent matters related to those roles. I loved getting clear on my values and trying to […]
Dear David, GTD teaches that “your mind is for having ideas, not for holding them.” What does the science say? Does it support this statement? Sincerely, Curious GTD Student Dear Curious, Your head is a terrible office. Your mind evolved to do incredible stuff—like stay alive in the desert or […]
Dear David, Do you ever feel that technology gets in the way of productivity? That tools slow things down? I agree that some communication and project- and time-management tools are invaluable. But often they get in the way of getting things done. For example, the number of apps and tools […]
Dear David, I get overwhelmed by the huge lists of things to do because I’m not sure which items to work on next. Any suggestions for that? Sincerely, Challenged Prioritizer Dear Challenged Prioritizer, Yours is a universally common question, and one I frequently hear from people as they begin to […]
Dear David, How do I find time to do actual work when all I do is spend time in meetings? I wish I could opt out of meetings, but that’s not an acceptable practice at our organization. And yet my work is suffering. Help! Signed, Suffering From Meetingitis Dear Suffering, […]
Dear David, I’ve been reading and hearing about the trend to gravitate away from to-do lists. The consensus is that lists get too long, people suffer from to-do fatigue, and despite having things listed out, they continue to procrastinate. But somehow, I still need to keep track of my tasks. […]
