Slice of GTD Life with Bill Myers

davidcoforum

Administrator
Staff member
You already know Bill Myers from his many posts in the forum, where he has been adding value -- and humor! -- for many years. Get to know him even more in this Slice of GTD Life interview. Bill answers the usual questions about how he got started with GTD, and the variety of tools he has tried. He also goes into helpful detail on how his thinking about and approach to GTD have changed over the years.

Video

Audio
 

Ariadne Marques

Registered
Thanks @bcmyers2112 and @John Forrister! I loved the conversation!
I'm also re-reading the book (2015 edition) and it's been interesting to notice how universal and flexible GTD is. I read the book twice (last time was 2019) and it's amazing how there are always new insights.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
I'm also re-reading the book (2015 edition) and it's been interesting to notice how universal and flexible GTD is.
Yeah. I had what I’d call an overly narrow viewpoint when I first approached the material back in the day. It took me awhile to understand just how flexible GTD is. I used to get very anxious about “getting it right.” Now I’m focused on approaching it in a way that’s right for me. It wasn’t easy to make that shift but, boy, it created a lot of freedom for me when I did.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
Terrific conversation! @bcmyers2112 thanks for reminding us to get back to beginner's mind on a regular basis.
Thanks! I hadn't thought about it as "beginner's mind" but that's a great way to look at it. No matter how much we think we know about a given topic, there is always a great deal to learn.

If you look at many of my forum comments over the years, at one time I thought I knew GTD and wanted to correct others about it. Over the past few months I've been learning to avoid that mentality.

Rather than achieving "mastery" of GTD, maybe the best I can hope for is to come to an understanding of how it can support me as a unique individual. My understanding may be different than it is for others, and that's OK.
 

John Forrister

GTD Connect
Staff member
Rather than achieving "mastery" of GTD, maybe the best I can hope for is to come to an understanding of how it can support me as a unique individual. My understanding may be different than it is for others, and that's OK.
Yes! And the specifics of how GTD supports me change as my life changes. My contexts and horizons aren't the same as they used to be, because they've adapted. David refers to it as a path of mastery, not a path to mastery.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
Finally got around to listening to this episode - what a great conversation!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Like I said, it was a great experience for me as well. Although I'm pretty sure a year from now I'll have a different understanding of what role GTD should play in my life and how to approach it. Which is more than OK -- I think that's a good thing. About the only thing that doesn't seem to change is that after having been exposed to these concepts, going back to my pre-GTD ways doesn't seem to work for me.
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Like I said, it was a great experience for me as well. Although I'm pretty sure a year from now I'll have a different understanding of what role GTD should play in my life and how to approach it. Which is more than OK -- I think that's a good thing. About the only thing that doesn't seem to change is that after having been exposed to these concepts, going back to my pre-GTD ways doesn't seem to work for me.
Couldn't have said it better!
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
I have to confess I haven't watched the recorded interview. I recall talking in surprising depth about toilets and making more than one reference to SpongeBob SquarePants. I guess I should take a look at the final product to see if those things made it in or if they had to be cut for some reason.

I guess you could argue that neither topic is relevant to GTD. Or you could argue that everything is relevant to GTD. It's supposed to manage your whole life, right? If those are things you think about a lot, they should be reflected in your GTD system in some way, right?

In my case, mentioning both of those in a GTD interview with @John Forrister was explicitly spelled out in my highest-level horizon, my life's purpose. Two more items checked off of my bucket list.

I feel great about this. The rest of you should be wondering how the (expletive deleted) someone like me remains an active member of the forum.

The appropriate thing to do would be to express your displeasure to the complaints department. It should be noted, however, that that department was eliminated due to funding cuts. The billing department, however, remains open to serve you.

Kidding. I know that's not the David Allen Company's business model. I think they're the only ones left for whom that's true.
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I had high expectations regarding the toilet talk, and I got what I came for!

The Spongebob thing, though, I cannot recall having heard...
 
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