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David Allen Interview: Getting Things Done with Email
Merlin Mann | Oct 30 2006
43 Folders and The David Allen Company present the fifth in a series of conversations that David and Merlin recently had about Getting Things Done. Summary
Grab the MP3, learn more at Odeo.com, or just listen here (after the cut). Merlin's commentsEmail was one of the topics that I was most interested in talking to David about, and I found his responses to my questions thought-provoking. David makes the case that email is basically just another input -- like voice mail, for example -- that needs to be emptied and processed every day. That it's not substantially different (apart from how badly mostly people do it right now). While I absolutely agree on processing to zero, I think opinions may differ on the significance of email's impact on the life of the average knowledge worker. I think David's approach and advice are tactically quite sound in terms of fixing your own half-acre of the problem, but I'm still ambivalent about a prevailing culture of email in which the implied expectation is that we always need to be on_, for example, responding to business-day messages within minutes of their arrival. My friends working down in the Valley (you know who you are) tell me this is the elephant in the room in terms of trying to get _anything accomplished between 8 and 6. While email has matured in terms of adoption, I think we're still in the very early days of understanding how to use it responsibly across teams and organizations -- we're still a long way from seeing a standard for sound email usage that acknowledges that most "real work" can and should take place outside of an inbox. I really look forward to seeing how we can each help to initiate these conversations in our own circles. In the mean time, you'll love hearing David's advice on Getting Things Done in email. He has a way of cutting to the point that I find really refreshing. Also watch for his prediction on the Blackberry's inevitable progeny: _The Watermelon!_ Listen to Episode #05 of Productive TalkGrab the MP3, learn more at Odeo.com, or just listen from here:
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 When someone is tailgating me...Submitted by Mike Levy (not verified) on October 30, 2006 - 8:01am.
When someone is tailgating me on the road, I slow down so that they are forced to keep a safer distance (3 feet at 10 mph is much safer, for example, than 3 feet at 60 mph). Similarly, when someone is pushy for quick responses, I sloooooow dooooown, minimizing their expectations. I usually get back to most people in a flash, but when it's expected? Forget it. Unless, of course, it is an urgent matter. In the junior high where I teach, we are expected to check our snail mail in the morning and once during the day. I think email should be treated similarly. Like Craig said, if it's an emergency, they should try you by telephone. » POSTED IN:
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