The Mind of GTD: Recognizing Leaks in the System

(This post is part of a series called The Mind of GTD where I examine the thought processes and attitudes that make up a “mind like water”)

Obviously, your support system is the heart and soul of GTD as you see it. It houses all of your information, tracks all of your objectives and dutifully reminds you of what’s to come. Along with actually getting things done, maintaining your system is of the utmost importance. And when you do start to notice “leaks” in the system (forgotten tasks, missed appointments, what have you) – it’s like a termite problem. The sooner you nip it in the bud, the slimmer the chance of it getting out of control.

But how can you catch a leak before it goes from minor issue to gaping, glaring problem?

I don’t really think it’s any sort of ninja-like ability that you can only learn through meditation and breathing exercises. Really, I think it’s more a matter of knowing how the system truly should be working and being able to spot slight deviations. And, based on my own experience with a leaky system, I can tell you this – they can be incredibly subtle. A few examples:

• Stress – Since the system purports to provide you with the knowledge to achieve “Stress-Free Productivity”, I’d say stress is a pretty strong (and non-subtle) indicator that something is amiss. If you find yourself (as I often do) overwhelmed by the amount of things you need to do at the office or responsibilities at home, maybe it’s time to re-examine your current setup and evaluate it for leaking components and “blurred edges”.
• “Eh, I’ll deal with that later” – This one is a killer for me. I’m in the middle of something when an idea comes to me. I could easily write it down, but I don’t, for whatever reason. And once it’s happened, it starts happening more and more until you find yourself with a head full of unrecorded, unprocessed data wondering what the hell went wrong. This is the one you hope to catch early, because if you don’t, you’re likely looking at the business end of a full-blown mental sweep (completely empty your head), which can take several hours depending on how long ago you fell off of the wagon.
• “Crap. I forgot.” – Or, in other words, “I needed to be reminded of that somehow and I wasn’t”. If this happens with any frequency, it’s a fairly good indicator that your implementation and tools need some serious evaluation. After all, part of the weekly review is to make sure your arsenal is in order as well as your projects/actions. If you notice a particular aspect of your system not performing up to snuff, maybe it’s time to find a better way.

A leaky system is a one-way ticket off of the GTD wagon (a journey I’ve made several times, personally). And while it may take awhile to get back on, you’ll know better what to look for in the future. Perhaps that whole “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” thing isn’t a total cliché after all?

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