Sue and Jen have been blogging about trying out the Getting Things Done self-organizing system, which reminded me I should really get around to reading that book sometime, since I’ve had it for four years.
I’d amuse myself in that I’ve put off reading books on how to not put off doing things if I weren’t already drowning in irony.
I’ve become rather inattentive and impatient lately, to the point I can’t even watch half an hour of TV in one sitting (probably Tivo’s fault); so I’ve had difficulties reading the book since it has so many words. I need, perhaps, the Coles Notes version that tells me what I am to do in point form and pretty diagrams without bothering to tell me why, which is kind of obvious really. I think if I weren’t so busy with work I probably would find it easier to sit down and pay attention to large groups of words on paper, which doesn’t have Youtube.
I’m not sure what it’s like for software developers, as it’s been a few years since I was one (officially), but as a database administrator I have so many fucking things to do all the time OMGWTFLOLZ. I’m afraid to even think about how many projects I have going right now, so instead I just worry in general. And I’ve turned into one of those systems people who you contact to do something but they won’t do it unless you nag them repeatedly and/or threaten them with a meeting (hate!). And when you do get through to them they’ll email you in half an hour and ask you what it was you needed, because they don’t remember. So you have to resend them an email from a week or two ago that they already have but can’t find amidst all the other requests from you that they’re also ignoring. Yes, one of those.
I’d be pissed at me if I weren’t already me (since I get preferential treatment).
Hopefully the GTD ideas will help me, but I haven’t managed to get past the first chapter yet. I do, as well, have more important things to do in the meantime, like relaxation and sleep. I’ve been taking lessons from this expert:
I’ve never read the GTD books, but I’ve been exposed to Merlin Mann’s work in the past. He’s a GTD desciple, and writes lots of short, easily digestable productivity articles at http://www.43folders.com/, as well as appearing on various podcasts, writing guest blog articles, etc.
I don’t find most of the GTD tips all that exciting, they mostly seem to be common sense, but I am not the target audience. I learned how to get things done by burning out on the job a couple of times and figuring out what I did wrong in retrospect. I’d not recommend it as a way to learn these things, but sometimes direct experience is the only way.
I wish cats could talk, or write books on how to pitty their human hamster.
I am glad you wrote this post as I actually came here to make sure you weren’t the woman who got hit by a car in Marpole.
I’ll second the recommendation for 43 Folders.
The book is written with such a suit mindset that I had a hard time getting through it too.
Fortunately, Merlin Mann speaks geek and is pretty damn funny in a wise-ass profane way that I think you’ll really enjoy.
Probably start with his Getting Started with Getting Things Done post.
My job is similar to yours and using some of the GTD stuff has helped me keep the stress down a bit. Especially the ideas of keeping an empty inbox and of focusing on the single next physical action for complex projects (i.e., everything).
Forget about the book for now, Gillian. It’s a clumsy, unhelpful mess of ideas if you don’t already know the main points of what it’s trying to teach you.
The problem is that the book is written with a specific audience in mind: People who have participated in a GTD seminar and get the book as part of a package deal. David Allen’s company make most of their money (or at least persist acting as if they do) from seminars and personal training/consulting with corporate bigshots. The whole geek GTD fanboy scene exists quite independently of the main company with very little overlap.
If you don’t have a secretary; if you spend most of your time in the same physical context (“in front of a computer”); if you’re not a paper person; if you’re not a manager at a big company, then you’re best helped by the geek disciples like 43 Folders. These guys have adapted the clever and not-so-common sense ideas and principles from the book so that they’re useful for the rest of us.
Once you’ve read and started applying the advice from 43 Folders, then the book is fine for reference or leisure reading.
(I tried to think of a better analogy, but the Bible analogy fits too well: The GTD geek fanboys are like volunteer preachers adapting, evolving and spreading a message based on their individual and shared interpretations of THE BOOK, a weird-ass jumble of old stories that is of very little use on its own).
I haven’t read the book nor the website but they look interesting. Hope you’re doing well, Gillian!