Get Everything Done

Is it just me or do other people also have trouble making a new system stick? I've read a number of books and articles, etc. on both time management and other forms of organisation and have found a number of ideas that seem to make perfect sense and that I'd like to implement.

I start off full of enthusiasm and find, if I've chosen well, that the new system or idea works brilliantly and I get a lot more done (or become better organised or whatever) but I don't seem to be able to go for long before I find myself slipping and eventually I stop using whatever system or idea I've been trying out.

I've used DIT several times and each time I do I remember what it was that appealed in the first place and I get a lot done. But each time I seem to gradually (sometimes abruptly!) stop using it and slide back into my old ways. I'm self employed and work part time as a gardener and part time I paint (on canvas not walls).

There are a number of areas that are quite chaotic that I would dearly love to change but somehow I seem to lack motivation to make those changes. Does anyone else suffer from the same problem?

I've been meaning to post something about this for ages now but on a time management site that seems to attract a lot of busy capable folks it's always been a bit difficult to bring myself to post something that says "hey, actually I'm a bit of a drifter!"

I am getting better in many areas of my life and find no trouble sorting out my business but many aspects just don't get addressed and like I say, whenever I try to implement DIT (or any other related ideas) I don't seem to be able to keep them going for long.

Any and all responses welcome!

PS

What I didn't say but think is worth mentioning is that I do place high value on making time to drift through choice.

Doing nothing is extremely good for the spirit and I would never want to be so busy that I didn't make time just to be (especially in woodland or other renewing environment); it's just I want to be able to choose to get more done in other areas of my life that aren't up to scratch and keep up momentum once I've built it. I just seem to have trouble building it in the first place...

I too have that issue and value lots of options and thinking time, I tried GTD and while I have a lot of respect for the system, at the end of the day I was attracted to DIT because of it simplicity. I found that systems in general very much follow the 80/20 rule and for me the most helpful part of DIT is the task diary. If I just use that, I get a tremendous amount of benefit from it. Maybe you could use this approach to pick the element(s) that give you the most mileage, while making sure to not overschedule.

Gerry

Thanks Mark and Gerry

Yes, I guess it is always good to remember the power of persistence.

I've been thinking about motivation and making things stick quite a lot lately and I think one thing that I have found that may cause me (and others?) to fall off the wagon is that I will start off all guns blazing and find it really works well at first. Then, maybe because of that, I overstretch myself (?) so I stop and maybe each time I stop something I lose faith that I will keep at it next time I start again. I know I seem to have trouble finding the balance between not doing enough so feeling no real sense of achievement at the end of the day, and doing too much so not being able to keep up the pace. Like I said in my ps, I also value the practice of 'doing nothing' but this can be taken to extremes!

I'm not sure about all of this but there is definitely something that seems to kick in which sabotages my self belief when I trip myself up for the umpteenth time. So I guess it's as well to remember what Churchill is quoted as saying "never give in".