Getting Things Done: Take 3
Time to get out David Allen’s Book, Getting Things Done again.
One of the side affects of Depression is procrastination and I have been afflicted. So one of the avenues of attack against the disease is to minimize the affects of that attitude toward tasks and keep trying to get on top of things.
I have worked with the Getting Things Done system before and have made some progress each time in tackling the “Stuff” on my desk and in my life. But each time I have not been able to sustain the program and the “stuff” accumulates again which lead to more procrastination.
So I keep trying. Each time trying to learn what didn’t work before and modifying my use of the system to make it more workable. I do try to be persistent.
Last time I tried it, I just worked with what I remembered from the first reading of David Allen’s book. That was actually only a few weeks ago. But it didn’t take long to realize that while it did help me to do some very needed tasks, it didn’t work well in helping to institute the system. So this time the book is coming out again and I am reminding myself of not only the form of the system, but the substance of it. True, I will use more time reading the book then just jumping into the piles of “stuff” on the table behind me, but I think it will help move me closer to actually doing the program.
Right now, I am still in Chapter One but wanted to get in my 10 minutes of blogging now so if I get involved with other things later, I will have this open loop taken care of. Two quotes I have been sure to underline so far:
Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. [p 11]
Wow, that is one that gets me and many people I know. Usually we think about being controlled by overreaction, too much anger or too much hate. But I can also certainly testify to the power of the untouched and unread piles that I know are there, but I don’t get to (for some mysterious reason). Too often I have been controlled by the things I haven’t done yet even to the point of being paralized to not do them (ironic, huh). That leads to the second quote from the book so far.
You have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you’re afraid you might. [p. 15]
So true. I especially like the second part of the sentence. And that is often what I most need to tell myself when I think of the projects I know are buried in my piles. They are really doable and I am able to handle them or I am able to find someone who can.
Well, back to the book and then to my piles. Pray for me. If you don’t hear from me in a couple days send out a search party (and have them bring Snickers).
