Getting (A Few) Things Done
Posted on 12. Sep, 2009 by Brad Kamradt in Blog
Well, here we go. Sweet Lid Solutions — the site and business — has officially launched. I’ve got a couple of clients who appreciate what I do. Business feels ready to boom as long as I can rustle up a few more. And I’m about to draft my first blog post on a topic I never imagined writing about: personal productivity.
Anyone who knows me well also knows that I’ve generally cruised through a lifetime of school, relationships, and workplaces without any real system to back me up. And why would I need backup? Or a system? Flying solo, all things have seemed possible and, for the most part, manageable. Recently, though, with a new wife and a new life to contend with, I’ve been forced to acknowledge that my attention is stretched thin, my brain is itchier than ever, and my anxiety levels are on the rise.
In short, I have reached critical mass. There are bills to pay. A future to save and plan for. More overhead than ever before. I have a full-time job and a weekend gig that is helping to bankroll a part-time start-up business. I have a spouse to see through nursing school and a household to help maintain. I have loyal, loving friends and family — not to mention two dogs and a cat — who deserve far more attention than I seem able to provide on a regular basis. And I have a slew of personal development and creative projects waiting in the wings that I never have enough spare time and energy for.
I take all of the commitments listed above very seriously, and my inability to give each and every one of them the attention they deserve can be demoralizing at times. By the same token, it’s been a humbling process to finally accept that my brain alone is not enough. Call it catharsis, an epiphany, or a moment of clarity if you will, but I am ready to embrace the previously unthinkable. Hello. My name is Brad, and I can’t do it alone anymore. I need help. I need to channel this newfound humility into increased productivity. I need … ugh … a system.
Enter “Getting Things Done.” Maybe. After spending a great deal of the past week in a state of option paralysis while investigating every to-do list and task-management tip, technique, and iPhone app I could find, I finally arrived at the conclusion that the illustrious, infamous Getting Things Done (GTD) system may be my ticket out of brain-overload hell.
At this point, I admittedly don’t know much about GTD, but a few compelling details from my scatter-shot research have lodged in my brainpan:
- GTD has an almost cult-like following, including legions of young, tech-savvy, creative types.
- David Allen may have spent time in a mental institution and time consulting new-age spiritual advisors before writing the original, best-selling “Getting Things Done” in 2001.
- GTD is based, in part, on the idea that productivity and relaxation have a symbiotic relationship, and that a “system you can trust” can lead to a “mind like water” and unleashed creativity and potential.
That all sounds pretty good to me, even — perhaps especially — the bit about the mental institution and spiritual advisors. If GTD can help me better manage my life, keep me out of the looney bin, and eliminate the temptation to go Krishna and escape from it all, then I’m all for it.
This morning, instead of succumbing to temptation and jetting to the local Cineplex for a matinee, I went to the local bookstore, bought a copy of “Getting Things Done,” and ran some errands. The rest of the day quickly slipped away to work and running around town, but I am proud to say that I checked off a few important items from my bloated mental list.
Next up: Read the book. Try out the system. Get things done.
I’ll let you know how it goes.