3 ms·

I can definitely relate to this. I was following the David Allen "Getting Things Done" method for about a year, and it was great, but eventually I couldn't kee

by bhousel 17y ago

I can definitely relate to this. I was following the David Allen "Getting Things Done" method for about a year, and it was great, but eventually I couldn't keep up. I just found myself kind of passively rebelling against the whole idea of productivity -- refusing to look at my next action lists, playing sudoku on my phone, just wasting time wherever I could. I think when you get in a situation like that, the only thing to do is a full restart -- reevaluate everything on your plate and decide what's important to you. Lately I've found that I can avoid burnout by having 2 different projects going at the same time. But they need to be in completely different domains. For example, I'm working on a stealth startup and training for a marathon. I rest my body while working on the computer, I rest my mind while out on my runs. Yin and Yang. Doing things this way, everything gets done that needs to, and I always feel like whatever I'm doing is a fun break from something else.

felipe 17y ago
I think the issue is the focus on efficiency rather than effectiveness. GTD is great on the efficiency part (i. e.: tracking and execution), but not on the effectiveness part (i. e.: what should I be doing right now, what are my passions, what is my mission in this world). To do lists are important even when you need to relax. For example, I love to do trip check-lists so I minimize my stress DURING the trip. And, even if you want to turn-off, you need to plan for that. Just turning off GTD (or whatever other tool) is not the way to go IMO. I highly recommend First Things First by Dr. Covey. It outlines a process to find out what's really important to you, and then how to execute them. I think a combination of FTF and GTD is ideal.
- mcav 17y ago
  Exactly. One of the primary benefits of using GTD (or being organized in general) is that you don't have to worry about something popping up at the last minute, like an obligation you forgot or a task that really needed to be done earlier. It lets your leisure be all that more relaxing, since you understand that you aren't forgetting to do something else during that time.
  - cglee 17y ago
    Probably the most important idea I got out of GTD was simply writing everything down. Now, whenever someone tells me something, it's immediately going into my calendar - the actual thing itself and all its dependencies. For example, Oct 24th is Startup school, but I've written down on my calendar all the dates associated with that event: Sept 15 - submit application; Oct 1 - app deadline; Oct 8 - accept/reject notification - if accept, book airfare, arrange for lodging (at that point, that will trigger a separate set of items on my cal). The point is, I'm not going to actively try to remember any of that, which frees my mind up to enjoy every day life. While I don't follow GTD to the letter, it's been a very helpful attitude change.
- bhousel 17y ago
  Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check out FTF. It sounds like something that would work for me. I am still doing a kind of GTD-lite, and I still keep my lists up to date and my inbox reasonably empty. I didn't completely throw away the whole system, but I did need to do a restart and scale it back. GTD has the concept of weekly review, where you go through all your projects and lists and make sure that everything is where it belongs. I think I got to a point where I wasn't just forgetting to do the reviews, I just flat out refused to do them. It was a conscious rebellion against the idea that we need to be as productive as possible all the time. Sometimes things are going to be messy or broken or imperfect and I needed to find a way to be ok with that - it was more an issue with me than with the GTD methodology. We broke up, but we're still friends. It's not you, it's me - that sort of thing. I still recommend GTD to people. It's a good first step for getting things under control, but not necessarily for achieving balance.

by bhousel 17y ago

felipe 17y ago

I think the issue is the focus on efficiency rather than effectiveness. GTD is great on the efficiency part (i. e.: tracking and execution), but not on the effectiveness part (i. e.: what should I be doing right now, what are my passions, what is my mission in this world). To do lists are important even when you need to relax. For example, I love to do trip check-lists so I minimize my stress DURING the trip. And, even if you want to turn-off, you need to plan for that. Just turning off GTD (or whatever other tool) is not the way to go IMO. I highly recommend First Things First by Dr. Covey. It outlines a process to find out what's really important to you, and then how to execute them. I think a combination of FTF and GTD is ideal.

mcav 17y ago
Exactly. One of the primary benefits of using GTD (or being organized in general) is that you don't have to worry about something popping up at the last minute, like an obligation you forgot or a task that really needed to be done earlier. It lets your leisure be all that more relaxing, since you understand that you aren't forgetting to do something else during that time.
- cglee 17y ago
  Probably the most important idea I got out of GTD was simply writing everything down. Now, whenever someone tells me something, it's immediately going into my calendar - the actual thing itself and all its dependencies. For example, Oct 24th is Startup school, but I've written down on my calendar all the dates associated with that event: Sept 15 - submit application; Oct 1 - app deadline; Oct 8 - accept/reject notification - if accept, book airfare, arrange for lodging (at that point, that will trigger a separate set of items on my cal). The point is, I'm not going to actively try to remember any of that, which frees my mind up to enjoy every day life. While I don't follow GTD to the letter, it's been a very helpful attitude change.
bhousel 17y ago
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check out FTF. It sounds like something that would work for me. I am still doing a kind of GTD-lite, and I still keep my lists up to date and my inbox reasonably empty. I didn't completely throw away the whole system, but I did need to do a restart and scale it back. GTD has the concept of weekly review, where you go through all your projects and lists and make sure that everything is where it belongs. I think I got to a point where I wasn't just forgetting to do the reviews, I just flat out refused to do them. It was a conscious rebellion against the idea that we need to be as productive as possible all the time. Sometimes things are going to be messy or broken or imperfect and I needed to find a way to be ok with that - it was more an issue with me than with the GTD methodology. We broke up, but we're still friends. It's not you, it's me - that sort of thing. I still recommend GTD to people. It's a good first step for getting things under control, but not necessarily for achieving balance.