[0xdeadbeefbabe]

Easy, I just make a list of things to do. I also use a calendar.

Seriously though, I'm just annoyed by some aspects of them:

1. I feel spread too thin: item 1 doesn't get the attention it deserves because I was thinking of doing item 2. The GTD book itself seems to say, "I'm a victim of this problem."

2. The longer an item stays on a list the less likely I am to do it.

3. I'm annoyed by having a long list of things to do.

4. I was optimistic when I made the list, but later when I'm doing things I become more pessimistic.

5. I like the days when I lose track of time and suddenly it's 17:00 when I thought it was 11:00. I don't usually have that kind of day when I operate from a list.

[Jtsummers]

Re 2: When I have something that's been stuck in my todo for a long time, I drop it or I push it through in a weekend or similar short period of time. Why? I drop it because it either wasn't important or I missed the deadline. If I keep it it's still important and I up its priority.

Re 3: This motivates me to reduce and focus. I stopped agreeing to obligations from other people if I didn't actually want to do it, need to do it, or if other things had higher priority. I started setting aside daily time for a specific task (before I socialize with friends during the week, I usually show up early with a book I want to read).

Re 5: I still get these, even working from a list. In fact, thanks to 2 and 3 I feel like it happens more often. Because when I sit down to do something, I can be confident I'm not forgetting something else that needs to be done first.