As many of you know I am a huge advocate for the GTD workflow methodology (Getting Things Done by David Allen), particularly for students. These days I have been talking about how GTD can be a critical toolbox for the digital natives of today. However, GTD remains just as valuable and important for adults of all ages. They too are faced with just as many distractions as the digital natives - from the tweets, to the email, to the cell phone. Distraction and lack of focus is all around.
This week I am at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, DC and I will be looking for GTD related themes everywhere. But I will also be putting GTD into action. For other attendees of the conference, I encourage you to consider the following strategies to help you better process the event:
1) Create a “mobile inbox” at your hotel desk for materials collected each day.
2) View the conference as one big “inbox” of materials and thoughts.
3) Try to limit the multi-tasking during sessions (i.e. tweets vs. note-taking vs. listening).
4) Take time at the end of day and process your inboxes to zero (i.e. materials or thoughts).
5) Remember to breathe deeply and often - a relaxed body is a relaxed mind.
Large conferences such as NECC can be overwhelming so be sure you have some tools at your disposal to better experience and learn from it.
If you want to talk more about GTD - either as a educator or from your students, DM me on twitter (@kerrygallivan) or stop by the Aerva, Inc. booth (next to Pearson Education) on the exhibit hall (where I’ll be talking about my other passion - digital signage in education).