Getting to "Getting Things Done"

I think this is going to be a busy month for me. I have at least two big "projects" coming up in the non-work realm. There's some exciting news in the personal realm, that's going to require an unknown amount of projects to be started and finished. And there are going to be a lot of general little things that need to be done.

Besides that, there are a few personal projects I want to start. Some of those have been bouncing around my head for months.

On top of that, I'm kicking around the idea of trying to get my M.S. in computer science (MSCS, not to be confused with MCS) while I'm still working.

Frankly, even without trying for the master's, I think the load is going to get crazy. And without going into detail--because I finish my Christmas vacation and go back to work tomorrow and I really should already be asleep--some of the load is because of poor organization and time-management on my part.

My plan to deal with this meta-problem of time management is to implement a "Getting Things Done" system. Sounds simple enough, but I still need to re-read the book and plan out the system. That's a task that could easily get lost in the shuffle of going back to work, then forgotten for weeks.

So here's my plan:

• Tomorrow night I'll un-bury the book from my desk. I'll pre-skim it (look at the table of contents, skim a chapter or three to refresh my memory). I will find a notebook and a pen, and put them with the book where I will see them.
• Tuesday, if I am feeling ambitious, I will skim a few chapters (Tuesday nights tend to be busy).
• Wednesday, I will read the first half of the book. As I read, I will jot down notes relevant to implementing and running a GTD system.
• Thursday will be a busy night.
• Friday I will read the second half of the book. Like on Wednesday, I will jot down notes relevant to implementing and running a GTD system.
• Saturday I will write myself a one-page high level summary of the operation, reviews, and checks on the system. Then I will read the chapter on starting a GTD system. Then I will take a deep breath.
  

Following Saturday's deep breath, I will either immediately jump into implementing the system, or I will wait. If I choose to wait, I will implement the system on the Monday immediately following.

So by next Tuesday, I should be running my life through GTD. Sweet planned-out goodness.