I've Got a Confession To Make

[bcmyers2112]

I've been told that I've posted in this forum close to 1,000 times over about ten years. I'm afraid those posts have been mostly intellectually dishonest. Not deliberately, mind you. But intellectually dishonest nevertheless.

Here's why: I've always seen the value in GTD, at least in theory, but I've never been good at it. I've never experienced a mind like water. I've never felt efficient or productive using it. I've fallen off the wagon for long stretches. For the last three years, I haven't practiced GTD at all. Or much of anything else.

The problem had nothing to do with GTD. The problem was me. In September of last year, I became aware that there was, shall we say, an issue that had been present in my life since childhood. Something that prevented me from understanding myself and the world around me in a healthy way. It's something that has impacted my career, my relationships, and every other aspect of my life.

Since that fateful moment of realization last year, I've begun what will be a lifelong process of integrating this new understanding of myself into my daily life. It's a process of learning new ways of thinking, feeling and doing.

Part of that means learning to be more responsible. Having let my life go mostly unmanaged over the last three years, I need to find some way to handle my various roles and responsibilities.

So... while I have tried, unsuccessfully, to use GTD for that purpose since 2007, it's also the "life management" system (or whatever you want to call it) that I'm most familiar with. And, like I said, up until this point, my inability to understand myself or the world around me very clearly has gotten in the way of a lot of things in my life. My "GTD practice" was just one of many casualties.

I think it's a good time to try to approach GTD again. I'm rebuilding my lists and everything else from the ground up. I'm going to re-read the book with what I think will be a fresh set of eyes. Rather than approach it as I have in the past -- as this thing I've been scared to death that I would "get wrong" -- I'm going to try to interpret it in a way that serves me, that aligns with who I am. I'm going to try to make it what I need it to be.

And most of all, I've decided I can have fun with it. I mean, why not? Admittedly, aspects of life can be very, very hard. So I think it only makes sense to balance those out by having fun where and when I can.

Now, I suppose I didn't have to post any of this. I could've just quit posting for a bit, and walked away from the forum for awhile. Or just lurked. And then I could have resumed posting when I felt on surer footing with GTD.

Except there are those nearly 1,000 posts of mine, written as though I was sure of myself when the truth was the opposite. While I doubt anyone really had any of those posts at the forefront of their mind, I nevertheless didn't feel good about the false impression they conveyed.

Also, it occurs to me I'd benefit greatly from still participating here. As long as I am honest with myself that I am going to be a learner at least as much as a sharer.

 

[Longstreet]

I've been told that I've posted in this forum close to 1,000 times over about ten years. I'm afraid those posts have been mostly intellectually dishonest. Not deliberately, mind you. But intellectually dishonest nevertheless.

Here's why: I've always seen the value in GTD, at least in theory, but I've never been good at it. I've never experienced a mind like water. I've never felt efficient or productive using it. I've fallen off the wagon for long stretches. For the last three years, I haven't practiced GTD at all. Or much of anything else.

The problem had nothing to do with GTD. The problem was me. In September of last year, I became aware that there was, shall we say, an issue that had been present in my life since childhood. Something that prevented me from understanding myself and the world around me in a healthy way. It's something that has impacted my career, my relationships, and every other aspect of my life.

Since that fateful moment of realization last year, I've begun what will be a lifelong process of integrating this new understanding of myself into my daily life. It's a process of learning new ways of thinking, feeling and doing.

Part of that means learning to be more responsible. Having let my life go mostly unmanaged over the last three years, I need to find some way to handle my various roles and responsibilities.

So... while I have tried, unsuccessfully, to use GTD for that purpose since 2007, it's also the "life management" system (or whatever you want to call it) that I'm most familiar with. And, like I said, up until this point, my inability to understand myself or the world around me very clearly has gotten in the way of a lot of things in my life. My "GTD practice" was just one of many casualties.

I think it's a good time to try to approach GTD again. I'm rebuilding my lists and everything else from the ground up. I'm going to re-read the book with what I think will be a fresh set of eyes. Rather than approach it as I have in the past -- as this thing I've been scared to death that I would "get wrong" -- I'm going to try to interpret it in a way that serves me, that aligns with who I am. I'm going to try to make it what I need it to be.

And most of all, I've decided I can have fun with it. I mean, why not? Admittedly, aspects of life can be very, very hard. So I think it only makes sense to balance those out by having fun where and when I can.

Now, I suppose I didn't have to post any of this. I could've just quit posting for a bit, and walked away from the forum for awhile. Or just lurked. And then I could have resumed posting when I felt on surer footing with GTD.

Except there are those nearly 1,000 posts of mine, written as though I was sure of myself when the truth was the opposite. While I doubt anyone really had any of those posts at the forefront of their mind, I nevertheless didn't feel good about the false impression they conveyed.

Also, it occurs to me I'd benefit greatly from still participating here. As long as I am honest with myself that I am going to be a learner at least as much as a sharer.

Thanks so much for sharing this. GTD is THE BEST life management system I have encountered, and I have studied so many over the years. I am glad to hear that you are rebuilding your system. Keep us posted as you move forward.

 

[dtj]

I've been told that I've posted in this forum close to 1,000 times over about ten years. I'm afraid those posts have been mostly intellectually dishonest. Not deliberately, mind you. But intellectually dishonest nevertheless.

You often don't choose the conditions that you live your life under at a macro level, especially the subtle ones. Consequently you don't dictate the things that you can be taken by. But you carry on, as best you can. IMHO, the repeated returning to GTD, for whatever reason, shows the desire to gain and maintain control of things according to your situation. GTDs lack of rigidity lets it fit in where it can, even if you need to walk away from it, at times.

Good luck on this segment of your journey!

 

[bcmyers2112]

To be honest GTD is a complex system. Sometime working i feel like a robot and it exhaust me.

In the past, I've approached GTD like a chore or a burden. So I understand where you're coming from. Now I'm trying to approach it in a way that I actually enjoy. I'm not yet sure what that's going to look like. @John Forrister provided a clue when he suggested to another member of this forum that they could interpret something in the book in the way that was most advantageous to them. @kelstarrising provided another clue when she suggested to me in another thread that I could approach managing a creative project using GTD by deciding what would motivate me, and attract rather than repel me. I'm going to re-read the book with those things in mind and see where it takes me.

As for the complexity of GTD, in the past I've added overhead to my system where it wasn't needed. I'm also going to try to focus on the simplest approach that's consistent with accomplishing what's needed. I intend to err on the side of being too simple, as I'm beginning to think it's easier to add some complexity where needed than it is to simplify an overly complex mess I've created.

Anyway after years of using GTD I understand that GTD "is not a religion" (DA) I am on the way of making my own system.

I wish you the best with that. I truly do. Everyone needs to follow their own path. My intention is to try to pretty much stick with what's presented in the book for now, albeit with an understanding it's not a set of rigid commandments.

On the one hand, I have no interest in being an innovator in the productivity arena. One of the nice things about being one person amongst billions is that I don't have to have everything figured out. DA and his colleagues have developed and refined this approach by consulting with and training thousands of people. I'm happy to rely on the knowledge they've accumulated for this aspect of my life. After all, I've got some projects and longer-term goals without any clue at this moment how to achieve them. And there's no one book or other resource that provides all the answers. Those things, I'm going to have to figure out pretty much on my own. I think I'll make my life easier by not trying to create my own productivity management approach on top of everything else.

On the other hand, I am trying to view the material as a flexible, living, breathing approach to managing my life that I can interpret in a way that suits my personality. I think when viewed from that lens, there's quite a bit of room to come up with something that would be very easily "recognizable as GTD" yet very much has my fingerprints all over it.

I simply feel needing a pause about GTD as the core method is. I need space or air. I am not worry about it. I know that if I for a while I do differently I can get back to the wagon immediately from tomorrow to later. It only will take from 1 to 3 hours of a good review and I will be back as the method works.

I hope that pause does everything you need it to. Hopefully if and when you come back to GTD, you'll have some added perspective that will help.

 

[bcmyers2112]

Keep us posted as you move forward.

Will do, sir. While the life of a professor of microbiology and infectious diseases is far different from my own (trust me, you do NOT want me monkeying around with infectious microbes, that would result in some very, very bad outcomes) I enjoy learning from your approach to things.

 

[bcmyers2112]

GTDs lack of rigidity lets it fit in where it can, even if you need to walk away from it, at times.

Well, I wouldn't say I felt I needed to walk away from it as I found myself unable to manage my life well in any respect for a while. Which is not a great place to be, but I learned something from it, which is the best you can ask from a difficult experience.

But, yes, GTD's lack of rigidity is a benefit. It's a set of ideas you use to fit your needs, rather than forcing you to be the square peg trying to jam itself into a round hole.

Good luck on this segment of your journey!

Thank you. I appreciate it. Being part of this online community has been a benefit so far, and I don't think that's going to change.

 

[michaelp6of7]

I really appreciate your self discovery and honestly when it comes to GTD.

Most of the folks who talk against GTD don't understand what it is, how it works, or have another "system that works better." Approaching it honestly, we are all in need of it.

I'm excited how your life, your work, and your future will benefit in this new found awareness.

I've been told that I've posted in this forum close to 1,000 times over about ten years. I'm afraid those posts have been mostly intellectually dishonest. Not deliberately, mind you. But intellectually dishonest nevertheless.

Here's why: I've always seen the value in GTD, at least in theory, but I've never been good at it. I've never experienced a mind like water. I've never felt efficient or productive using it. I've fallen off the wagon for long stretches. For the last three years, I haven't practiced GTD at all. Or much of anything else.

The problem had nothing to do with GTD. The problem was me. In September of last year, I became aware that there was, shall we say, an issue that had been present in my life since childhood. Something that prevented me from understanding myself and the world around me in a healthy way. It's something that has impacted my career, my relationships, and every other aspect of my life.

Since that fateful moment of realization last year, I've begun what will be a lifelong process of integrating this new understanding of myself into my daily life. It's a process of learning new ways of thinking, feeling and doing.

Part of that means learning to be more responsible. Having let my life go mostly unmanaged over the last three years, I need to find some way to handle my various roles and responsibilities.

So... while I have tried, unsuccessfully, to use GTD for that purpose since 2007, it's also the "life management" system (or whatever you want to call it) that I'm most familiar with. And, like I said, up until this point, my inability to understand myself or the world around me very clearly has gotten in the way of a lot of things in my life. My "GTD practice" was just one of many casualties.

I think it's a good time to try to approach GTD again. I'm rebuilding my lists and everything else from the ground up. I'm going to re-read the book with what I think will be a fresh set of eyes. Rather than approach it as I have in the past -- as this thing I've been scared to death that I would "get wrong" -- I'm going to try to interpret it in a way that serves me, that aligns with who I am. I'm going to try to make it what I need it to be.

And most of all, I've decided I can have fun with it. I mean, why not? Admittedly, aspects of life can be very, very hard. So I think it only makes sense to balance those out by having fun where and when I can.

Now, I suppose I didn't have to post any of this. I could've just quit posting for a bit, and walked away from the forum for awhile. Or just lurked. And then I could have resumed posting when I felt on surer footing with GTD.

Except there are those nearly 1,000 posts of mine, written as though I was sure of myself when the truth was the opposite. While I doubt anyone really had any of those posts at the forefront of their mind, I nevertheless didn't feel good about the false impression they conveyed.

Also, it occurs to me I'd benefit greatly from still participating here. As long as I am honest with myself that I am going to be a learner at least as much as a sharer.

 

[bcmyers2112]

Most of the folks who talk against GTD don't understand what it is, how it works, or have another "system that works better." Approaching it honestly, we are all in need of it.

Well, as someone who has never truly gotten firing on all cylinders with GTD, I think I'm done throwing stones from inside my glass house. If someone feels it's not right for them, it's their journey and their right to choose a different path. I wish them the best.

Still, I've always felt that GTD made more sense than anything else I encountered. I guess now I get to see whether it can have the benefits I believe it can.

I'm excited how your life, your work, and your future will benefit in this new found awareness.

Well, thank you for being excited on my behalf (and please believe me, I write that without a trace of sarcasm). I guess that's the nice thing about this community: we can be excited for each other. I certainly am looking forward to learning what is possible for me, and discovering what role GTD can play in all of that.

 

[FocusGuy]

I'm back to the GTD wagon again . Taking altitude made me realize that my Omnifocus had to be optimized around actionnable and non actionable stuff.

I identified that there was a lack about the way I store my reference material. Making it better is my challenge.

 

[dtj]

I identified that there was a lack about the way I store my reference material. Making it better is my challenge.

I think thats one of those things that everybody, who really engages with GTD, runs into. With me it was trying to pare down the stuff to a more practical list, and realized that there was all kinds of non-actionable stuff in the mix.

As an aside, I just went through my bookmarks recently and reorganized them, and found that like half were dead links. I hadn't done the sweep for like 10 years. What a great feeling!

 

[FocusGuy]

I think thats one of those things that everybody, who really engages with GTD, runs into. With me it was trying to pare down the stuff to a more practical list, and realized that there was all kinds of non-actionable stuff in the mix.

Yes it is pretty easy wanting to put everything in my data base such as notes, someday may be tasks. Mixing them in OF was possible using perspective and tags for making sorts. Anyway, doing this made OF like a burden and slowed acting.

So I am trying to use evernote(1) for reporting all non actionable things and link it to OF

I realize that there are 2 mental moods
- One is for acting. Deciding on what to do is easy or difficult but it is possible.
- The other is thinking and reporting. It is just taking notes for later just to recall me what I did and why. It is also taking altitude about project for choosing what to do first, what to freeze for a while or what to do someday.

So choosing is for me an exausting process.It use a lot of mental energy. So a good set up of my system is crucial for me.

So bcmyers2112 as you said previously

The problem had nothing to do with GTD. The problem was me.

and the way I used Omnifocus...

PS (1) A s all my datas are on google and icloud, I still hesitate about using evernote or a link to Omnifocus for references. I may use word instead. But how could I make a link from that file on my drive to OF : drag and drop ?

 

[bcmyers2112]

@FocusGuy, there are only two things I know about Omnifocus: I can't use it, because it's Mac-only and I have no need or desire to migrate off of Windows; there is a GTD setup guide available for it which tells me someone who really knows GTD inside and out thinks Omnifocus is a good tool for GTD. Also, if I knew GTD "inside and out" we might be having a different conversation. So please take my following remarks in that spirit.

Anyway, doing this made OF like a burden and slowed acting.

I think setting up my GTD system in ways that were burdensome has been one of my biggest stumbling blocks. So I'm right there with you. My focus is on creating a system that won't cause me stress to set up and maintain. Because life is stressful enough. My GTD system shouldn't add additional stress, or at least I don't believe it should.

The other is thinking and reporting. It is just taking notes for later just to recall me what I did and why.

I have a question, and it's not rhetorical: do you need to take notes to recall what you did and why? If not, does it at least help you more than it burdens you? Hey, the answer might well be it works great for you. I'm out of the "business" of acting like I have all the answers. Still, I thought it might be worth asking the questions. At one time, I used to think I needed to keep track of a lot more than I actually did. That may not be the case for you, but I thought I'd still put it out there.

PS (1) A s all my datas are on google and icloud, I still hesitate about using evernote or a link to Omnifocus for references. I may use word instead. But how could I make a link from that file on my drive to OF : drag and drop ?

Can you set up links like this in a way that doesn't cause you stress? If so, great. If not, I wonder: is it possible to do without them?

Right now, I use Nirvana for lists and Evernote for any reference and project support that doesn't live on paper or in email. I used to think I needed to link things together into one seamless whole, but I've decided that as long as I know where all my project support is and I can find it when I need it, that's more than good enough. And that relieves me of some stress.

I'm not saying my way is the way to do it. In fact, I'm quite sure my way is not the only way. I'm just trying to illustrate how I'm approaching something in a way to make my GTD system something I'll enjoy using rather than something that stresses me.

Everyone has a different tolerance level for fiddling with technology to make things work. We have software programmers in this forum. There's one person who uses something called Obsidian (I think), which is yet another tool I know next to nothing about. I believe she's done some coding or customization or something to create a system she likes. It seems like that kind of stuff comes naturally to her and works for her. Well, then, great! She's got a winner. On the other hand, I've always been better than the average layperson at technology and therefore at one time tried to create lots of highly customized solutions, only to realize: I want nothing to do with that stuff. It stresses me. It's not that I'm right and she's wrong, or vice versa. Different people have different aptitudes, needs, etc.

But if I may nevertheless make a suggestion: if you've found GTD has in any way been burdening you more than it's been enabling you, you may want to consider what you can dispense with. In other words: as much structure as you need, but as little as you can get by with. What that looks like will certainly vary from person to person. Anyway, it's just a thought I had to offer. Take it for what you feel it's worth.

 

[dtj]

Everyone has a different tolerance level for fiddling with technology to make things work. We have software programmers in this forum. There's one person who uses something called Obsidian (I think), which is yet another tool I know next to nothing about. I believe she's done some coding or customization or something to create a system she likes. It seems like that kind of stuff comes naturally to her and works for her. Well, then, great! She's got a winner. On the other hand, I've always been better than the average layperson at technology and therefore at one time tried to create lots of highly customized solutions, only to realize: I want nothing to do with that stuff. It stresses me. It's not that I'm right and she's wrong, or vice versa. Different people have different aptitudes, needs, etc.

I'm a software developer, and Obsidian user, on a mac. Obsidian is nice because of the fiddling you don't need to do, but gives you unlimited potential for fiddling, if you want. I have about half my notes still in nvAlt, which is even more barebones. Obsidian is very cross-platform, and all the fiddling you could want is mostly in bending it to your will, like creating a kanban system. I mostly use it at its very simplest, as a notetaker.

 

[FocusGuy]

I've decided that as long as I know where all my project support is and I can find it when I need it, that's more than good enough. And that relieves me of some stress.

I may be right with you. I noticed the best system are often the simpliest systems. Technology helps us making link and so on. May be I just could let in my google drive folder a word or and excel and just open it when needed. The principle would be if I can find it in less than 2 mn it's ok

l: do you need to take notes to recall what you did and why?

I only do reporting for projects such as clients or buildings. It helps me to know how they reacted. I could do it in word sheet but it would need a double reporting one on a word or an excel about the building, and another about the client itself and the proposal I made, but it gets complicate. So for the moment I do it only in Omnifocus note, and make a search if needed. May be, I will use a professional tool for this someday but for the moment the timing is wrong.

 

[René Lie]

I realize that there are 2 mental moods

This is a little bit off topic, sorry about that (but not enough to keep me from chiming in...):

Recently, I listened to an interview that David Allen did with Theo Compernolle (worth checking out, it's in the Connect podcast), and he talked about three brains; reflex, reflection and archiving. Very interesting!

 

[bcmyers2112]

I only do reporting for projects such as clients or buildings. It helps me to know how they reacted.

That makes sense. And that's why I asked, rather than assuming it wasn't needed.

I was in sales. I'm not sure if I will be again or not. But if I am, I'll have a similar issue. I always took written notes during client meetings/conversations. Typing those notes into CRM always seemed like a waste of time, but managing the notes on paper was cumbersome.

I can't say as though I have that one figured out. I guess if it's a challenge I face again, I'm going to look for a solution that's the simplest thing consistent with getting the job done. Which is kinda the standard I'm applying to everything right now.

 

[bcmyers2112]

I'm a software developer, and Obsidian user, on a mac. Obsidian is nice because of the fiddling you don't need to do, but gives you unlimited potential for fiddling, if you want. I have about half my notes still in nvAlt, which is even more barebones. Obsidian is very cross-platform, and all the fiddling you could want is mostly in bending it to your will, like creating a kanban system. I mostly use it at its very simplest, as a notetaker.

Maybe "fiddling" wasn't the right word. It has negative connotations. I think if you're capable of creating a custom solution -- whether that's something you do in an existing application or one of your own design -- that solves a problem and the benefit outweighs the effort involved, that's great. That's just not a club in my bag.

I did look at the Obsidian website recently. It scared the hell out of me. Maybe that's not the most reasonable reaction I've ever had. But it didn't look like I was one of their target users.

I am trying to keep Evernote dumbed down, in the same way you seem to be doing with Obsidian. They keep adding features to Evernote that I can't see a use for. And who knows what will happen with that application now that it's owned by Bending Spoons? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't end up having to find an alternative.

 

[dtj]

Maybe "fiddling" wasn't the right word. It has negative connotations. I think if you're capable of creating a custom solution -- whether that's something you do in an existing application or one of your own design -- that solves a problem and the benefit outweighs the effort involved, that's great. That's just not a club in my bag.

I did look at the Obsidian website recently. It scared the hell out of me. Maybe that's not the most reasonable reaction I've ever had. But it didn't look like I was one of their target users.

I am trying to keep Evernote dumbed down, in the same way you seem to be doing with Obsidian. They keep adding features to Evernote that I can't see a use for. And who knows what will happen with that application now that it's owned by Bending Spoons? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't end up having to find an alternative.

I DEFINITELY am inclined to full on fiddle. Earlier in life I was very inclined to fully personalize my pre-OSX Mac's (resedit ftw). And that followed me to linux, where I was continually massaging my system to being "just so". Being quite a bit more vintage now, I am reveling in how stock I can keep thing, having the benefit of wisdom. I try to have a known value before deviating from that strategy. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" resonates with me now. Actually, maybe a little too much honestly.

Your reaction to Obsidian is completely understandable. I got in before it went nuts, so I wasn't freaked. If you ignore a bunch of the newest stuff, it's not so overwhelming. If you just use it as a vault of markdown documents, it doesn't cause fight-or-flight.

I used to use Evernote, until they clamped down on number of free concurrent users, and I abandon them. I was mostly just dumping receipts to it, which got switched out and I stopped saving everything.

 

[bcmyers2112]

I DEFINITELY am inclined to full on fiddle. Earlier in life I was very inclined to fully personalize my pre-OSX Mac's (resedit ftw). And that followed me to linux, where I was continually massaging my system to being "just so". Being quite a bit more vintage now, I am reveling in how stock I can keep thing, having the benefit of wisdom. I try to have a known value before deviating from that strategy. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" resonates with me now. Actually, maybe a little too much honestly.

My first PC was a used Compaq box I bought in the mid-90s. I customized the hell out of it. I installed a bigger hard drive, added RAM, gave it a faster processor. I played with the config.sys file in Windows. I learned how to edit the registry. Stuff like that. There wasn't much practical use for everything I did -- it would have been easier to buy a new machine. It was a hobby and a bit of stress-reliever. I worked on my PC like some people like to work on cars. It was a hobby.

Over time I realized I had certain other interests that I'd be better served to focus on. Also, when I bought my first new PC I was reluctant to tinker with it. I paid enough money for it that I didn't want to break it. I also didn't want to void the warranty. And by that time it was common to bundle everything with a PC so that it would have everything most people would need or want.

I also used to play with list managers. At one time I used something called IQTELL that was mad configurable. You could actually get under the hood, change fields, alter workflows, build your own apps-within-the-app, and stuff like that. I got lost down so many time-wasting rabbit holes. And I wasn't doing it for fun anymore. I was obsessed with this idea that by customizing an app in just the right way I could make my life better, that I could make myself happier. I was very wrong. It did nothing but cause headaches and add to my stress.

These days I look for technology that works "out of the box." I want things I don't have to think about when I use them.

My point is that some people like to play with technology the way some others like to work on cars. I know people who do almost all of their own work on their cars. They don't have to. They could easily pay someone to do it. But why would they? They enjoy maintaining and repairing their cars themselves.

For me, however, playing with technology went from fun hobby to time-sucking obsession. My goals went from having fun to creating something that would give me inner peace, which is way too much to ask from technology. I admire people who can play with computers and software and have fun with it, but I've had to learn to use such things as utilities. I need to find the simplest tool consistent with getting the job done. It's just what's best for my personality.

 

[gtdstudente]

My first PC was a used Compaq box I bought in the mid-90s. I customized the hell out of it. I installed a bigger hard drive, added RAM, gave it a faster processor. I played with the config.sys file in Windows. I learned how to edit the registry. Stuff like that. There wasn't much practical use for everything I did -- it would have been easier to buy a new machine. It was a hobby and a bit of stress-reliever. I worked on my PC like some people like to work on cars. It was a hobby.

Over time I realized I had certain other interests that I'd be better served to focus on. Also, when I bought my first new PC I was reluctant to tinker with it. I paid enough money for it that I didn't want to break it. I also didn't want to void the warranty. And by that time it was common to bundle everything with a PC so that it would have everything most people would need or want.

I also used to play with list managers. At one time I used something called IQTELL that was mad configurable. You could actually get under the hood, change fields, alter workflows, build your own apps-within-the-app, and stuff like that. I got lost down so many time-wasting rabbit holes. And I wasn't doing it for fun anymore. I was obsessed with this idea that by customizing an app in just the right way I could make my life better, that I could make myself happier. I was very wrong. It did nothing but cause headaches and add to my stress.

These days I look for technology that works "out of the box." I want things I don't have to think about when I use them.

My point is that some people like to play with technology the way some others like to work on cars. I know people who do almost all of their own work on their cars. They don't have to. They could easily pay someone to do it. But why would they? They enjoy maintaining and repairing their cars themselves.

For me, however, playing with technology went from fun hobby to time-sucking obsession. My goals went from having fun to creating something that would give me inner peace, which is way too much to ask from technology. I admire people who can play with computers and software and have fun with it, but I've had to learn to use such things as utilities. I need to find the simplest tool consistent with getting the job done. It's just what's best for my personality.

bcmeyers2112,

Thank you for this post . . . you have me think that there is a fine line between "inner peace" and 'escapism' Thank you very much