It’s Sunday mid-morning and I’m looking at my PC, and a pile of bills and notes written down from the past week. This scene isn’t too different from b-school or old work experiences but still a hurdle in the life of an information worker. I wrote about reading Getting Things Done (GTD) months ago and how it really made a difference for my last term at school. Now, the same GTD is helping me keep my sanity and work through consulting projects – but at a different pace.
Well, maybe pace isn’t the right concept because things aren’t moving that quickly. It’s challenging in a different way. Now instead of desk-based work, I’m doing client centered non-desk-based work that keeps me moving. First to a new city each week, then to the client’s office for meetings and working sessions. All are good, but I’m finding that early in the week all is well mentally (ability to focus, mind like water, etc), but as the week progresses it starts getting a little slippery. Confirmation of meetings logged or notes becomes less certain. Who’s fault is it? Mine, of course. I’m not doing a good enough job processing and taking action on the right items.
So, today I’m doing the weekly review of all my projects; unscrewing my PC thanks to having two email accounts and a reset PC this week (new domain and two MS Exchange accounts). By around 1pm CST, this problem shall be resolved. Oh yes.
Then, I’ll move on to finding work nirvana and that mental freedom GTD when applied always seems to provide.
Then, like during the final months of the MBA, I just have to hope everyone I work with figures out the same trick without the silly and sad excuse – he, he, I just haven’t gotten around to it. For us in the know, we always shrug and suggest moving it up in their priority list. And, then walk away promising ourselves GTD will be part of our hiring criteria.