Omnifocus is freaking me out

Omnifocus is freaking me out.
Actually, it’s not Omnifocus, per se, but rather what Omnifocus represents. Let’s back up, for a minute, though. The whole thing started with what the MBA types might refer to as an “emerging paradigm”. In this case, the paradigm is all about an alleged improvement in the centuries-old battle against sloth and procrastination.

It seems that the “Getting Things Done” system, marketed heavily by David Allen, is an improved way in which to work more efficiently and effectively. And that’s really good news, because apparently, there aren’t already enough guys in suits selling performance-improvement strategies to, you guessed it, other guys, also in suits.

So, the deal with the “GTD” system make sense on a lot of levels, which makes it much easier to sell a ton of books and charge a zillion dollars for corporate speaking engagements. I mean, hey, if your idea sucked, it would be tough to make money, these days. Right?
So, in comes the Omnigroup team, an otherwise sane bunch of programming types, given to writing unusually good software for Macintosh computers. Not wanting to miss out on a nascent new emerging paradigm, they go into high gear, and crank out a new software program that leverages the GTD process to make people more effective, efficient, and less annoying. Actually, I don’t know about the annoying part. I made that one up.

But the program, which is called, Omnifocus, allows users to categorize and label virtually every aspect of life. To be fair, in a few months of regular and consistent use, I have found Omnifocus to be an exceptional program. It does what it says it will do; the interface is terrific; the flexibility and customizability are both top-notch. But that’s not the point. The point is that I’ve become a friggin’ crazy person, labeling all kinds of activities and functions and tasks and goals and assignments, deliverables, milestones, etc. And that kind of pisses me off. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am better at remembering things that I have to do, and I actually do use the system in an effective way. But again, who cares?

I found myself actually creating tasks that I’d already completed, and categorizing them, just so that I could go through the motions in Omnifocus. And I’ve also found that I am spending quite a bit of time in an unhealthy habit of trying to improve on the GTD system within the framework of the software. And that has “nutjob” written all over it. I mean, what kind of person sits around fantasizing about productivity improvements? Is that normal? No, it’s not. Back in the good old days, people used to sit around, fantasizing about Pamela Anderson. And that’s normal.
So, there you have it. GTD? Fine. Swell. Omnifocus? Even better. Big deal. Use this stuff and you’ll become more productive, and you’ll have a better system for keeping all of your ducks in rows. But that’s only a short hop to wearing tin foil helmets; Know what I’m saying?