Ep. 242: Slice of GTD Life with Richards and Spurgeon
Jan 17, 2024
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Brian Richards and Christal Spurgeon discuss how GTD improves their company's productivity, the challenges of implementing GTD in the company culture, using Trello for task management, implementing Holocracy for an elegant work structure, fostering an environment of empowerment and purpose, and the benefits of combining GTD and Holacracy for an effective workflow.
Combining GTD principles with a bullet journal system can help ensure organization and prevent tasks from being overlooked.
Implementing GTD and Holacracy together can improve communication, empower employees, and streamline processes in a company.
Deep dives
Crystal's GTD Journey and Use of Bullet Journal
Crystal got into GTD more than a decade ago and found it helpful in managing her busy student life. She initially experimented with various systems before settling on a bullet journal. She combines the bullet journal style with GTD principles, using categories and an inbox for daily tasks. She keeps her business and personal tasks together and finds that writing things down on paper helps her stay organized and not miss anything.
Brian's GTD Experience and Application in His Company
Brian, the founder of SONNA.space, started implementing GTD in his company after struggling to scale his operations and manage various tasks. He realized the need for a structured system to handle the multiple facets of his business. As a vertically integrated company, GTD helped them streamline processes and empower employees to take ownership of their roles. By embracing GTD and fostering a non-hierarchical, non-managerial culture, the company experienced improved efficiency, better organization, and a sense of purpose.
The Integration of Holacracy and GTD
The company's implementation of Holacracy further enhanced their GTD practices. Recognizing the importance of clear roles and responsibilities, Brian and Crystal realized that GTD and Holacracy go hand in hand. GTD allowed them to trust that tasks would be handled by the appropriate individuals, while Holacracy provided the structure for defining roles, accountability, and decision-making. The combination of the two systems improved communication, reduced dropped tasks, and fostered a culture of empowerment and ownership.
Overcoming Challenges and Improving the Company's Culture
The company faced language and communication challenges due to having non-English speakers, some with limited or no English proficiency. However, the implementation of Holacracy and GTD facilitated inclusiveness and ensured that everyone had a voice in meetings. The company valued transparency and used tools like Trello and Glass Frog to manage projects, track actions, and visualize the company's structure and accountability. The integration of GTD and Holacracy allowed the company to overcome challenges, improve morale, create a sense of purpose, and ultimately experience growth and success.
This is a special Slice of GTD Life, because it's with two people instead of one, and because they talk about how their GTD practice is involved with running the company Sauna Space. Brian Richards and Christal Spurgeon discuss the tools they use for GTD, how their employees learn and use GTD, and how GTD fits with the self-managing approach the company runs on.
You can listen to the entire conversation from October 2022 at GTD Connect®.
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