Author David Allen helps people get things done. The key, notes Allen, is to ask, what is the next action?
“People in my seminars,” writes Allen, “often have things on their lists like ‘Get a tune-up for the car.’ Is ‘Get a tune-up’ a next action? Not unless you’re walking out with the wrench in hand, dressed for grease. ‘So, what’s the next action?’ I’ll ask. ‘I need to take the car to the garage. Oh, yeah, I need to find out if the garage can take it. I guess I need to call the garage and make the appointment.’ ‘Do you have the number?’ I’ll ask.
‘Darn, no… I don’t have the number… Fred recommended that garage to me, and I don’t have the number. I knew something was missing in the equation.’” Identifying a phone number so we can make a call is an example of a next action in a sequence of actions that will lead to getting something done.
How might Allen’s approach help how you approach the goals and even dreams you bring into a new day?
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