It takes a little time sometimes for things to sink in for me, for them to actually work.
I read this book last year when I was really struggling with anxiety and my writing called Getting Things Done. It’s been around for, like, 25 years or something like that, and there are a lot of people in the business world that use what they call the “GTD” system to run their day to day operations with as little stress and lost work as possible.
Well, I read it, and I got this app for my phone called “OmniFocus,” which is essentially based in the GTD method…ie- I have an inbox there where whenever I think of something I need to do, I open up that app and write it down into an “inbox.”
Then, on a regular basis, meaning at least once a day, I check my to-do list, and once a week, I review all my projects and clear out that inbox by assigning everything to a project and a due date if its a task that actually needs to be finished.
Except that I never used it.
Well, not never. But not enough to ACTUALLY be using the system, because the entire foundation of GTD is that you never hold a to-do list inside your head. As soon as a task enters conscious thought, it is immediately externalized and no more thought power is left dwelling on it because it’s in the system now. It won’t be forgotten. So, as you can imagine, the only way the system works is if it’s used constantly.
I don’t know what happened this week–like I said, I’ve had the app for over a year now–but using it clicked. It’s early to say that, I know, but I can feel it in my bones. I’m in. I’m going to keep using it. And it feels amazing.
The same thing happened last summer with me tracking my daily writing. I’d tried to do it with very off-and-on, sporadic success and then suddenly, in late August of last year, it just clicked. Suddenly, I was doing it regularly, and it was helping me so much with my mindset…
I’m not exactly sure what this thing is, this “sometimes it takes a while,” but I recognize that it’s there. I seem to have to try and fail at something for a while before I break through and click with it. Maybe it’s a subconscious thing, like my brain is working on figuring out how to do this new thing and that takes a while, or maybe it’s a resistance thing, and I have to wear that resistance down for a period of time before I can break through…I don’t know.
But, I had that breakthrough this week, and today…I finished everything that was on my to-do list for today, and from what I got behind on during the week. All of it.
It feels amazing.
It feels like I’m in control of my life, and that I can set goals and actually accomplish them.
Speaking of…just had to take 10 minutes to get some writing done. Working through the rough outline of the plot. It’s terrifying. New. Uncomfortable. So…you know…I know I’m doing the right thing š
Anywho, it’s time for bed. Didn’t get a great night’s sleep last night. Want to get a good one tonight.
Netflix work was good today. Oh! And, me, Liz and Josh got invited from my Trek friend Adam, and we went to see Galaxy Quest on the Paramount lot and holy crap that movie is soooooo good. It was great to see Adam, and fun to watch such a great movie.
Great day š
Night!