What’s on your mind?
Category Archives: David Allen
Going the Distance to Mind Like Water
There is a light-year of difference between a system that has merely a lot of our stuff objectified, and one that has 100%. Few people have experienced what I’m talking about, because there are few people who have ever gotten to a 100% empty head—absolutely every project, action item, and potential commitment we have made …
Getting Unstuck
Got any knots? What’s your desired outcome to resolve that? What will be true when you can you declare it done? What’s your next action?
How’s your altitude aptitude?
Over the years, it has become more and more helpful in my work to help people understand the ecosystem of GTD® (particularly priorities) by framing their thinking and decision-making around my altitude model: GROUND: Calendar/Actions – The nitty-gritty this-moment doing level. Call Fred. Buy tires. Draft proposal. Email Susan. HORIZON 1: Projects – The things …
The best ways to deal with stress
David Allen on the best ways to deal with stress: Understand first that you’re actually IN stress Determine what’s causing it Clarify what you’d like to have true in the situation—what’s your desired outcome, at least in terms of how you’d like to be feeling? Decide if there is a next action you can take …
Outsmarting Your Mind
I have the feeling and the hope every now and again that in 25 years what GTD teaches will be such a “given” that we may wonder what it was like to walk around with such pressure and stress from our suboptimal thinking habits. The advent of the “knowledge worker” society has given so many …
Episode #31 – David Allen talks with Dr. Theo Compernolle
David talks with Dr. Theo Compernolle, a doctor with a 35-year background in medicine, psychiatry, teaching, and research. His most recent book is Brain Chains. You’ll find this interview to be educational, and perhaps challenging, as you learn that we may be using technology in counter-productive ways. Listen Now Subscribe or Download iTunes Stitcher Libsyn …
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The workforce for the next century
The assumption that everyone can and should do everything they have been given to do is an old industrial paradigm that does not hold water for “knowledge workers” who all have tons of projects that could be done infinitely better. Renegotiating agreements and standards with ourselves and our world is an unfamiliar but required skill …
Your best thoughts about work…
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The dark side of collaborative cultures
The dark side of collaborative cultures is the allergy they foster to holding anyone responsible for having the ball. “Mine or yours?” is unfortunately not in the common vocabulary of many such organizations. There is a sense that that would be impolite. “We’re all in this together” is a worthy sentiment, but seldom a reality …
Speeding up by slowing down…
I want to talk about one of the more mysterious best practices in the GTD®methodology: the art of speeding up by slowing down. I am making the assumption that all of you reading this are on some track of improvement and growth to begin with. I mean, why speed up, instead of slow down, as …
Episode #30 – David Allen GTD® Keynote in Milan – Part Two
In this conclusion of a two-part episode, David Allen shares an in-depth, sweeping overview of GTD® to an audience in Milan, Italy. Learn best practices, as well as what you can expect to have happen in your life once you start applying them. Listen Now Subscribe or Download iTunes Stitcher Libsyn Google Play Music Spotify …
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Episode #29 – David Allen GTD® Keynote in Milan – Part One
In this first installment of a two-part episode, David Allen shares an in-depth, sweeping overview of GTD® to an audience in Milan, Italy. Learn best practices, as well as what you can expect to have happen in your life once you start applying them. Listen Now Subscribe or Download iTunes Stitcher Libsyn Google Play Music …
Continue reading “Episode #29 – David Allen GTD® Keynote in Milan – Part One”
Managing Work on a Vacation
QUESTION: While on vacation, how do you juggle work and play? How much time should you allot each day of your vacation to reading business email, checking up on projects, etc.? What’s the best balance of work and play? When is the best time of the day to spend on work? What organizational tools should …
Capturing Your Thoughts
Making Use of Weird Windows of Time
The concept of daily or weekly to-do lists is as outdated as rotary phones. We need to have a total, holographic view of everything we want to accomplish, and all the actions required to start any of them. And we need to have access to views of those actions whenever we actually might be able …
How complete is your inventory?
Advice for perfectionists
Question: Do you have any GTD pointers for perfectionists? David Allen: Just focus on doing the next action perfectly, which is a lot easier than trying to be perfect about how you approach something bigger. Be as retentive as you want. The only problem is when it stops action. Be a perfectionist about the process, which …
A Tense Muscle is a Slow One
A tense muscle is a slow one. This is a physiological and demonstrable fact in the martial arts. Could this be true in other aspects of our lives? In karate, the power that can be generated by a punch is primarily due to speed, not muscle. It is the snap at the end of the …
Choosing a GTD system
Q: How should I choose which system to use (digital vs. paper) for GTD? David Allen: Pay attention to your intuition, or just simply: What do you feel like using as a system? We’ve discovered people tend to resist the GTD® implementation process enough as it is, so you need all the help you can get …
