Getting Things Done

Every once in a while (years in this case) I get on a organizational kick. It first started back in '91 or 92 when I started using my Dad's Franklin Planner system that he got from work but he couldn't get into. This included watching a few hours of Hyrum W. Smith in a Franklin system video. This system was pretty exciting and I used it for about 5 years to some degree of success.

The next stage was when I moved into the electronic world when I purchased a Palm Pilot Professional. This was a great tool and I used it for about 5 years as well. I upgraded to a Palm V and that ended my use because the hand writing recognition was atrocious. It made using it very frustrating and my old palm was just too limited in memory (1MB). So rather than reverting back to a paper based system, I pretty much stopped using it hoping that I'd find some technological solution that didn't cost me excessive amounts of money.

After this, I went for a number of years without an effective time management system. Over those years I've felt that I have not been very productive in my personal time management (and I'm sure Jenny would agree ;). Recently I've been reading a few articles about David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) and all of the people that have taken his ideas and customized them for their own use. So I got David Allen's book for my birthday this year. I just started reading it last Tuesday and I have that same optimistic feeling I had when I watched the Frankly system videos. I keep thinking that this system has potential and will help me get more organized.

I'll add comments here as I get further in the book and start implementing the GTD system.

Great Book

Hi All,

Most of you know I read quite a bit, and I don't usually review books. But this one was so great I wanted to share it with you. It's called Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado. It is the Christmas story told from the viewpoints of Gabriel, the angel who spoke to Mary. It was so neat! Very visual, and really got me thinking more about the story I am so familiar with from a different viewpoint. It's only about 60 pages, and great for your whole family. I'm reading it to our kids now. I hope you enjoy it too!