GTD and Ubiquitous Capture.
My prediction is that the jerk faces at GTD agenda will comment in this blog. They have some sore of ‘autocomment’ thing turned on and it annoys the everlovin’ piss out of me. Evertime someone dares mention the phrase ‘GTD’ their spiders find it and make a post.
But I digress.
The real point of this is that I have an acute need for ubiquitous capture and listing. It has to be lightweight, and I have to do it regularly. And there’s the rub: doing regularly feels like a tether that I fight.
Right now, I have a ton of billable work for a ton of great clients to complete. And I have to clear that deck before I can grab my next batch of billable work. All told, I have probably 20 hours of work to do, but it’s spread out among 9 distinct projects. And it’s the niggly little details that absolutely eat me alive. I’m GREAT at getting a ball rolling and started, I’m not GREAT at polishing off details.
I need a (printed) list next to me so I can make sure I stay productive, and I need to write and rewrite my goals down each day.
Once the Election is over, I’m going to focus–and not allow myself to be diffused. One–maybe two–projects is it. And that will suit me fine, because I have the guts to focus.
Not focusing is a coward’s choice. I used to think it made you more secure, having ‘multiple streams of income.’ Not so much anymore. I think that it’s stupid–it’s a way to make sure you stay a mediocrity.
At one point I was deriving income from:
Not to mention blogging at places like http://bloodhoundblog.com, http://lenderama.com, http://mortgagecicerone.com, http://blownmortgage.com, http://activerain.com/newmarketsurvivalguide.
You’d think there would be a certain safety and comfort with six different ways of being paid, and a dozen more to promote myself. But it isn’t really secure–there was an endless amount of detail to manage, and an never ending stream of stupid tasks that I had to do, along with the ‘overwhelm excuse’ built into an unsustainable pattern. There’s also a certain cowardice in not taking a tittle shot, and seeing how far it can go. I’m still doing too much stuff I’m still stuck with it (though e-books is truly passive at this point, and I plan to write another one). Managing the tension between it all is difficult–holding on to unprocessed tasks (especially in the ‘doing websites for realtors’ category) blows.
This was about the time I fell off the GTD wagon (of which David Allen says falls off all the time). I have to get a new ‘system’ that works for the way I do things right now. Have to.
So what I’m thinking is this:
use K-notes, pen and paper and RTM? to manage stuff; use “google docs” to manage individual projects. I can get in the habit of hitting “F4” which takes me to the dashboard more or less instantly.
Have legal pad next to me as well.
Once a day, organize & centralize it.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat. I’m doing this daily so nothing surprises me.
I think very soon I’ll be using Heap & Torch. I’ve given them extensive runs, and they do most everything I like (including setting up Gdocs). Exporting is something I’ll have to learn, but it looks very promising. I hope Ben has the sense to stay the hell away from the FIRE businesses.
I love Icosales, and would implement it gladly if there was more time and energy spent on the user interface–or if I had multiple salespeople–or if I I was a mortgage guy. I’ll keep checking their interface, and if I get to the scale I want, we’ll do it.
50 something days till the election…then I can most of my projects, winnowing down to 2.
That’s the brain dump.
I have some substantial posts to be posting about.
No related posts.
