Have anyone had results reading "Getting Things Done"?

[Nexis]

Hi

I was wondering how many people with ADHD implemented the system from the book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen.

It seems to really work for me finally after a year trying to get everything organized, and I making one a paper to-do list i can take out and put back in a binder I take with me everywhere.

[addprogrammer]

Nexis,

I have not read the book. A publication tailored specifically for ADHD remediation suggested using one notebook for everything. It worked wonders for me up until my first large spiral bound got filled. Then the shear volume of info made finding things difficult again.

Thanks for the solution. Today I am replacing global notebook with global binder.

Any other tidbits from book you can share?

Bob

[Nexis]

I am abit short on time yet YES the binder system works the best.

Also I have those plastic/vinyl zip pockets (4 for now that i divide, IN, OUT, Review, Misc.) that I can place my receipts or any other things that needs attention so, when I get home or have the time (while riding the train/bus/car) I can review them.

Then I have a weekly time chart that goes from 8am til 10pm. I write only appointments and things that need to be done on that day.

I never write phone numbers, information that is not appointment/social event/meeting related on the calender. This is how information does not get lost.


Then I have a sheet that as all the To-do list. I made it myself and its better to just have it on a half a sheet of a letter paper. Use very strong paper because you may use it for one week.

I break down the to do list in two columns, four sections on each column.

I have:

CALLS EMAILS

TO BUY AT COMPUTER

BANK POST OFFICE


MEMO PROJECTS


I place the list in a hard case protector so the paper doesn't get lost or tear.

On the other side of the my to do list, is my more "project based" to do list like, research and buy books on Self-improvement" OR Organize storage space by end of the month. This is the bigger to do list.

Also I have a section for the loose leaf paper by topics. Books to read, my health related memos, "people's contacts" that I cannot put in my cellphone right away, and others.

Its about keeping an organized format that you can move around in a binder is the best. I have the half size letter type daily planner binder so that I can take with me everywhere I go.

Also I am by no means a very organized person and I hit a cross roads with my clutter and disorganization and i have tried so many things, yet the book was a major turning point in my life. It took a while to organize my binder, because the binder system should be suited/customized for that person/individual.

I know the Getting things done principle is based on "Project Management Principles" so I took a project management course at the local college. You can apply alot of the PM strategy to daily life because you break down the bigger tasks that ADHD people have a difficult time with, yet the Getting things done helps you to manage the more real life smaller things as well.


Also I am against alot of "post it" stuff. You can lose your information easily. I only use my "post it" when I don't know what cateogry to place the task/information under and put it in my "IN" zipped plastic case that I can review later.


You are right, right down everything in only in one binder or one place!

What was really funny was one day I was reviewing my binder on the train one and all of a sudden, a man with autism looked at my binder with a bugged eye looked and said WOW! and strolled away. That is when I knew I had a very good binder system!


Lately I have many business men that stare at my binder which is good sign because it shows that it does take some kind of a 'system" to really be organized.


As mentioned it took me a year on my own to finally come to this point, yet if I had someone help me who had experience with the book in real-life application, that would have helped enormously.


I think ADHD coaches can really help their clients if they apply the books principles.

I have gone to therapy trying to get my self on track, but all i was told that I need structure in my life. That's NOT helping a patient find a solution to the problem. SO i was thinking about getting a lifestyle coach through "getting things done" that can help me with my ADHD.


And lastly the book goes into how your workspace/personal area needs to be cleaned out. I truly believe and I have this past autumn throw out and purged alot of things from my home.

There's less distraction and you have more time to focus on overcoming attention difficulties because you are not distracted by all the little things that really have little value in your home/apartment.

[addprogrammer]

Nexis,

Thanks so much. Wow - all that when "a bit short of time."

Just got back from Walmart with "global binder system." In the past I did travel quite a bit for work but as of late I'm caged in my home office most days. Nice to get out.

I copied your post and pasted into a Word doc with page numbers. Both pages will be inserted into the "persistant memory" section of my binder.

Has any system ever become the distraction on you?

I am prone to that so I want to keep global binder system as simple and as unstructured as possible so I don't spend the next week optimizing it defeating the whole purpose of the thing.

For openers - can't help drawing my metaphors from computers - it has two types of memory. I bought pocketed tabbed separators for my "volatile" or RAM memory section. Each page I produce goes into the RAM section - the pockets of the separators.

Periodically I'll flush RAM throwing out what is completed and/or temporary in nature. Keepers I'll save to my HD - transparent page protectors.

Of course HD memory must be defraged every now and then. A defrag will mean grouping the documents in the page protectors together in the binder. The "defrag" process is where my global spiral bound notebooks fell apart.

Problem solved.

Back to work.

Thanks again.

Bob

[Nexis]

Hi addprogrammer,

If you do end up buying the book, it goes in to how not dumping "psychic RAM" is the issue.

<removed>

Information that we get will need to be categorized like Folders and files on our computer.

The book <removed> goes quite deep into the real hands on stuff, yet the most important thing is you need a binder system that you actually love, or else you will end up not wanting to utilize your binder.

Also every week there needs to be at least a good time slot, lets say on a Friday for about two hours when you review your entire upcoming week.

It really depends how busy you are and what sort of things needs to be reviewed.


Let me know if you end up reading the book.

Good luck!