Getting Things Done: personal productivity management from the perspective of situated and embodied cognition

1. Getting Things Done:personal productivity managementfrom the perspective of situated and embodied cognition Francis Heylighen & Clément Vidal (ECCO, VUB)

2. Outline • Introduction • Summary of the GTD method • Cognitive foundations of knowledge work • Cognitive paradigms applied to GTD • Further research about GTD (brainstorming) • Collaborative GTD • GTD and happiness. • Etc.

3. 1. Introduction

4. The problem • Complex informational society • Most of our activity is knowledge work(Drucker 1973) • Growing complexity and change • Constant bombardment with new information • Priority and resources are constantly changing. • How can we organize such information-dependent work?

5. Subtitle: « The Art of Stress-Free Productivity » Minimize stress and anxiety Maximize productivity Very popular method Bestselling book in « time management », etc. More than 1 000 000 web pages about it. We propose a theoretical investigation of the method. David Allen’s (2001) Getting Things Done (GTD) Method.

6. GTD as a praxeology • GTD is a praxeology, • a value-independent theory about how to manage actions. • Constitutes one of the six fundamental components of a worldview, according to Leo Apostel

7. The worldview questions. (Apostel, Van der Veken 1991)

8. Self System 4. Theory of values goal 6. Theory of knowledge Perception 5. Theory of actions Action Diversions (problems and opportunities) WorldEnvironment 2. Explanation Past 3. Prediction Future 1. Ontology Present Worldview of an individual as a cybernetic system. Heylighen (2000).

9. 2. Summary of the GTD method

10. Get everything out of your head, in a trusted external memory. Coherent method to use organizational tools most effectively To do lists Calendar Notes Etc. Main principles

11. Five stages of our work • We (1) collect things that command our attention; (2) process what they mean and what to do with them; and (3) organize the results, which we (4) review as options for what we choose to (5) do. (Allen, 2001, 24) • (1) Collect • (2) Process and (3) Organize • (4) Review • (5) Do

12. (1) Collect • Collect everything that catches your attention. • Physical collectors • Trays, folders, notebook, etc. • Electronic collectors • Email application, outliner, etc.

13. (2) Process & Organize. 1/4

14. (2) Process & Organize. 2/4

15. (2) Process & Organize. 3/4

16. (2) Process & Organize 4/4

17. Next Actions Buy a present for Ellen Call Peter about the new contract Project Travel to Belgium Book hotel Phone tourist office Calendar Oct. 29: Ellen’s birthday Nov. 12: departure for Brussels Waiting for The plane tickets for Brussels Someday/Maybe Read that novel set in Belgium Reference Visa pin code: 4576 Result: an organized external memory. Example below.

18. (4) Review • Daily review • To do list. • Calendar. • Weekly review • update your whole external memory • up-to-date and trustable • feeling of control and goal directedness.

19. First model Context Time/Energy available Priority Second model Do work as it shows up Do predefined work Define your work. Third model (longer term goals/values) Current actions Current projects Areas of responsibility 1-2 years goals 3-5 years goals Life goals (5) Do

20. 3. Cognitive foundations of knowledge work

21. Limitations of Rational Cognition • Working memory: • not more than about 7 (Magical number) items can be processed or stored • Patterns of activation interfere and decay • Long-term memory: • Recognition is easy • Recall is unreliable

22. Situated and Embodied Cognition • Basis of cognition is not internal reasoning • But interacting with the external situation • Sensory-motor feedback • Perceptions trigger actions • Actions change situation • Changes are perceived • Triggering further actions...

23. Stigmergy • Environment-mediated coordination of actions • External effect of action stimulates subsequent action • By same or different agent • Can be: • Synchronous: reaction follows immediately • Asynchronous: action leaves stable trace

24. Extended Mind • Traces left by actions function as external memory • External memory stimulates actions

25. Extended Mind

26. Flow • Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of well-being • Requirements: • Clear goals • Continuous feedback • Challenges matching skills • Being in control: • able to advance smoothly towards goals

27. 4. Cognitive paradigms applied to GTD GTD implements the lessons from: • Situated and Embodied Cognition • Stigmergy • Flow

28. Facilitating stigmergy • Externalizing memory • Storing tasks in different repositories • Formulating information in an “actionable” form • Intended to stimulate action • Without need for further reflection

29. Situation-dependent execution • Choosing next action first on basis of context • Affordances • Time • Energy • Only then on basis of priority • Rationale: • priorities are subjective and changing • affordances are objective and need to be used now

30. Not planning but adapting • Stigmergy produces coordinated action • But without plan or blueprint • Situations change, creating: • New needs (problems, priorities) • New opportunities (affordances) • This requires great flexibility • But without losing track of which things to do

31. Achieving flow • information overload → • Anxiety, confusion, procrastination • GTD → Flow: • Focus on task • Well-being • Smooth and fast progress • “mind like water”: doing without thinking or worrying

32. 5. Brainstorming:Further research about GTD Collaborative GTD Maximizing well-being

33. Collaborative GTD • Task repositories shared by people in organization • Individuals choose tasks to perform based on • Personal abilities • Time, situation, context • Quantitative stigmergy • Tasks have points representing importance • Individuals collect maximum of points • Makes sure important tasks are done • And everyone performs a fair share

34. Maximizing well-being