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March 15, 2006

I'm halting my personal blog, for now...

'Twas a noble experiment, 270 Entries and 1,529 Comments later, and it was great for me to experience this medium from the inside out, in my limited way. I'd probably continue it in some form, if I didn't have a multitude of other things to do that are taking priority. It's another time I need to practice my own GTDing and renegotiate my own commitments with myself to stay up with my changing world. What with our Connect membership service coming out of the gate soon, our new Workplace Learning division getting a whole new GTD program ready for internal corporate distribution, lots of new educational and desktop products in the works, a full new RoadMap seminar tour, and expanded speaking requirements, I'm just too stretched to keep enjoying the luxury of late-night college-student-union chatting (blogging).

One interesting thing that I didn't expect was that many people were using my blog as their "intro" to our work. So, as my personal "between the lines" it was beginning to possibly misrepresent the value and nature of The David Allen Company. Another hitch has been that my site and blog have been so popular (in terms of hits), it got big time on the radar of the spammers, and we've spent countless hours filtering and finding the real comments in the spam-catcher, so they weren't lost.

I've reinstated a kind of What's New at DavidCo page on the web site, to assure everyone that we're real people, living our lives in real time, and for the more company-focused "between the lines" kinds of updates.

I'll leave this post and the blog functional for a while, to give everyone a chance to unhook and not be surprised if you're no longer receiving a feed. If you want to continue RSS feeds from updates and changes in the DavidCo site and other blogs, go to this link.

Thanks to all of you who have come into the "salon" and contributed to the dialogue. My apologies for not responding to them all - I would have loved to, had I had the time. I'm not going away - just reconfiguring the channels a bit...

Posted by David at March 15, 2006 11:52 AM

Comments

I'm sad to see the blog close, but can completely understand. I closed off my forums on my site because it seemed (even for a low-traffic site like mine) that I was getting at least two bogus users trying to use my site to peddle their junk. Hope to hear from you in the newsletters, and on the Podcast Network when you have some time.

Thanks again!

Posted by: CraigM at March 15, 2006 02:12 PM

Sorry, I meant to say two bogus users /per week/. Should've used the preview button. :)

Posted by: CraigM at March 15, 2006 02:13 PM

Sorry to see the blog go, David. Best of luck

Posted by: pete at March 15, 2006 02:26 PM

Thanks for all the interesting ideas and thoughts you have shared with us. Best wishes for all your plans.

Posted by: Dean at March 15, 2006 04:57 PM

I caught GTD Live in Washington DC late 2004; it was the best.

Sorry the blog is being put on ice, with all you are planning on doing, it could be a really great way to keep the conversation going.

Perhaps you could offload some of the writing to some of your fine staff.

Best wishes and looking forward to your new offerings.

Posted by: John at March 15, 2006 06:22 PM

It would be good to hear more about the new services coming out.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 15, 2006 06:24 PM

Thanks for your kindness informing and giving us the reasons to stop blogging. (Plus, not closing it now). Nothing teaches better than an example.
Silvia

Posted by: Silvia at March 15, 2006 06:25 PM

David,
You have, and continue to be, an inspiration for us at speakhead.com. We look forward to the DavidCo newsletters, which like your blog, are informative and inspirational. GTD changes lives!

Posted by: speaker at March 15, 2006 07:59 PM

It was a good ride while it lasted. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, bonsai and cats with us.

Posted by: shari at March 15, 2006 10:15 PM

Hi David, it's a shame you don't have the time any more to continue this blog. I have just read your GTD book and found it so inspiring that I added an article on my own blog about it and how it can be used with our OfficeTalk product. I would be interested in your comments. Many thanks.

Stuart Prestedge
http://talk.softalkltd.com

Posted by: Stuart Prestedge at March 16, 2006 04:56 AM

Really sorry to see your blog end, David...you are vital and alive and assisted me in my own GTD implementation.

I respect your decision...just wish it wasn't so!!

Joe

Posted by: Joe Ely at March 16, 2006 05:50 AM

David - you're a living example of high-integrity decision making in action! Regards, Peter

Posted by: Peter Gallant at March 16, 2006 06:39 AM

Thanks for keeping this up as long as you did!

Good luck with your new adventures. I'll check in at the other sites when I can.

Posted by: j david at March 16, 2006 07:27 AM

Thank you for the insight, I am glad I am not the only one that feels the blog concept may have run its course!

As you move forward may you have blue skys and lots of fun stuff in your life, ie snow is these parts.

Mark

Posted by: Mark Gershon at March 16, 2006 10:43 AM

I have to respect your decision - and I do! But I will miss your thoughts in your blog!
Thanks for having shared your ideas with us!
Marcel

Posted by: Marcel Widmer at March 16, 2006 11:00 AM

Thanks for all your sharings David. After implementation of GTD, which changed my life, I was inspired by the blog which soon became my homepage. Unfortunately I now have to find another inspiring homepage. All the best from the Netherlands.

Posted by: Oscar Pekelder at March 16, 2006 12:35 PM

Say it ain't so, David!!! Now I'll have to spend time processing and organizing instead of reading the blog. I have enjoyed the glimpse into your mind-set. Most inspiring is the spirit you have conveyed of continuing experimentation -you haven't just rested on your laurels. Keep it up and beaucoup thanks.

Posted by: Paul Pinney at March 16, 2006 04:02 PM

So sorry you are discontinuing this. I know the time involved in blogging can be challenging. I often post articles on how to blog efficiently like "how to write an article in 20 minutes". Let me know if you want me to "package up a few of these and send them to you.

Posted by: Jim Estill at March 17, 2006 07:12 AM

Fully understand your reasons for moving onto new things, David, and thanks for a really enjoyable, enlightening site.

Posted by: James Hamilton at March 17, 2006 11:51 PM

David,

The greatest value I got from your Blog was from the high caliber of cross-links to other incisive thinkers like yourself. Despite the connectivity of the web, it can still be a needle-in-a-haystack task to find cutting edge, original posters like those. It gave a sense that a quiet revolution was gaining momentum: as did the diverse range of organizations to which your clients and daily commentators belong. I think that a world of non-profit driven activities became visible here, marching to a different tune than Dow Jones.

Posted by: Dave at March 18, 2006 03:10 AM

I will miss your entries. Even a short sentence or two almost made it feel like you were a personal coach. Maybe you could have a David Co blog where your different coaches have entries -- and even you could add something every once in a while.

Posted by: Buddy at March 18, 2006 03:31 PM

David
Thanks for sharing your great mind.

Posted by: Mark at March 22, 2006 01:02 AM

Hello,

Kelly Forrister here. I'm a coach and seminar presenter on staff with Davidco.

To address Buddy's suggestion above about a blog where the different coaches have entries, we do have a "Coaches Corner" that may be of interest to you. http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner.php
There are a wealth of free articles there from our many experiences implementing this work. Hope that helps.

Posted by: Kelly at March 22, 2006 03:23 AM

It was that nasty comment about bonzai and cat pictures that did it, wasn't it?

Posted by: pete at March 22, 2006 09:48 AM