I spent a good long time yesterday, the day before, and several other days, furiously testing out several programs for the managing of tasks, specifically ones using David Allen’s GTD method.
There are several things out there, some using Omni Outliner Pro, some with their own proprietary engines. Most of these — okay, all of these — require hours of mundane data entry before they can begin to be useful to you. Then you must cultivate the habit of going through the big list on several regular bases: every morning, a weekly sweep-through, probably monthly as well.
So here’s what I concluded: I don’t need a task manager! Not a one of them. Not even if they were giving the licenses away for free.
You see, in Mr. Allen’s book, he describes the main motivation for using his GTD techniques as the reduction of the stress that arises from one’s having too much information in one’s brain. Specifically, information about what has to be done on any number of projects that one, naturally, has going on at any specific time.
The silent implication of the whole effort is this: Of course you have too many tasks flying around in your head. You’re an important person; important people always have lots to do. In fact, you are important in direct correlation to how many things you have to do, at any given time.
Further subtext: if your day isn’t filled with an endless stream of tasks, you are a Loser.
Okay, I’m a loser. In any given day, I have these tasks:
- Wake up (that happens by itself… I don’t have to remember to do it)
- Wash and dress
- Take morning meds
- Wash and undress (at night)
- Take night meds
- Go to sleep
I can remember these things. There are only six of them, and waking and sleeping rather seem to occur on their own.
And for this I need to use an end-product of 3,000 years of research and development to handle? I don’t think so. I’ll take my tiny Moleskine notebook, and consider myself lucky. I don’t know why that thought makes me feel lucky, but it does.
white pebble 