The latest post over at 43 Folders, titled Systems, ciphers, and the dirty little secret of self-improvement struck me in a wierd way.
Whether you’re talking about Freud, The Old Testament, or the self-improvement meme du jour, I think the idea basically stays the same; listen critically, reflect honestly, and be circumspect about choosing the parts that comport with your needs, values, and personal history. Above all, remember that the secret code isn’t hiding in the tools or the charts or the sacraments—the secret is to watch your progress and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep remembering to think, and stay focused on achieving modest improvements in whatever you want to change. Small changes stick.
The highlighting is mine. And you know what, it reads just like the lengthy articles on Agile Methodologies do. I think this is why GTD specifically appeals to me. It is highly iterative and breaks one's tasks down into tiny little pieces. Do just enough to keep going (get those unit tests to compile and then just write just enough to get them to without failing). Occasionally step back and reexamine everything and put it in context and adjust your plans (refactor process, architecture, design and implementation).
Categories:
agile,
dev,
productivity,
organization.
