CHAPTER 2 | GETTING CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE: THE FIVE STAGES OF MASTERING WORKFLOWweak, what someone is likely to choose to do at any point in time
may not be the best option.
The dynamics of these five stages need to be understood, and
good techniques and tools implemented to facilitate their func-
tioning at an optimal level. I have found it very helpful, if not
essential, to separate these stages as I move through my day. There
are times when I want only to collect input and not decide what to
do with it yet. At other times I may just want to process my notes
from a meeting. Or I may have just returned from a big trip and
need to distribute and organize what I collected and processed on
the road. Then there are times when I want to review the whole
inventory of my work, or some portion of it. And obviously a lot
of my time is spent merely doing something that I need to get
done.
I have discovered that one of the major reasons many people
haven't had a lot of success with "getting organized" is simply that
they have tried to do all five phases at one time. Most, when they
sit down to "make a list," are trying to collect the "most important
things" in some order that reflects priorities and sequences, with-
out setting out many (or any) real actions to take. But if you don't
decide what needs to be done about your secretary's birthday,
because it's "not that important" right now, that open loop will
take up energy and prevent you from having a totally effective,
clear focus on what is important.
This chapter explains the five phases in detail. Chapters 4
through 8 provide a step-by-step program for implementing an
airtight system for each phase, with lots of examples and best
practices.Collect
It's important to know what needs to be collected and how to col-
lect it most effectively so you can process it appropriately. In order
for your mind to let go of the lower-level task of trying to hang on