Getting Things Done

THE ART OF GETTING THINGS DONE | PART ONE

sophisticated and says, "We need to get organized!" (Catching on

now?) Then people draw boxes around the problem and label

them. Or redraw the boxes and relabel them.

At some point they realize that just redrawing

boxes isn't really doing much to solve the problem.

Now someone (much more sophisticated) suggests

that more creativity is needed. "Let's brainstorm!"

With everyone in the room, the boss asks, "So, who's

got a good idea here?" (Thank you, Mrs. Williams.)

When not much happens, the boss may surmise that his staff

has used up most of its internal creativity. Time to hire a consul-

tant! Of course, if the consultant is worth his salt, at some point

he is probably going to ask the big question: "So, what are you

really trying to do here, anyway?" (vision,purpose).

The reactive style is the reverse of the natural model. It will

always come back to a top-down focus. It's not a matter of

whether the natural planning will be done—just when, and at

what cost.

Natural Planning Techniques: The Five Phases

It goes without saying, but still it must be said again: thinking in

more effective ways about projects and situations can make things

happen sooner, better, and more successfully. So if our minds plan

naturally anyway, what can we learn from that? How can we use

that model to facilitate getting more and better results in our

thinking?

Let's examine each of the five phases of natural planning and

see how we can leverage these contexts.

Purpose

It never hurts to ask the "why?" question. Almost anything you're

currently doing can be enhanced and even galvanized by more

Don't just do
something. Stand
there.
—Rochelle Myer