15 January 2008

Why GTD and lifehacking?

This is going to be a short post. I was just thinking today that there are many good reasons to setup a GTD system. Two obvious reasons are efficiency and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that everything is capture. However, one reason, that I think is overlooked, is that having a system allows you to run on auto-pilot. In particular, if you work in a creative field like art, music, theater, science, etc, there will be long stretches where inspiration is dry. Having a system will keep you going until you find your inspiration again. And since GTD encourages you to constantly re-evaluate yourself (provided that you do your weekly reviews), you can make changes to (perhaps) find inspiration again. The postdoc I work with has a wonderful quote on his Facebook page:
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up.
- Anne Lamott

As we get older, we learn to be disciplined, so that we are ready when that moment of inspiration comes. Having a good system makes discipline easier, though discipline is never easy.

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