Slacker Manager

Tech-head confesses: “I’m a GTD Luddite!”

by Bren on August 25th, 2006

(This post written by Jason Pettus)

I admit it; I’ve been on personal computers since 1979 (my first, a TRS-80, my latest a Mac Intel Mini), and on Palms since 1999 (my first a IIIxe, my latest a Treo 650). I live and breathe the internet, and would never think of doing something so crude like checking the weather by sticking my hand out of a window. I’m the guy who always saw the Borg as heroes instead of villains; the guy rooting for the machines to win in the Matrix.

And yet, when it comes to my implementation of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done,” I am as Luddite as it gets; my entire system consists of a black Moleskine notebook, a felt-tip pen, and not a single other thing. And this drives my friends crazy, needless to say; because being the otherwise tech guy I am, most of my friends are gearheads too, and simply can’t understand why I would eschew technology when it comes to this particular subject. And so I’m always receiving this piece of software from them, and that Firefox extension, and that other Palm app, that I am constantly assured will make my GTD experience that much more efficient and rewarding.

But no, eschew them all I do, to the befuddlement of my tech friends. And why? Well, for me, it all boils down to the first step of the GTD process — the “capture” one, that is. As my fellow GTD dorks know, the entire system falls apart if you don’t first have a way to immediately capture all random thoughts that occur throughout a day; a sudden phone call you remember you have to make later, a sudden new enlightenment about a project that’s been driving you mad. That’s the basis behind the entire GTD logic, after all, according to Allen; to move all outstanding thoughts and actions out of your brain and into a trusted recording system, so that your brain can instead fully concentrate on the particular task at hand.

Now, I admit, my life is a bit different than the average suburban white-collar worker: I’m an urban dweller, the owner of an arts center, a full-time freelancer, who is constantly running around the city at all times of day and night, and on top of that usually on a bicycle as well. For me, desktop and online GTD solutions are out, simply because there are such large chunks of time in my day when I’m not literally in front of my computer. And I suppose I could use one of the many fine Palm products out there for capturing and sorting my “stuff;” but seriously, have you ever tried to jot a random note on one of those tiny keyboards while on a bicycle? While sweaty and panting and with exactly 30 seconds left at a stoplight before it turns green again? It doesn’t work, at least for me; a paper notebook in my back pocket, though, does the trick every time.

And besides, this Luddite way of working my system has accidentally led to a second benefit as well, I’ve learned; it makes my weekly review now an enjoyable ritual, instead of a dreaded chore. There’s a reason I buy Moleskines, after all, versus any other type of paper notebook — because Moleskines are well-constructed, cool, historical, arcane, and slightly pretentious in that really enjoyable “Yeah, I read McSweeney’s, you gotta a problem with that?” kind of way. Moleskines fit in well with what was already a highly arcane, historical, and slightly pretentious ritual I already had on Sunday mornings; a trip to my neighborhood coffeehouse, the sunday Tribune, a nice strong cafe mocha, and a whole morning of being a Luddite. In this context, my Moleskine full of GTD notes, and the weekly review of those notes, becomes an activity I highly look forward to, not the soul-crushing exercise it seems to be with many who end up quitting the system.

It’s a real issue, one talked about a lot in the arts but not so much in the business world yet; that in this age of electronic everything, what will happen to the “sacred objects” that we as a society have needed so much? What will future novelists donate to libraries on their deathbeds, to ensure their posterity? Blog transcripts? An argument can be made that we as humans need our occasional sacred objects; that as much as electronic media helps us with our lives, and as much as it speeds up the day-to-day practical waits for things, all of us still need that occasional physical book of poetry we cherish, that paper letter that came from a lover, that blank paper notebook full of our thoughts and dreams.

I love my own particular sacred little object, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My Moleskines are not only very practical devices for implementing GTD; they serve as mementos, profoundly detailed objects examining a particular six-month period in my life. As much as I live my life online (and I primarily live my life online, let’s make no mistake), it’s still important for me to every so often have these odd Luddite quirks in my life. And that’s why I’m not ashamed to admit it, no matter how confused my fellow tech-heads get.

Many thanks to Brendon for trying out this guest-blogger experiment. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else has to say.

Jason Pettus is a Chicago-based travel writer and arts administrator. He is also the owner of the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography.

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