“Unmanageable Undoability”

Bono Says, “Rock On Dr. Marty” - Part 2

Dr. Marty and Dee argued about the type of dog I should have. Dee wanted me to get a cocker spaniel, and Dr. Marty mentioned all sorts of large dogs. Then they decided that I liked cats better.

He said, “So if we’re talking about getting a pet, we should talk about Getting Things Done. So tell me, what are your thoughts about GTD. What are your first impressions?”

I waited for Dee to answer.

“Dee?” Dr. Marty asked. “What did you think about David Allen’s art of stress free productivity?”

“I fought with my boss, Mr. Dickless all week,” Dee said, waving her hands. “He dumped a crap load of work on my desk after I fucked him over in front of the division head. It was worth it, too. Then Tom’s brother was in town. It’s been crazy, Marty.”

“That’s OK,” Dr. Marty said. “You aren’t the first one who avoided learning how to solve problems. Some problems, like Mr. Dickless, are often so scary, it’s easier to put your efforts somewhere else.”

“No. Wait. That’s not it.” Dee shook her head. “I looked it over. I know I’ll love David Allen’s productive stuff. This material probably would be great in some of the training programs I want to develop…”

“You want to develop training programs?” Dr. Marty asked.

“Yes. I’m thinking about that,” Dee said. “But Getting Things Done looks like it will take a lot of time. Firstly, I have to read the book. Also, I’m supposed to get everything organized. Won’t I need a week’s vacation just to do all this stuff?”

“Don’t you see,” Dr. Marty said as he motioned for Dee to slow down. “It’s never all done. It’s all about doing. Look, I think we should start with just the first chapter.”

He swiveled in his chair, making a production out of looking for his copy of the book. I could see it on his shelf from across the room. The book was tattered. When he opened it, I could see that it was markered and taped in places.

After looking at a page or two, he said, “Dee, all I want you to do is write things down about projects at work. You’ll end up with a long list that’s unmanageable undoability and you’ll probably stress out once you see it.”

“What was that?” she asked.

“Unmanageable undoability,” he said. “You and I will work on the list together. David way overcomplicates that, so please don’t rush in if you can avoid it.”

He flipped through the book again. “Tom, what do you think?”

“The writing is awful,” I answered. “And as the author said in the introduction, most of this stuff is obvious.”

“Next meeting, I want to talk to you about a different type of assignment, not related to GTD, OK?”

He waited. I said, “OK.”

“So maybe you could rewrite a small part of David’s prose for fun. Or at least pick out the worst parts.”

The whole of the introduction and first chapter qualified as “the worst parts.”

“OK,” I said.

“E-mail me when you do,” he continued. “You are right, the writing is messy and unfortunately, he complicates his material in the process. But remember, there is meat too, it’s just that the banquet is over elaborate. We’re all gluttons if David has his way.”

… continued

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Bono Says, “Rock On Dr. Marty”

Part 2: “Unmanageable Undoability”
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