5 Things I Realized I Was Doing Wrong When I Got Back Into GTD

[theorganizedartist]

I'm getting back into GTD after a 4-month or so hiatus and the 2nd time around some failures of the 1st are painfully obvious:

1) Inverted folder system - I had what I considered 3 different areas of my life: work, personal, and creative. NA's, waiting fors, projects, etc, were categorized under each of these different subject areas. I redid the system so they're all mixed in, creative projects right next to work projects. This seems to work better for me. Hey, it's all my life, right?
2) Incomplete Weekly Review - I wasn't doing it completely enough, not reviewing projects or waiting fors. And I wasn't reviewing EVERY open next action.
3) Not Doing Daily Review - Wasn't doing this at all. Now it's my first thing in the morning when I sit down at the computer.
4) Bad Next Actions: Guess what? "Get Off Tempurpedic Mailing List" isn't a valid next action. "Pick up the phone" is.
5) Read The Book, Stupid: Find yourself asking questions like, How do I prioritize this Next Action List? Am I doing the review completely? Is the best way to map out a project? There's a chapter (or 2) in the book that tells you everything you need to do. A checklist, even. Flip to the contents and check it out.

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[Turner]

"This seems to work better for me. Hey, it's all my life, right?"

You know, I was struggling a little with the idea of contexts and whether or not to mix everything together into a giant cake.

That said,
1) I haven't finished the book yet and have been advised to do so before implementation (sounds pretty ominous.... lol)

2) I would consider mixing it up - BUT - I do not want to spend time reviewing a list that contains things I cannot or should not react to, such as researching paint colors or flooring while I'm at work. (I'm not a painter/carpenter...)

Still, reading these types of posts gives me some insight. Thanks.

Andrew

 

[theorganizedartist]

context lists

You know, I was struggling a little with the idea of contexts and whether or not to mix everything together into a giant cake.

Yeah I have to admit I've been doing like breakouts for phone calls, car errands. I think initially it works for me to have everything in my face, then strip out into contexts as need be. I'm always reluctant to have too much system and too many rocks to look under at first, as, for me, that can de-energize the actual doing and looking.