GreatRidge Station

We all know that person (we may even be that person) who lives and dies by their calendar. It’s worth noting, here, that a calendar is only one way of managing the complexities of life, and making sure that things get done.

My approach to this is hard-fought, but thankfully, it seems to work for me. I owe a debt of gratitude to David Allen and Merlyn Mann for starting me down this path.

Sure I keep a calendar, but that’s only for things that are time specific. Stuff that has to get done, sometime, stays off the calendar and on several project and task lists. Most of my life is fluid enough that I just need to get things done on time, but I do not need to carve out dedicated time slots  for most of my work.

This approach got me through my PhD program by helping me identify the “what should I do now,” and it effectively set me free from the tyranny of the daytimer. I’ve adapted David Allen’s getting things done model and use a Hipster PDA to keep track of everything. I’ve created several of my own card templates to better fit my life and work.

Don’t buy into the myth that a pricey planner is the only way to manage your life and responsibilities. It may be: Some careers need a calendar focus. The most important thing is to find a system that works for you. In my case, I adapted some of the best ideas from several authors (including Stephanie Winston) to slap together a method that fits me.

If you struggle with organization (as I have) just know that there are tools and ideas out there that can work for you. Don’t despair. Now, go and get your life in order.

There is an old Charlie Brown cartoon, with Linus’s famous line: I love mankind, it’s people I can’t stand. (Original strip, here)
Well, it turns out, that idea was not so far from wrong.  There’s something that I had always suspected, and now there’s good documentation to suggest it’s true–people who love mankind (theoretically), tend to despise people (in practice).

I read pretty broadly, and I’ve been challenged and encouraged by some of the material on Orthodoxy Today. Eastern Orthodox Christianity seems to be something one must be born to, but nevertheless, I find their approach to be both faithful and courageous.
Here’s a link to an article they recently reposted. It is taken, verbatim, from the Wall Street Journal. It is by Paul Johnson, and it’s called The Heartless Lovers of Mankind.

I have a small handful of people who follow my work. (Hello, you two!) I suspect that these people have something to do with this.
When my recent article on Human Knowledge appeared online, I was a bit surprised by the response. I’ve heard from quite a number of people, including friends, colleagues, folks in far-flung places, and other (more widely published and read) authors. The feedback has been very positive, and very humbling.