About Natasha
What do you do for work?
I am a certified GTD Master Trainer and GTD Trainer for Level 1. I also work as an origami creator.
Where do you live?
My home country is Slovenia, Europe. Recently I moved from the capital to the Slovenian coast (Adriatic sea).
GTD Background
How did you hear about GTD?
I noticed the Getting Things Done book at the London airport not long after the first release. I was immediately pulled towards it. I bought it and read it and started to use it.
How long have you been practicing GTD?
Since I have read the book I practiced the GTD steps. Of course, when I look back with the GTD trainer’s eyes I would say that maybe the last seven years are the very serious GTD practitioner years.
How has GTD made a difference in your work and life?
It is no exaggeration if I say that the Getting Things Done methodology really changed my life. In the first stage of implementation, GTD helped me to better survive in a very busy and challenging work and personal period of my life. Later the methodology helped me to better balance work and life and helped me to be calmer even in very stressful situations.
And in recent years GTD has helped me to find courage and confidence to follow my heart and to be able to structure my life in line with what I always longed and hoped for. I actually believe that the following would very likely not happen without me practicing GTD, including:
• I resigned from my daily work as manager in a corporation and started the GTD franchise in Slovenia.
• I also had the courage to explore my artistic side. As a child I wanted to become a painter. In addition to the GTD franchise I have a little company that makes origami creations and organizes origami workshops.
• And also thanks to GTD I found ways that helped me bring my running (long-term hobby) to a higher level. I am a streak runner for two years. That means that I run every single day since 30th of May 2016.
Current GTD Practice
What areas of GTD are you doing really well (or at least better than you used to)?
It’s a lifelong learning process and endeavor so probably it is fair to say that I am better than I used to be on all of the areas of GTD since I constantly look for ways to improve even more. If I had to pick one area, I would pick the clarifying step. Of course all the GTD steps are important, but I would say that clarification can really change the game. So I make sure that:
• I put enough effort to define the desired outcome as well as possible. A well-defined outcome is a source of motivation.
• And I also invest enough time and creativity in defining the next step(s). For complex projects I always make a “x-mind file” which reflects steps and elements from the Natural Planning Model.
• Last but not least, very well defined next steps can be the secret ingredient of GTD success. I am talking about next steps formulated in a “be kind to your future self” way.
What areas of GTD would you like to get even better at doing?
At the moment I put additional effort into simplifying all areas of my life. I am trying to minimize and simplify everything, which also includes the tools and practices I use. At the same time, Getting Things Done is the essential element that helps me implement minimalism in my work and life.
Advice for Others
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out with GTD?
I believe that starting with a simple structure of a GTD system is the key to success. It is very easy to fall into the trap of adding too much complexity too soon. It is a real challenge to explain this to new users, as these days it seems everybody is searching for the perfect app that will solve all areas of their work and life. A perfect, magical app sounds much more appealing than, “be diligent at capturing and your GTD Weekly Review.”
Learn more about Training & Coaching with Natasha Brunec’s company and our other partners around the world on our Global Partners page.
Recent Comments