Pages

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Expanding the Blog’s Scope

So, I initially implemented my GTD system in order to help me deal with being a mature (in body, if not attitude) student when I returned to university at age 35, wife and two small children in tow.  One challenge was to get back into learning mode, something thing I was admittedly not too good at even when I was in my “learning prime.”  Another was to help my wife adjust to a new city, as she had never been far from where she grew up for any length of time.  A third was arrange baby sitters and daycare for when I was in school and my wife who is a Registered Nurse and works 12 hour shifts, either days from seven to seven or nights from seven to seven.  With the current emphasis in the Hallowed Halls of University focused on group work, most of my time was pretty much spoken for.  GTD probably saved my sanity and definitely allowed me to complete my degree.

Just shy of 40 now, Baccalaureate in hand, I have a new job as the business manager at Subaru of Lethbridge.  Like my previous workplace, Subaru of Lethbridge is a closely knit, small organization.  The job itself has managed to combine my previous automotive experience as a mechanic, my sales experience from when I moved from the back shop into the front office, as well as the university training I received with my degree.  All in all, a reasonable fit.

GTD has a place there as well.  The position I filled was vacant for better than six months and in that time the existing systems had deteriorated to the point of non-existence.  It has been a huge challenge to create new systems to ensure the paperwork is done correctly, sent to the right people at the right times, and most importantly have a process in place to catch errors and omissions.  I am fortunate to be working with open minded people who are willing to allow me to implement this “new-fangled GT whatchmacallit” into the processes.  Perhaps most impressively my personal systems seem to have been able to handle the change in demand from the school to the workplace.

With that in mind I will broaden the scope of the blog to include a little more about my odyssey in the workplace, my hobbies of fishing and skiing, and I will share a bit about my efforts to create a little sunshine in the world.  I have no idea where this will take us but say “hi” in the comments and come along for the ride.