...Continued from PART 2.
I tend to have a preference for orthodoxy, so once I decided that I would try GTD I wanted to implement it by THE BOOK. But the book said it could take 3 days to start! How would I find 3 solid days (!) to reorder my work and home life? I decided that I would try to do it in 2 days, and set them aside during the week of Christmas when things are quieter around my workplace. I prayed that God would be pleased with this step, and honor it by giving me great speed. Instead, God provided an additional two days! We were visiting out-of-town family for Christmas and both of my kids got sick, causing us to come home early. It was sad and hard for us to leave early, but by the time we got home the kids were much better and my wife and I decided to seize the moment for me begin my GTD implementation It turns out I needed it--it took 4 full days to bring order to my complicated life.
It is appropriate at this point to note my wife's role in this. By nature, she is a more organized person than I am. She never criticized me for the way I managed things (or didn't), but my attitude when tasks around the home would come up was terrible. I often grumbled and complained, and she bore the brunt. It pains me to think about how it must have discouraged her to have a husband so full of energy and ideas, yet so ineffective in responding to the day-to-day details of our family's life. Many times, I forced her into a position of having to organize me with lists and schedules, which wasn't good for either of us, nor is it how God intends a marriage to be. When I told her I was ready to try a new system, she was probably skeptical but was extremely supportive. She gladly gave me the time, and the space in our home I needed to implement my plans.
to be continued...
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