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On Hacking My Life.

by HijabMan :: posted 4 January 07

Since childhood, I’ve been a messy person. Many of us messy people will use the oft-quoted line, “A Messy Desk yada yada means that you are a genius, ya da ya da.”

Yes. I checked my references, the “yadas” and the “ya das” were most definitely present in the original quote. Unfortunately, they were edited out over time.

Point being, the quote doesn’t apply to me. I simply cannot function as a human being with a messy desk. Or a messy house. Even if there is an eensy weensy pile of “stuff,” I cannot meet my potential as a human being.

Some will say I’m being hard on myself. Those people don’t know me like I know me.

Ain’t that the truth, baby

You said it, girlfriend. I love it when strange women in the city call me “baby.”

I don’t like being messy, and I have ridiculous amounts of ideas in my head just waiting to get out, it’s just that I’m having trouble getting to the point where I can maintain complete organization.

So, what am I going to do about it? While devouring websites like Lifehacker and GetRichSlowly (I’m so excited about retirement planning, you do not even know!), I’ve found a system that I think can work for me.

It’s called, Getting Things Done . It’s based on a book by David Allen. Basic premise, from what I understand? Get everything out of your brain and organized into a system. If the system is good, you trust the system, and you don’t have to think about the bazillion things going through your head. This way you are more productive. The description Wikipedia uses goes something like this:

“Get everything out of your head. Make decisions about actions required on stuff when it shows up — not when it blows up. Organize reminders of your projects and the next actions on them in appropriate categories. Keep your system current, complete, and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you’re doing (and not doing) at any time.”

Here is a diagram of the workflow.

This is most definitely going to require a drastic lifestyle change for me. But that change is crucial for me to continue doing what I do, doing it better, and adding even more projects to my list. Every successful person I read about gives the same advice over and over again, yet no one heeds it. “It is very simple,” they say, “Find what you love, and then go for it.” It is the key to success. I’m doing what I love, but I’m not doing it efficiently yet. I have to battle my lethargy, and Get Things Done.

It isn’t just about careers or my HijabMan projects either, it is about becoming a truly balanced adult. A man who will make a good husband, a good father, and a good human being.

As Khaled Abou El Fadl thinks to himself, “...now is the time to test my transformation, now is the time to awake.” (Conference Of The Books, 255)

Resources I’m using to hack my life in other ways:

The Cost of Waiting a Year To Save For Retirement
Handy Personal Finance Sheets
Learning To Eat More Meals At Home
Be The CFO of Your Life
How and Why to Start An Emergency Fund
10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job
I will teach you to be rich

Any other suggestions? Do you use anything specific to organize your lives? Material things? Non-material things? Share!

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Related Articles
The Flight of Time: GTD Progress Part 1
Consider The Flight of Time: My GTD Progress Part 2
My Ideal Life. Starting Today.
Fear Can Stop Your Love, What About Your God-consciousness?

1. desiwoman at 5 January 07 :: #

   I’m totally with you on the messy outside with an organized inside trying to get out. I might have to try that system myself.

2. HM at 5 January 07 :: #

   Haha, I’m messy on the inside too :(

   Willing to change though

3. Leena at 5 January 07 :: #

   Oh man, you and Ahsen are like soul brothers. He’s got all those sites within quick clicking distance. And all the enthusiasm as well. You’ve gotta get together and “brainstorm”

4. khalil at 5 January 07 :: #

   I’ve been on and off GTD for a while.

   You should probably spend some time on Merlin Mann’s http://www.43folders.com – I think you’d like it

5. . at 6 January 07 :: #

   did you read about those friends that made a pact not to buy things for a year (and how it benefited them financially)?

6. Hominkabul at 8 January 07 :: #

   Salam,

   I think you should write an update on how the system is working for you. I’ll do the same on my blog. I find that having study buddies keep you on track for the goal, what do you think?

7. SeattleSister at 8 January 07 :: #

   Thought you might enjoy this quote from a recent wire article in The Seattle Times. Life’s become much messier than a few generations ago. At least it seems so sometimes.

   “Never in history has the human brain been asked to track so many data points,” psychiatrist Edward Hallowell writes in the Harvard Business Review. “In a futile attempt to do more than is possible, the brain paradoxically reduces its ability to think clearly.”

   Check out the full article: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=infooverload05&date=20061105&query=Harvard+Hallowell

8. Owl at 9 January 07 :: #

   Oh man, even that blog post is more organised than I can ever be. I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants. WHOOOOOSH

9. A Friend of Muslims at 9 January 07 :: #

   Hey hear the voice of your brothers. They don’t last long if you do not act.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWSU1B5DGQM

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ6CobqeVdA

10. Sasha Masha at 10 January 07 :: #

    How about lists? I’m a big list person. Whenever homework builds and i have to do a months worth in one night, i put it all in lists.

    Or you could have a pin/whiteboard.

    And everything in your room/house has to have a specific place.

    IMPORTANT: make sure your closet is organise – by colours, seasons, shirt/pants/tops,etc, most worn, whatever. It really makes you feel good.

    ALso make sure your walls and door are sparkling clean.

    And vaccuum alot. It gives the air a nice feel.

    And keep a journal – each night write about everything you’ve done. It gives a sense of accomplishment.

    (No I don’t have OCD, lol.) Good luck!

11. Talibah at 11 January 07 :: #

    I don’t organize my life… mostly I let it get appallingly out of control, have a meltdown and make drastic changes to make myself happy again. So far it’s worked, but that’s just me :).

    Not related to the subject at all, but have you heard about this at all?

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6244199.stm
    It made me think of you, the aspiring imam. The show seems to be quite cute and funny, too!

12. DeadInPlastic at 12 January 07 :: #

    use tadalists
    http://www.tadalist.com/
    there is even a widget for Mac OS X Dashboard. I find it very beneficial.

13. Mr Nobody at 15 January 07 :: #

    “Hack away the useless” – Tao of Jeet Kun Do (Bruce Lee)...or better yet:
    “Of the good Islamic character of a person is discarding what concerns one not.” – Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace. In other words, to paraphrase the scholars: if it ain’t getting you to Allah, chuck it.

14. Destry Wion at 23 January 07 :: #

    Speaking on organization, improving usability, and helping your fellow Web surfer, here’s a tip about adding URLs in the comments, everyone.

    Let’s say you want to visit…ohhh…http://wion.com (I would have pointed to HijabMan, but you’re already there. :)

    Then let’s say you want to use Wion as the link label. Yeah?

    So then you simply surround the link label with double-quotes…

    “Wion”

    Immediately follow that with a colon…

    “Wion”:

    Immediately follow that with your URL, and watch the magic…

    Wion

    Note that Textile Help link at the bottom of the comments too, that explains this and much more.

    Have a nice day.