Archive - May 2008

This comment by JP on my post 10 GTD "holes" (and How To Plug Them) got me thinking about whether there's a set of laws (JP more correctly called them postulates) of how we (i.e., "knowledge workers") manage ourselves (i.e., "work") in our CrazyBusy (i.e., "insane") lives.

...ignored people who said "You shouldn't..."?

What if it was new, risky, or uncertain? What if you invited those people out of your life?

...told yourself it's OK you made that embarrassing copy/paste error in an important email?

You might even generate a chuckle or two (at least from yourself). What if you're still ruminating about it on your death bed?

...refused to pay attention to conventional wisdom?

What if you don't want to do it, don't like doing it, or aren't good at it? What if it sounds reasonable. What if it's some "know you should be" advice?

...listened to yourself and did something you believe in?

Even if everyone else warned you off?

...decided not to ever catch up on your RSS backlog?

Would it really matter? Maybe you're probably already reading the important ones?

For the last two weeks I tried an exacting method to help make solid daily progress, to which I added the extra spice of an accountability partner to keep me on track. The goal was to determine if the traditional productivity advice to plan each day ahead of time works better than an ad hoc "select the next action in the moment" one, as popularized by David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, among others. This is meant to plug one of the 10 GTD "holes" I identified recently.

(Note: This week's post is a departure from my signature style - long, link-rich, in-depth, and dry :-) . Since my Big-Arse Text File is getting a bit long in the tooth - 1,800+ ideas - I'm giving a different format a go: A dozen or so short ideas/thoughts that you might like. I'm calling each post an "IdeaLab," with the first being here. And the "0505"? I'm taking a naming cue from Mark Hurst). Your thoughts and IdeaLab contributions are always welcome!