Tag: “Habits”

Self-management is a key skill needed in all facets of life. Many students earn low grades or drop out, not because they are unable to assimilate lessons, but because they get overwhelmed by the workload. Often, employees who promote in a company are not the most intelligent or educated, but the most resolutive, that is, those who are able to cope with a heavy workload and get things done. And, although many of us are not aware of this, lack of personal organization can even ruin our financial situation and our relationships.

“GTD is not for me”, “I’m not an organized person”, “I haven’t found the ideal application”. These are some excuses that I often hear from people that have tried unsuccessfully to bring order to the chaos that reigns in their lives. Have they really tried? I don’t think an attempt to do something without total conviction for a couple of weeks can be called a try. If you are eating fried food and pastries for 10 years, is it realistic to return your cholesterol level to normality in just two weeks? It took me some months to change my eating habits, and even more time to get the desired results.

When you begin to use GTD you usually find yourself with some mixed feelings. First, once you achieve to capture, clarify and organize all your outstanding actions—which is a hard job the first time you do it—, you have the rewarding feeling that everything is under control. You know all you have to do, what your priorities are and, most importantly, what things you’re not doing when you decide to spend some time with your family, friends or hobbies. This puts your mind at rest, allowing you to truly enjoy the time that you do nothing.

In this post I will discuss some productive habits that are not strictly GTD, but that, either underlie its general approach or can be complementary and highly useful in certain circumstances. All of them are related to the perspective or vertical approach of GTD.