February 17, 2006
Can we get to the kids?
Lovely note from Tim Noyce, a senior ING consultant in Amsterdam:
Hi David - I did two talks on GTD at a secondary school here in the Netherlands recently. Following your advice I concentrated on the classic issue-outcome-next action exercise and went on to talk about emptying your head and open loops. I started by asking them that ghastly question: what do you want to be when you grow up? After a couple of examples we concluded that nobody wanted to be a machine-tool operator (clear criteria for success but boring, doesn't pay enough) and thus they would end up with jobs that they had to define while executing. I got a friendly but slightly distant reception: when you are that age it is un-cool to be enthusiastic. However the teachers were pretty keen (I handed out some workflow diagrams) and I did get an e-mail a couple of days later from one of the teachers saying that the mother of one of her pupils had "never seen him come home so enthusiastic about school" and that he had described all the things he had learned about solving problems at great length. I pass this on because (perhaps like the ClerGTD) getting though to ONE pupil was enough to entirely make my day. Kind regards, Tim.
...and Tim, I'm still learning how to be a little more un-cool about what I'm enthusiastic about! Couldn't we all just let our hair down and say, yeah isn't all this fabulous!!!???
Posted by David at 06:33 PM | Comments (6)
November 29, 2005
Current events catch-up...
Had one of those luxurious (???) days today, most of which on behind-schedule planes, en route from Ojai to Detroit. The good news is that I caught up on my two current event rags - The Week, and The Atlantic. Have to say the current issue (December) of Atlantic is one of those that just struck me as particularly Atlantic-esque and cogent.
Jim Fallows has another article in his stunning series on Irag and U.S. political, military, and social savvy (and significant lack thereof). It's so great to hear a voice with this kind of intelligence and audience instead of NewsCenter 4 pap. Problem is it still seems to be a voice much in the wilderness...
And articles about Kazakhstan (wow, who knew?), Russian politics, reflections on the Iran hostage situation, etc. After getting through most of this issue tonight, it brought me to a refreshed and sober perspective of the world we're threading through. My thanks fo the folks at The Atlantic....
Posted by David at 08:28 PM | Comments (12)
November 11, 2005
GTD for your birthday?
Just finished the Seattle RoadMap seminar today (with unfortunately only about 50% of my vocal chords firing, given a bad case of laryngitis I got in New York earlier this week!) Worked out OK - I even learned to use fewer words to make my points (always a good thing).
A fun thing that Kathryn reminded me a few minutes ago, decompressing here in the hotel with her tonight, about a father and daughter in the seminar together - he giving her the seminar as her requested birthday present.
Something similar seems to have happened at least once in every seminar I've given lately - people giving and being given the GTD seminar experience as their desired celebratory event. Flattering to us, of course, but the more significant thing to me is that the methodology is, in at least a few quarters, seen as one of the best things you could do for someone else.
I'm not voting for proselytizing to the world about GTD, or anything else - I'm somewhat allergic to that often insecurity-based behavior anyway. But it is inspiring to have others participate that way in truly a gift that keeps on giving...
"Generosity gives assistance rather than advice." - Vauvenargues
Posted by David at 09:36 PM | Comments (4)
July 04, 2005
Say what you mean
Great coffee table (or bathroom) browsing book I got recently from A Common Reader catalog - Say What You Mean: A Troubeshooter's Guide to English Style & Usage.
I never like that slightly nagging feeling I get when I'm using certain words in a certain way, and I'm not really sure if it's the appropriate or precise way they should be used. Not that I'm aiming for perfection, but this book is a fun way to keep improving in that direction.
For instance,
Geriatric This adjective means "pertaining to the illnesses or other difficulties of elderly people." It does not mean "elderly" or "senile," and you should not use it so.
and many more of the like...
Posted by David at 10:22 AM | Comments (7)
July 02, 2005
Leaning toward workplace learning
Spent the day working, mapping more of our own plans to meet the growing demand from larger organizations from us about how to embed GTD further into their cultures. Kathryn, Anne Gennett, Brandon Hall (now our Acting Director of Workplace Learning), and our friend Steve (head of training for a biotech company, and a great "friend of the court" for us in this regard) pow-wowed in our living room in Ojai. We progressed our thinking and got clearer about the kinds of products most needed to support organizational rollouts, and our own roadmap to make them available. Training and development within larger organizations remains one of the best places on the planet for adult education, and we still feel pulled to take advantage of that to spread GTD.
Me, Steve, Brandon, Kathryn doing the holiday work thing...
Posted by David at 06:43 PM | Comments (5)
June 08, 2005
Any of you care to comment...?
Our office gets a few e-mails like this one today:
"If I've read Getting Things Done and (at least claim to) understand it though haven't been totally successful at implementation (ahem), can you tell me why attending one of the Road Map seminars might be more helpful?"
Though none of you have yet actually done The RoadMap, anyone care to give us a quotable testimonial to the value of sitting in a live session with me about this GTD material, even after reading (and "understanding") the book?
(Rachelle Bonsignori is our new Public Events Director in our office, and she'd love things to share with the inquisitive folks...)
Posted by David at 05:59 PM | Comments (10)
May 27, 2005
GTD at USC...
Just got an email from an instructor at USC. It's always a delight to hear about GTD getting into the education system, in whatever form...
"I've used your system now for about 4 years and it's been a tremendous benefit personally and to all I work with, train, lead, etc. I work with various leadership training projects and refer your books often. Also, I teach a leadership class here in Los Angeles at USC advised by Warren Bennis. Your system is credited and included as part of one of the components of a key class here (The Art of Follow Through: Maximizing Your Personal Productivity)- students love it and I'm sure its increased your book sales quite a bit. ...Your tips and insights have had such a powerful impact on my personal performance and as a result on the various groups I lead and on my family. I have more time to do the things that matter and I can do them with more peace and creativity (I'm celebrating my 10 year anniversary this month and we have 2 little girls) Thank you for your diligence and work!" - Andy Roller, CEO - Leader-Source Foundation
Posted by David at 08:21 AM | Comments (4)
May 22, 2005
Learning goes to the movies...
Wonderful seat-mate conversation this afternoon, flying into Dulles, with Jerome Gary, a long-time film/TV producer/writer and screenwriting teacher at AFI. He's very much involved with something called ICT - the Institute for Creative Technologies - out of USC. They're basically doing leading edge stuff combining the best of movie-making talent and simulation training. He had heard of my book, hadn't read it, said he needed it, so I gave him a copy (I'm always loaded with one, for such circumstances).
Their expertise apparently is in creating virtual humans - java-scripted beings that, with sufficient artificial intelligence, will answer questions about why they did what they did, etc. Pretty cool. We brainstormed about having a GTD coach you can then really interact with...!
Interesting Wired article about their use in war simulation training...
Posted by David at 02:55 PM
April 25, 2005
GTD at the Air Command College
Apropos of a comment on my last blog, I've been asked to deliver a seminar in August for 650 officers at the Air Command and Staff College. Apparently the GTD book has been circulating through the senior ranks there, and according to their Course Director for the Art of Military Leadership, Lt. Col. Jim Baker, their voluminous input "can be overwhelming and negatively impact your ability to effectively lead your organization. Development of some basic executive skills to manage this enormous flow of information will help you get out from behind your desk and 'lead by walking around.'" Jim's stoked I agreed to come, and I'm stoked because these are highly influential people, and I've always liked doing work within the military because they are usually so open to learning. (When they're not fighting, they're training).
Posted by David at 10:11 AM | Comments (6)
March 20, 2005
Headsprout
Greg Stikeleather's been a good friend (and friend of the court for DavidCo) almost since our inception. Lately he's been CEO'ing for a great company - Headsprout - in Seattle, doing phenomenal work with teaching kids to read. From his e-mail today...
If you have any friends or clients that have "Ensure child's reading success and academic future while having fun at the same time" on their To-Do list for their 4- to 7-year-olds, please send them to www.headsprout.com. It was just announced this week that Kaplan's SCORE! Educational Centers are going to be using Headsprout Early Reading in their learning centers throughout the country. If you're not near a SCORE! Center, Headsprout is available from any Internet-connected computer. Word-of-mouth has been very powerful for us, as it has been for you (and is for all great products and services!). To reinforce word-of-mouth in your network, anyone who signs up to use Headsprout Early Reading after the free trial lessons and enters the promo code "davidco" will receive 10% off.
SCORE! Educational Centers Partners With Headsprout
To Offer Early Reading Program for 4- to 7-Year-Olds
http://www.headsprout.com/aboutus/pr/score.cfm
http://www.kaplan.com/AboutKaplan/PressReleases/Scores_Partner_Headsprout.htm
Posted by David at 07:32 AM | Comments (7)
February 19, 2005
My favorite news source
After doing some work with the Conference Board, I got turned on to their weekly news rag - The Week. It's now my favorite news source these days. Great to get weekly synopsis of the top stories and the best columns, reviews, etc. synthesized from U.S. newspapers. I just don't have the time for daily input, and once a week is about the interval I can feel like I don't have any really big holes in my current-events awareness. Perfect for the outside pocket of my briefcase, when I'm road-warrior-ing, too. They have an on-line version, but I still really like the paper-based format. Great between-the-lines updating tool...
Posted by David at 01:17 AM | Comments (1)
February 13, 2005
Clicker training
Kathryn and I have been proponents of clicker training since we ran across Karen Pryor's work a few years ago. Very powerful behavioral shaping techniques, based on almost totally positive feedback. If you haven't read Karen's book, Don't Shoot the Dog, I highly recommend it - even if you don't have dogs. It's great perspective on getting others to act in ways more your preference. Karen's been a client and champion of ours, is a really terrific person, and her techniques are nothing short of phenomenal. (She was a key dolphin trainer in her early years - "you can't put a choke chain on a dolphin!") Also a great friend of ours in Ojai, Liz Harward, our local animal-trainer/breeder resource, invented a digital clicker that Karen now sells, for those of you who are really into it.
Posted by David at 12:54 PM | Comments (6)
February 11, 2005
Toronto project (and foodie alert)
Finished a day in alpha testing of a simulation training for GTD, partnering with a world-class simulation training designer, Don Jones, with whom I've been in conversation for years about this possibility. His Toronoto-based company, experience it, inc, is working with us to create a one-day simulation of the GTD experience. I sort of grew up in the training world in the experiential personal-growth milieu (was a facilitator for Insight Seminars for several years). Wondered if GTD could ever be translated into that kind of event, and I think Don's the guy. He designed the simulation training that Boeing has used for years for all their senior leadership. And we've been putting our heads together now for several months, getting serious with this project. He's got a global corporation as a client right now that is interested in piloting the program, so we've got a great laboratory. Cool stuff. I actually participated as a newbie today in our little alpha test, and it was fascinating to see what we might be able to pull off in a short period of time, with the right environment and context. Stay tuned.
And, for those of you keeping lists of good restaurants in cities you may frequent from time to time, add Reds to your list for Toronto. They're the high end of a large Canadian restaurant chain, but worth trying. Their Australian rack was the best I've had anywhere (and lamb is my bellwether dish for trying restaurants). Great wine list, etc.
Posted by David at 04:49 AM
February 06, 2005
Our merry tech/marketing band
Finishing up a weekend of team-bulding, thinking, creating, as we're in the process of developing our abilty to take our education and ability to nurture our relationships with our growing global network to some great new levels...
Robert, Chirill, Ludmila, Greg, Rick, Eric (and me of course...) Picture taken by Kathryn, Chief Operating Officer Extraordinaire...
Posted by David at 01:37 AM | Comments (4)
October 01, 2004
Shameful use of innocent girls for GTD
The David Allen Company has moved into corporate sponsorship. A racing boat? A Formula I car? No, a girls' robotics team! We now proudly support the LEGO Mountaineers, a creative group of girls, age 9-14, that are preparing to enter the U.S. FIRST Junior Robotics competition. There is a connection - Amy and Wendy Mack, two on the team, are daughters of Eric, our technology guru. Of course Eric has raised them with GTD thinking, and it's pretty cool to see them mind-mapping, making things happen, getting things done, just as an assumed way of life! The team has gotten "official" support from Microsoft, Gyronix, and MindJet, as well. They're even blogging! Check it out. (Go, girls!)
Posted by David at 04:47 AM | Comments (2)
August 21, 2004
My P-Touch
For those DA-workspace voyeurs who keep asking. Here's my Vintage model Brother PT-15, gold 1992 Olympics version. Simple, solid, fast - still great after all these years.
Posted by David at 03:00 AM | Comments (4)
March 27, 2004
The Air Force promotes GTD!
This viral world is really cool. None of us have any idea how this showed up (other than that Jason's done work with the Air Force in another facility, and I've done work with Los Alamos labs in New Mexico)... but what seems "officially" from the Kirtland Air Force Base is a nice condensed version of what GTD is about... A big part of my vision from the beginning of my involvement with this material is how important it potentially could be for, simply, how the world thinks. So, thanks to Kirtland Air Force Base, for doing your part in that regard...!
Posted by David at 07:57 AM | Comments (3)
