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It was almost two years ago, I think, that I first read David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I got pretty excited about it, at the time. There was (and is) a great deal of buzz about it, about the promise of better organization and more productivity, and time management that actually works, the result being that Things actually Get Done.

In that time I’d say I’ve learned a ton about the various processes and tricks of organization and time management. However, “learned” is not equivalent to “practiced” — in many ways, I’m as disorganized as ever, the difference being that now I can pin-point exactly why this is so. Technically, I “know” how to change it — I just neglect to do it.

It’s gotten to the point that I really need to shape up and pay some attention to “re-organizing” my stuff, but I want to make sure I don’t repeat the same Sudden Flurry Of Activity followed by the Gentle Decline Into Chaos And Procrastination which seems inevitably to follow in its wake.

To that end… a few thoughts which I’m going to try to use as a guide this time around the Organizing Trip:

• When Allen suggests — nay, mandates — that you need to get organized at work and at home at the same time, I’ve begun to think that he actually means it. Looking back, I think a contributing factor to the slide back into disorganization was the fact that I became very organized at work, but still completely disorganized at home. I’m not sure exactly why, but this does make a difference…
• Really, really, really, just have ONE source of lists, to-do items, projects, etc. This worked for me for awhile, but I eventually found myself tracking tasks in several different places: some would be in a spreadsheet, some in a planner, some in an online ticket system, and so on. Again, just as everyone from David Allen to Tom Limoncelli advises, this Does Not Work.
• Create a plan, and stick with it. This almost seems too obvious to write down, but again, I’d trace some of my failure to continue being organized to either a) Not taking the time to make a complete plan, and/or b) Not sticking with it. There’s a saying that goes something like, “If you don’t quit, you win.” That borders a little bit on the side of Pollyanna-isms, but the converse is definitely a truism: if you do quit, you can’t win.

None of these deal directly with the actual mechanics of being organized or managing time, but at the same time, I don’t think any organization/personal management efforts can succeed in the long run without them. At least, in my experience.

Now, speaking of Getting Things Done, I should study for my Calculus mid-term.