分享你的故事
分享者：Lee Chalmers
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“ 我刚刚结束了我整个44年来最忙和最有压力的一段时间， 我想你可能想知道我是怎样度过的。 我是一个有条理的人， 有些人会叫我控制狂， 没关系， 我有我独特的工作方式， 这意味着我可以完成很多事情， 所以我想，“让我们来测试一下， 让我们看看在系统崩溃之前我能添加多少东西”。 我不知道这个系统能承受多大的压力？
我经营一家公司有13年了， 因此我的系统已经被占据了很大的空间。 在过去的八年左右我一直在使用GTD来管理这些任务， 因为成为了GTD的培训师和指导教练， 随着我建立了我的信心，工作范围和客户工作量，我逐渐在增加额外的项目。
去年， 我决定在爱丁堡大学进修一个兼职博士学位。 我需要保持相同的收入水平，这样客户的工作就需要和学习进度保持一致。 这两件事情到目前为止还不错。我的论文比较突出。
我还加入了一个非营利组织， 鼓励妇女从政。 我建立了一个网站，我和一个朋友一起建立了一个顾问委员会， 我们并且成功地获得了资金。 现在我要在苏格兰议会和下议院组织一些活动， 并设计一个培训计划。在系统中还有另一个项目和计划。
再加上一个最有压力的项目； 购买我们的第一个房产。 我们有律师，调研，抵押贷款， 屋顶检查， 装修委员会。这样做的目的是为了防止意外的方式导致我们没有地方住。
然而， 有些人愚蠢地说， 我决定今年五月竞选苏格兰议会！出席会议，竞选会议， 竞选， 准备竞选， 电台采访、 拍摄， 为新闻写作， 敲门， 发传单， 站在大街上跟路人。 一堆额外的、 非常有压力的工作 —— 所有这些都随着时间的推移而增加，并且是加在已经慢慢的日历上。
我需要写论文， 要参加竞选， 客户要服务， 新生意要产生， 婚姻要维持，要买房， 家庭要照顾， 非营利活动要举办， 要有健身制度才能立志。 我的系统已在崩溃的边缘。
没想到的是我婆婆去世了，真是出乎意料。
突然， 系统的考验到了极限。 当家庭紧急情况出现时，你需要能够放下一切，专注于真正重要的事情。我只能这样做，因为我的GTD系统里的东西，我所有的任务和所有我想要的结果。 我的脑中没有事情在打转，没有未捕捉到的东西。 我能够在Omnifocus （我选择的工具） 中查看并立即看到什么可以由他人来完成。 我可以放下一切， 集中精力在我丈夫身上， 知道我的生活中一切都会好起来的。我并不担心我是否有未写下来的行动或者是项目。
我从这件事中学到的是， 当事情变得困难时， 而不是让系统下滑， 这正是我最需要系统的时候。 当我在指导他人时， 我常听到大家说因为自己的生活变得越来越忙碌，他们开始不再定义自己的工作，暂时放下了GTD. 然而，你最不该在忙碌时放下GTD。 我非常清楚的是， 如果我在最忙碌时没有GTD， 我一定会崩溃。管理我们的承诺并不只是工作好，还有生活好。GTD的系统则能够帮助我们实现。
English Version
I
have just come to the end of the busiest and potentially most stressful period
of my entire 44 years so far and I thought you might like to know how I got
through, alive and sane.I’m an organized person, some would call me a control freak, that’s OK, I know
that I have a way of working that means that I can get a lot done so I thought,
“let’s test it, let’s see how many things I can add in before the system falls
over”. Little did I know to what extent the system would be stressed?
I also added in running a not-for-profit organization to encourage women to get
into politics. I built a website, networked a board of advisors, partnered with
a friend and we were successful in getting funding. Now I have events to organize
at the Scottish Parliament and at the House of Commons, and a training program
to design. In to the system goes another load of projects and actions.
Then, some would say foolishly, I decided to run for election to the Scottish
Parliament this May! In went committee meetings, campaign meetings, hustings,
preparing for hustings, radio interviews, filming, writing for the press,
knocking on doors, handing out flyers, standing in the main street speaking to passersby.
A load of extra, pretty stressful work – all growing by the minute and added
into an already full diary.
I had papers to write for University, campaigning to do, clients to serve, new
business to generate, a marriage to maintain, a flat to buy, family to see, a
not-for-profit to run, a fitness regime to aspire to. My system was creaking at
the edges.
But then, very unexpectedly, my mother-in-law died.
Suddenly the system was tested to its limits. When family emergencies appear
you need to be able to drop everything and focus on what really matters. I was
only able to do this because my GTD system contained everything, all my tasks
and all the outcomes I had committed to. Nothing was rattling around in my
head, uncaptured. I could look at Omnifocus (my tool of choice) and instantly
see what could be handled by others and what needed my attention immediately. I
could drop everything to focus on my husband knowing that everything was going
to be OK with the rest of my life. I wasn’t worried that there were projects or
outstanding actions that I didn’t have written down anywhere.
What I learned from this is that rather than letting the system slide when
things get tough, this is exactly the time I need the system most. When I am
coaching people I often hear that life got busy and they stopped defining their
work, hoping to pick up GTD later, when things slow down a bit. I have found
that this is a time that never comes. I am clear that without GTD I would have
collapsed under the strain of the busiest time of my life. Managing our
commitments is not just about working well, it’s about living well and GTD can
be the system that keeps the whole show on the road."
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