Steamd

For those who don’t know who he is, David Allen is the author of a very popular book on productivity called “Getting Things Done“. If you’ve ever had moments where things are stuck inside your head on what you need to be doing on any particular day then this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.

GTD (short for Getting Things Done) is a simple and repeatable way of managing the tasks and actions in your life. This system is the foundation of many productivity gurus including Merlin Mann of 43 Folders. The reason for its success is due to the fact that it doesn’t use gimmicks or abstract concepts. It uses real-world language and ideas that anyone can grasp. And the author doesn’t pretend to be a know it all. In fact, David Allen himself will tell you that even he isn’t necessarily an expert and is still learning more ways to better implement the concepts of GTD.

Earlier this year, David Allen did a presentation for Google. Google was kind enough to share this video with others on the web. Although it’s geared a bit towards Google employees and knowledge workers, it’s still a great introduction into the concepts of what GTD is:

Ever see any of those unboxing videos? Check out the ones for the MacBook Air, WiiFit, and Rockband. There seems to be a weird preoccupation with this sort of thing. So, it should come as no surprise that Merlin Mann and Jeffrey Veen did a little unboxing video of their own:

Select Nuts: An Afternoon in the Castro

I’ll be doing a presentation for Refresh Dallas on February 7th at the Christopher A. Parr Library in Plano. The presentation will be on e-mail and heavily based on a prior presentation made by Merlin Mann (43 Folders).

Merlin did a series of articles on his site called Inbox Zero and later on did a presentation for Google. I was absolutely amazed at the common sense approach to managing a large amount of e-mail and felt that others would benefit from it as well. My presentation will follow the same basic presentation that Merlin did but will reflect my own experience as an IT professional. For the last 3 1/2 years or so I have worked as an IT Assistant for a small architectural firm and have worked with plenty of people who are e-mail challenged. My hope is that this experience will come across in this presentation and will show others how a lack of e-mail management can hinder productivity.

Check out the Refresh Dallas website for more details! If you’re interested in coming, be sure and RSVP on the website. Although Refresh Dallas is an organization based around web developers and designers, this presentation isn’t limited to a particular group. So if you know someone who is e-mail challenged, bring them along! Just be sure and let the Refresh guys know you’re bringing someone in your RSVP.

See you there!