Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
—Faith Baldwin
Change is on the way. Time will bring alterations. Your GTD system, with a current and complete inventory of your commitments, helps you manage yourself effectively regardless of time’s alterations.
The clothing comparison fits. I can plan what to wear tomorrow, but if it rains, I adjust and wear something different. That’s what restrictive time planning methods don’t get. Change happens. GTD got me out of feeling like a time victim.
The dress and the wearer are intricately connected. They both change. Let go of who you were a week ago during your Weekly Review and start anew. A new you has been born.
I’ve never been a big fan of the term “time management”. I view time as a river that can’t intrinsically be managed. Instead I choose to practice “self management” and focus my efforts on becoming an accomplished kayaker (metaphorically speaking…though I do also enjoy kayaking :).
GTD principles are key in creating a system that supports self management, as are practices such as yoga and meditation that cultivate awareness, mindfulness and healthy habits.
Well said, Tim. Good metaphor, too.