Getting Things Done

Getting Projects Creatively

Under Way: The Five Phases of

Project Planning

You've got to think
about the big
things while you're
doing small things,
so that all the
small things go in
the right direction.
—Alvin Toffler

THE KEY INGREDIENTS of relaxed control are (1) clearly

defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions

required to move them toward closure, and (2) re-

minders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed

regularly. This is what I call horizontal focus. Al-

though it may seem simple, the actual application of

the process can create profound results.

Enhancing "Vertical" Focus

Horizontal focus is all you'll need in most situations, most of the

time. Sometimes, however, you may need greater rigor and focus

to get a project under control, to identify a solution,

or to ensure that all the right steps have been deter-

mined. This is where vertical focus comes in. Know-

ing how to think productively in this more "vertical"

way and how to integrate the results into your per-

sonal system is the second powerful behavior set

needed for knowledge work.

This kind of thinking doesn't have to be elabo-

rate. Most of the thinking you'll need to do is infor-

mal, what I call back-of-the-envelope planning—the kind of

thing you do literally on the back of an envelope in a coffee shop

with a colleague as you're hashing out the agenda and structure of

The goal is to get
projects and
situations off your
mind, but not to
lose any potentially
useful ideas.