Using Getting Things Done to Get Life Moving

This is a post about using Getting Things Done to implement a dramatic improvement in your life.  My point is that GTD can be used for more than just getting organized.  You can significantly upgrade the quality of your life, the state of your mind, and your general wellbeing.

So here are my suggestions on how to make that happen.

• First, read Getting Things Done.  Then, read this blog post and specifically the links in it that provide a bit more context.  (The links will be relevant after you have read the first two-thirds of the book).

• Next, start implementing GTD.  The great thing is that, if you understood the concepts reasonably well, GTD implements itself.  You will simply start moving the random stuff floating in your immediate environment and mind into your inbox, cleaning things up, and clarifying.

• The final step is what I did not find in the book Getting Things Done.  Once you have started getting your physical environment more in order, you may notice non-physical matters that are still “on your mind.”  These are the outstanding emotional issues that need your attention.   You will write journal entries on each of these items, but for now, just write down the issues that keep popping into your mind.

• Once you are ready, this post provides some guidance on how to actually implement GTD to process unresolved emotional issues.  Here you will “bury the hatchet” with items from your past that linger awkwardly in your mind.

That’s it.  It will take you a minimum of a couple of two to three weeks to set up the system, being to tackle many of the physical open loops in your world, and start on the mental stuff as well.  It takes some courage, energy, and time to do this, but you may find yourself on the other side of the venture with a mind like water, a new freshness of perspective, and much greater energy and optimism for the future.