What does my higher reason want?

2024-09-05

I have read most of idiomdrottning's texts about the GTD method, and have decided I will try to implement it a little, at least for those tasks that can be considered almost todo tasks. But really, I want to codify the different types of things that I want to do, and see if I can work out something for each of them. Can different types of task be handled by GTD?

A list of things that are vaguely involved in my life at the moment or I want to be (alongside work that I shall not list below):

One-shot task

This is what the todo list excels in. A task that can be written down like "call Tom", or "pot up onions" would fall under these one-shot tasks, presuming that they are not time-bound in some way.

Of mine, one-shot tasks would be few, as most of my tasks fall into more project or recurrent types, I would say.

Recurrent duties

A recurrent task occurs regularly at fixed intervals, potentially more or less rigidly with regard to time. From the above list, I think the gym and guitar would fall under these activities. For instance, to make good progress on the gym, I would need to go every other day or around three times a week. As such, it is something I would schedule to happen on a regular basis in that way.

The below category maintenance - which I feel is actually divided along somewhat different lines - would be classed as recurrent if for instance it needs to happen regularly, e.g.

Maintenance (cooking, also shaving etc.)

Any job that is maintenance would fall here: cooking would be maintenance of the health of the body, as would showering, shaving, etc. Now, these can be missed, though for a price (e.g. a missed shower causes a poor feeling and a bad smell) but should be generally upheld.

As for myself, I shower most days (I occasionally don't if I'm not leaving the house), and almost always cook well. However, I do not shave often, and am not very good at it in fact. As a result, one thing I want to work on is to better maintain myself, and really to ensure I have the equipment to do it in the first place (I currently use a pair of scissors both to maintain my hair and my beard, which is very patchy anyways).

Infrequent maintenance (e.g. the bank)

There are some maintenance jobs that I currently don't do that I ought. I am thinking of banking, which I hate, but I know I should sort out ISAs and all that jazz. I really don't want to do it, but I know I have to at some point...

One off short jobs (e.g. the dishes)

These are one off jobs for short things that have to be done. I do the dishes but occasionally leave them and just have the crockery in my room until I feel like doing it. I know this is a bad habit.

Projects

Say, dexter. These need some time alloted to them, but I can't exactly promise myself a time frame of when they will be done.

Study

RHS, LM2. These need consistent hours each week allotted to them.

Also, now, study of Italian, which should have a little bit dedicated to it each day if I can.

Passive relaxation

As in, watching media (say, a movie). I don't do this enough, and I really would like to in a way, as I always feel good when I do.

Active relaxation

Recreation, in other words. I find it interesting how recreation has the word creation in it. This will be things like going for a walk, or doing some light gardening, or inspecting for harvest, or these kinds of things.

Opera also falls into this category. Anything where I am doing something, but it is a recreational or pleasure activity, is active recreation. Even seeing family falls into this.

Non-action

As in, doing nothing at all, for the same of mental relaxation. I suppose napping for energy can also be put into here. I would need to allow time for this to happen.

Generally

Generally, I do always feel as though I don't have enough time, but also I've put on a very productivity focussed view of life, and reduced the pleasures that I can experience, which in turn actually hurts another of my goals, I imagine, namely trying to overcome vices. Vices are really just those things the body finds comfortable (but that the HR dislikes - I think this terminology I'm adopting is thoroughly stupid).

So, I guess the main thing is that, from the list above, I want to increase:

Then, I want to get off my head the tasks that are always on my head, like sorting out the banks. This will actually spare a bit of time as I always waste time thinking about it. And generally I'll feel a lot better having less on me.

I'm being pretty open to trying different productivity things, and seeing what I can do to get it more done. At the same time, I think the focus on productivity is actually hurting me. It's killing me, honestly. I need to have an amount of downtime, and media is a form of downtime that will help me. Generally, I need to focus on making specifically going outside for media (not just opera, but comedy gigs more often as well, for instance), and generally engaging in media, e.g. watching movies at home, more common, to give me a chance to unwind. I haven't done that for a while.

I suppose the problem is, I don't know how I'll manage all that I want to do and also have time to recreate (?). But generally I guess I'll see how it goes.

Ok, have a good one. It's too late in the day and I really should go to bed.