28. Listener questions: How GTD’ers say “no” and dealing with an overbooked calendar

Transcript

Automatically transcribed and lightly edited. Timestamps omitted for readability.

Morten: Welcome to another episode of the Getting Things Done podcast from GTD Nordic. I'm Morten Røvik, and I'm here with my friend and colleague Lars Rothschild Henriksen. Hi, Lars.

Lars: Hi, Morten. Good to be back after the summer break and looking forward to doing another episode for our listeners.

Morten: Me too.

Lars: If you are new to this podcast, our goal is to share our thoughts and tips to support you in using the GTD methodology so you can become become an even better GTDer, getting a clearer mind, more easily stay present with whatever you're doing at work or at home. And we really hope that you find these episodes valuable. And thanks to all those of you who email us about how you benefit from these episodes. And if you're new to these, or if you just want a refresher on the basics of GTD, we recommend that you go back and listen through episodes 1 through 6.

Morten: Good. Today we have some listener questions we will answer. And Lars, what are the questions?

Lars: So I have noted two questions, one that we got via email on the podcast@gtdnordic.dk. You can find that in the show notes if you have any questions, we'd love to hear from you. So one from there, one from Kenneth, and one that I grabbed from the GTD Masterminds Denmark forum on Facebook. So that's a forum for Danish-speaking GTDers. I grabbed one in there because I thought it was rather interesting as well, and I think that more people would benefit if we walk through and explain how we would approach those things. So, the first one is from Kenneth, who emailed us, and his question was, in short, how do you know when you have too much on your plate? How do you know when you've taken on too much work? And does GCD say anything about saying no to more tasks? So, that's the question from Kenneth. How would you respond to Kenneth?

Morten: Well, the answer is yes, GCD says something about how to avoid overload, and that's what is all about actually is that GTD is about avoiding feeling overwhelmed and you feel good about what you say yes to, what you would, sorry, what you say yes to. And to get, my take on this would be get in touch first with what is important to you. So you know this hidden little gem that some people who learn GTD don't know about, it's called Horizons to Focus. That is a tool that you can map out what's important to you, what's your values, what's your purpose of life, what is your perceived life purpose, and then what's the vision for your life, what you want to do with your life, and what's your long-term goals, and what's your areas of responsibility, and then your project, and then your next actions. It's a model to show the relationship between these different horizons that we Everybody, even though you don't know this, you move through these horizons of focus all the time. You look at your calendar and you see what's on your plate for today, and then you look out the window and you start dreaming about the house you would like to build in a couple of years. And then you start remembering that there is something called Corona, and you start to look, what's my life purpose really before I kick the bucket? What would I like to do? You move through these horizons of focus automatically. Old time. And to have them mapped out, written down, is important to make sure that you are focusing on the right things. What is your take on this? Would you recommend the same thing?

Lars: Yeah, that's certainly a great place to start. And I recognize this also from myself before the summer break. I had too many things going on. And it's been a balance for me, really, for several years now to try to figure out what the right level of work for me is. In order to be optimally productive. So, certainly, the horizons of focus will help. And I think, in general, being clear about your work, that's the starting point. That can be the big picture stuff, and it can be all the way down to projects and next actions. And that's a lot of where I would be looking as well. So, I've really been trying to figure out what the right number is for me, or not the number, because that would be a wrong way to approach it, because there is no right number of projects. It really continues to really interest me when I see so many different GTD systems and how many projects that people like to have and how we differ in how detailed we want to get that overview from a project level. So I continually adjust and try to figure out the right place for me to be at. So evaluating, really understanding the projects that you're working on, really seeing what do they entail, how complex are they, how much work is there in each of them, because, you know, some will be more busy at some times and then there might be a summer break or maybe you've done your you're part of the deliverables, and now the project is dependent on someone else. So it's still an active project for you, but maybe it's, it's sort of on pause. So even, you know, just looking at that projects list really requires you to be good at doing those weekly reviews and really understanding what your current work is in order for you to understand your workload. And then regarding saying no to more tasks, well, that then comes back to, of course, having that overview. Being able to communicate, to say, yes, I would love to take that on. But then sitting down and aligning with the people that delegate tasks, delegate projects to you, saying, okay, well, I have this number of projects going on right now. I'd love to take on that new project that you're mentioning, but then help me figure out which of these 35 can we put, then 5 on pause. Can we delegate to someone else? Can we communicate that, you know, we'll hold these now for 6 months because I'm going to do something else. So really looking at that work, understanding it, getting that overview, and then, aligning with your boss or whoever is sending those tasks to you to figure out what the right work level workload is for, for you right now.

Morten: Yeah, I've read a definition of negative stress, which I like. This explains quite well what overwhelm and stress is, is that when your expectations and other people's expectations of what you're supposed to do exceeds your capability of delivering on these expectations. If you have too much expectations you cannot deliver on, that tends to lead to negative stress. And to renegotiate your commitments with you and with everybody else around you is the key to understanding and avoiding overwhelm and stress. So what GTD does for you as a practitioner of GTD is that it helps you renegotiate all your commitments so that you don't feel overwhelmed because you are engaging in what is most important to you. And I just want to turn the topic a little because I meet a lot of people when I do my coaching and when we are doing seminars that people are time optimists. They're not time realists. So they think, ah, well, this task will only take 5 minutes, and I start, and then 50 minutes after, I wake up and say, what happened? And, um, so, so time realism is, is important, don't you think?

Lars: Absolutely, absolutely. And I recognize that as well. And it can, can come from many places. You know, that individual task can, can simply be longer than you thought. So really thinking through that next action, figuring out what it is— can you actually answer that email in 2 2 minutes, well, I need to research some things or look into some things, or I need to, to, to do, to, to, you know, um, yeah, talk to someone else about how to move forward on this task. Well, that's, that's probably then not a 2-minute action, um, or you keep on getting interrupted. So that will make sure that the task takes longer because you have different rabbit holes that you then have to, to, to run through to, to find your way back. And suddenly you're working on 5 different things at once, and then, and everything takes longer than it, it would have done otherwise. So really being aware of that, I, I certainly recognize that as well.

Morten: Another trick that I think is important to avoid overwhelm, overloading, is to do time blocking. This is a concept, I don't know if this is the appropriate English words for this, but I will fill the words with some context to see if it's appropriate. But when I talk about time blocking, it's like, let's say I need to do to work on a project. I can then put aside, set aside, for instance, an hour tomorrow. I set aside an hour to work on a project, and I will work and do next actions as they show up when I do my project. I don't need to define all next actions but the first to get me started. I note that in the calendar, and then I work in time blocking. Then I set when the alarm goes off, I'm finished. This, my project work, I will stop. I will make a new next action that I will pick up next time I want to work with this. And this is, of course, only appropriate if you can work on a project alone without other people for some time. But time blocking works for me. Have you tried that, Lars?

Lars: Yes. So I will do that sometime as well. I rarely do it, but sometimes I will do it as well. But I think that leads us very nicely into the next question. Question because that is actually relating to a very booked calendar, maybe, maybe too much time blocking. Um, let's see. Um, the question was from Jonas on the Facebook forum that we, we have in here for the, for the Danish-speaking DigiTeers. Um, and this is— I quickly translated his post and the question was, um, really headlined, um, I never get to look at my next actions. So he said, I work as a full-time software developer, I'm a dad, my wife works full-time. My tasks are very much planned with my team, assigned using our internal platforms, which makes DC something I do sort of in my spare time, less so at work, because everything is planned or becomes planned during my weekly review. So before I know it, my calendar is full and I never get to look at my next actions. This means that I hesitate to create next actions because I don't know when I get to look at them. And then I have to plan them to make sure they get done. So this is sort of a spiral that I never seem to get out of. Is anyone else familiar with this? And do you have any suggestions? I'm doing my weekly review now, and I'm procrastinating on it by writing this post. So I thought that was pretty funny.

Morten: The answer is yes, Jonas.

Lars: Yes, exactly. So how would you respond to Jonas on this question?

Morten: No, well, we talk in our courses and the book talked about the trifold nature of work, where you can either plan your work, do your planned work, or do work as it shows up, ad hoc work. And he is hesitant of planning the work because he doesn't know if he can do the planned work, execute on them. And this is, of course, it's not a good place to be. But if you look at how much time do you actually For instance, if he is served by his management or his team a set of tasks he should execute on, and that's doing planned work that's planned for him. And if there is no time for, you know, doing his own work, his own next actions, maybe he is appropriately engaged with his work, but it doesn't sound like that. So, David Allen talks about how to get appropriately engaged with your work and life. He says you need to slow down to speed up. You need to really slow down and focus on making sure that you are— what he talks about when he talks about being appropriately engaged is that you have to get in touch with what's important for you, for your boss, for your company, for you personally with the horizons of focus. Back to this again, just look. Revert to Horizons of Focus to make sure you're doing the right things. And I also think about some things will just show up for you. The trash is full, it needs to be emptied. You empty the trash. Your boss will remind you of something or tell you, you need to do this, and you just do that. And then you will have your life partner telling you, well, this needs to be done, and you just do them. Not everything needs to be recorded. Everything that's kind of on track or the most appropriate thing in the moment to do, you just do. You don't have to record them. But that's not exactly what he talks about. It feels like— I have a feeling he has a little overcommitted himself. What do you think, Loris?

Lars: Yeah, that can certainly be the case. So I can also recognize this. And sometimes my calendar will really fill up as deadlines approach. It can really feel like I'm just doing whatever that smarter version of me had planned out, or in Jonas' case, all the stuff that was planned with his team. And like you say, it could be the right things to do, and that's really the question. Is he doing the right things? Because if those are the right things, then that's probably on a good path.

Morten: But how can you know this? How can you know this?

Lars: Yeah, exactly. So you need to reflect on whether these are the right things that you're doing. So I would certainly, maybe as a part of a weekly review, reflect on whether you did the right things. So what did you get? Done this week, what's still on your to-do list. Because it can really be that you did the right things. But I would expect, and I guess this is where Jonas is, is that it becomes a challenge, for example, for unplanned work when that shows up. Because the full calendar would not allow you to manage that unplanned work, or it could be a challenge to manage at least. So I don't know what it's like in Norway, but when I talk to seminar participants and they evaluate how much unplanned work there is in their life, they would be Only around 30-70%. So really, it can be a lot of their life that is unplanned. And I suspect that Jonas might be in a better place if he's in a stable software development team. They can really, if it's going well, then a lot of that unplanned work can be handled by project managers and others that are sort of setting up a defense perimeter to shield developers so they can really dive into those tasks and work through them. Them. But, but there will always be unplanned work. You know, he's a dad, I think, of two kids, for example. And of course, at work, there will be stuff that shows up. So, so how do you then manage that if you don't have room in your calendar? So, we need to get some space in there. So, the question is, are you as productive as you can be, or do you really have too much work? So, that kind of comes back to the first question again, saying no to work, which then again requires that overview that you will get with a more clear idea of all of the horizons of focus. So, I would say look into what the root cause is, is a good starting point.

Morten: I see that some of our clients find the Level 2 seminar very helpful when trying to map out their projects and their areas of responsibility. Just because it helps you take a step back, you use one day to get an overview of what actually have I committed to. I have to do on work and at home to do and what is my areas of responsibility really. So, and that is really a helpful tool to take back to your boss or your spouse and say, well, really, this is too much or this is appropriate or, you know, to get appropriately engaged, you have to take a step back and you have to reflect on what have I committed to, what is my engagements here. What are my responsibilities? And to say no, but you can't say no if you don't know what you have committed to. What's my responsibility? But once you have your responsibilities mapped out, it's easier to use what I— I don't know if I've talked about this before on the podcast, but I have this button. It's on the desk. Some of my clients get one of these when they— Have I talked about this before?

Lars: I know which one. You mentioned it to me. I don't think you mentioned it on the podcast.

Morten: It's in front of me now. It's like you've seen these nuclear buttons where you— But it's big and it's red and it says no with an exclamation mark. And if I push that now, you will understand what this button does. It helps you say to whatever you need to say to. And if you need to say more, it changes tone and voice. And I find this interesting for everybody who can say no to something when they are in the right to say no to something will say yes to more of the right things.

Lars: Yeah.

Morten: Which is key here. You have to say yes to the right things and no to the right things. And to know what is the right things, you need to take a step up the ladder of horizons of focus, figuring out what am I really responsible for here.

Lars: Exactly. And also, one thing I would add is that if everything is planned out already, you don't get to make those decisions on your own. That really changes how you engage with your work. Because if it's that smart version of yourself that had done all the planned stuff, so you just have to do what that smart version of yourself told you, then, then it really— I've heard that from several people that, you know, there's a small part of you that really appreciates when you get to look at a list and pick from that list rather than having something spelled out to you that you have to do this now.

Morten: Yeah, you're not, you're not at liberty to choose. You— somebody chose for you and you.

Lars: Feel frankly, and that means And you won't be able, for example, to take your energy levels into account. So, especially as a software developer, again, if you have some difficult challenging tasks that you have to get done, you really want to be as sharp as you can possibly be. So, if you can structure your list of tasks so that you get some of, let's say, you're most clear and ready in the morning, then put the heavy ones in the morning and put the zombie ones at the end of the day instead. So, if that's not in that planning, then that could be a big problem. Big improvement as well in the productivity.

Morten: Yes, indeed. I don't know if you've emptied our knowledge box for these two topics. We are getting close to— well, we're past 20 minutes now. Are you ready to make a wrap-up, or do you have some additional comments?

Lars: No, I think we covered it. And so just thanks again to both Kenneth and Jonas for their questions, and hopefully this was beneficial for those listening, and then hopefully you can take some of this with you and become even more productive in your lives.

Morten: Yeah. And please, people, send us something. We like listeners' questions. podcast@gtdnordic.dk is the address, and you will find it in the show notes.

Lars: Yes. So, they can find it there, and you can find more information as well about GTD at gtdnordic.com. For those of you in the Nordic region, you can find all of the country websites there. There with all of the articles, all of the seminars that we're delivering, especially the virtual ones in these days are really becoming popular. You'll find links to the Facebook groups, GTD groups on LinkedIn, the meetup groups, et cetera. And as mentioned, we really hope that you find these episodes valuable. And if you do, we really appreciate those of you who share the podcast or rate us on iTunes. That really helps us get out to more people that can then benefit learning GTD.

Morten: Indeed. And, um, thank you for listening, and, uh, until next time, be productive and, uh, stay safe. Bye-bye.

Lars: Bye, everyone.