Getting Things Done ("GTD") for Prawfs

This blog, and the prawfs who author it, have demonstrated an interest in faculty productivity -- how really productive scholars get it all done, how to promote faculty productivity, and how to get a good sense of what it is we are supposed to be doing.  Perhaps some prawfs have fed an interest in promoting their own productivity by reading some of the literature on productivity (of course, a common criticism of productivity literature is that reading it is, itself, unproductive; I'd like to acknowledge and set aside that criticism, if only to make myself feel a little better about knowing way too much about this "literature").   Some of the literature is aimed at academics, like Robert Boice's Advice for New Faculty Members and his Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing.  But most of it isn't.

In fact, what is arguably the most well-regarded productivity/perfect-system book on the market - David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity - has been criticized for its inapplicability to those whose jobs involve a substantial amount of writing.  Getting Things Done (nicknamed "GTD" by insiders and productivity "experts") has many followers in the productivity blogosphere, among them Merlin Mann, of 43 Folders, Gina Trapani, of Lifehacker, and Garr Reynolds, of Presentation Zen.   Some GTD principles, like creating master lists, "tickler" files, and practicing "inbox-zero," can certainly be incorporated into the life of a prawf (or a prof, for that matter).  But, as British graphic novelist Antony Johnston has observed, despite best efforts, GTD  fits at best awkwardly into the life of a writer, who has "a small number of large tasks that require many hours of work, often over multiple separate days, and mainly in a single continuous environment (i.e., We spend all day in front of our computers . . . .)."  Johnston has contributed significantly to GTD interpretive commentary with his detailed post entitled, "Getting Things Written."

I know my interest in productivity systems may be a little extreme, and perhaps I'd be better off just doing something rather than focusing on adopting the perfect system for getting something done.  But I suspect what attracts many of us to the law is the quest for a perfect system.  Moreover, some notable and very productive intellectuals have started their careers with an interest in self-help. 

I don't claim to have mastered GTD for Prawfs.  When I became overwhelmed by the magnitude of my responsibilities as a prawf, I bought and read GTD, and have practiced many of its principles, albeit imperfectly.  Thanks to GTD, I arrive to an empty (literally) desk each morning, work with an empty inbox, and, for most of my day, am pretty sure I know what I'm supposed to be doing.  I find that I worry about being productive far less than I used to, but that might be a function of time spent on the job more than incorporating GTD.  I am still frustrated that my productivity system isn't perfect, and perhaps for that reason continue to read productivity blogs and books.  I think that "Getting Things Written" helps translate some GTD principles for prawfs, but not all of them; after all, prawfs are writers, but also play a number of additional roles (teachers, colleagues, bloggers, conference attendees, speakers, etc.).  Anyone have any tricks they'd like to share, so that we might help one another make and keep New Year's resolutions?  Anyone have some specific advice about translating GTD principles into an academic job?

See you at AALS!