Archive for May, 2008

Limit Your GTD Inputs

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Lately, I’ve been gathering new GTD “next actions” faster than I can complete them. This is a problem. As my next actions list grows, I’m experiencing that annoying feeling that not enough is getting done.

In the past, I’ve tried to alleviate this problem by being aggressive about moving non-critical stuff to my “someday/maybe” list. This helps because it keeps my list of stuff that really, truly needs to be done down to a minimum. However, for a variety of reasons, being aggressive about moving stuff to someday/maybe isn’t alleviating the problem well enough lately.

For the next week or so, I’m going to try attacking the problem from the other end. Specifically, I’m going to be more aggressive about limiting my inputs. Toward this end, I’m following the GTD flowchart with the “Is It a Want?” decision box (as opposed to the simpler version without the “Is It a Want?” decision box.

Wish me luck!

Great Article About Managing Worry

Monday, May 19th, 2008

If worrying were an Olympic sport, I would have a good shot at a medal. Not gold, but I don’t think bronze would be out of my reach. I do worry quite a bit.

That’s why I was glad to discover Mike King’s guest post today on the Positivity Blog: “Why Worry Gets You Nowhere, and How to Get a Handle on That Destructive Habit.” In the article, King discusses the benefits and costs of worrying, its causes, how to recognize it, and he describes techniques for controlling and limiting it. Good stuff. I highly recommend this article to anyone who has trouble managing worry.

Why is DevYou’s Layout so Plain?

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

I’m making a bunch of changes behind the scenes, so the layout of the site may be a bit… well… plain for a while. Soon we’ll have a nice new look to enjoy. In the meanwhile, enjoy the articles!

Oh and here’s a special thank you to all of you who’ve told your friends about DevYou. I appreciate it!