Consistently do GTD?

[Henry]

I read the book. I can follow it for about 2 months before things get overwhelming. I proceed to fall off the wagon and never get back into it until things settle down (which almost never happens). Any tips to not fall off the GTD horse?

[Ilya]

What exactly happens when you stop following the process? Which stage stops working?

[norbert]

Henry, stop thinking about why it doesn't work. Just keep doing it when it has your attention again. Instead of trying to reach the point where your system is "perfect", accept that it won't be perfect. Ever. Just keep using it. Months and years will go by and you'll notice you became a GTD veteran. The more you do it, the better you get, the less time you fall off the waggon. It simply doesn't work because when it could, you start looking for reasons why it doesn't.

This applies to living consciously and proactively as well.

Start living it. Now. Don't expect it to be perfect.

[Alvin]

Henry, why are you GTDing in the first place? What is it you want to get out of doing GTD?

[Yynatago]

Even the GTD experts falls behind with their system from time to time. Its more important that you get back into it as soon as possible than to implement it perfectly, even if that means getting back into it a small step at a time.

You are probably finding that some parts of your system is in operation all the time. I personally have the collection system operational at all times, even if I don't get around to processing for a couple of months! I find it does a much better job at keeping my head clear then without a proper collection system. Until I get around to processing, I use a ad hoc todo list.

Disclaimer: I'm no expert, in fact I've never fully implemented it myself at work or at home, but I am an avid reader of the blogs at The David Allen Company .

Regards,
From Shannan

[Henry]

I do GTD because I want to do a lot of things all the time. I get thrown off the horse when a certain project requires all of my time. That's when my "Next Actions" list gets put to the side....

I know there's no quick solution. I just wish it didn't take me so long to get back on it.

[kevinw1]

Henry, are/were you doing weekly reviews regularly? If you're in that habit and have time scheduled for it, it's a great time to get everything back up to date. Even if you only do it every 2 weeks, it helps. You can work on the big project all week and still know that anything else will at least get processed and added to your system when review times rolls around.

Kevin

[Henry]

Originally Posted by kevinw1

Henry, are/were you doing weekly reviews regularly? If you're in that habit and have time scheduled for it, it's a great time to get everything back up to date. Even if you only do it every 2 weeks, it helps. You can work on the big project all week and still know that anything else will at least get processed and added to your system when review times rolls around.

Kevin

Unfortunately, I was skipping my weekly reviews.

I do realize that every time I restart GTD, I ramp up pretty quickly. Each time I've gone longer and longer too. If I keep trying, eventually it has to stick right?

[tgl]

I think you need to do those reviews religiously. I've been listening to the David Allen/Merlin Mann podcasts (you can get them from either's website). In one, David Allen was talking about the importance of doing the entire system. He was saying that, for instance, if you skip reviews, then your brain can't trust the system because you aren't referring back to the things you've put into your collection buckets. You distrust the system, you start to leak and you let the system go.

I've noticed the reviews are problematic for me too, and I've noticed that I was beginning to let the system go.

I think you gotta do regular reviews.

[norbert]

I agree. I believe he once said "if you don't do your weekly reviews once a week, you do it all week". He's doing it every second week. It's not about the interval but about the doing. If you can't trust your system, it's time for another "weekly" review.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by norbert

Henry, stop thinking about why it doesn't work. Just keep doing it when it has your attention again. Instead of trying to reach the point where your system is "perfect", accept that it won't be perfect. Ever. Just keep using it. Months and years will go by and you'll notice you became a GTD veteran. The more you do it, the better you get, the less time you fall off the waggon. It simply doesn't work because when it could, you start looking for reasons why it doesn't.

This applies to living consciously and proactively as well.

Start living it. Now. Don't expect it to be perfect.

This sounds like good advice to me. Too often we spend all of our time looking for the perfect system and not enough time just doing it. Its like procrastination in a way, in my opinion. We put off something and use imperfection as a reason.

[Alvin]

I agree, the reviews are probably the most essential part, and getting the system in your face so you can't ignore it.

What I did was use a PDA/phone, so everytime I looked at the phone, I saw my lists staring at me. Whenever I was on the train, I'd take the time to do a quick scan-through.