As a student, my plate is always full. There are so many things I could be doing at any given time of the day. I fully believe that for the first part of my doctoral program I let that get the better of me. Since there was no way I would ever be finished with all the things I had to do, I often felt a reluctance to do much of anything. I met my deadlines, finished my homework, and even published a few conference papers. But with so much going on around me, and such an unlimited amount of potential work to complete, I was nailed down by analysis paralysis.

After reading several articles about it from Lifehacker, and hearing recommendations from one of my friends here, I finally broke down and bought a digital copy of Getting Things Done This book and the GTD system have allowed me for the first time since I arrived at the University of Arizona to feel like I know what I need to get done and to have a plan to get there. I know, of course, that there is never really "done" in the life of an academic. Of course, there's not really "done" in any life. There are always more things to take on, more projects to complete.

I have tried to do lists in the past. I've been through many. I've tried productivity systems like Pomodoro, but to no avail. They helped me work, but I never really had a clear sense of what ****