November 29, 2008
The "Here" and the "There"
It is consistently around this time of year when I - and no doubt millions of others - find themselves in the reflective mode of thankfulness. I am thankful for many people and things in my life: family, Faith, home, career, and health. What we have and what we are thankful for I call the "Here".
Then over the passage of about 40 days many of us shift our attention to the things, and outcomes, and way of living we want to achieve and create over the next year or two of our lives that exist only in our imagination and dreams. For many people, this shift is instigated by that spot on our calendars we call New Year's Day. I am no longer surprised by the fact that only about 10 - 20% of the people I interact with at GTD sessions have an externalized list of their personal and professional goals, and a clear vision for themselves 3 to 5 years down the road of life. This is what I call the "There."
For years I did not have them either, but I have come to realize an absolute correlation between the strong externalization of our goals and vision - and the realization of them.
This movement between where we are and where we want to go is a perpetual process, and it should be.
You see, when we arrive at "There", another wonderful opportunity arises as it becomes a "Here" once again.
So what does this have to do with GTD? Or even better what does GTD have to do with this? Everything! GTD is unique in that it begins with the "Here"; the commitments we are dealing with right now. It is then after one gains control over their current commitments that they move toward a greater perspective.
For me this is made real and tangible through David's simple interpretation of the different levels of our lives referred to as the Horizons of Focus. They are listed below and you may want to read or re-read pages 200- 210 in Getting Things Done for a deeper explanation of these Horizons.
As I write this on the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, I know the proverbial page on our calendars - January 1st - will be here in what seems to be the blink of an eye.
If this blog entry has you thinking about where you are, and perhaps where you want to go as we approach the shores of 2009, you may want to review the Horizons of Focus. And as you gaze across the open waters of your life pay attention and capture what is showing up.
Your path may be as simple as looking at these words next to one another: HERE THERE.
You realize there is only one letter that is the difference, the T.
So, anything you need to do to add your "T"?
Posted by Danny at 06:17 AM | Comments (1)
November 18, 2008
A relaxed mind...
Tiger Woods recently reminded me of what many people believe to be the greatest value realized by applying the GTD principles to their lives - the ability to focus. Well, Tiger himself did not remind me - although it would be cool to play a round of golf with him sometime (perhaps I should add it to my someday/maybe list).
What actually reminded me of this is one of those clever ads featuring Tiger Woods that I consistently see in my travel through airports. The ad campaign - run by Accenture - has the theme of "high performance".
The ad below shows Tiger focused on his task at hand - making the putt - while the fountain rages in the background. I once read where Tiger's father, Earl, used to jingle change in his pockets and drop things to make loud noises as Tiger was practicing his putting. The purpose was to allow young Tiger to develop the ability to get his mind still. I recall where someone once wrote, "You will never reach peak performance until your mind is still."
This stillness is captured in the ad through the use of a "distractions scale" showing a measurement of 0%.
GTD has several behaviors that promote a still mind and greater focus. We GTD'ers know it as "mind like water", our state of mind that is clear and free of distraction.
These GTD behaviors include:
- writing things down
- putting them into a trusted place where you will see them again
- deciding the next action on that which you collected
- getting clear on the outcome you want to be true
- placing a reminder of the next action in an external system so your mind can let it go
Many folks say that this clear mind is an addictive state that drastically increases their ability to execute actions, and respond appropriately to the constant flow of new inputs entering their lives from emails, phone calls, bosses, spouses, kids, and the list goes on and on.
So how is your mind today?
Anything you could do to get it clear?
There is tremendous power in a blank piece of paper and a pen; and when your mind is added to that mix you may be surprised with what shows up!
Be well.
Danny
Posted by Danny at 08:50 AM
