

Ask HN: Does GTD or Pomodoro really help you get things done? - procrastinewbie

Hi HN,
So here's my work loop:
1) Catch interest in something.
2) Keep hacking until it's done.
3) Collapse || Lose interest.
4) goto 1<p>You will be amazed to see how much I can actually get done using this weird method. But a friend of mine told me to try pomodoro or GTD to get my work in order. Do you think having order in your work increases the output so much that it's worth the effort?
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frankus
It depends a lot on how complicated your life is. I use parts of GTD, along
with a to-do list and a synced calendar, but then I have a day job, two or
three quasi-entrepreneurial side projects, a house, pets, and a significant
other.

What having some kind of a written/electronic system does is that it frees you
from having thoughts of "crap, that's another thing I need to remember to do"
interrupting your creative work. When you have a thought like that, you should
quickly get it out of your head and into a trusted system (your "outboard
brain").

Then every so often (it has to be often enough that you learn to trust your
system), you go back and look at your list and see what you can and/or must
do. Slightly less often (GTD suggests weekly), you go through your projects
and, in an organized way, ask "What am I missing?", and write the answers
down.

In short, once your life gets moderately complicated you'd be silly to try and
keep all the stuff you have to do in your head. That's what computers and
paper are for.

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nguyentphai
Please note that my comment may be biased. I'm one of the developers of
Priority Matrix (<http://www.appfluence.com>), a product using the Covey
method, which competes somewhat with GTD.

From my personal experience and those in working with our customers, I think
individuals can be divided into at least 3 distinct groups. If you've ever
taken the Meyer Briggs test, you may notice that the 4th letter is P for
Perceiving or J for Judging. I want to break the J's into 2 subsets (B and C).

The three groups, in my opinion, are: A) Perceiving, people in this group are
not interested in general organization unless necessary. GTD will not work
well for these individuals. B) People in this group must plan out the specific
details of their work. Knowing the purpose of what they have to do next gives
them peace and comfort. GTD and/or Pomodoro work well for these individuals.
C) People in this group are interested in planning, but only for important
things. The general approach to prioritization and categorization is
sufficient to keep the person sane, but there's no necessary investments into
detailed planning. I think the Covey method works well for these individuals.

To go back to your original question, do you think you are in A, B, or C? I
think that group A individuals who try GTD will see the planning work for a
while, but will quickly become frustrated as they get a lot of things done,
but they don't feel like they get IMPORTANT things done. GTD looks at tasks
from an altitude-like levels: "10,000 ft view" vs "50,000 ft view" etc. For
perceiving individuals, the 0-10,000 ft level can be frustrating. But for many
Judging people, I certainly think that this detailed planning provides
clarity.

~~~
JimboOmega
"A) Perceiving, people in this group are not interested in general
organization unless necessary. GTD will not work well for these individuals. "

This describes me. I did the same sort of thing where I used it for a while
and gradually burned out on it. I still try to keep files for organizing
papers, one of the few parts of GTD that I kept.

Generally I do not have enough tasks that I am going crazy trying to remember
them all. I am more interested in a methodology that keeps me on track and
keeps me from procrastinating, especially as I am ADHD

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iuguy
That's weird, I posted something similar today after postive experiences using
the pomodoro technique -

[http://www.minklinks.com/weblog/2010/11/16/countering-
procra...](http://www.minklinks.com/weblog/2010/11/16/countering-
procrastination-keeping-focused-and-ripe-juicy-tomatoes/)

(original HN submission here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1910005>)

I haven't tried GTD. My experience so far with pomodoro has basically helped
in two areas: focus and distraction.

I'm finding that I'm much more focused on the task at hand (and have usually
planned it) with pomodoro. I'm also more aware of my distractions. That's not
to say that I don't get interrupted, but that I handle it a lot more
efficiently.

As for things such as maintaining interest, I'm not sure if that's a goal with
pomodoro, but it's too early for me to tell.

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M1573RMU74710N
I use pomodoro, but honestly only because it's important to get up regularly
and walk around or exercise a bit.

I work for a bit, and when the timer goes off I do some jumping jacks or push
ups. For the longer break (~ every 2 hours) I take a longer exercise period,
generally go for a walk around the block or something.

I find it helps _a lot_ because I feel healthier, and additional it takes me
away from the task for a little bit and can give perspective. Sometimes you
get bogged down in a problem, and you become focused on "solving" it...and
just taking a breather can help the answer just come to you.

Using just the technique by itself without the exercise didn't help much...I
often found myself getting distracted during the 5 minute break.

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eswat
If this is working for you, just keep at it.

The problem I have with systems like pomodoro or anything that “forces” you to
put leisure time in-between times of focus is that, for me, it’s difficult to
get into the zone when you’re switching gears so much. If I really get into my
work I might leisurely browse the net every-now-and-then and get right back to
it without really thinking about it. With pomodoro I had to make a conscious
effort to stop due to the pomodoro timer, with a slow ramp-up time right
after.

I’ve also tried GTD years ago but it never really fit for me. A Post-It note
with all the stuff I need to get done for the day works for me.

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Travis
For me, it's the structure that allows me to get things done.

I've only ever dabbled in GTD or Pomo, but the basic building block -- have a
list of tasks grouped and broken-down by time -- is what lets me get things
done.

I'm sure the processes recommended on top of that building block also help.
But I'm set in my ways, and don't like much overhead, so I keep it simple just
by keeping a Pomo pool around, without the egg timer.

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philwelch
I think you'll find most creative work is best done on your schedule, while
most administrative work maps well to GTD. Administrative work (boring stuff
like paying bills or doing laundry or status reports) should be separated from
creative work (for more on this idea:
<http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html>)

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aheilbut
I think (hope?) that the structured methods help when there are external
factors driving priorities and potentially causing interruptions and
interference.

In the absence of any outside influences, 'keep hacking until it's done' is
probably close to an optimal strategy.

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static47
well GTd methodology is great, but following it to a "t" is a bit much, I have
a little Nugget from GTD that works for me- it's the process of "categorizing"
your life and actions.

I basically structure my inbox with categories (like categorizing tasks but
doing it with email) and send myself emails of individual action items that
get categorized.

Then I can filter by category and focus on 1 project at a time.. been working
great for me for several years and I feel insanely more productive!

