Getting Software Done: The Messy Mind
Before you start reading, I want you to ask yourself a question: how many things are in your mind right now? How many tasks, projects, ideas, or responsibilities are you trying to remember and manage at the same time?
Most likely, the answer is “a lot.” Tomorrow’s meeting, the bug you need to fix, the documentation you have to write, the personal project you want to start… Our minds are constantly busy with multiple things, and that can generate stress, anxiety, and a feeling of overwhelm.
The Messy Mind
“Messy Mind” refers to keeping everything we have to do in our head, turning it into chaos. This is exhausting.
The term was coined by David Allen in his book Getting Things Done (or GTD).
According to David Allen: “There is an inverse relationship between the number of things on your mind and the number of things you get done.” In other words, the more things in your head, the fewer things you actually do. Simple.
So, what can we do? Easy: get things out of our mind.
But… where do we put them?
This is where things get interesting. Let’s see.
A Trusted System
Generally, we rely on our mind to store things. Well, here’s a secret: we’re not designed for that. Some people are better at it, others worse, but as a rule, we’re not a hard drive.
That’s why it’s better to take things out of our mind and put them into a system we can trust. What does that mean? It means having a system where we can find all those things we usually try to look up inside our head.
It’s important that the system fits us because each of us thinks and reasons differently. In that system, we’ll include all the projects we’re working on or want to work on.
Mmmmmh, didn’t that last sentence sound a bit strange? “All the projects we’re working on”…
The reality is that we don’t work on projects.
Wait… WHAT?
Yes, exactly. A person doesn’t work on a project. A person works on small actions that belong to a project.
It may seem like I’m being picky here, but this is important. Those small actions are what will make up our system. We’ll base our organization on them, and they’ll become our day-to-day tasks.
Organize Your System
Our system should be a place of calm and peace. This is achieved through organization. We should be able to enter it and know where everything is.
This is where the subjective part comes in. It’s important that you decide your own organization, because you are the one who will follow it.
However, many times we don’t know where to start. That’s why, in upcoming posts, I’m going to explain the organization that David Allen proposes in his book. If it works for you, great. If you want to tweak it, do it. If you prefer another system that fits you better, use it!
Remember: the important thing is to clear your mind and focus it on what you’re doing at that moment.