I’ve noticed that one of the hardest things for people to do is to change what they’re doing to something better to be doing, when there’s nothing externally forcing them to. But to unhook from whatever groove we’re in, in the moment, and shift the focus of awareness and physical energies into something that may not be as immediately easy or comfortable…I think that takes real strength.
Category Archives: David Allen
The Process Pressure Points are Personal
The most successful executives/professionals/people keep their decks clear, make decisions on the front end, dispatch the results to trusted people and systems, track commitments rigorously (their own and others’) and get physically engaged taking actions on the projects they own.
Your Priorities: Leaping from Hope to Trust
GTD makes the intuitive leaps about what action to take more a matter of trust than hope.
The Case for Current Reality
David Allen’s answer about where to start with GTD? Anywhere.
We’re All Alone in this Together
The best teams and relationships are the ones in which the players all acknowledge they’re each alone in the endeavor together.
Why “List” is a Dirty Word
When I have shared my own personal system in my presentations, someone always says, “You’ve got so many LISTS!’ with a tone of voice that really translates into “How silly and stupid! There’s no way that could work for me.” What’s wrong with lists? I understand their negative reactions. Most people haven’t had a lot …
Go beyond passion to peaceful purposefulness
I have been attempting to understand why it bugs me to hear professional motivators talk about the necessity for “passion” to be successful. Perhaps I’m just getting too old and lazy to be interested in jacking up my emotions about anything. (Getting passionate about something usually seems to me like hard work.) Or perhaps it’s …
Continue reading “Go beyond passion to peaceful purposefulness”
Are you overwhelmed by long lists?
Are you overwhelmed by long lists? David Allen’s advice for choosing what to do from your many possibilities.
GTD and Teams
A recurring question from people new to GTD, or interested in its applicability to an organization, is “How does GTD relate to teams?”
Episode #89: David Allen on How to Stop Procrastinating on Your Taxes…and Everything Else
In this episode we present an excerpt from a talk that David Allen gave in front of a live audience. It covers procrastination, what type of people are the most susceptible to getting stuck, and how to stop procrastinating on your taxes…and everything else.
Episode #88: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Outcome and Action Thinking
What would you like to have true? Instead of whatever is currently true. And how do you need to reallocate, or allocate your attention, your activities, your resources, to make that happen?
Episode #87: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Be Crazy About What Could Be Cool
We grow with challenges, so the challenges that we may all be in right now or experiencing in some way, shape, or form they’re going to teach a strength, patience, and tolerance I’ve discovered after my 75 years. That tends to show up and expand, and kind of add to the quality of my life. Add to the relaxation of my life. Add to the focus of my life.
Episode #86: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Upgrade
I need to upgrade my computer. I need to upgrade my operating system. I need to upgrade this piece of software. I need to upgrade any of my technology, and any of my tools.
Episode #85: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—What’s Really True?
Just say what’s really true right now. Because you need to know what’s the current reality so that you can then move from a ground base of reality. Not from some expectation of that, or generalization of that, or exaggeration of that.
Episode #84: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Clean Up, Close Up
So look around your environment and say, how functional is it? How useful is it? How current is it in terms of the reality of these things and their meaning to you?
Episode #83: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Get In Your Groove
Well, you may already have a groove, but I imagine your groove has been disturbed to a large degree by whatever has been going on in the world lately. And especially in turbulent times, it’s going to disturb your groove. Get into a new one.
Episode #82: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—Laughter and Soap
At some point you just need to laugh, and you need to clean up.
Episode #81: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—What Are You Learning From This?
In these kinds of times, that’s actually in retrospect when we find out we’ve learned how to grow. We’ve expanded. We’ve stretched ourselves. We’ve challenged ourselves, we’ve had to look at things from whole new perspectives.
Episode #80: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—I Am Unreasonably Joyful
Give yourself permission, for at least a minute, to just pretend that there are all kinds of things to be joyful about. So, be unreasonably joyful.
Episode #79: David Allen with a Two-minute Tip—The Two-minute Rule
Anything you can do in less than two minutes, if you need to do it at all then do it right then.