Your race against time starts now. Ready, steady, GTD!
Welcome back! This month, we're talking time management techniques and finding out how salespeople can maximize productivity and minimize burnout. This is the third installment in a three part series, and we're covering the GTD Methodology.
It's often considered that stress and productivity go hand-in-hand. But, David Allen preaches the opposite in Getting Things Done, the art of stress-free productivity.
The Head Office Paradox
David Allen believes the problem with productivity is the Head Office. The office in your head, get it? In many interviews, David Allen states,
“The problem these days, is that most people are trying to use their heads as their office. And, your head is a crappy office.”
The brain is allergic to clutter. If there are more than 4 things to keep track of, alarms are triggered and the mind goes blank. Clearing the clutter by recording incoming tasks creates space for execution and productivity in the Head Office. Instead of multitasking, the idea is to focus on each task and execute it quickly before moving on to the next one. David Allen likens this method to being jumped in an alley by four attackers. Trying to take all of them at once isn’t going to end well. Focusing on each opponent, and striking hard and fast is a better strategy.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to pick fights to be productive.
GTD in Sales
As a salesperson, you have new tasks coming in all day. Emails from prospects, messages from colleagues, tasks from your CRM, and so on. This is when the GTD methodology kicks in, where you must first ask yourself, "Should I execute on the fly, or focus on the actionable items first?"
All the items in your task list can be categorized into 3 broad types:
Actionable Standalone Tasks
Actionable items require a response. Focusing on each of these items and getting them out of the way is the first step to clearing up your schedule. If you can complete the task within 2 minutes, do it right away. If it’s going to take longer, write it down and come back to it later. This way, you can manage interruptions and avoid getting distracted while in the flow state. More than managing time better, this also creates precious time to focus on projects.
Projects
Process-based tasks which contribute to a short term or long term goal. These are often made up of smaller tasks, which need to be executed in a step-by-step manner. Winning a deal is a good example of projects. Each deal takes time, and contains various activities to inch closer to conversion. Once a project is assigned, the first step or immediate next action must be identified. Without this, the project will remain ambiguous, and lead to delays or procrastination.
Non-Actionable Tasks
Emails and messages of the FYI nature fall into this category. While they do require your attention, it's not urgent as long as you can remind yourself to get to it later. A better option is to ask yourself, "Can this be delegated, or completely deleted from the task list?” If a task can be removed or forgotten, do so without hesitation.
With the theory out of the way, let's recap. Whenever a task is assigned, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is it actionable?
- Can I execute in less than 2 minutes? - a) If yes, what's the next step? b) If no, can I delegate it or schedule it for later?
- What's the next action?
Here's an illustration straight from the source for you to get a better idea of how the GTD methodology works.
Good luck and godspeed on your journey to the art of stress-free productivity!
Reading is almost always on most people's to-do list. So, get some reading done with the GTD bible by David Allen!
Click on the image below to find out more about this project management software that helps you plan, analyze, and manage everyday tasks.
Let's see if you can solve this in less than 2 minutes! Leave your answer in the comments.
Q: How many times do the minute hand and hour hand overlap in a 24 hour cycle?
Hint: It's not 24.
And… Huddle Break!
Don't forget to join us next week, where we explore the theme of Negotiation in Sales! Thank you for subscribing and including us in your timeout between sales. We can't wait to huddle up with you again.