Tool Shed

For the past several weeks, the question of what tool to use takes too much mental time. One Note is becoming the de facto tool for note-taking; though sometimes it is also used as a to-do list. MS To Do is the primary tool for this scenario but the confusion between taking notes and creating a to-do list freezes thoughts into limbo. A distinction should be quickly made so the planning can happen. Another confusion is when the planning merges into an action. Perhaps this is the distinction that needs to be managed when the tendency to act and get lost in the rabbit hole instead of stepping back and planning future action.

The GTD method advises that if the action takes less than 2 minutes, then it has to be done at that moment. This is where I lose track as the action bleeds into other areas that I get into a trap of taking on other related work. Perhaps it is the all-or-nothing thinking that my therapist always warns me about; being a perfectionist I have to get all related stuff done as well. The second problem is that I don't 'refine'  my notes or review the tasks that I set aside in my to-do list; just work through the course of events that I eventually get to those tasks by happenstance.

This is where I get lost in scenarios that I need to be on top of; which I neglect until events or other people come to remind me or the situation gets out of hand. The refinement of notes and review of tasks need to be a cold-blooded effort whereas my mind goes into panic mode, imagining all sorts of situations that may come about. Hence, the procrastination happens as I remain in the tool shed diddling with all sorts of tools and their features. As one article states, procrastination is a challenge in managing emotions.

One tries to overcome such shortcomings by being an expert in the toolset rather than in oneself. I watch several YouTube videos on One Note and productivity that I am getting to be adept at these tools. For the emotional part, meditation, Tai Chi and Yoga may do the trick. A system needs to be fashioned that one is inching forward via trial and error. From a theory perspective, books like 'The Organized Mind' and 'Atomic Habits' provide some ideas such as externalizing ideas outward and doing one small thing at a time.