OK, I created an account so I could ask some questions. I read both GTD and Julie Morgenstern's "Time Management..." which I found both to be very beautiful and inspiring books...

1. There seem to be some people in this world who somehow "don't need" all this time-management stuff. Maybe I'm kidding myself, but doesn't it seem like there are some people who don't even need calendars? They set an appointment for November 5th, and then just somehow remember to show up then? Not just autistic people, but really-good-at-remembering people. How do they do it?

2. Before I started GTD, I had never really stopped to think what things I had to do, and whether or not I was doing the most important one, or the most appropriate one (appropriate to the context, ie "things to do @ the library"). Could it be that these actions (simply ASKING those questions of myself and then acting appropriately) are the answer to question #1?

This applies to calendars/ticklers, too. The toughest part about implementing them is remembering to look at them once per day. But what if you just "remembered" to "look" at your "mental calendar" once per day? Could it be that that is the real difference between a "scatterbrained" person and someone who's "in control"? Do proactive people wake up each day and think "what were my appointments today? Oh yes, the dentist... After that I should go next door to the library, get a copy of the free local paper and return those books I don't need no more... Yeah... put the books in the car after takin' a shower..."?

Furthermore, do these types of people (if they really exist) also perform some kind of "mental weekly review," in which they lie back and look at the sky and think about which of their "projects" are "active," and which are more like "someday/maybe," and try to deduce if there might be any "loose ends/open loops" that they need to jump on in the coming week?

Sometimes I get this really funny feeling that if I just tossed all my lists and folders into the ocean I would still be able to recall all the info on them. It seems like my ability to recall data depends a lot on my emotional state, too. Like if I am stressed out, all the things I want to remember kind of "escape me", which leads to my 3rd question...

3. When I AM stressed out, the lists don't seem to help as much as when I'm in a positive mood. It's almost like I read them and the words mean nothing! Or I fail to correctly detect the gravity of each item. Or I write a bunch of stuff that is too vague or whatever... all the usual problems people have w/ GTD...

But then, when I'm feelin' good and getting things done, I have this feeling I know what's on the lists even before I look at them. Maybe if I had more faith in myself, I would be able to remember what I need to remember when I needed to remember it.

So... who GTD's in their head?