The Imperfectionist: A cupboard of tools

Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks, had this gem in his recent newsletter reflecting on the fact that no one productivity "system" is going to solely be the answer.

We do this, I suppose, for the same reason people join cults or embrace rigid political ideologies: because it’s more scary to acknowledge the reality, which is that you're in charge of your own life, whether you like it or not, and there's no system or method that could lift that responsibility from your shoulders. You have to choose the tools for each job, day in day out, and you can’t wriggle out of that by resolving to use time-blocking or the Pomodoro Technique or bullet journalling to run your life. There's no system that will live life on your behalf. The master key is never going to be found.

His article made me think of nutrition advice. Often folk just want to be told what to eat. In reality, it is way more complicated. My favorite version of this was reading about macrobiotic diets and thinking that made sense, and that I could get 90% of the benefit just by eating a yogurt a day.

My "system" of choice is Getting Things Done, or GTD. It doesn't have all the answers, but it does just what he suggests: It helps me keep in control.

Whatever does that seems like a good thing.