Combining GTD and ZTD for some relaxed and targeted doing ...

I have been using GTD as much as possible for the past 10-12 months, and I must say that it did/has done a great deal to rid me of the cloud in my head and provide me with a way to chart my tasks. I have however gotten to the point where some tasks just stay on my to-do list for ever since I say to myself (as someone related to davidallenco.com said) “You do not have to do them, just knowing what you need to do and choosing not to do it is good enough”.

Recently, I stumbled upon ZTD and decided the book/audio-book: The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. I have begun seeing things in a new way. I often listed to the “GTD Studygroup” podcast (where Leo was interviewed and I thus stumbled upon his work), and they have always talked about mind-mapping, lists etc. But by reading Leo’s book, I now see the sense of making that mind-map. I can actually determine what projects and actions add to my life-goals, and which ones are just busy-stuff that I can cut out for a simpler life.

After listening to the book, and actually while listening to it for the third time this morning, I was able to stop putting off some unpleasant activities and get to them. I cleaned a ladder that has been laying on the porch, moved some logs into a shed for curing (that will enable the family to sit around a fire and share some good time). I hope that I am just not excited about the ideas, and will carry them on for the long-haul and improve the way I do things.

By the way, this is in line with Leo’s recommendation to select MITs (Most Important Tasks) for each day and make sure those are done. I will talk about how I select MITs for my work and home projects in another post