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