Getting Things Done

I organized my process first by using paper and pencil. I can always have those on hand, though I can’t always have a computer in front of me. Also there is nothing more satisfying than physically crossing off something that you have completed. On the other hand, seeing a long list of items immediately seems overwhelming and is the fastest way to get me to simply stop “doing”. Also, the paper and pencil way doesn’t allow a quick and easy way to reorganize the list for priority or for a timeline. So I can see a need for switching to a computer program or something in the future once I get a handle on how the process works. I also like to use a lot of different folders to organize what I need to do.

The first time through the process was very frustrating and overwhelming. I often ask too much of myself and when setting the system up quickly found myself adding more and more things in my collection box that I wanted to complete. This doesn’t seem like a problem at first, instead it was actually very exciting as I envisioned completing all of these things and how accomplished I would feel. However, when it came to the process and organize stages I found that I didn’t always know what to do with all of the things I had collected. The anxiety of the indecision of what to do is very tiring. By the time I had gotten through the inbox and figuring out what to do with everything I was exhausted and didn’t actually want to DO anything.

I think that this process has the potential to help me, but at this point it is too early to say. I think if I can stick with the process and get the inbox to a manageable size then it could work. But if I can’t get through all of the steps and be able to get done what I actually need to DO, then it really isn’t helping. I also found that even after I entered something in the inbox, it still floated in my head of when I was going to do it and what order I was going to work on everything. I know this means that I need a better inbox so my brain can trust the system, but its simply not there yet.

I think that I will keep trying to use the system, because I love the idea of freeing my brain of all of that worry and anxiety and over-thinking. But I also think that I need to look into the process a little more and see more of what other people do in order to see if there is a better way to complete my system that would be less overwhelming.