Finding the right digital GTD system

[notmuch]

Someday, something dramatic will happen in your life....

Yes! like getting a spouse, a house, a child, an investment portfolio, a volunteer position, etc etc.

[Conrad Sallian]

Someday, something dramatic will happen in your life, and you will need an airtight system for everything you do. Even mundane things will not get done.

You can wait until that moment to set up a system, or you can have it running smoothly when it happens.

Wow, that was pathetic.

Hopefully, if anything dramatic happens in my life.. I'll just stop doing and reconsider my life. I want to be human being, not a human doing.

[Oogiem]

Someday, something dramatic will happen in your life, and you will need an airtight system for everything you do. Even mundane things will not get done.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE!

And when the sh** hits the fan if you are not prepared it can take years to recover.

Things like an unexpected death in the family, major financial issues (good or bad, winning the lottery is just as difficult to handle as being flat broke), marriage or divorce, fire, flood or other natural disaster, major health issues. Inevitably something will happen that causes you to have to completely change your life in some way. Having a system to handle the process of exploring that change and getting to the root of what makes sense to do in that environment is key to using those things as opportunities for growth and not just a trigger for a slide into a black hole.

GTD, practiced over your entire life provides a framework to explore what is really important, to align your doing with long term goals and to free up your incredible mental energy to go, think and do things you never would have had time or energy to do before. GTD practices also provide a comfortable backdrop so you are prepared to handle whatever challenges life deals out to you.

[Oogiem]

Hopefully, if anything dramatic happens in my life.. I'll just stop doing and reconsider my life. I want to be human being, not a human doing.

It's not an if anything dramatic will happen. It's more a matter of when. And my point is that GTD provides a great framework for the reconsidering you will have to do when stuff does happen. It also helps you to keep the basics going while you find your new balance.

[Brent]

Hopefully, if anything dramatic happens in my life.. I'll just stop doing and reconsider my life. I want to be human being, not a human doing.

Interesting! So, when a loved one dies, or you're presented with a limited-time opportunity, you plan to completely disengage and let all your balls drop?

(I'm joking, of course; I know you wouldn't do that.)

That said, I don't see how keeping track of your commitments makes you a "human doing." Having a system doesn't automatically make you do things. GTD gives me the freedom to know when I don't have to work, as well as when I do.