Was so happy to see this pop up in my inbox. I’ve just gotten back into taking GTD seriously again this past week, and your note about the Next Actions items that really belong in Someday/Maybe was something that clicked for me upon restarting the system.
Was also comforting to read that the tools aren’t actually the most important thing. I’ve wasted a fair bit of time transferring my task list onto various platforms, when the only thing that works for me is a single Google Doc with different sections!
Looking forward to the next post. Currently feeling a lack of work-life balance (secondary teacher) and still hoping I can get on top of it.
Thanks Candy. Remember, David Allen invented GTD using just a stack of 3x5 index cards. I'll be saying in a few weeks, I want my GTD implementation to be so simple that I could do it with a legal pad and a pen if needed. Most of the apps out there are trying to do way too much and people get hung up on apps when what they ought to be focusing on, are habits.
Something that’s working for me right now (I’m ADHD enough that I need to periodically adjust systems for fresh brain-engagement…) is making the daily list on paper with 6 categories - 3 work (research, teaching, service/admin) and 3 personal (self-care, life admin, community). These categories are shorthand for big goals / anchor points, and help me make sure none of them get lost.
Thanks Abby. Those six categories correspond somewhat to the notion of "Areas of Focus" which is part of the Getting Things Done framework: https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/threads/areas-of-focus.6134/ You'll be hearing about this soon, as this and the related "Horizons of Focus" concept are parts of GTD that I always skipped over, and that turns out to be part of my problem. Paying attention to them was part of the solution so far.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Robert. I do know the situation of disengagement very wellI. I've found the daily examen prayer (as e.g. walked through on https://www.sacredspace.ie ) helpful for understanding when I feel inner resistance towards complying with my commitments. So, I'm curious as to whether you also find help in your spiritual life. I've come to understand that I usually have good reasons for sabotaging my plans. And I've found that being honest about that helps me see when I could react more truly to the underlying needs. E.g. not spending hours doom scrolling when the reason I'm avoiding a task is that I'm too tired and should be going to sleep instead. Well, then, at the cost of not doing that task today ... I did start a small version of bullet journalling again thanks to your inspiring post. But I'm still wondering how to integrate that spiritual part. I do know that what I do is a start and I'm curious to find more inspiration...
Thanks @JFM. The spiritual aspect is interesting, and for me complicated. My next post in this series is going to go into this a little -- I was able to tap into some historical Catholic teachings to help me isolate a few key ideas about values that led to a much clearer understanding of where I find purpose in life and work. The Daily Examen wasn't one of those teachings but I have engaged with that process before and found it helpful (if a bit exhausting!).
Was so happy to see this pop up in my inbox. I’ve just gotten back into taking GTD seriously again this past week, and your note about the Next Actions items that really belong in Someday/Maybe was something that clicked for me upon restarting the system.
Was also comforting to read that the tools aren’t actually the most important thing. I’ve wasted a fair bit of time transferring my task list onto various platforms, when the only thing that works for me is a single Google Doc with different sections!
Looking forward to the next post. Currently feeling a lack of work-life balance (secondary teacher) and still hoping I can get on top of it.
Thanks Candy. Remember, David Allen invented GTD using just a stack of 3x5 index cards. I'll be saying in a few weeks, I want my GTD implementation to be so simple that I could do it with a legal pad and a pen if needed. Most of the apps out there are trying to do way too much and people get hung up on apps when what they ought to be focusing on, are habits.
Something that’s working for me right now (I’m ADHD enough that I need to periodically adjust systems for fresh brain-engagement…) is making the daily list on paper with 6 categories - 3 work (research, teaching, service/admin) and 3 personal (self-care, life admin, community). These categories are shorthand for big goals / anchor points, and help me make sure none of them get lost.
Thanks Abby. Those six categories correspond somewhat to the notion of "Areas of Focus" which is part of the Getting Things Done framework: https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/threads/areas-of-focus.6134/ You'll be hearing about this soon, as this and the related "Horizons of Focus" concept are parts of GTD that I always skipped over, and that turns out to be part of my problem. Paying attention to them was part of the solution so far.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Robert. I do know the situation of disengagement very wellI. I've found the daily examen prayer (as e.g. walked through on https://www.sacredspace.ie ) helpful for understanding when I feel inner resistance towards complying with my commitments. So, I'm curious as to whether you also find help in your spiritual life. I've come to understand that I usually have good reasons for sabotaging my plans. And I've found that being honest about that helps me see when I could react more truly to the underlying needs. E.g. not spending hours doom scrolling when the reason I'm avoiding a task is that I'm too tired and should be going to sleep instead. Well, then, at the cost of not doing that task today ... I did start a small version of bullet journalling again thanks to your inspiring post. But I'm still wondering how to integrate that spiritual part. I do know that what I do is a start and I'm curious to find more inspiration...
Thanks @JFM. The spiritual aspect is interesting, and for me complicated. My next post in this series is going to go into this a little -- I was able to tap into some historical Catholic teachings to help me isolate a few key ideas about values that led to a much clearer understanding of where I find purpose in life and work. The Daily Examen wasn't one of those teachings but I have engaged with that process before and found it helpful (if a bit exhausting!).