Being compulsive isn't always annoying

My two least favourite things about myself (well, about anyone really) are laziness and compulsiveness. Normally, my laziness takes over my compulsiveness, case-in-point: I have to do the washing up in the evening, I'm very lazy, the washing up doesn't get done. Gross, I know.

I have, however, found a way to combat my laziness with it's strongest rival—you guessed it—my compulsiveness! Lists. Until recently, I listed everything in my diary, in a notebook, on my laptop, basically anywhere I could find some paper. That is, until I started using GTD apps.

I started out with Cultured Code's Things. A deceptively simple app that organises your lists into projects, areas and tags with a useful Quick Entry HUD for creating tasks as soon as you think of them (so they don't just go in and out). I love the simplicity of Things, and the fact that it has a counterpart iPhone app (buggy though it may be) is very useful. I used it briefly in the beta, but I just couldn't integrate it with my workflow. It wasn't until I started listing everything I do that I saw how useful having this on a computer could potentially be.

As much as I love Things, it does have some holes. I won't go into all of them, because a lot are bugs in the software or things that are on the roadmap, so it wouldn't be fair. All I'll say is that I'm no longer using Things, and have replaced it with Potion Factory's The Hit List.

For me, The Hit List's single feature that sets it apart from Things is the presence of timer functionality for each item in your lists. You simply select an item, hit B and the timer starts. As a freelancer (or anyone who works on billable projects, really) this is incredibly useful. I create lists that directly map onto projects that I'm working on, so being able to log time against each item shows me not only how long each aspect takes me (for future quoting), but how much to charge.

The Hit List is still in beta, but I've found it to be very usable. I've only had to restart it once, when the HUD wouldn't invoke, and it's not done it since so I'm happy! There is also the promise of an iPhone app (which I have found to be almost a must-have), which I hope materialises soon.

Now that I have my GTD app in-hand, I'm able to make lists and set deadlines. My compulsiveness doesn't like deadlines, oh no. It forces me off the sofa and to the sink to do the washing up, or to take out the bins, or to send the email I've been putting off and offers laziness as a reward. How generous!

So, there you have it, if you're compulsive like me, but also incredibly lazy at times; try pitting your compulsiveness against your laziness. If you give it the right ammo, compulsiveness always wins!