Have you ever noticed that somethings things don’t get done?  I know, this is a “Duh” insight.  The amount of things that don’t get done can seem larger than what actually gets done.  When you look closely, there is often a simple reason why some things that should get done don’t get done.  David Allen addresses this topic in a recent blog entry:

“I have noticed a tendency for people to spend a lot of time in high-energy meetings and discussions, and a high resistance at the end of those meetings and discussions to clarify—“Do I have the next action on this, or do you?” or “Whose is this now, to make happen?”

“This lack of declaring an owner for the action, outcome, or area of focus is why at home many couples and families have huge stacks of papers and “stuff” on the counter between the kitchen and the dining room, by the phone, and in the front hall, and why a lot of personal projects are “stuck.” No in-trays. No immediate physical, visible distinction as to who actually has the next action or decision about this bill, this brochure, this note from the teacher. Everybody sort of feels responsible for it, but no one really owns it. So it doesn’t happen.”

Read the rest of this blog entry at the Getting Things Done web site.