To Get Things Done, you don't need GTD tools

After following the Lifehack/GTD scene for almost two years, I have come to the conclusion that David Allen's "Getting Things Done" is not a set of rules or the ultimate guide book. It is a very, very good starting point for setting up your own personal productivity system. All of the suggestions in the book is solid, but to make it work for you, you'll need to write the final chapter yourself.
We have to realize that the book originally wasn't intended for, well, everyday people. It was written for the busy, high performance, CEO in the business world. Someone with many contacts, reports and travelling time.

Thats why we see so many different successful implementations of GTD. Lifehackers tweak the system so it fits them and the tools they have at hand. For instance using GMail or Backpack instead of Tracks or GTD TiddlyWiki. Writing in Moleskine's instead of using DIY Planner cards.

So, when you decide that GTD just might be the hack your life needs, don't start by searching for the perfect GTD tool. Build it yourself. Start with what you have in front of you and work from there. Try to fit GTD into your life, not the other way around. The chance for success is much greater, and it is much more fun.

My wallet, Jimi style

Almost a year ago I got myself a smaller, sleeker wallet. It was a Smartcaze Urban FX Flipover Gold which I was (and still are) very pleased with. However, a couple of months ago I was drawn to the Jimi wallet, "The wallet for people who hates wallets". Since then I have been carrying the Jimi and yes, it is even better then my old Smartcaze. The Jimi is thinner but can still carry slightly more, even bills, something the Smartcaze can't. So I give the Jimi two thumbs up for design, but only one thumb for price...

The hypnotic power of the progress bar

Why is it that whenever the progress bar show up on the computer screen, I just shut down and sit and stare at it? Maybe I can't multitask, but the computer sure can so it is with just willpower I manage to tear my eyes from the slowing moving bar and do something else..

I think it is a defect from my old days with Apple System 6.

Moleskine Reporter DIY pen holder

A pen holder for my Moleskine Reporter. Here seen with a BIC Velocity Gel.
The basic idea for this pen holder is not mine, I know that I have read it somewhere in the blogosphere a long while back. My "improvements" are a transparent sheet of thin, hard plastic and a thin elastic cord. It is actually a lamination sheet that I run through the lamination machine without anything in it, it makes a perfect thin, cuttable, and sturdy sheet of plastic.
The cord is run in spiral through three small holes in the sheet. Together they make a holder that is almost invisible. By adjusting the cord this holder can accomodate two pens one on each side of the sheet.