I attended A seminar and found my tribe

Over the weekend, I crossed two items off my bucket list: I attended my first seminar (link) - I think it was my first, the recent PMP prep felt more like school. And I learned more about Getting Things Done, but most importantly met enthusiastic people from all walks of life I instantly related to.

One-paragraph introduction to GTD: It starts simple enough as a productivity methodology to save your sanity (it's a book). You aren't the only person drowning in demands, and if you look for help, you will be vexed by a gazillion ways to detail and prioritize tasks - turns out there is that guy, David Allen, who has been thinking about what really works for two decades. The method is about writing everything down in a simple way and to act upon it when you are ready. That sounds simple, but everything really means everything and simple really means "elegantly sophisticated". You can make it as complex as your life requires. All of this is tool-agnostic, meaning you can use anything from specialist apps to Sheets to papyrus, whatever feels best.

After organizing your tasks (and your head), there is a Level 2, which is about projects, long-term planning and running an effortless (ahem), well-oiled machine. There is also a mysterious level 3, about your life and your priorities, hinted at in the books. This was a Level 2 course.

There is something cultish about GTD - Allen is hailed by fans as a productivity "guru" and the simple fact of there being "fans" of checklist reveals a great deal. As convincing as the methodology is, no participant had actually met anybody offline who practiced it. I was pleasantly surprised by the people I met - brilliant, energetic and ambitious, yet very kind. And all with a similar passion and inclinations. It was good to trade tips and talk shop - but whereas the Star Wars convention discusses whether the movie Solo was great (it was - 7/10 stars on IMDB can't lie), we were nerding over what kind of lists we keep.

My favourite ones were:

• Things I do before I get ring the doorbell at home - remember to smile no matter how the day was, store my work bags and umbrella"

• Who gets what present

• People to have lunch with again (that one is mine, I'll admit)

GTD turbocharges you at work, but your life isn't only about work. This weekend was about that big human component. It was energizing and liberating - and yes, a bit cultish, but in a good way. Level 3 will happen in March and I can't wait to meet some of the folks again.