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October 31, 2006

Getting to the essence

If you haven't yet subscribed to this free newsletter from Michael Bungay Stanier, named Canadian Coach of the Year, have a look at his recent ruminations here: Outside the Lines - October 2006

In his main article he talks about getting to the essence in three ways. Essentially it's about simplifying your life along these 3 dimensions:

1. Essential people
2. Essential work
3. Essential stuff

What struck me is most about this list is that I tend to list these essentials in the reverse order for a very particular reason. When getting started with Getting Things Done, or when getting back on the wagon after a lapse, the best way to begin is with stuff.

Some good beginning behaviors to tackle stuff:

Clean a drawer
Purge (or setup!) your A-Z files
Get an inbox
Collect your stuff in one neat corral
Process your inbox using a Workflow Diagram
Process your email backlog
Clean out your purse, wallet, or trunk

Now what about essential work? This phase tends to come in only once you have a good enough overview of your "stuff" to see what your work actually is! Now that you're clean and clear, review your lists and ask yourself if this work is bad, good, or great. I've found using Michael's tips on the 3 types of work has been very valuable. I try to get as many "great work" items on my projects list as possible, and when I see an item that has been stale for a long time I ask myself if it's because it's bad work and needs to be re-evaluated, clarified, or creatively enhanced. The great thing about GTD is that it gives you the freedom to ask these questions about your work, moment-to-moment and during the weekly review.

Essential people? Often people least expect GTD to be a tool for enhancing relationships, and they are shocked when it does precisely that. How can GTD help you keep essential people in your life? It's simple really. The more you are clear on your agreements and communicate consciously about them, the more the quality of your relationships will become apparent. It's easy to maintain and enhance essential relationships when you know who's got the ball and what your successful outcome is as a team. It's also easier to spot relationships that are no longer serving their purpose when you have a system in place to track how things are moving along, who's keeping their agreements, and the true vision and purpose of the endeavor.

Thanks to Michael for the gems he puts out there!

Now go out there and use GTD to "Get clear, get current, get creative!"

Posted by Lisa at 10:07 AM | Comments (2)

October 12, 2006

Reflections on Chicago

Had the pleasure of joining David and his road crew at the RoadMap seminar in Chicago last week. Apart from the stimulating experience of watching David present the seminar with his usual lively and comedic energy, I also got to engage with quite a few GTD Connect members and the city of Chicago itself.

The people

It was such an absolute delight to meet Connect members from near (Wheaton, IL) and far (Australia) during the seminar and for drinks afterward. I saw some really fantastic and creative project planning and tracking sheets drafted up by Nancy, who is an entrepreneur/mother (talk about busy successful folks who need GTD). I got inspired by her to look at spending more time in the public schools teaching GTD to kids. When I see pictures of kids proudly sitting at their desks using an inbox or writing a note it just makes me grin inside and out. I have always wondered to what extent grade school through college actually prepares kids for the jobs they will take, and it seems to me that GTD has so much more to offer in terms of real-world life skills.

I also got inspired by a new members who shares my alma mater to reevaluate a large project on my list: Clarify how I will contribute to caring for myself and the environment in an ecological and progressive way. It's a gigantic project, but what this one conversation did for me was point me in the direction of some introductory behaviors that can help me get in the game. So I came home and started composting. It's something, it's doable, and it breaks through the psychological barrier of "I can't make a difference." Big thanks to Jim for this epiphany. I'm fascinated by how this "getting started" syndrome relates back to GTD. Specifically, what are the entry-level behaviors for GTD that we can all adopt to ease into a very new way of working and living?

There were a multitude of other connections. I especially enjoyed previewing some newer Pocket PC technology (since I'm in the market for a new PDA). I also bumped into quite a few folks who are using GTD to support their work in as reverends and church volunteers. Always great to have a strong ClerGTD turn out. These folks remind me of the connection between the 50,000 ft. life's purpose and the very next physical action. There is something comforting in knowing that not-for-profit and service groups have caught the GTD bug. If you happen to be a Connect member, check out this discussion on GTD for the clergy.

The buildings

I grew up in a small farming community where the largest building in town had 4 stories (max). So it's always a treat to see something a bit older and taller, like the heart of Chicago's financial district. I learned that our very stylish venue, the W Hotel, actually dates back to 1927 with much of the original architecture and flooring in place. On first sight I had simply thought the hotel was aiming for a strange blend of classic and ultra-modern. But alas, the gold leaf ceilings were original. I also captured a few shots of pretty high rises while out and about in the city.

The food

Still big on my raw food kick, I visited the only two raw food restaurants in Chicago. Karyn's Raw Gourmet, though stylish and in a sweet little residential neighborhood, was not to my taste. I found their use of garlic totally overwhelming, and the raviolli just didn't compare to the raw raviolli I've had. The pasta primavera was quite nice, though, with a sweet sauce. Given the choice, I'd cruise uptown to Cousin's Incredible Vitality any day of the week. The atmosphere is very relaxed and fun, and the dishes are fantastic. Try a green smoothie, they are just as sweet and smooth as they are healthy. I had a baby greens salad with walnuts and ginger tahini dressing, totally delicious.

The bean
Speaking of food...

The most phenomenal thing I saw was "the bean". I had a blast interacting with it and watching others conquer its mysterious ways. Click below for more pictures of what I consider one of the most inspiring and playful pieces of art I've seen.

The bean and my boots- this is what it's like when you bravely lay under the bean.

Looking into the bean- totally mind-boggling, like fractal art in 3-D.

Me and the bean- A passerby insisted that she snap this shot because the sight of it was cracking her up.

I just love Chicago! A fabulous trip to one of my favorite cities, with some great connections, lessons, and inspirations.

Posted by Lisa at 03:00 PM | Comments (3)

October 09, 2006

David Allen a la Podcast

I'm happy to report that we have opened up a public podcast feed here at:

The David Allen Company Updates

If you haven't yet, add this feed to your favorite RSS news reader to get company updates from Coach's Corner, What's Up At DavidCo, and our blogs.

Right now you can hear the first episode in "Productive Talk", conversations between Merlin Mann and David Allen. It's been really fun for me whenever I've had a chance to interact with these two visionaries. David + Merlin is a great recipe for engaging and often funny conversation about the fringe between GTD, technology, and contemporary ways of thinking and living. I believe it was David Harrington who first told me that the best creativity emerges from interdisciplinary studies, on the fringe between different cultures. A diverse environment stimulates new ideas in abundance because new perspectives are filtered into existing conversations and modes of operation. I certainly have a creative experience whenever I hear David consulting with his wide array of tech experts and geeks for the latest and greatest tips on where the world is headed. So I hope you'll enjoy the clip and the clips to come. It's great to be offering a slice of David in podcast form, a technology that seems all the more viral these days.

Posted by Lisa at 08:02 AM

October 08, 2006

Service in 2 minutes or less

I was taking out the trash today, a chore that I have on my calendar as a repeating weekly event, when I had a major GTD epiphany. I had just loaded up the largest trash bin and was about to walk down my very long driveway with it when I spotted an irksome little piece of garbage on the floor of my garage. My mind struggled in that millisecond- to pick it up or not? Picking it up interrupts the flow of my action, but it means a cleaner home. Not picking it up means looking at that piece of trash when I come back into the garage in a few minutes. I imagine this is the normal "to act or not to act" dialogue that brains do millions of times per day on a neural level.

Then the epiphany struck- beyond weighing this action based on a cost-benefit analysis of what I would get out of it, there was something more interesting to be learned from this. I did pick up the trash because it was an action that took 2 minutes or less and I knew it would be weighing on my mind if I didn't do it now. I would definitely pick up that trash someday, so it might as well be this instant and be done with it. I realized I had just applied David Allen's two minute rule in a whole new way! (See Getting Things Done, pg 131-133.) This simple action became in my mind a tiny act of service to my household. Thus 2 minute service was born.

I spent the rest of my day with eyes peeled for opportunities to give back to my community, friends, family, anyone, via simple next action steps. Many people I know talk about not having enough time to commit to service work and volunteering, at least not as much as they'd like to. It occurs to me now that there are different levels of service, i.e. projects on the 10,000 ft. Horizon of Focus and next actions at the "Runway" level (GTD, page 51-53). There is a problem with the way we tend to think about service as being limited to 10,000 ft. Projects and ongoing 20,000 ft. Areas of Focus. This attitude makes it easy to throw our hands up in the air and say, "Sorry, I'm just too busy to participate with that!" I count myself among the guilty on this one. What if being of service didn't require clocking in monthly or weekly to the same organization or the same behavior? In fact there are hundreds of daily opportunities to be of service using the wisdom of GTD to immediately complete actions that require 2 minutes or less.

Here are some ideas from my own day today to help you get going with 2 minute or less service. I'm certain that it will look different for everyone, and I would love to hear your ideas and suggests about other 2 minute service actions. (Side note: remember, service can be to yourself as well as others- sometimes taking care of yourself has the best long term benefits because of what you are able to contribute to others when you are rested and healthy.)

Pick up some trash
Call the neighbor whose dog seems lost in the rain
Recycle something
Pick up the change someone dropped while standing in line
Tell a cashier you appreciate them (better yet tell their manager)
Take a 2 minute stretch break in service to your health
Comment on a blog or website you like
Email a friend who could use some support- send something heartfelt or funny
Support a budding artist or musician you know
Donate to a charity online in 2 minutes or less
Give someone 2 minute or less tech support
Recommend a business/practitioner/venue to someone who is looking
Give someone a 2 minute neck massage
Listen, really listen, to someone for an extra 2 minutes beyond what the conversation required
Tell someone "keep the change"
Smile at someone

What's so powerful about these commonplace gestures?

The number one excuse for not being of service is "I don't have time." But one thing I have been learning from the Getting Things Done approach is that I am in control of all of my time and all of my agreements. In effect, I single-handedly create my priorities and to what I give my resources (time, money, energy, etc.) Using that attitude to my advantage, it becomes clear that I can make time for anything that matters to me.

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."
- Edmund Burke

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
- Anne Frank

Posted by Lisa at 09:35 PM | Comments (7)

October 03, 2006

The Day Fire is contained

I am relieved to say that the wildfire that has been blazing in the mountains above Ojai for the past 3+ weeks has been 100% contained thanks to the efforts of over 3,000 firefighting personel and no small chunk of change- estimated at over $70 million spent so far.

David often talks about the "latest and loudest" grabbing our attention and directing us away from the most appropriate next actions. There's nothing like an update about a very real and very powerful threat to pull at the psyche and add stress to your life.

Ojai breathes a sigh of relief. A shift in the wind last week brought us some both mental and physical relief. The fire shifted away from us (unfortunately towards another community to the north) and the ash and smoke falling from the sky diminished noticeably. We even had some light rain showers this weekend; fall is here and the fire is on its way out!

Thanks to all of you who have sent your well-wishes to us at DavidCo, based here in Ojai.

And thanks to The Ojai Post for keeping us informed every step of the way. It's so nice to see how Ojai became a vibrant interactive community in the face of concern. It is oh-so-good to live in a small town.

Posted by Lisa at 11:31 AM | Comments (2)