Time to give up on GTD? Or is there some way to fix my block?

Lamb918 said:
I do have some perfectionist tendencies ....
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I've been doing GTD since before David called it that, and I can say that my system is never perfect. I'm often changing it because the circumstances of my life change. I remember when I started working for David, he said something like, "Let's try to break your system." It only took a couple of days. But I quickly adjusted my system to my new work. That lasted for about a year, and I had to make adjustments again because my role and type of work changed. That has happened regularly over the years.

Try to be patient with yourself and make it okay that your implementation of GTD will evolve. Hang in there.
 
John Forrister said:
I've been doing GTD since before David called it that, and I can say that my system is never perfect. I'm often changing it because the circumstances of my life change. I remember when I started working for David, he said something like, "Let's try to break your system." It only took a couple of days. But I quickly adjusted my system to my new work. That lasted for about a year, and I had to make adjustments again because my role and type of work changed. That has happened regularly over the years.

Try to be patient with yourself and make it okay that your implementation of GTD will evolve. Hang in there.
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Good to hear. I'm relatively new to all this. I'm currently trying to find the right list manager. Lots to learn.
 
mcogilvie said:
Rule #1:
Nothing is as simple and flexible as paper.
Rule #2:
Using paper is harder than it looks in the Internet age.

The good news is that we all have opinions on this topic, which we will be happy to confuse you with share with you. ;) Feel free to ask questions.
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Will do. Thanks
 
mcogilvie said:
Rule #1:
Nothing is as simple and flexible as paper.
Rule #2:
Using paper is harder than it looks in the Internet age.
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I agree with these rules! I often remind myself that my paper-based system simply reflects what I’ve seen on the Internet. I include many handwritten pointers to my browser history. :)
 
I am starting with paper until I get the basics right before I move to a computer system, it is working really well so far. I find computer systems complicate things. When I got my first accounting job, I remember I was not allowed to use their spreadsheets or computer programs for anything. I had to learn the rules and how to calculate things manually and get them consistently correct before I could use the programs. Their reason being that if you know how it works behind the scenes you will know when you use the electronic systems if something does not look right or how to fix it if it is not working. I still consider this one of the single best things I have been taught over my career. It is working well in getting the GTD mechanics right now and finding what works and what doesn't. I have used a lot of programs and none have given me the peace of mind and clarity I have had in the last few weeks. Don't underestimate the power of paper. One other thing I have found in the 15-minute rule works for me, rather than the 2-minute rule.
 
NickLS said:
I am starting with paper until I get the basics right before I move to a computer system, it is working really well so far. I find computer systems complicate things. When I got my first accounting job, I remember I was not allowed to use their spreadsheets or computer programs for anything. I had to learn the rules and how to calculate things manually and get them consistently correct before I could use the programs. Their reason being that if you know how it works behind the scenes you will know when you use the electronic systems if something does not look right or how to fix it if it is not working. I still consider this one of the single best things I have been taught over my career. It is working well in getting the GTD mechanics right now and finding what works and what doesn't. I have used a lot of programs and none have given me the peace of mind and clarity I have had in the last few weeks. Don't underestimate the power of paper. One other thing I have found in the 15-minute rule works for me, rather than the 2-minute rule.
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One of the most important things I teach my grad students is how to know when something has gone wrong, and how to find out what it is. I‘m glad GTD is going well for you.
 
Inhuman Artist said:
As a complete newbie to all things GTD, I have just finished the book and its daunting to plan getting the system into my life. The thing I dont want to do is over complicate things early on. Maybe treat the whole thing like you have just started and do what you can and work the rest out as you go.
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Have you downloaded and read the setup guides / watched the setup videos on gtd connect? They’re a really good place to start!
 
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