Time management methodologies
Figure 1: GTD® and Needian equivalence. Needian fits GTD® organization.
Time management methodologies consist of a series of habits and good practices which help you to improve your time and life organization.
Getting Things Done® (GTD®)
The best known time management methodology is GTD® (Getting Things Done®), created by David Allen. GTD is based on the following principles:
- You must not use your memory to collect your ideas, tasks and arrangements. You run the risk of forgetting something (sure you do).
- Do not delay decisions on what to do next. Act.
- If you can complete a certain task in less than 2 minutes, do it now.
This methodology proposes collecting all your ideas, messages, tasks and commitments in a box. This box must be processed and you must decide what action is required for each element:
- Does the element require an action on our part? If not, remove it, or if you think you may need it later, store it in the right place and leave it out of sight;
- Does the element require an action on our part? If so, write down the task; classify it according to the associated places, contacts involved, tools needed for completing it, etc.
- Does the element require more than one action on our part? If so, write down a new project, and note the first action you should take in order to advance this project.
Once we have cleared our mind, it's time to review what we have to do. Based on the context of where we are, the time we have or how much energy we have, we'll choose the next actions that we are going to work on.
One of GTD ®'s most common criticisms is that it is not easy to adopt, because of the multiple habits you need to change at the same time. Needian allows you to adopt it with very little effort on your part and without being an expert in this methodology, obtaining the known benefits to those who practice it: being calm by having your tasks all sewn up and being in control of your time and your commitments.
Zen To Done (ZTD)
ZTD (Zen To Done) is a methodology based on some GTD® principles, but with the focus on deciding which reaction must be taken for an action as soon as possible, and never letting things pile up in your inbox.
It is based on not trying to perform multitasking, and choosing 3 "big rocks", the 3 projects that matter most this week, and using those projects as a guide for your decisions about which tasks to do each day.
Needian lets you get organized using projects and select your daily task list, so when reviewing you can focus on those "big rock" projects on your daily review.