Giving it another go

B

Bill

0
I fell off the wagon for awhile.

I got started with GTD in 2005. I was really excited by all the quick wins. Just the simple act of putting my filing system in order was a HUGE step forward.

Here is how my first 6-9 months went:

Filing / Using the label maker --- I took to this right away. Once I had my files in order, I loved the ease of use and kept going.

The Weekly Review -- I never really got this down. I forced myself through it for awhile, but the habit never took root.

Keeping my project list current -- I started using MLO and syncing with a Pocket PC. Worked pretty well.

Then I took a job transfer and had a major relocation. Even the things that were working fell apart during the transition. Too many things were out of place.

So... here I am 18 months later and starting over again. I wouldn't say I'm back to square 1, but I'm definitely starting over.

This week I spent a couple of hours clearing all my psyhic RAM as David puts it. This afternoon I went top to bottom through my project list. My work files are still in pretty good shape, but my home files never recovered from the move.

I never felt like the weekly review was really flowing for me. Looking back, I think I might have been getting more accomplished than I was giving myself credit for.

Here's to giving it another shot!
 
Focus on the Weekly Review!

Bill;46003 said:
The Weekly Review -- I never really got this down. I forced myself through it for awhile, but the habit never took root.
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Focus on the Weekly Review!
 
Don't be afraid to get help from the folks at Davidco. A telephone coaching session will do wonders for your re-entry into GTD.
 
getting back on the wagon

I have a hunch we all appreciate the candor of Forumites willing to share their downfalls, and the immediate support from the Seniors.

One of my obstacles to true implementation has been the growing stacks of stuff which I "think" I already have files for. I have A-Z files in a nice 2-drawer Queen Anne-style cabinet, but I pulled some files out as "too current" and stashed others in different areas of the house in emergencies. Blah.

So during the recent snow days (Western PA), I purged my existing files, listed and alphabetized everything, and created new files for stray stuff. A stack about 12 inches deep was designated "Someday/Maybe." So true what other posts and Coach's Corners have said - those Someday/Maybe projects are so affirming, rather than the opposite. They say, "It was worth it for you to think of this to begin with, and it still is."

So that's just a suggestion: Clean up your reference files and a lot of other stuff will fall in place.
 
It's been my experience that any small things you can do to make the overall situation better -- be it cleaning up reference files, gathering and processing stuff, streamlining workflow tools, or just doing a mind dump to get clear and current -- are well worth the effort. After all, doing even one of those practices will ease at least some of the mental stress and anxiety.

I really think, though, that spending time re-instilling the Weekly Review habit is critical to successfully getting "back on the wagon", because the Weekly Review is how we preserve the progress we've made by taking those other steps. Labeling our reference files does us little good if, two weeks later, we've consigned them back to the winds of entropy. Clearing our minds does us no good if we take all that newly cleared mental real estate and clutter it back up with new open loops that we can stress about.

So, my advice would be this: Whatever else you do is great, but do the weekly review too.

(I was just listening to GTD Fast while writing this, and David said, "you can't do any one of these behaviors and expect the whole outcome." Yeah, that.)

-- Tammy
 
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