Our Getting Things Done Cheat Sheet

Our Getting Things Done Cheat Sheet

One of my favorite books for product management and development is Rework by the folks at 37Signals. Here are some of my key takeaways that I always try to remember:

  • Quick wins: Get something done (even if it is really small), and move on to the next thing
  • Simplify, simplify: Keep solutions simple, don’t try to account for every potential issue that might arise
  • Long lists don’t get done: Long lists make you feel guilty and they never get done. Break one long to do list into a bunch of smaller to do lists
  • Break down your estimations: The smaller something is, the easier it is to estimate
  • Make tiny decisions: Big decisions are intimidating, and we usually put them off. Breakdown your decisions, so you can keep the momentum going
  • Checklists: If something is a repeatable process, make a checklist so you no longer need to think about it
  • Complexity = Simplicity + Noise: If something is ambiguous, breakdown the complexity into buckets