Getting Things Done

It's a Process...

Inspired by David Allen and Edward Lamont’s Getting Things Done, this post is about one thing: how to reliably deliver results—no matter the chaos around you.

You’re in a fast-paced world. New demands hit daily. Problems pop up out of nowhere. Whether you build widgets or craft ideas, your product has to keep evolving just to stay in the game. And the competition? They never rest.

Pushing harder only works for a while. Eventually, the pace outruns you.
Welcome to the future of work—already here, already relentless.

Your work, studies, career, and even your quality-of-life hinge on one thing: your ability to Get Things Done.

Image credit by Dall-E

“If you dig a hole and it's in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn't going to help.”
— Seymour Chwast, The Left-Handed Designer (1985)

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🧭 Get Clear About Your Product

What’s your real goal? Not just the deliverable—but the need it fills. Why does your customer care? Will they still care tomorrow?

Ask:

• What does today’s ideal version of your product look like? Tomorrow’s?

• What would make it a huge success—or a dismal failure?

• What don’t you know about your market yet? How can you find out?

• What are your quality and acceptance criteria at each step?

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🔍 Start With What Works

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Start from best practices—then improve from there.
Whether you're coding, canning jelly, or writing a blog post, stand on the shoulders of proven methods.

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🧱 Use Building Blocks: Inputs, Processing, Outputs, Connections

Every process is a system. Think in terms of modular, repeatable units:

• Inputs → Raw materials, information, time, money

• Processing → The transformation or work applied

• Outputs → Partial or finished product

• Connections → Physical links, quality checks, data flow, handoffs

🟣 Example
Making grape jelly?
Inputs: Juice, sugar, jars
Processing: Sterilize, cook, can, ship
Output: Sealed jelly
Connections: Shipping, billing, feedback loops

Even a simple product has layers of interconnection. A good system maps them all.

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✨ Where the Magic Happens: Modular Process Blocks

Big success is built on tiny, repeatable wins. Modular blocks let you build scale and resilience.

• Check Quality at the Start
  Each step depends on the last. Validate inputs before you invest effort. Mistakes caught early are cheaper and easier to fix.

• Design for Resilience
  Add slack. Eliminate single points of failure. Write clear instructions for when you’re tired, distracted, or stuck. The goal: a system that works even at your worst.

• Assign Ownership
  Who owns each input, step, or outcome? Clarify responsibility to avoid ambiguity.

• Think in Negatives
  What could go wrong at each step? Inventory delays? Tech failures? Plan workarounds now, not later.

• Build Feedback Into the Process
  After each cycle, review:

  • What went well? (Bright spots—replicate them.)

  • What didn’t? (Dark spots—fix the bottlenecks.)

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🗂️ Document What You Do—Then Actually Use It

People change. Priorities shift. A well-documented process is your anchor.

Use:

• Checklists

• Templates

• Style guides

• Process maps

• Standard operating procedures

These tools give your team (or your future self) the framework to succeed every time.

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🏁 Final Thought

In a world moving faster than you can dig, direction beats intensity.
Build systems that guide you, support you, and flex with you. You’ll keep moving when others burn out.
This is what they mean when they say: “Work smarter—not just harder”.

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That’s My Perspective