The Art & Science of GTD - Meraki Consulting

Where will I possibly find the time for that?

This is a question familiar to us all. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, finding time to do the things you would truly love to do…create, relax, enjoy family & friends; or, harnessing the energy to form new healthy habits…meditate, exercise, organize your closet…seems impossible. Right?

We are constantly bombarded by requests for our time and attention. We are distracted with email and social media. Our “to do” lists become overwhelming reminders that we are falling behind and not doing enough. Then it happens. Something falls through the cracks and our house of cards comes tumbling down.

We scramble and squirm in attempt to put the pieces back together and continue on our spiral of accomplishment through chaos. Searching for a beacon of hope and a little direction (maybe even a miracle or two) we read books on productivity and time management, purchase organization systems, download apps to help schedule and remind us of deadlines. We gobble up anything and everything that promises to help us become a well-oiled machine.

And that’s the problem…

We aren’t machines. Yet, the current factory model, which serves as the blueprint for school systems, government agencies, and private industry, is structured to mold us into machines of productivity. And we dutifully make the choice to comply. That is, until we completely burnout.

So how do we take back control over our lives and our time? Boundaries.

We get to choose what and who we say yes or no to. Sadly, many of us don’t choose wisely and we take on more than we should (for a variety of reasons…no judgment here, I have lived this hell). While certain daily activities fall into the “yes” category…gainful employment, paying bills, eating, caring for our family, others could clearly be placed in the “no” or “maybe later” category…reading emails after 6pm, scrolling through social media accounts, cleaning the baseboards.

We often forget that we are human beings and not human doings. It happens to the best of us. We are just going along trying to do our best and make it through the day and then panic sets in. We are filled with anxiety and stress overtakes us. This is our sign to stop and re-evaluate. What is truly necessary for our safety and well-being? What can we dismiss or outsource?

Flexibility = Flow

We choreograph our dance of life. When we are flexible and strong we produce a beautiful dance that flows to the music and brings with it mirth and delight. When we are rigid and unyielding, like robots made of steel, the dance is clunky, unnatural, and painful to perform. Scheduling our time follows along the same lines.

When setting out to accomplish a goal, create something beautiful, manage a schedule, care for a family, or build a company we would be wise to remember that the sweet spot is found in the flow. And in order to flow we must be flexible.

For those of you looking for a bit of inspiration and guidance in creating your choreography for your dance of life, I have found and use (parts, not all) of the following: Getting Things Done: the art of stress-free productivity by David Allen, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and The 12 Week Year by Brain P. Morgan and Michael Lennington.

Drop me a note: What’s your pro tip for getting things done?

Jason G.

May 2, 2024.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nicole as a consultant, trainer, and administrator of Predictive Index for both for-profit and non-profit entities. In both cases, the PI software proved to have an immediate impact on my teams With the non-profit organization, we used PI to evaluate both our board members and frontline outreach teams. The PI data was used to better align our board committees and to give our executive director an easy-to-read playbook for managing the diverse personalities and motivations of a growing board. I’m unaware of what other tools could have given us the deep insights we got from PI, and they came at a critical time. It was indeed a blessing. With our outreach teams, PI gave us the same level of operational management insight. We were also able to leverage the software as a screening tool within our hiring process. Nicole trained several of our board members and team leads on the software so that we had the working knowledge to access and integrate the many recommendations into our daily workflows. Due to the successful implementation with the non-profit, I introduced Nicole to the HR manager at my employer. I suggested an in-house demo with one of our teams that needed some tweaking following a recent expansion. There was some hesitation, even a little pushback. Some team members felt we were “too busy” even to take the questionnaire, let alone roll out whatever new practices it would recommend. What’s rewarding about PI is that the whole system initiates with two simple questions. Even those in opposition had to yield to its simplicity. From there, it was a similar experience as that with the non-profit. The “work-style” assessments were incredibly accurate, and they immediately helped the team’s directors identify the sources of common tension points within the group. I left that organization for a C-level position with another company, and I was able to perform the same team and organizational assessments for my new group. Consistently, PI delivered the relevant insights to empower us as leaders to get the most out of our group. Beyond that, the PI assessments spotlight what our organization is presently set up to accomplish vs. what we, as leaders, have defined as our organizational goals. That distinction is invaluable and eye-opening as we focus our strategic plans. Far more than the value of the software, Nicole’s expertise, generosity, patience, and compassionate nature have been instrumental in helping our teams understand and adopt the PI recommendations. We operate in a competitive industry, and people management has never been as challenging as now with the recent shifts in the labor market. I’m thankful to have PI as a tool and Meraki as a partner to help us be more skillful and efficient in our people management, which, of course, translates directly to the successful delivery of our products and services.

T.H., Non-profit

January 6, 2024.

The depth of Nicole’s heart is unmeasurable. I met her for the first time in a parking lot unloading necessities for a group of young people who were searching for guidance and in need of necessities. Her giving didn’t stop there. She continued to bless our non-profit with her gifts and resources. Two years later she is pouring into our organization with her wisdom, using the Predictive Index to build a foundation that has taken our non-profit to stages that a “new” and “small” non-profit can only dream and hope for. Her wisdom, gifts, and talents have changed our organization! We doubled our guesstimated reach of serving vulnerable youth this year, youth that are wandering our streets, in the community we call home, searching for someone who will show them their worth. Our mission is that no youth will journey life on their own without a consistent, healthy adult beside them. Meraki Consulting Partner is walking beside our team and we are so deeply grateful, as is our community and the youth we’re currently serving and will serve! Thank you!

P.C. ,Travel

December 15, 2023.

“I have gone into a coaching session completely broken and in tears. Everything seemed to be going wrong in my life and work was a nightmare. Nicole listened to everything I said and even brought things to my attention that I had never really thought about. By the end of our session, I was laughing and had a game plan for tackling issues at work and home.”

D.R., Engineer

October 12, 2023.

"Nicole is undaunted in her approach to breaking down the barriers of limiting beliefs. Thanks to her I have a new appreciation for my strengths and talents and the desire to grow even more than I have already.”

And that’s the problem…

Flexibility = Flow

Our Clients Say it Best