As I’ve said in the past, I was an analog GTDer (but have since converted to a kick-ass digital solution). I used paper products for absolutely every aspect of GTD when I started and found the experience to be extremely valuable. So much so, that I’m going to tell you now why every single person who chooses to embark on the journey that is GTD should do so with a pen and a notebook instead of a stylus and a PDA.

Think about driving for a moment. Many people (myself included) learned to drive in a car with an automatic transmission. Move the little needle above ‘D’ and stand on the gas – you’re moving. But what if your buddy (who drives a car with a manual transmission) breaks his leg or – for whatever reason – suddenly needs you to drive him to the hospital in his car? Sure, you could clunk yourself down the road, stalling the car at every red light, but you’d eventually get there. But wouldn’t you rather spend 10 seconds getting to know how sensitive the clutch is, then driving it like you were born to?

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Most folks have downed their cup of the Twitter Kool-Aid (myself included). If you haven’t heard of Twitter, then we must be using different internets on different planets. Here’s a 2 sentence introduction: Send a little status message about where you are or what you’re doing (via web interface, IM or cell phone) to Twitter, [...]

Brainstorming is something most of us were taught very early on in school. Take an idea and write down everything thing comes to mind when you think on that idea. Pretty simple concept, really. But it’s been my experience that, when brainstorming (or engaging in just about any other form of focused concentration, really), we [...]

Came across a great post over at Ian’s Messy Desk about the importance (and achievement) of a clean workspace. I especially like #2: Get rid of sticky notes and scraps of paper. Get a single notebook and use it to record notes, phone numbers, web addresses, ideas, to-dos, etc. I can’t tell you how many [...]

Just about anybody that works in medium-to-large size company has probably experienced the dreaded IT/Help Desk guy. You know the one I mean – the poorly-dressed, over-confident, slightly smelly guy who knows how to get your deleted email back or maybe get rid of those annoying pop-up windows. Well, if you think that guy is [...]

One of my most difficult hurdles in implementing GTD has been a consistent weekly review. My schedule is somewhat erratic at times, and while I normally have ample time on Friday nights to do the review, I often have a hard time mustering the energy to delve into a 2+ hour endeavor. You know, after [...]

Some of you are probably thinking “hey, aren’t you the guy who advocated completely ignoring coworkers?”. Well, yes, but that’s only in special cases – like when you need to get things done and they’re interrupting you with relatively unimportant stuff. This post will deal with your overall demeanor (and, subsequently, reputation) in your particular [...]

Windows is a part of most people’s daily lives. Whether it’s by choice or by corporate decree, it’s a fact of life. Over the years using Windows at work, I’ve been able to put together a list of applications/tools that I consider to be indispensable. The stock functionality in Windows can be, to put it [...]

It seems like everywhere I turn, somebody is talking about how the ability to multi-task is an essential part of a person. Poke around on monster.com or dice.com to see what I mean; everybody out there can’t say enough good things about those who can effectively multi-task. Frankly, I don’t understand why this is the [...]

Came across this thread on the DavidCo discussion forum regarding the making of minor tweaks to your implementation, and it got me thinking a bit about how changes like these can actually hamper my productivity more than help it (in the short term, at least). As I’ve said before, I’m an analog GTDer, by and [...]