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November 20, 2006
Why get things done?
For the first time in the 7-ish years I've been involved with Getting Things Done, I asked myself today: Why do we want to be getting things done?
The word "done" rang out loud and clear in my head at that moment. The sweet tase of completion. It seems that success is a word that really rings our bells here in Western civilization, and completion is genuinely intertwined with worldly success. But perhaps at times we are too focused on the end results, aiming for goals without asking ourselves the big "why."
I'm sure David Allen knows all this (and perhaps to a much deeper cut than I do), so why on earth did he title his book Getting Things Done?
Then I woke up to the word "getting". He didn't choose "Get Things Done", he chose an active, progressive, moving verb. We are in the process of getting things done. Suddenly it clicks for me- we are all in process, all the time, constantly moving and growing and learning as we refine the process called life.
So what? What does this all mean to me?
It means that GTD really is a martial art- it acknowledges both the real stake-in-the-ground signposts that we have out there as goals, objectives, accomplishments, sucesses, etc. and it also reminds us that we are all en route to those experiences.
Where has your focus been lately? On "getting"- the process of life? On "things"- the stuff of life? Or on "done"- completion, closure, end states.
No one focus is better than another. If your garage has 150 boxes of unnecessary stuff, the wisest use of your time may be on the stuff. Go tackle your stuff so it won't have to distract from the other pieces of life. Or if you're 99% complete with a project, career, business venture- maybe "done" has most of your attention. But perhaps the most neglected word- "getting" pops up when we're in the flow, consciously aware that life is a journey. Someone recently pointed out the power of the words "human being". This person felt so completely overwhelmed and caught up in the busy-ness of life that the term "human doing" was almost more applicable. But hundreds of years back when the noun "human being" was coined, someone knew precisely what they wanted to communicate. We are humans being, and also doing, and also completing.
Posted by Lisa at November 20, 2006 06:00 AM
Comments
Lisa,
My favorite line comes at the end:
We are humans being, and also doing, and also completing.
I am working on a short article describing a pivitol moment in my life when I realized just how "fast" I tend to move. As a result of this one experience, I now have a reference point for when I'm "on," and when I'm "off."
I have an activity I lead seminar participants through during the second morning of GTD seminars. It starts with each person turning to their neighbor and answering the question:
"Why be productive, anyway?"
You've added something to the discussion here, thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Jason at November 20, 2006 07:21 AM
Wise spoken. It's important to enjoy the journey - not just the goal!
Posted by: Preben Carlsen at November 20, 2006 11:19 AM
solid post, Lisa. Thank you!!
Posted by: Joe Ely at November 21, 2006 05:51 AM
Thanks so much for this, Lisa. I love the way you describe the different modes with such clarity.
Posted by: Valerie at November 26, 2006 04:36 PM
Nowadays when we're all so busy, the question of the word "done" rhymes with another word we need more of -- fun!
And that question about end states vs. stuff and process reminds me of another I was once posed regarding fun. What kind of a partygoer are you? When a party is scheduled to finish at 11:00PM, are you the kind that thanks the host for such an excellent time and leaves then? Or do you suggest extending it, or even go to another party in town?
Both approaches have merits and drawbacks. Yes, it's an incredible high to get the diploma, hit milestones, release products onto storeshelves. Yet there may be letdown when the baby one's worked on so long finally goes. Sometimes that's done prematurely, when we cut corners and quality suffers.
It's that bittersweet feeling that's nagged at me as project completion nears. I've enjoyed working on something so much, how do I keep the excitement going knowing things have to get out the door?
Reading your individual focus of each word of GTD has given me hope. I think DA's combination of verb tenses beautifully provides a calming and energizing perspective. "Done" ultimately reflects past tense, yet it's about the future. And "getting" is about the only moment we operate in, the present.
Thank you for making me see that we had, are having, and will have fun. Time to party!
Posted by: Glenn Mandelkern at March 10, 2007 12:03 PM
