So far so good on the GTD ramp up. The last few evenings have actually been packed enough that I haven't been processing that much of the retro in box. That distresses me a little, as I'm not going to get the Zenlike benefits of the empty in-box until I work off the backlog. Still, it has been good keeping me focused while out-and-about and not losing where I should be in the umpteen little things I need to be doing at all times. In a lot of ways, being busy with many different things lately is a good proof of concept for the system as a whole.

I figured out today that I need another sub-context for a specific case of my @HOME context - leaving for work. Not just with the new job bit over my entire adult life leaving the house for work is always a mess. I get halfway to the door and realize I never paid that bill or didn't leave the key for the repair guy or something. I'm going to create a context called @MORNING that is the things that need to be done before I can leave the house. Having them collected and accessible as such, seperated out of my @HOME context should make it that much easier to make sure that I did all the little things and can focus on getting my weary ass to the job.

I continue to love the Hipster PAA. I ended up not bothering with the DIY Planner templates for anything but the cover. Even with that, I think I'm going to alter the Open Office template and change the term from "PDA" to "PAA" just to be didactic and technically correct. When (not if) this cardstock cover wears out, I think the next one I will laminate before I cut it and fold it. I live in South Carolina, and carrying a stack of cards with a card cover in your pocket in August means it will get moist. It's not holding up too badly, but eventually it will give out, as will we all.

One side advantage that didn't occur to me up front but that I found in practice is the ease of reconfigurability is very useful. When I get to work, I unclip it and shuffle my contexts so that @WORK is on top, @CALLS is second, @ERRANDS is third and so on. The things I can't do from work go to the back of that section because I don't need them primarily accessible at that time. When I get home, I reverse the process and sort them in a way that makes more sense for then. That's something I wouldn't get with the Moleskine. So, it's not just a dumb sight gag (although it definitely is that) but a dog simple, nearly foolproof way to Get Things Done. As low-tech as it is, I find it kind of cyberpunk in "the street finds its own uses for things" sort of way.