on the verge......................

     My adventures with Inbox Zero were only the tip of the iceberg.  I've squandered countless hours—and a fair amount of money, spent mainly on fancy notebooks and felt-tip pens—in service to the belief that if I could only find the right time management system, build the right habits, and apply sufficient self-discipline, I might actually be able to win the struggle with time, once and for all.  (I was enabled in this delusion by writing a weekly newspaper column on productivity, which gave me an excuse to experiment with new techniques on the grounds that I was doing so for work purposes; I was like an alcoholic conveniently employed as a wine expert.) . . .Using these techniques often made me feel as if I were on the verge of ushering in a golden era of calm, undistracted productivity and meaningful activity.  But it never arrived.  Instead, I just got more stressed and unhappy.

-Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks:  Time Management for Mortals