implement GTD

...reading the ‘Getting Things Done’ book: X

...via express shipment. These 111,-USD better be worth it! Feeling slightly nervous about having done the right thing but since I’ve been thinking about it alot I figured I wasn’t gonna make dramatic progress if I wouldn’t have taken this step now. I had a sleep on it, thought about it in detail, checked alternative options (iPhone, Amazon i.e. just starting w/ the book first) but chose this starter kit as a lot of the information comes on audio CDs which is a big plus considering my current reading impairment due to my bloody depression. My reading isn’t as terrible as it was say six or nine months ago but I didn’t want learning the GTD technique take forever or even fail because I struggled with the reading part of learning the GTD way. May this have been a good decision, worth the risk (and the money!) and may it help me get back-on-track with everything I need and want to do ASAP.

...it’s not like relaxing or resting it’s a drawn out tension that doesn’t get to climax in any way. In other words a drag, literally. This might seem totally obvious but it’s kinda news to me. Oops! Must keep that in mind when the shadow between thought and action grows longer and longer. That said, I’m ordering that package now. May I feel guilty for spending money on myself before paying back money I owe to others. Perhaps I am going to make a mistake and it’s all crap and I fell for some good marketing stunt but at least I took action and took a risk and I will know the result fairly soon. Fingers crossed!

OK, just listened to my first GTD podcast about Reviewing http://www.davidco.com/podcasts/play/41.html and must say that I am feeling pretty anxious and like OMG-I-am-TOTALLY-not-on-top-of-things and soooo far away from achieving things like these ppl…and…well…I must be such a loser for not being so GTD-ninja-like. Sigh! Not sure this speaks that well for the podcast, huh? Or maybe I just don’t want that life anymore? Dashing from appointment to airplane in this frantic oh-look-I’m-so-important way? Definitely not. I want to be calm and zen-like and still very productive with enough time to rest, reflect and enjoy the journey, be healthy and have friends. Hmmm…on the other hand, ninjas are zen- and kamikaze-like at the same time, or? I think I’m gonna add ‘within reason’ after ‘become a GTD ninja’ to not over do it. I don’t have to be No. 1, the best or the biggest. I just want to be in the game, do my best, enjoy an eventful and meaningful life and have fun (may others win the race if they feel they need to)...

...actually I am going to change this goal into ‘implement GTD’ and see how that feels and works for me…

“There is no system, formula, software, or set of lists, no matter how completely filled out, that can tie together the almost infinite number of variables that go into getting-our-act-together. The only thing that makes it work is a consistent intervention of you. At some point you must lift yourself out of day-to-day tree-hugging and do at least a modicum of forest management. Having a Projects list is a great step in that direction, but just having it doesn’t keep it current, or keep ensuring that there are next actions on each one appropriately decided and tracked. It also doesn’t ensure that the whole inventory is reviewed and the contents weighed appropriately, given the changing nature of priorities and outer realities.” http://www.davidco.com/newsletters/archive/0310.html

Okee, so I’ve not really sticked to a scheduled intervention but in a way my being stuck is an intervention where I reflect and look for better ways to get to my destination. That said, I do want to train to do it on Sundays instead of valuable time in the middle of the week (more). I guess one thing I need to work on is a daily balance of planning, prioritising, acting (kamikaze-style) and reflecting and not to lose heart when I’m stuck.

...over the last year or so I’ve been trying different ways of getting more on top of things, feel less overwhelmed by the amount of things to do and just get things done. My progress comes and goes in waves. Seems like when I struck gold and find something that works for me it does so for a while and then the limitations of that particular method cause me to stumple and eventually I stop to look for something new. I guess that’s just how things are in the improve-yourself-department. Right, so I’ve discovered that purely digital task-planning doesn’t work so well for me. However the limits of paper-and-pen-planning are equally apparent (no search function, no sorting by due-date, no reminders etc.). Sooo, I have to find a way that works for me, which means I have to somehow cleverly combine the two. I can lose the overview with planning on the iPhone. So far I haven’t found an APP that syncs the Task function in Mail that I’ve started using and found helpful. After some research and thoughts I’ve now got the 2Do APP but I am still overwhelmed since I don’t know how to use it fully. Argh! But, I want to invest some time to learn it and make it work for me. Which will probably serve as the overall todo-list where I can search, sort and asign deadlines which then allows me to plan my day with paper and pen. I really want to be a GTD ninja (again). I get so much joy from achieving things and making progress. I hate feeling stuck and overwhelmed. Now A-C-T-I-O-N is required! Go!