Ep. 227: Slice of GTD Life - Melissa Garner

Oct 4, 2023

Melissa Garner, the Director of IT Governance, Policy & Strategy at the Oregon Department of Education, shares her passion for productivity. She highlights the importance of shared calendars for family coordination and enhancing remote work communications. Garner discusses her unique GTD system in OneNote, adapting productivity techniques to navigate life changes after overcoming leukemia. Additionally, she dives into blending digital and paper organization for optimal task management, emphasizing how motivation plays a crucial role in workplace productivity.

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ANECDOTE

Crisis Mode and Calendaring

Melissa Garner discusses her current "crisis mode" in GTD due to an email change at the Oregon Department of Education.
She explains her normally meticulous calendaring habits, including scheduling thinking time.

ADVICE

Prioritizing Staff Support

Prioritize supporting your staff.
Jump out of meetings to help them, if it's not critical.

ANECDOTE

Making IT Transitions Easy

Melissa aims to make transitions and tools easy for her agency, improving customer experience with IT.
She finds a balance between providing support and encouraging self-sufficiency.

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Melissa Garner has a big job as the Director of IT Governance, Policy & Strategy at the Oregon Department of Education. She also has a busy family life and makes time for her creative pursuits. In this interview, she talks about her longtime enthusiasm for GTD, and how she supports her staff to be their best. One of the highlights is her detailed walk-through of her GTD system in OneNote.

You can listen to the entire conversation from November 2021 at GTD Connect®.

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