re: Principles, Motivators, & GTD
BE CAREFUL ON USE OF THE WORD "PRINCIPLES":
The use of the word "principles" in this thread so far really is more accurately called values or universally shared attributes. In the same way that gold is the universally shared attribute of three gold statues, so three projects/goals may share the same universally shared attributes -- specific, measurable, etc. BUT, and here is one important thing to remember: This word means something different in GTD. In GTD, "principles" stand for the "standards" for any given project. The principles/standards for the project finish the phrase: "You would give free rein to others to handle all aspects of this project as long as they made sure…". So a minor quibble, but it's important to know that the word "principle" means something very specific in GTD. See pg. 58-59 in the book for more. I'm not against the use of "principle" that has been discussed in this thread so far -- just want to point out the difference between that use and that in the book for clarity's sake.
MOTIVATORS & DEADLINES
It is actually better to talk about "motivators" than it does to talk about deadlines. One of the questions David Allen asks on the 30-50,000ft checklist we all review (or are supposed to review) weekly, is "What motivators exist for you in current reality that determine the inventory of what your work actually is, right now?" For me these break down into the following:
(1) Deadlines put on me by others
(2) Deadlines put on me by myself
(3) Wanting certain desired outcomes
(4) Not wanting certain undesired outcomes
I've found that (1), (3) and (4) are what motivate me the most. (2) rarely motivates me at all. I've given up explaining why and have just accepted the truth about myself. If I'm not motivated by (2) then I have to push those projects and tasks into (1), (3), or (4) in order for me to get them done.
Number (3) on desired outcomes as motivation is also one component I think many GTDers miss in the system. They tend to review their Project Support files and make sure they've got new next actions related to each of their Projects, but they don't make the regular habit of reviewing the desired outcomes on their projects -- "Describe the successful outcome of the project. Envision wild success. And what new things would having this project complete make possible?" See pg 58-59 in the book.
If you don't have problems with self-imposed deadlines, then that's great. Use them to motivate you to finish the project. But if self-imposed deadlines aren't motivating for you, ask yourself what *does* motivate you. Hone in on that, make sure that you review that motivator weekly with your weekly review, and you'll be surprised at how much more progress you see on your lagging projects. Get some fresh momentum on your Projects this week by clarifying their successful outcomes in richer detail and reviewing them regularly. Trust me, you'll be surprised at the results!