Free Spirit.
Monday, February 04, 2008
I'm a convert


Recently switched from "7 Habits" to "Getting Things Done".

7 Habits puts a lot of emphasis on saying no to small things and delegating them. After a few years I finally realized why it wasn't working for me, I don't have any power to say no to my boss nor do I have anyone to delegate to! The only person who is under me is the cleaning auntie, and even she has more powers than me!!! ("Auntie, I want green tea" "Mei You!!" sob sob!!)

The whole premise of Getting Things Done by David Allen is that until your mind knows that you will do a certain task (by writing it down in a trusted list) it will continually remind you randomly thus making your thoughts muddy. It also reminds you about the million scenarios attached to that task, making you overwhelmed and tempting you to forget about it all together. But your mind is also smart enough to prioritize things so you don't need to keep much than lists of "To Dos". Best thing is, you don't have to purchase any super expensive custom tailored organizer... in fact David Allen himself mentioned that he is very happy with his standard issued palm organizer.

Really really, I think this is the best for overly worked analyst (office low lives) with minimal budget for fancy organizers!

ps: Obviously I am only mentioning basic premises on which GTD is best. The book has lots of good handy tips and it has been drafted into my permanent best-books section on my shelf.