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A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

blog.zenkit.com

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Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#91

Post by n1000 »

ThomPete wrote: post #7

GTD is the utopia of productivity. Everyone attempts to reach it but almost no one (if any) ever will. Those who get the closest realize that you can't live your life like that. In my world GTD become a goal in itself rather than a way to better manage your life. With a few exception (calendar) I lived my life in a way that would make a GTD enthusiast cringe. I am always impressed by those who attempt to do it but ne…

Maybe. But I think the method is not supposed to be applied word by word. Reading the book taught me some very important lessons nevertheless. What is an actionable item. Tasks must be clear. Small task should taken care of right away. etc.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#92

Post by tbirrell »

singlow wrote: post #85
berdon wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But can you leave your friends behind cause they don't stop and if they don't stop they're no friends of mine? The beauty of telling yourself "I can stop" comes in when you're really just lying to yourself to reduce the barrier of the first dish. "Oh, I'll just do a couple and then stop. Well I only have a few left..."

I am not quite sure but are you talking about something other than dishes? :)

The first paragraph is a reference to this gem from the 80's called "Safety Dance"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#93

Post by PeOe »

erikb wrote: post #77

Instead of having twelve tasks now you have 15, because you also need to keep track of the twelve tasks you are not doing. the problem is often more about getting started than getting done.

That is absolutely true. Wihtout actually getting started, nothing happens. No system can "make you" more productive. You make yourself more productive by implementing the system.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#94

Post by Dangeranger »

PeOe wrote: post #71
lxglv wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I used the same approach to start running: “just lace the shoes”. After you finish this, you are almost running.

Haha! that´s genius. Could technically be applied to lots of unpleasant tasks. I sometimes have difficulties with getting out of bed in the morning. Might a "just stand up" help with that problem? I will test that tomorrow.

For me it’s “just take off the covers”.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#95

Post by kbutler »

singlow wrote: post #87
PeOe wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha! that´s genius. Could technically be applied to lots of unpleasant tasks. I sometimes have difficulties with getting out of bed in the morning. Might a "just stand up" help with that problem? I will test that tomorrow.

I might test that today!

Somebody [else] has a hacker news first thing in the morning habit...

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#96

Post by PeOe »

agumonkey wrote: post #89
PeOe wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That´s interesting. In which case hasn´t it helped you? I mean, breaking up tasks into smaller pieces does make the "big task" way more manageable.

I was mostly commenting on the start slow and simple and get going. Sometimes having a low entry barrier and then have some inertia in the activity does create a good rhythm/regular schedule. But sometimes I just give up. Other times what I need is some god damn good old drive to start rolling up my sleeve and get done with that pile of whatever. So yes in theory, breaking things down is good, but it's not always the…

Yeah, true! I see your point now! I guess the determining factor is a mix of motivation and drive combined with "getting started". Breaking tasks up into smaller tasks doesn´t really do anything if you have no motivation and don´t get started.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#97

Post by chasd00 »

jstewartmobile wrote: post #31

This was mercifully shorter than the Cal Newport book. That's about all I can say for it. Ivan Sutherland had the secret, and it only took one paragraph to share it: ' I used to hate washing dishes. I would delay as long as possible. Eyeing the daunting pile of dishes, I would say to myself, “I'll be here forever at this dumb task.” The enormity of the task deterred me from starting. I still dislike washing dishes, b…

In college a friend of mine gave me a book on Zen Buddhism once as a joke more or less. I read it cover to cover, what you describe is very zen ( well it is as much as it isn't I suppose ;) ).

When i was reading that book i was in college and I remember dreading and dreading studying for a particular boring class. I was miserable thinking about it and then it just sort of dawned on me, i got up and went to the library and studied.

It's hard to put in words but you only dread these dreary tasks when you're dreading them.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#98

Post by PeOe »

kamaal wrote: post #14

The guide being an ace with the GTD technique is some thing the book answers quite well at the end of it. Its a thing called 'Constancy of purpose', its simply a way of saying you can be productive, only if you do work that is satisfying to you. Once you find such work, and you get drowned by it, GTD helps you be organized and work through it in sanity. The problem for most people is working through boring drudgery d…

Great explanation! The part with the satisfying stuff is really important. No system works properly if you don´t want to get stuff done.

Purpose combined with "actually doing stuff" is the point I guess. One without the other equally results in nothing meaningful.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#99

Post by ctw »

renegadesensei wrote: post #23

I recently started making small handwritten TODO lists that I keep in my pocket. It has significantly improved my productivity. Every morning while I'm getting ready, I usually think of about seven or eight things I really want to get done that day, and if I'm lucky, I'll actually do one or two. With this method I find I'm getting about four or five things done. I find that the act of actually handwriting the TODO li…

This is what I do too. I have a pad of sticky notes on my desk and each morning I write what I want to work on today in order of priority. Then I schedule some time in my calendar to work on each thing. I cross off the things I finish, so on the following morning I can see what I didn't finish the day before and add it to the current day if need be before throwing the note out and starting the next one.

Re: A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done

#100

Post by cJ0th »

n1000 wrote: post #91
ThomPete wrote: post #7

GTD is the utopia of productivity. Everyone attempts to reach it but almost no one (if any) ever will. Those who get the closest realize that you can't live your life like that. In my world GTD become a goal in itself rather than a way to better manage your life. With a few exception (calendar) I lived my life in a way that would make a GTD enthusiast cringe. I am always impressed by those who attempt to do it but ne…

Maybe. But I think the method is not supposed to be applied word by word. Reading the book taught me some very important lessons nevertheless. What is an actionable item. Tasks must be clear. Small task should taken care of right away. etc.

> Reading the book taught me some very important lessons nevertheless. What is an actionable item. Tasks must be clear.

So you never wrote a function before reading GTD? ;)

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