The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done

Posted by jaslar
Nov 21, 2020 at 09:55 PM

Thanks for posting this very interesting piece. The essential point is correct: knowledge worker autonomy is a myth. Creative energy really is a limited resource, and the challenge of “frictionless” demands on your time via email is an obstacle to productivity. In my previous job, I could see that email was sapping my will to live. I worked out some coping strategies, but a larger, systemic response does seem necessary.

The heart of the article, I thought, was this:

“Consider instead a system that externalizes work. Following the lead of software developers, we might use virtual task boards, where every task is represented by a card that specifies who is doing the work, and is pinned under a column indicating its status. With a quick glance, you can now ascertain everything going on within your team and ask meaningful questions about how much work any one person should tackle at a time. With this setup, optimization becomes possible.”