GTD at work - I hate Dells!

Microsoft Office 2007 isn't so bad. It's my Dell computer that runs like a snail that is hell! And all the crashing and bugs.

I used the GTD Outlook Plug In to much success for a few months at work. I did have some problems:

:: No way to archive completed projects (with their record of emails and tasks. I had to use a complicated "Somedayed Projects" work around which messed up all my Someday stuff, and confused my master project list)

:: Confusion over saving emails to projects or inbox folders, and annoyance of having to do both.

:: Snooze button is great, but emails should come to TOP of inbox when they reappear!

:: Weekly Review is annoying because each project has to be opened individually via the GTD menu to get a full idea of the review.

And the final straw: loading problems! I deleted some stuff on my work computer - I thought they were excess program - and now there is a LOADom and Active X loading error. I am an idiot - but honestly, it was running at such a snail's pace anyway I dreaded using it.

Plus, this system can't be integrated with my home GTD system. At first, I was happy to keep a separate home system - settling for syncing of my outlook work calendar to a google (personal) calendar. But my home system is lacking - suffering - and I believe David Allen recommends combining the home and the work system! He has written in this great article on whether to have two separate systems: "The individual art of this for each of you is to create as many lists as you need, and as few lists as you can get away with."

How GTD changed my life

This is my first blog entry. It is a pretty self-explanatory introduction, so I will be brief.

I NEVER was taught a true organization system in school - from private high school to liberal arts college. At my fast-paced job in the "real world," I was introduced to the book Getting Things Done by David Allen.

I do not know how I did anything at work before this book!

This book gave clear INSTRUCTIONS for all the things I was having trouble with, including when I wanted to
:: PRIORITIZE
:: CLEAR MY MIND
:: REMEMBER WHAT I NEED, AND WHEN I NEED IT
:: MOVE PROJECTS FORWARD
:: STOP COMPLAINING
:: BE RELIABLE FOR OTHERS

But the problem is that you need a TRUSTED system. There lies the rub! This blog will document my quest for that system, and my journey of attempted productivity along the way.