Existential dread, GTD, and simplicity

The last few weeks my work days have been a bit slow. I usually fill those slow days with fun and engaging side projects (or configuration, because Emacs). But lately I have a lot of other things in my mind, so it's been really difficult to find the drive to do _anything_ after I'm done with my required tasks.

For the last couple days I've been reminiscing about "Getting Things Done" and daydreaming about making a good prioritized TODO list, so I can overcome the dread I feel about everything. Today I got as far as opening a bunch of browser tabs and see if I needed to change my note taking package (I use "howm" instead of "org") to accommodate for a new work-flow.

But then! I had a moment of clarity, and honesty with myself. I realized that what I really need is not a "system" but to actually acknowledge my thoughts and feelings. My time would be much better spent meditating or taking a walk out in the sun, rather than coming up with more things to layer on my hours: the latter would be just putting lipstick on a pig. Instead, clearing my head of dread by working through these feelings (as I'm doing when writing this...the true reason I'm writing it) is the what needs to be done.

And it is much simpler than GTD. Is it easier? No, not really. But addressing, with honesty, how I feel and what I want to do about it...it really is SIMPLE.

I have this quote at the top of my scratch buffer, when Emacs starts:

>;; Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n’y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n’y a plus à retrancher. - Antoine de Saint Exupéry

>;; It seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove.

I like it because I think it is a good approach for any kind of programming project. I also started applying that to the organizational side of things, processes in general can be streamlined just as software architecture and interactions can.

Today, as I was closing those browser tabs realizing I was just getting myself distracted, I noticed that just as much as process, or software, my own life can use this "simplification". Simple doesn't mean easy, and it does require honesty with myself, of the kind that needs a certain stillness (of thought) to be achieved.

Also there's some parallel about software design in all these musings about my state of mind, but I'll leave that to my future self to digest :)

(typed 09:48:06 PM~11:00:00 PM)

(and yes I got distracted changing my keyboard switches, as I ruminated on these thoughts...)