a metaphorical bookshelf sitting beside my desk in my san francisco bedroom slash office remains unhung. it’s a clunky sentence, i know. anyway, the gist is that there are things that need doing. receipts need filing. resumes need writing. clothes need folding. things need getting done.
several months ago, reading the infamous Getting Things Done, i was fucking inspired. i was at office max like every other day. and office depot on the odd days. 3 by 5 cards. file folders. inboxes. i tacked workflow diagrams to my wall. and this system, like every other system that works, takes doing. you have to write the shit down that you’re thinking. you have to look at the list and check shit off. you have to write your ‘next action’ every time you complete your last ‘next action’. my friend says that the beauty of the system is that once you get everything down, you can choose what not to do. it’s not about getting more done but choosig what’s really important. but what if it’s all really important shit?
i’m starting my own system. getting SHIT done. getting shit done takes less office supplies. getting shit done doesn’t involve a pda. or the infamous hipster pda (i don’t have a hipster pda. the hipster rule of law requires that one must never declare oneself a hipster. paraleptical, yes. but i don’t have a hipster pda; i have a bunch of 3 by 5’s held together with a clip.) ok, GSD. GSD rule number 1. your hand is your master. always write the most important information on the top side of your hand. e. g. “MOVE CAR 9 AM” “GRANDMA BIRTHDAY” “ACUPUNCTURE TUE 3 PM” etc. with the right brand of toxic ink you will not lose this information. phone numbers from undesireables at bars go on your palm. all other information may either be written on a small napkin and stuffed in the pocket for day’s end (watch the washer) or spoken on cell phone as a voicemail to oneself (a la Parker Lewis’ now cliché “note to self”). ahh, the cell phone. aka: alarm clock, timepiece, gameboy, teddy bear. also helpful for members of aa and aaa. GSD rule number whatever: if you can’t get shit done, throw shit out. clear your fucking desk off. put shit in the mail, on the street, in the compost, on a shelf, on the wall, or down the sink. whichever applies. have a clean workspace. next rule: once your workspace is clean, you can leave the house. take a laptop to a café to REALLY get shit done. running into people you know who are also getting shit done will be distracting and appealing. (don’t) go to a café where you know everyone. (don’t) smile and chat people up at the café and get to know everyone. (don’t) sit in a giant swallowing couch and order pain au chocolat. (do) order herbal tea. (do) sit in a strait-backed chair. (do) disable wi-fi. (do) arrive with a few short, manageable tasks you can complete. GSD rule number 5. check email ONCE A DAY. turn the computer OFF when you’re done. GSD rule number 6. cut netflix or GREENCINE down to one (1) DVD out at a time. you will get more shit done. GSD rule number 7. blogging may in fact be helpful. a little each day could eventually make a whole book.
ok, more on that later.
anyway, today i didn’t get all the shit done. i did other things instead. really good things. i went with a friend to repierce her ears. turned out they just needed to be ‘stretched’. we ate a really great fresh chicken roll on 16th street. then we bought matching pairs of rainbow socks that were free because she found a credit from the store from 2003. i also sat in the sun for a while and smelled a delicious yet delicate rose growing on the sidewalk next to my house.