How do you do your work?

Recently, I listened to a podcast featuring two of David Allen’s coaches, Kelly Forrister and Meg Edwards. In the course of their discussion, they talked about the “three-fold nature of work.” I’d forgotten the distinctions so their comments got me to thinking.

According to David Allen in Getting Things Done (GTD), work has three aspects:

• Determining what must be done.
• Doing pre-defined work.
• Doing work as it shows up.

It’s easy to mix these three activities. However, there’s a value in becoming conscious of what you’re doing and when.

If you find that you’re easily distracted, chasing every urgency and shiny object, then you may be spending too much time doing stuff as it shows up. Not getting enough done? You might want to be certain you’ve defined your work well or that you’re setting aside uninterrupted time to do your “pre-defined” tasks.

Notice how you’re doing work today. What you see may surprise you and yield insight in how to get more done.

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