Today I’d like to talk about how easily we assume some of the most fashionable terms used on Internet, specifically about the method “Getting Things Done” from David Allen’s book.

I have been reading posts about GTD and productivity for months frequently trying to improve my self-organizational skills and other processes to perform things that needs to be done. This is what this method is about.

“GTD rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind by recording them externally. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate on actually performing those tasks.”

But the thing is that this is not totally true, or at least is not what I have been reading about. Many blogs manage the “productivity” concept as if it was the key to success. But it is as an ancient industrial conception of work and tasks. I have the feeling that they have gone from “good techniques and work habits” to “work, work and produce” always from the same approach: you are the only responsible to produce as much as possible and we all want the most benefits from you.

By now, I am learning how can I really get things done, not by myself but by being aware of my context. I have to say that is quite complex for me, but, as far as I know “productivity is motivated by the context and guided by your respect to your own work”. It’s not just you, you and you, it’s the influence from others into you and your influence into them.

I am not saying that all those tips are not important, at all, I think they do are, but I’d like to hear some day a blog talking about how important the motivation is and the people around in this process because it looks like you can make real these best practices like if you worked alone in the world.

I guess this fashion is because of the freelance work increasing, but you do not need to be the worst boss for you in your career. Being a freelancer doesn’t mean no having a context around you which influences you and which is susceptible of being influenced.