{"id":9826,"date":"2020-06-24T18:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=9826"},"modified":"2020-06-28T21:23:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T01:23:46","slug":"managing-commitments-getting-things-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/managing-commitments-getting-things-done\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Commitments: Tips + Advice for a Hectic Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you need help managing commitments? Are there any programs or systems that can help? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Getting Things Done<\/em>, managing commitments is a central element of why the system works. Managing commitments helps you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-manage-tasks\/\">manage tasks<\/a> and organize your life. Keep reading to find out how. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Horizontal vs. Vertical Control<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two ways to manage your commitments and actions:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Horizontal control takes stock of your projects and tasks in all areas of your life<\/strong>\u2014from getting your car repaired to finishing a report for work. This requires an organized system that can keep track of everything, helps you call up relevant reminders and information when you need it, and lets you switch your focus quickly and easily.<\/li><li><strong>Vertical control goes into the details of one specific project or topic. <\/strong>This might be all the details, research, and planning you need to do for a work report or home addition. Vertical control requires a system that lets you organize and easily access plans, notes, and reminders about this one topic.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>GTD is designed to accommodate both management systems because life requires both horizontal and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/vertical-project-getting-things-done\/\">vertical planning<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Managing Commitments&nbsp;<\/strong>Using the GTD Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The source of many people\u2019s stress is having too many internal commitments or not managing them effectively. These commitments can be as big as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-hire-new-employees\/\">hiring a new employee<\/a> or as small as replacing a lightbulb\u2014anything that\u2019s floating around your mind and nagging at you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/getting-things-done-program\/\">GTD program<\/a>, these are called \u201copen loops.\u201d <strong>Open loops pull your attention away from the task at hand and need to be addressed to get them off your mind. <\/strong>But you don\u2019t have to actually complete the task in order to get it off your mind. You just need to take these steps:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Capture it in an external system called a collection tool, and regularly sort through the system.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Clarify exactly what you want to accomplish and what you need to do (next actions) to make progress on it.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Set up reminders to take the actionable steps you\u2019ve identified.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though you haven\u2019t actually taken any steps to complete the task, <strong>these simple steps make you feel more in control because you engaged your mind in <em>how<\/em> to resolve the problem rather than just thinking <em>about<\/em> the problem.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Manage Your Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most to-do lists are made up of \u201cstuff\u201d\u2014plans and commitments that you haven\u2019t yet broken down into actionable steps. Lists full of stuff are ineffective and overwhelming.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An effective <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/productivity-systems\/\">productivity system<\/a> doesn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-manage-time-efficiently\/\">manage your time<\/a>, information, or priorities; it manages your <em>actions. <\/em><strong>The GTD program teaches you how to take this stuff, give it meaning, and turn it into \u201cnext action\u201d steps<\/strong> using three objectives:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Have a trusted external system (outside your memory) to capture <em>everything<\/em> you must do, might need to do, or might need later.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/be-decisive\/\">Be decisive<\/a> about all your tasks and commitments and have a running <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gtd-to-do-list\/\">to-do list<\/a> of next actions.<\/li><li>Organize all of the information and to-dos into appropriate categories and contexts.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When you have an organized external system of actionable items and trusted reminders, your brain doesn\u2019t have to juggle all these thoughts and information<\/strong>\u2014which is good because your brain doesn\u2019t do a great job of it anyway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research shows that your brain can\u2019t help but continually remind you about all the things you have to do, which is more of a distraction from your current task than a motivator to accomplish those pending tasks. How often do you think of something you need to do at random times when you can do nothing about it? Not only is it ineffective, but it adds to your stress and anxiety about all the things you need to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>An Effective System Calms and Clears Your Mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you throw a pebble into a still pond, how does the water react? Its reaction is directly proportional to the size of the pebble and the force of your throw\u2014the water doesn\u2019t overreact or underreact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>An effective productivity system makes your mind like water, reacting in direct proportion to the size and importance of the task at hand. <\/strong>When your mind is calm and in control, you can attack each task and project in a state of calm focus and productivity\u2014a \u201cflow\u201d state or being \u201cin the zone.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, when you get overwhelmed and don\u2019t feel in control of your life and to-do list, it\u2019s easy to overreact to small demands and underreact to important ones (for example, flipping out when your boss adds a relatively small task to your plate, or not putting enough energy into an important presentation because you\u2019re too overloaded).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people live in a constant state of at least mild stress because they don\u2019t have the tools to manage everything. The GTD program gives you the tools to regain control so that you can access that water state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Managing Commitments: Clarify<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can organize all that you\u2019ve captured, you need to <strong>decide the intended outcome for each item, then figure out the immediate next action you need to take to make progress toward that outcome.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on what you determine for each item, you\u2019ll either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Throw it away.<\/strong> If it doesn\u2019t require any action and you won\u2019t need the information later, toss it.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Keep it for your reference files.<\/strong> These items don\u2019t require any action, but they have information that may be useful later.<\/li><li><strong>Do it.<\/strong> If the next action takes less than two minutes, do it now.<\/li><li><strong>Label it a project.<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gtd-system\/\">GTD system<\/a> defines projects as anything that requires more than one step and can be finished within a year\u2014anything from planting your garden to learning new software at work. Put a sticky note on it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/negative-labels\/\">labeling<\/a> it a project and put it in a Pending pile.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Decide to delegate it. <\/strong>If the next action will take longer than two minutes, consider whether you\u2019re the best person for the job. If not, put a sticky note on it marking that you\u2019re delegating it and to whom, and put it in the Pending pile.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Save it for later.<\/strong> Label items that don\u2019t require any action now but you might want to follow up on in the future as \u201cSomeday\/Maybe.\u201d If you want to create a reminder to reconsider it on a specific date, make a note of that date so you can put it in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/tickler-system-getting-things-done\/\">tickler file<\/a> or on your calendar in the next step. Put all these items in the Pending pile.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Decide the next action. <\/strong>If it\u2019ll take longer than two minutes and you can\u2019t delegate it, label it \u201cNext Action\u201d and put it in the Pending pile.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Managing commitments can be difficult, especially in a fast-paced life. Things come up, and it&#8217;s hard to say no. But applying an organization system like Getting Things Done can make managing commitments easier and more efficient. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you need help managing commitments? Are there any programs or systems that can help? In Getting Things Done, managing commitments is a central element of why the system works. Managing commitments helps you manage tasks and organize your life. Keep reading to find out how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,30],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-9826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-improvement","category-work","tag-getting-things-done","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Managing Commitments: Tips + Advice for a Hectic Life - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you have trouble managing commitments? The GTD system can help. 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