Grumpy Time Disorder

Maybe it's just the types of web sites I tend to read these days but everywhere I surf, I see things referencing GTD.

This is annoying. Firstly, I loathe the practice of using a phrase's initials when it's wholly unnecessary, largely because I never have a clue as to what's being referenced (this generally causes me much grief when I start a new job, where this initialing process is commonplace. Workplaces suck for this sort of thing.) GTD was no exception. I couldn't figure out why so many folks were spending so much time writing about a floral delivery service. Were they THAT exceptional? Free tap dance with your bouquet? Turns out I was a letter off (as I discovered when I tried to place an order.) GTD, in fact, stands for Getting Things Done.

Oh, well that makes perfect sense. Rather intuitive, don't you think? Whatever. The point isn't so much what it stands for, as much as what it actually is. GTD is an action, and, to a lesser extent, time management technique, which (on the surface at least, which is about the extent to which I've researched it) is remarkably simple, yet, by many people's accounts, very effective. It involves keeping a repository, or "bucket", whether that be a personal Inbox, an e-mail Inbox, a tape recorder, etc... as a place to store things which you need to keep track, remember, or (altogether now), get done. The implementer than follows some very specific, simple yet strict processes to do these things and thereby increases productivity and efficiency, making them a model worker bee at both work and home.

Sounds good, don't it? I can think of any number of areas in my life where application of GTD would be ideal - this blog being a perfect example. This post which you are reading now was started on Saturday March 30th, 2007 at around 10:30 AM EST. However, I wrote that last sentence more than 24 hour later, at 2:16 PM on Sunday April 1st (Happy April Fools Day, all. No jokes here. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate them into a GTD philosophy.) The irony is not lost on me - at all. Taking a ridiculous amount of time to write a post about Getting Things Done might be indicative of a problem. Further, I started writing because it had been over a week since the last post and, quite frankly, it was time for a new one.

So, GTD seemed like a good idea. In went the slip of paper reminding me to type up a post. In went the second slip of paper reminding me to update the sidebar. In went the third slip of paper reminding me to finish the book that's in the sidebar so that I could, then, update the sidebar. Get it all down, out of my head, and into my Inbox. Be a picture of efficiency, and the envy of every other blogger out there.

Or, so it should have gone. Only problem is, I ended up using a paper shredder as my "bucket." Ooops. But, who knows? Perhaps that's more appropriate for me. I have no doubts that GTD is a very effective technique for those who apply it consistently. But, like anything, individual results may vary. When I apply it to my own life, a few things jump out. The first is that memory (or remembering to do things), is rarely an issue for me. I remember lots of stuff, and I've never gotten much use out of PDA's, Outlook tasks, pocket notebooks, or index cards. I've just never really needed them. Lack of posts on this blog is not a result of my forgetting to post. On the contrary, I always know exactly how long it's been since I've posted. Further, daily reminders to myself that I need to post are not going to make me any more likely to do it. They'll just make me more anxious about the fact that too much time has gone by without an update.

No, it's motivation that's always been my biggest issue, and it's not a lack of motivation, either. It's an excess of it. I'm motivated to write a blog post, but I'm also motivated to play World of Warcraft, or finish that database table analysis for work, or watch a movie from Netflix, or (heh) read a book. What I end up doing is often what I'm most motivated to do at that particular time (and too often, World of Warcraft or a movie wins out, although I've gotten much better about prioritization lately. Yay me.) But that sort of leads into my next point...

Nowhere in the GTD manifesto is process mentioned (er... sorry, it might actually be, but it didn't say anything about it on the GTD Wikipedia page I read right before starting this post. In any event, I'm not gonna look for it now, because it would ruin my upcoming argument if it were actually there. Perhaps I should go into politics.) GTD seems to focus on the remembrance and completion of tasks, whereupon you move onto the next one. Always strive to finish, be productive, get as much done as possible. To me, that sucks all the life out of whatever it is you're doing. Take, for example, the book in the sidebar. Depending on when you're reading this post, the book up there is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Regular readers of this blog will note that I have seemingly been "reading" it for several months. In fact, I only started it about three weeks ago (little white lie there), but I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I enjoy the process of reading a good book, and the more I do so, the more efficient I become with regards to it's completion. If I were reading it simply because I had a constant reminder that I needed to finish it - and, in fact, my goal was nothing more than to finish it and move on to something else which I could then also finish, I wouldn't get half the enjoyment out of it that I do now. Simply crossing something off as done is not enough reason for me to do it, in other words. I don't necessarily have to enjoy the task (and in fact, I won't - I can think of several undesirable tasks I do for work and home - but I desire both a paycheck and a clean bathroom, so they're motivation enough), but even then, their completion will create a desirable end product, so that helps boost my enjoyment of the process there, too. (There's no shortage of mind tricks you can do with this, either. Can't stand to write those TPS reports? Think how easy they'll become after you do them regularly, and how they'll help you in the long run. Easy money. Um... I think.) In short, the joy is in the journey, as some of my friends say, and if, in fact, it isn't, then hopefully you have the wherewithal to start on a new journey and find some joy in that, rather than it's completion.

See? I'm even convincing myself. Who knew I could have so much fun writing about so boring a topic. Process, man. Process. I like writing posts. In fact, I think I'll write another one tomorrow. Toodles until then, jazzcats. I'm crossin' this one off.

Oh, Bother...

Know what I did instead of posting tonight? Mopped the floor. Really. This is getting absurd. Mind you, the floor REALLY needed mopping, and as I have guests coming soon, it wouldn't do to leave it dirty. But still, it's typical. Sit down to write a blog post and then get sidetracked. I DID update the music on the sidebar, though...

*sigh*

New post coming tomorrow (Wednesday.) I'll be all sneaky like that at work (I can do that now. THEY MOVED MY CUBE... but more on that later...) In the meantime, feel free to peruse this list of 101 Great Posting Ideas and lemme know which if any you'd like to see here. I might even consider it. Sizzle, eh? See you soon.

Normal People Blog More

A couple of days ago, a good friend – with a completely straight face, mind you - asked me, “Hey, since you and Goof are courting like normal people these days, does this mean the two of you are gonna stop writing blog posts?”

Several things about his question amused me, most notably his use of the word ‘courting’ (a term my great-grandparents probably thought outdated); the idea that Miss Goofus and I were keeping blogs simply to woo one another (a wonderfully successful side benefit, I’ll admit, but not the reason for writing blog posts – at least not for me, and I’d guess not for Goof either); and the thought that we’re in a normal relationship (sure it’s normal - if you factor out the 2,000 miles between us and the fact that we only see each other every month and a half.)

Regardless (and most certainly NOT irregardless), his point was well taken, even if it was oddly worded. He might just as well have said, “You don’t write enough blog posts, kid.”

Now, this isn't another one of those “Sorry for the lack of posts" posts. Nor is it another "Goofus and Murky sittin' in a tree..." post. I'm tired of writing the former, then promising to write more and not backing it up. As for the latter... well, I was never one to sit in a tree and tell. But, for whatever reason, instead of feeling slightly ashamed at my friend's question, I simply wondered why it is I don't write more posts than I do. At the time, I didn't wonder very long. My infant like attention span only allows me to concentrate on topics for short periods of time before then forcing me to move on to something else - in this case, the excessively long nose hair of the gentleman standing a few feet away (we were in a semi-public area with lots of people around.) This, you would imagine, is part of the problem. You'd assume short attention spans and long blog posts don't go together very well, and you'd be right. But, to say that I have a short attention span doesn't do the issue justice. It's a cop out, and I know it.

"But wait" you say, "why are you even discussing this still? You've already admitted to forgetting about the whole thing." Fair enough, smartass, but as it happens I was reintroduced to the subject again today for a multitude of reasons:

1) It's been over a week since I last posted. I'm well aware of this, just as I'm well aware that the last sentence in my last post was, "Catch you later this week, groovemeisters." That was a fib, plain and simple. Guilt, it would seem, is not a feeling I'm immune too. No need to rub it in.

2) Goofus strikes again. This morning she forwarded me a nicely written piece by N.Y. Times columnist David Carr in which he writes at length about his own blog. In reading it, it becomes fairly obvious that despite all the work needed for it's upkeep he really enjoys writing it - as do I - and that he enjoys the fact that other people enjoy it - as do I. But there, the similarities end. In my response to Goof, I noted that I was somewhat jealous of Mr. Carr because he seems to posses two things I do not - a never ending supply of ideas and a desire to write blog entries at the expense of other tasks. I realize no one can help me with the idea part, and that ideas are all around me if I just stopped for a moment to look and blah, blah, blah... Perhaps that's true, but that still doesn't make them interesting to read. Or, perhaps that too is another cop out, because when you consider the 2nd quality - the desire to write blog posts above other tasks - I find that I have exactly the opposite. As I said before, I like writing posts (really, I do!) It's just that there are certain other things I like doing more. Video games? Check. An episode of 24, Alias or Top Chef? Screw the readers! They can wait another day! Football (the case recently - Go Patriots!)? Blog Schmog, you nitwits. Couple this with the things I ought to do (like go the gym, clean the bathroom, laundry, etc...) and you see what happens. Despite the desire to post, "things" get in the way. It's all a question of priorities and motivation, which leads me to...

3) An industrial psychologist with a brilliant mind and possibly too much time on his hands devised a mathematical equation to explain procrastination. Simply put: Desire to Complete Task (U) = Expectation of Success (E) x Value of Completion (V) / Immediacy of Task (I) x Personal Sensitivity to Delay (D), or U=ExV/IxD. Now, exactly how one quantifies these values is uncertain, but I'll try to apply this to my blog writing prowess (or lack thereof.) My desire to finish this blog post = the degree to which I think it's a well written post and your positive response to it (which by now is probably a negative integer) times the "feel good factor" for having finished it as well as the happiness that I'll feel in finally being able to post this damn thing and play Warcraft divided by the importance of having a blog that has some credibility (one which posts consistently, and well, in other words) times the pressure I feel for not having posted in over a week (larger number than you might think, but one which decreases exponentially the more you guys bitch about it.) Throw all that into the pot, mix it up, and you get... I don't know... 3. Sound about right to you? Good. Me too. After all, Three is a Magic Number, or so sayeth School House Rock and Blind Melon.

Honestly, I could analyze this all the way through until the next post and I still wouldn't be any closer to finding an answer. For now, all I know is that I enjoy writing here and will continue to do so. And, if I find I haven't written in a long time, I can always write about the fact that I haven't written in a long time and it still counts as writing. So there. I even have a list of ready made excuses (what a brilliant idea for a blog post that is. My favorite has to be 'I was busy shooting soccer teams.' Look for it in the near future.) Plus, there's something to this whole creative process, although damned if I know what it is. I can say with near certainty though, that it gets better with practice.

Is that a promise? No way, Jose. But for now, I'll just say that I'm glad to be courting normally.

Catch you later this week, groovemeisters.