On vacation, getting caught up on life, watching Law & Order reruns.
Getting (Some) Things Done
June 17, 2008 at 8:00 pm (Goals)
Tags: David Allen, Getting Things Done, GTD, organization, Trigger list, WC Fields
Okay, I’ll admit it: I’ve read David Allen’s Getting Things Done. As you may have noticed, the system has some rabid fans, many of whom have developed their own finely-honed variations of the system — not to mention entire lists of paraphernalia designed to accomplish their goals in style. There are notebooks (Moleskine!), software programs, websites and even pens, all pursued by the GTD faithful with the fervor of a religious cult. No, I’m not making fun; a little obsession can be good for the soul. I’m just one of those who missed the GTD train.
My personal organizational system follows a more David-Allen-meets-W-C-Fields approach. WC Fields advised:
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use being a damn fool about it.”
You gotta admit he had a point. Honestly, just how much can you expect to accomplish without ruining your health, your sanity and your relationships? Especially when it comes to business. I mean, sure, money’s nice. (It’s very nice in fact and if you have any extra, I’d deeply appreciate some dead presidents in my mail box — as long as they’re of the foldable variety.) But like the old adage says, they don’t put a luggage rack on a hearse. I’ve heard the “you can have it all!” schpiel all my life and all I can say is “yeah, sure.” Seriously, if I had it all, where would I put it?
So, hoping to get at least some things done without driving myself nuts, I’ve adjusted my personal GTD system accordingly. My running to-do list not only has a “Someday/Maybe” category, it has an IMD (In My Dreams) category and a SFGTD category (Something For God to Do). Hey, if I can’t have it all, I certainly can’t do it all, can I?
One of the GTD tricks I retained in my system is the brain dump or, as it is referred to by some: the trigger list. The object, for any GTD virgins out there, is to do a weekly review, citing tasks accomplished, new projects developing, items needed, persons to call and such, all generally adding to and deleting from your running to-do list. Far from transforming you from a human-being to a human-doing, the brain dump is an excellent way to get things off your mind and onto paper where you can keep track of them. Gray matter is too precious to be wasted on shopping lists and reminders to pick up the dry cleaning. The Trigger List attempts to cover every area of your life, helping you to focus on details and projects that need your attention, keeping as little as possible from falling through the cracks.
It’s probably one of those things that have to been seen to understand, so here’s one of the best I’ve found, courtesy of one of my favorite blogsOrganize IT.
Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. — Goethe
Image courtesy of AmericanAntiquities.com
Blogging and plot blocks
June 5, 2008 at 9:18 pm (Goals, Writing, books)
Tags: Brandilyn Collins, plotting, writer's block
I’m new to blogging, both as a writer and as a regular reader. (Yes, I do live under a rock. Thank you for asking.) In recent months I’ve enjoyed discovering worthwhile blogs and writers who (apparently) put themselves out there with enviable ease. It’s encouraging to realize there are so many great people out here, sharing their expertise, their experience, and their great good humor.
One of my recent finds is Brandilyn Collin’s Forensics & Faith blog. It is a now a permanent fixture in my rss reader. Ms. Collin’s June 3 entry resonated with me especially. Titled It’s Writer’s Block, You Blockhead, this particular article has made me nothing less than a fan.
Brandilyn bemoans those irritating people that declare writer’s block as nothing more than the lame excuse of a lazy writer. Certainly for a professional writer, writer’s block would be a frightening specter worthy of anyone’s sympathy. I have little use for those literary snobs, myself, but writer’s block, per se, has never been much off an issue for me (sorry, Brandilyn).
As the entry unfolds, though, Brandilyn admits that her issue is not actual writer’s block, but what she calls plotting block. Ah! now she’s singing my bar of blues. I can come up with great characters, I have files of research, scribbled short but succinct descriptions, and dialog guaranteed to to drive both plot and character development while still managing to sparkle. But too often rational plot eludes me. I have a book of characters chomping at the bit, with just enough plot to get them off the ground — but not enough to get them over the finish line. It’s an old problem. Unlike real life, fiction must make sense. Which is probably why so many of us prefer it to reality.
Unfortunately, other than recommending patience, Ms. Collins offers no cure for our mutual ailment. Well, of course, she doesn’t; if she had the cure, she wouldn’t be wasting good writing time complaining of the disease, would she?
Well, good luck, Ms. Collins. Hang in there. All us writer rather-be’s are counting on you.
But no stress.
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