Getting Things Done... again

So, before last week's sickness I was hitting the wall at work--too many projects, too many email messages, too much paper, too many people needing something from me. Time to implement the "big system" once again, and I find myself turning to Getting Things Done, by David Allen. This was a library check-out back in 2003, purchased early 2004, and sitting on the shelf partly used. From a quick web scan, it appears that "GTD" followers have formed their own virtual subgroup--the blog net is extensive, as is media coverage in articles and radio shows.

I have seen several librarians' offices that are total disaster areas organizationally--I wouldn't entrust them with an important piece of paper for anything. Why can't information professionals manage their own information? True there is so much coming at us, but doesn't that behoove us that much more to be "on it"?

My stumbling block to sticking with GTD is that I never went whole-hog. That is, I never set aside the necessary time to completely gather all inputs. In addition, I never ingrained the habits of review and assigning to "next action" that I think keeps this thing humming. Just orienting my mind around GTD has made me more productive the past week--thinking in that direction has provided motivation to keep things moving. The next step is going deeper (which I'll do more fully once I get the library's copy of the audio, as recommended by one GTD-er. Still, moving forward piecemeal has already "unstuck" several projects, some of them moldy oldies, and has my office looking a little neater. Looking the part isn't such a bad start.

Reflection while Sick

A few days with strep throat made the workweek shorter, so there's really nothing to complain about on this Friday, right? Except you all know that stuff piles up while you're gone, and it's more chaotic when you return. The break was a nice opportunity to reflect on how life is going in general, how I am managing my job and how I can be doing better on all of it. A mixture of zen-flow, spiritual awareness, and time/stuff management.

The weekend is partly blank, some possibilities lurk for work catchup, a field trip for the boy, and dining out. Oh, and more rest.

On the library front: we're moving toward some automation, which is very exciting. Very anxious to improve some workflow. Vacations and systems downtime threaten to drag it out, but that's par for the course.

Novice bicyclists beware....

This is a major bicycling university town, which means fall quarter is always very very dangerous. Many new students arrive and buy new bicycles. The problem is that they don't know how to ride them in heavy bicycle or vehicular traffic. I saw a couple of near-accidents, one bicyclist not behaving as a vehicle and not stopping at a stop sign. She almost got creamed by a car with the right of way. A few young women just do not know how to make their bicycles go after coming to a complete stop (yes, mostly women and often very skinny, so maybe it's a muscle mass thing). This makes for excruciatingly painful negotiations at four-way stops when I am in my car. I work very hard to respect the rights of bicyclists, but they gotta do their part too.

Not yet read through, but eminently linkable: this Truthout Op-Ed by Al Gore. The pendulum has to start swinging the other way. Maybe Rove will get indicted after all?

Hitting the wall workwise, alleviated by my workload being acknowledged by the big boss, along with an offer of whatever support I needed to make it all happen. That in itself makes it much better.

Tomorrow: pumpkin patch field trip with many many preschoolers including my son. That's worth taking the morning off.

Being Scarce

Work is capturing way too much attention: many projects flying, being juggled, being fumbled. Do not look behind the curtain. In the end, everything comes together, and there is a moment for sorting paper, organizing and getting ready for the next wave. In the meantime, the desk looks like a disaster zone and the adrenaline is coursing through the veins. Anti-zen. Work rebellion starts to set in, where all I want to do is sit here and surf the web. Stealing the money. Must be time for lunch, during which I hope I recover my work ethic.

The boy has been taking to saying "Aha!" while holding his finger in the air. I think he got it from school--we don't do that. His behavior is more manageable and he is temporarily out of his whiney phase. It will come back.

Chicken and polenta at the local Italian-American club tonight. Likely median age of attendees: 62.