43 Folders: Recent Forum Posts

NEWBIE SETTING UP

durianfish — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:02:29 +0000

Hi All,

I'm in the process of setting up my GTD system (using OmniFocus, iCal etc to do so), and am having some difficulty reconciling my current calendar system with the system I'll have under GTD. I'm specifically getting ready to sync omnifocus with ical.

At present I have several calendars in iCal - they're named after areas of my life (broad commitments or responsibilities), and include all of the projects & tasks I've got underway for each area.

Unfortunately, these calendars don't correspond with the contexts I've set up!

I have a few contexts that relate to several calendars, and a few contexts that are relevant to one calendar.

I think what I need to do is ditch the calendars I currently have and re-allocate each task to projects that I create within GTD / OmniFocus.

I guess I'm reluctant to do that because I'm used to viewing tasks related to several projects that fall within one broader commitment all in one view. I know I can still view tasks by project within OmniFocus, however I don't yet see how I can view several related projects within one view.

I've got a sneaking suspicion this hangup is probably why I'm not as productive as I could be!

Any feedback you might be able to provide will be greatly appreciated.

I need a drink! (It is Friday 6pm for me right now, so the timing isn't that bad....)

”NEWBIE SETTING UP” was written by Andrew Crellin for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 30, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

mutt functionality on apple mail

jason71 — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:46:00 +0000

hi:

I used mutt for a long time and now i am testing apple mail. One killer featurein mutt is the ability to use different emails addressed depending on the person you are writing. this can be setup so that if i email peter i always use this address and another person another.

currently i was using gmail but since it doesnt support this feature and i have multiple accounts i have to be constantly choosing email accounts manually and it is quite unefficient.

thanks

i would use mutt but nowadays people send so many pictures and mp3s that it is just easier to use a more modern client.

btw, this forum feels claustrophobic. remove the sidebar!!!

”mutt functionality on apple mail” was written by jason for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 29, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

David Allen Interviewed

ryanoelke — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:52:54 +0000

Hey Everyone - I hope this is not spamlicious, but I figured you all would love to hear David talk about GTD. We recently interviewed him on the Precision Change Podcast, a show on personal development. Part 1 aired today, and we have two more episodes coming. Let us know what you think, and if there is another, more appropriate place to mention this, or other places to mention, please let me know:)

Thanks! Ryan Oelke www.ryanoelke.com

”David Allen Interviewed” was written by Ryan Oelke for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 28, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

GTD and Personal Life

mfauris24 — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:02:15 +0000

Would anyone be willing to share if they've implemented GTD in their personal life and how successful it has been getting household members, etc. to use the system? I.E. drop notes, mail, etc. in your home inbox.

Thanks!

Matt Fauris

”GTD and Personal Life” was written by Matthew Fauris for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 28, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Dealing with fuzzy repeating tasks

flooey — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:28:23 +0000

Hey all, I'm relatively new to GTD, and I've run into a problem which my favorite search engine hasn't resulted in any completely satisfying answers for.

How do you guys capture repeating tasks that have relatively fuzzy intervals for getting done? Specifically, I'm not talking about things like paying bills with a fixed due date. My driving example of this problem right now is laundry. Immediately after I've done laundry, it doesn't need to be done, so it should definitely be removed from my next actions list. It needs to be added back on in a week or two, but I have a huge amount of flexibility in when I do laundry. (I have several loads worth of clothing, so once I get a load worth I have the option of doing laundry, but it's not imperative that it be done for another few weeks.)

So far, the best treatment of this problem I've found was a recommendation for Sciral Consistency or a feature of Entourage here at 43f, but I'd rather solve it with a process-based approach rather than another piece of software I'd have to interact with.

I'm thinking maybe I need to have the task sitting constantly on my Someday/Maybe list (or a new list) that I look at during each weekly review, and decide whether it needs to go on the list every week. Does anyone have a better system that they use?

”Dealing with fuzzy repeating tasks” was written by Flooey McBob for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 24, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Use your PC more faster

shan83 — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:03:42 +0000

using defragmentation you can fast your computer and also you can use disk cleanup method to perform your computer faster

”Use your PC more faster” was written by shan for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 24, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Give Others the Time of Day: Contribute Your Technology Tips to a Time-Management Book

aeschwartz — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:32:34 +0000

An Open Invitation

I would like to offer you an opportunity to contribute to Time/Self Management, a nearly completed book by management training and consulting company A.E. Schwartz & Associates. This book – developed to help people improve their time management skills – suggests a variety of technology tips that allow for better, more efficient use of time.

Your Contribution

Your potential contributions can take the form of any technology, tool, or time-management/productivity related tips that you believe to be useful for effective time management. The book’s tips fall into the following 12 categories: Goal Setting, Planning, Daily Projecting and Recording, Work Time, Making the Most of In-Between Time, Managing Paperwork, Telephone Management, Communication, Procrastination, Managing Crisis, Self Discipline, and Home Tips. We especially encourage you to submit tips within the categories of Self Discipline, Goal Setting, Procrastination, Managing Crisis, Planning, and Making the Most of In-Between Time.

Benefits

Although no monetary compensation will be granted, you will be acknowledged within the book. This opportunity promotes you and possibly your area of expertise. It is an opportunity to enhance your credibility and possibly practice by contributing in this publication which will be marketed nationally.

Submission requirements

We need to receive all submissions no later than June 6. Submissions are to be sent via e-mail—no attachments please. The tone and language of the text is succinct, to the point, and easy to understand, so we ask that you state your answers clearly and in short sentences. Please explain or define any technical jargon you happen to use. Also, it is critical that your tip be fairly general and not time-sensitive—as such, we prefer that there be no mentions of specific application names and that any suggested technology be of the type that will continue to be used in the foreseeable future. We welcome and encourage you to submit multiple tips (preferably in multiple categories) to increase the chances that your contribution will be unique and selected. Finally, please include your name, company, and e-mail with your submission.

Sample Submissions

Below are two examples of technology tips from the book that display the qualities we are looking for:

1. Try a PIM. New personal information managers (PIMs) are being implemented by agencies who want their professionals to stay on task and well-informed. They are designed to allow their users to schedule various tasks, and also for board members to better structure the pace of work completion. The software comes with electronic notepads and alarm clocks for specific reminders. This database allows workers to input their schedules and correlate them with upcoming tasks and dates.

2. Just hit reply. Respond to emails immediately. This will save you time and energy in the long-run. Even if you need more time to answer the sender’s request, inform them of this; then add the task to your to-do list. This way, you will be clear on which emails you have or have not responded to. As an added bonus, your contacts will be impressed with and appreciate your promptness.

Disclaimer

A.E. Schwartz & Associates recognizes the importance of keeping your responses as true to their original form as possible. You can expect no more than 5% parallel change if the responses are coherent and grammatically correct. It remains up to the publisher's discretion who, what, and how much of your submission will appear.

Contact

We welcome you to e-mail us at aes@aeschwartz.com or call us at 617-926-9111.

”Give Others the Time of Day: Contribute Your Technology Tips to a Time-Management Book” was written by A.E. Schwartz for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 23, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Scansnap / Editable/searchable PDFs

showing — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:41:15 +0000

Hello. Still trying to figure out how to use this site/where to post. I do love this site and wanted to say that you guys have certainly fed my lust for the ScanSnap with my fantasies of a paper-less office.

Forgive me for my ignorance, but how exactly do the PDFs/OCR process work? If the OCR isn’t 100%, is it possible to manually correct the text in the document and still maintain the integrity with the background image/formatting, etc. while making the correction searchable? Before I make the investment of the Scansnap, I used my hp all-in-one and Acrobat Pro 7. Results were less than ideal. It didn't recognize parts as text, and some parts that did, when I copied and pasted it to word, I found out that it had erroneously recognized the characters (now how would I have found that out without such a cumbersome process?) To complicate matters, bits of the text are in chinese pinyin.

I do want do believe in the dream. Will my problems be solved with this abby finereader?

Thanks much! -Showing

”Scansnap / Editable/searchable PDFs” was written by showing on for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 21, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Hi All

savantcreative — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:30:54 +0000

Hi All. I'm new around these parts and just wanted to say Howdy. I am looking forward to particpating in these great forums. Best regards

”Hi All” was written by Bruce Kersten for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 21, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Mac Mail.app: keyboard "move" folder select?

duus — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:05:50 +0000

Hello. On PINE (my old mail program) I could file mail quickly; "s foldername" would file the current message into foldername. (I could even tab-complete!) I would LOVE to be able to do that on Mail.app: a keyboard-only way to file messages. Does anyone know of any way to do that?

(Looked on Versiontracker, googled it; I found nothin'.)

”Mac Mail.app: keyboard "move" folder select?” was written by duus for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 21, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Add on domains in A2hosting, and Dreamweaver

bob43 — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:49:38 +0000

I signed up for A2 hosting using the 43folders coupon (I hope someone was able to have lunch on the commission;), and am wanting to set up an add on domain. This is where my first domain is:

/public_html/ = domain1.com

and

/public_html/domain2/ = domain2.com

i.e., both in the same file structure, but they appear as two separate domains.

I use Dreamweaver and already have domain1.com's site root set to:

/public_html/

where

/public_html/index.htm

is my home page. If I add this 2nd domain, from a file system perspective, it will be a part of domain1's file system. I'm told I can cloak directories so that domain2 won't get uploaded to domain1, but in terms of global search and replace, etc., it still seems wonky. Have other people here used add on domains and who use Dreamweaver, and if so, how do they structure things? One idea is to embed domain1 into

/public_html/domain1/

and then presumably A2 can make that the root. I asked A2, but they said they couldn't answer Dreamweaver questions. Thanks.

Bob

”Add on domains in A2hosting, and Dreamweaver” was written by Bob M for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 15, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Moleskine Pen Tether

nevstokes — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:39:24 +0000

I came up with this super simple way of tethering any pen to your Moleskine. Hope you find it useful:

http://nevstokes.com/blog/2008/04/14/wheres-my-pen/

”Moleskine Pen Tether” was written by Neville Stokes for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 15, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Mail.app smart mailboxes

mbetts — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:57:28 +0000

After being turned on to Merlin's Inbox Zero presentation I've been rethinking my email workflow. I have been using Mail.app for a year or two now but am now just unlocking its power with regards to Smart Mailboxes. I've run into a couple of quick (hopefully) technical glitches which I'd love to have feedback on.

In trying to construct a Smart Mailbox containing messages for which I've recently viewed I've set up the following: MESSAGES that match ALL of the following: DATE LAST VIEWED is IN THE LAST 2 Days.

I only get 2 messages dropped into this mailbox (and have viewed many messages in the last 2 days). When including additional rules (Message is not in folder Junk and/or Trash) zero results return despite the 2 previous messages not being in either Junk nor Trash.

Is my perception of "Date Last Viewed" (ie. any message opened in the past x days") different from what the app reads?

The second is really a similar variation of the first whereby in trying to eliminate messages that go directly to my junk folder from a Smart Mailbox that includes all messages received in the last 2 days. Even with stipulating that the messages in the "New" Smart Mailbox are not in the junk mailbox they all still appear.

Solutions appreciated. Thanks.

”Mail.app smart mailboxes” was written by Martin Betts for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 14, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Converting from hanging folders to manila folders

amp68 — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:46:42 +0000

I have a file cabinet, front opening, that doesn't have the slider in the back to allow me to use regular manila folders instead of hanging folders. I tossed the hanging folders out and started to reorganize, and I liked it MUCH BETTER without the hanging folders.

Problem is, I can't keep the folders up. So, I went out and bought some Smead FasTab hanging folders. They have a tab built in. I like the FasTab way better than the Pendaflex cr*p. But I still prefer just plain manila folders.

Does anyone know of a conversion kit that can turn a hanging folder drawer into a manila folder drawer? I know they make plenty of kits to go the other way around...

Andy

”Converting from hanging folders to manila folders” was written by Andy P for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 11, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Taking Notes in Meetings - Tips?

birwin — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:51:04 +0000

I've got one of our every other month meetings coming up in a couple of weeks, and I thought I'd seek out some tips for taking notes. My preferred note taking tool is OmniOutliner, and I'll sometimes use MindManager for brainstorming during meetings. My OO notes are pretty much "stream of consciousness", just capturing what's said as it's said. I go back after the meeting and review the notes for action items. MM and OO have worked pretty well for me, but I'd like to hear how other people take notes in meetings. Thanks!

”Taking Notes in Meetings - Tips?” was written by birwin for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 08, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Taking Notes in Meetings - Tips?

birwin — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:50:47 +0000

BB and Daylite

mfauris24 — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:23:32 +0000

Does Daylite FULLY sync to a BB, and let you utilized GTD the right way?

Any help?

Matthew Fauris

www.matthewfauris.com

”BB and Daylite” was written by Matthew Fauris for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 08, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

The Perfection Uncertainty Principal

noone — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:14:30 +0000

Maybe I'm just lowering my standards, but I'm beginning to believe that trying to create the perfect "thing" (presentation, lesson plan, movie, album) is a bit like quantum mechanics. As I understand the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal, the position and speed of a particle cannot be simultaneously known. By observing it, you nix your ability to measure it's speed.

Now here's what's I'm starting to think:

By attempting to perfect that "thing", you're ensuring that it will never be satisfactory. By nature of inspecting it for ways to make it better, you're ensuring that you'll always see more things to fix, and in the process of "fixing" you're guaranteed to make more mistakes which will feed your need to inspect. So on, and so forth....

The underlying issue for me is the inability to release something into the wild before I feel it's "ready", which is the politically correct term for "perfect". The problem is that nothing is ever "ready" and I end up not letting something off the chain, for fear that I could make it better.

Then I think of all the things which I consider "ready" that everyone else has done. Nearly all of them reveal imperfections upon closer inspection. But somehow, the perfect filter only points one way. I add a perfecting filter to whatever someone else does, making it look and sound better than it is. But with my own creations, I'm unable to turn on the soft light, and instead shine the most glaring, unflattering white light in an attempt to locate flaws.

Maybe the truly perfect thing is one which is created by accident with no expectations. Like that song that was recorded in one take, maybe some things can't be improved by iteration.

Even as attempt to finish this forum post, I'm thinking of ways I could make it better.....

”The Perfection Uncertainty Principal” was written by A.S. for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 07, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Outlook to BB Solution

mfauris24 — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:58:27 +0000

Like the rest, I have a BB. I'm wondering if anyone knows of some free handheld, so I can attach all my reference materials (pdf, word, excel, etc.) in my rerference folder, but have the ability to read different document formats?

Matthew Fauris www.matthewfauris.com

”Outlook to BB Solution” was written by Matthew Fauris for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 07, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Outlook to BB Solution

mfauris24 — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:58:11 +0000

Projects and Next Actions for Projects

mfauris24 — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:43:00 +0000

Can anyone explain how they relate Next Actions per project? It's a little confusing in the book.

Input?

Matthew Fauris

www.matthewfauris.com

”Projects and Next Actions for Projects” was written by Matthew Fauris for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 06, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Struggling to Find Right Web Apps

rockford — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:48:03 +0000

I apologize in advance if this question has already been posed a million times - I'm a newbie to online productivity suites.

I've recently migrated to Google for nearly everything, including email, scheduling and task management, and RSS reading. However, I'm still struggling to find a way to meet all of my productivity needs online.

Does Google offer anything similar to a personal wiki that I can use to capture thoughts, links, etc? Is this what Notebook is for? If so, it seems clunky as best.

I'm tired of having to toggle between iGoogle, Zoho, and other apps just to get things done.

What are my options? Should I upgrade to Google Apps? Install a wiki at my domain? I'm lost!!

”Struggling to Find Right Web Apps” was written by Rock Ford for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 04, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

The Dark Side of Productivity

blueruin — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:35:54 +0000

"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is itself to succumb to the violence of our times. Frenzy destroys our inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful."

-Thomas Merton

”The Dark Side of Productivity” was written by Brian Naas for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 01, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Need help in my Phone

pashmina — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:33:31 +0000

Need help with my phone Motorola L6i. I have been given by my friend a blue tooth device headset but sad to say i don't know how to use it. There's no instruction given and no instruction in my phone's manual. How to connect the headset to the phone?

”Need help in my Phone” was written by arnel d. cagatin for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on May 01, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

New..

pashmina — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:33:55 +0000

Hi. Im a new member at this site. I'm only 22 years old and looking forward to participating in the forum. I need help in the current trends today. Any info about the latest gadgets and all sorts of stuffs are greatly appreciated.

”New..” was written by arnel d. cagatin for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 30, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

What solutions do you use?

amp68 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:31:11 +0000

I have decided to implement GTD both at work and at home after listening to the Getting Things Done Now Seminar. I just borrowed the Getting Things Done Unabridged Audiobook and am going through that now.

However, I feel like my own work is conspiring against my successful implementation of GTD.

First off at work we use Lotus Notes. I thought at first I could use Notes for my organization, BUT I have 2 major issues:

We don't run iNotes, so I can't easily access my data from home, without firing up my work laptop, VPNing in. Remote controlling the PC at my desk, and then logging into Notes. More effort than I want to go through.
Notes doesn't have any way to create an all day event and invite people to it. So people keep sending each other Group Todos for days off, so they'll appear on top of the calendar. So my Todo list is full of DOZENS of todos that are clutter my task list.

So, next I thought to use some online task list. I set up accounts on Vitalist and Remember the Milk. Problem was, I can't access Vitalist when in meetings. Remember the Milk now works with Google Gears, which gets around the offline problem, but Google Gears requires Firefox, which is forbidden at work. There is also now a big push at work to ban laptops from meetings, since they are considered "distractions". I also think our IT Security dept would flip out if they heard I was storing details of internal projects on external web sites

So, next I moved to ThinkingRock, which was great because it was written in Java. I use on Windows at work, and my Mac and Linux boxes at home. I could use it at meeting (at least unti they completely ban meetings from laptops). My problem is the data file. My work laptop is so locked down, it difficult to use. I would rather use my data file on a home PC when home. I though I might be able to use some method online synchronization to move my data file around. .Mac would be perfect, except the fine folk at work BLOCK ACCESS to .Mac and pretty much any other site that allows file synchronization.

We use Novell servers at work and iFolder would eliminate my pain, but we have no plan of any kind to roll the product out.

So now I am at the point of going to something I abandoned back in the 90s, the paper planner, something I dread.

Can others tell me what theyre doing with their GTD data between home and work?

”What solutions do you use?” was written by Andy P for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 30, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

How do you review multiple large documents quickly?

sophos — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:25:15 +0000

Part of my job is to read/review/assimilate long articles, white papers, short manuals, et cetera. I have a GTD context for "Read/Review" and guess what? Things stay there like they're in quicksand. I need a way to "grok" big documents. Anyone got any tips or links? Something step-by-step would be helpful. I'm not talking about simple speed-reading; I'm talking about reading and evaluating but not spending all day on a single tome.

”How do you review multiple large documents quickly?” was written by Steve for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 29, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Merlin - Separated at birth from twin?

Joe — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:36:04 +0000

I was watching E! News last night (my wife was controlling the remote control, honest!) and saw Merlin's doppleganger, who is a correspondent for that show. Is it just me? Am I crazy, or do Merlin Mann and Marc Malkin look related in some way? Maybe it is just the glasses...and the initials! Too coincidental to be happenstance...

”Merlin - Separated at birth from twin?” was written by Joe Ross for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 29, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

The GTD Serenity Prayer

jabarig — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:33:13 +0000

God grant me the serenity not to constantly pursue the best way to get stuff done; courage to accept the best way for me; and the wisdom to know the difference.

”The GTD Serenity Prayer” was written by Jabari G for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 28, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Getting off the ground - feeling panicked/worried

poisontofu — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:58:33 +0000

Hi all.

I've read through most of Getting Things Done about twice now, thought about implementing it quite a bit, and even posted here once or twice. I've bought a filing cabinet (something I swore I'd never do), a stack of folders and adhesive labels, and a bunch of index cards. I've decided to give it a go, since I'm in my last year at uni, working part-time, and usually have a few personal/freelance projects on the go at any one time as well as a social life to keep a grip on, so there's a lot of stuff to manage there.

And now I'm processing my inbox for the first time, and my list of projects is starting to make me feel quite nervous and even panicky, and I'm not even halfway there yet. It contains everything from "Fix couch in loungeroom" to "Organise time with girlfriend" and "Update portfolio".

Although I had small moments of feeling good about the process (such as when I wrote out "Fix wind-up watch" as a project, something I've been meaning to do for over a year), looking at all this stuff in one spot just makes me nervous, not in control of all the stuff in my life.

My project list is over 50, and I still have a stack of projects/ideas to get through, fearing I'll have this monster list at the end of it all and no idea where to start. Am I doing it wrong?

”Getting off the ground - feeling panicked/worried” was written by Pat Armstrong for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on April 27, 2008. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"