The Globe and Mail

In today’s paper I tell the tale of the productivity craze –- the avalanche of experts, websites, books, workshops and other products and services aimed at helping workers master the art of getting things done. Those three words – getting things done – are in fact trademarked by a man named David Allen.

Allen is at this moment the Productivity God. His Getting Things Done system for managing tasks and work has become a way of life for many people -- and a multi-million dollar business for him.

But what exactly is GTD? Well, you could read the book to find out. Or perhaps start by watching this short video online at Lifehacker.com, one of my personal favourite productivity websites. If you’re curious about GTD and being more productive, I encourage you to give it a look.

On a related note, I interviewed Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker.com, for today’s article. As usual, I wasn’t able to include all of her comments in the story. So here’s a bit more from our Q&A.

How would you define “lifehacking”?

A life hack is a clever shortcut or a more efficient way to do something.  So life hacking is deconstructing the activities that you spend your time doing, and re-engineering them to be more efficient.

Simple things, like organizing your email inbox or managing the household expenses with roommates are examples of things that can be optimized with the right tricks and methods.

Since the site launched, have you noticed any changes in terms of the level of interest in productivity tips for work and life? Such as: Has traffic gone up? Are there now more similar sites out there, and more people sending in tips?

In terms of traffic, we've experienced steady growth since the site launched in January of 2005.  Lifehacker.com did over 18 million pageviews last month alone, which was a record -- most months are a new record.  I've definitely seen a proliferation of other sites dealing with productivity and life hacks, and our readership has also increased (as well as our incoming email volume!).

I ask because it seems to me that there is a bit of a productivity boom going on. Aside from the many books and experts, it seems like people are really interested in sharing their own philosophy and hacks. Do you have any thoughts about that perception?

There is definitely a boom online.  Computer users have so many choices of gadgets, information sources and software, that they feel more overwhelmed -- and more willing to try something new and better -- than ever before.  Sitting in front of a powerful computer hooked up to a fast Internet connection all day long, it's really easy to waste time spinning your wheels, and folks are becoming more aware of it. 

So the question, "How can I get more done?" or "How do I solve the problem of this hard-to-do task more efficiently?" is more common than ever.  Likewise, when someone feels that they've solved a problem, the tools and platforms to share their system and discovery are there since the conversation has become so widespread.

What would you say is the most popular kind of advice and tips on the site?

In the age of spam, social networks and billions of messages sent daily, dealing with email on a daily basis without losing your whole day to it is always a popular topic.  Calendar and to-do list systems, as well as stuff like how to organize all the cables under your desk also do well.  Many of our readers are pretty tech-savvy, so more technical topics like how to dual boot Windows Vista and XP on the same computer and how to hack your wireless router to extend its signal are also very popular.

Is there one particular post with a work-related piece of productivity advice that remains really popular?

Several readers told me that my three-folder email management system (I call it the "Trusted Trio") saved their email life. Here's more on it.

Would you describe yourself as a GTD devotee? If so, how has it helped you personally?

I don't follow it to the letter, so I wouldn't call myself a devotee, but I've read Getting Things Done several times over the last 3 years and incorporated many of its practices in my life.  It really drove two important points home for me:  I can only be effective when my mind is clear and I'm totally present at whatever I'm doing, and everything should go in its right place.  Those are two big ideas that help someone keeping several balls in the air at any given time a LOT.