Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
The Missing Link in GTD
Dan Grover | May 4 2006
So last week, I was determined to get into GTD, got my tickler file, my index, my next action lists....and it didn't work out. I had started composing a post to this board a few days ago, but found the post sufficiently dumb and myself sufficiently vented and relieved after writing it, that I decided not to finish. My problem was just that everything in my inbox seemed unactionable, something that seemed unique to my situation as a high school student. Then I started listening to the book all over again (audio book thingy I got a long time ago), and I realized the piece that I was missing was the "project materials". Like I picked up a chemistry worksheet the other day. I knew I couldn't do it right then and there, it didn't make sense to "file", or put in the tickler, and certainly I could say "what is it" and write down the appropriate action on my next actions list, but what the hell do I do with it after that? I've got it on the list, but it's still in front of me. Now I realized that everything has to have an organized place. So I'm getting binders or containers for all my projects that don't already have them. Right now, I just carry around a chemistry book, the independent study workbook, and my notes, so obviously i'll have to bundle those together somehow, and have a folder for current work. It seems like an incredibly basic idea, but it eluded me for so long. My "line cook" system I'm abandoning, unless I try the thing mentioned in the "would you like fries" thread (some of the other printable ceo stuff looks real slick). I didn't like all that stuff hanging over my head, though, literally. Did anyone else have this kind of problem? 7 Comments
POSTED IN:
 My chemistry course (an independent...Submitted by nuttdan on May 5, 2006 - 9:52pm.
My chemistry course (an independent study without due dates) is divided up into six units, each containing two lessons and an "evaluation" worksheet that's open book for each unit. So in this case, this was the worksheet for the unit I'm almost finished studying. I had trimmed it out of the workbook (termed "syllabus" by the course authors), so that I could work on it while looking at the other stuff in the syllabus (which mostly contains discussion on the textbook reading). My problem wasn't so much making it actionable, but where do I physically place it once I've added it to the appropriate list. And the answer was with "project materials", and I realized there's no place where I can physically put that to associate it with chemistry while its associated next action remains undone: so now I'm going to get a folder for active worksheets, and maybe a shoebox to put it all in. Using the tickler file for homework is a really great idea -- except isn't that more if you can't process something at the time you reach it? I could use one of those folding file thingies for support materials for projects that are ongoing (that way I could take it with me), and use my filing cabinet for reference and actually filing things. Making a context for textbooks is smart! Wouldn't have thought of that! Currently, I carry a good portion of my school stuff with me, but I'm sure my back will thank me if I leave some of it behind and figure out contexts for textbooks and needed materials. Oh -- here's another GTD implementation problem. In addition to being a high school student, I do some amount of freelance web development work. However, on one project, I'm using the contractor's bug tracking system, and on another, basecamp. Those don't really mesh with GTD. I saw some guy's picture of his desk a while back, though, where he copied down bugs from a bug tracking system onto index cards. That's a cool idea. My big problem with juggling projects of different priorities is I have this chain of reasoning that's occasionally faulty. I enjoy reading, I like working on client work, and if I had more time, I'd work on my shareware business (wonderwarp.com), but the reasoning goes like this: if I haven't time to work on schoolwork, I haven't time to read. And if I haven't got time to do client work, surely I haven't got time to work on my own computer projects. The result? I spend time working on school, and the rest goofing off because part of me feels that doing something constructive but not contributing to school is taking away from school. » POSTED IN:
|
|
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
