Which tool for your Life Vision (40k ft. - Level 4)

[Popoye]

Let's talk about Life Vision !

My Life Vision consist simply in an outlined bullet list. I use my Areas of Focus as high level categories. Underneath, I add bullet points for each thing / situation I want to be true in the next 5-10 years. It can be crystal clear or somewhat blurry.

To produce my Life Vision document, I project myself in the future (5-10 years from now) and I put in writing the main characteristics I envision. I ask questions such as How would be my future lifestyle, What would I do/have, Who would I be/know, How would I behave, etc.

I try to identify sates, end results or new standards I'd like to reach in the different areas of my life (e.g. level of confidence in my investment plan, level of satisfaction in my income, level of satisfaction in my relationship with my wife, more or less detailed description of my job, etc.).

I also use my Life Vision to store ideas that keeps popping up. Sometimes they end up in my Someday/Maybe list and sometime in my Life Vision. I admit that I'm not consistent in that matter.

This document helps me to identify 2 - 3 goals (30k ft. - Level 3) that I should focus on in priority. These goals are a lot more precise and usually follow the SMART model (e.g. My yearly gross income is at least $x, I ran a marathon, I learned salsa with my spouse).

I would like to know how other GTDers are handling the Life Vision concept. Which tool are you using and how are you using it? In what way your life vision is beneficial for you?

 

[Folke]

OK, I'll be the first one out. Huge question, short answer.

Top-down: At the highest level (5), and working down from there, I basically do not use any particular tools. I am satisfied with just being able to trust that I have a clear enough understanding at the highest level about what life is all about for me (health, wealth, integrity, quality of relationships and so on). Most of these aspects have no finishing line - the better I get at it (or the luckier I am), the better it is, but it won't be over until life is over. And these values apply even now, not only after some later point in life. I know I could break these values down to level 4 and 3 objectives, but it feels a bit "artificial" for me to do so, especially the quantification bit.

Bottom-up: Unrelated to the above, I like to keep my actions, projects, roles and goals structured hierarchically all the way up to level 4. At levels three and four I see a mix of such "bottom-up" objectives ("super-projects" if you will) and an often undocumented but clear "top-down" awareness of any level 5 life value that requires acceleration.

One thing I would like to point out - something I have only recently discovered - is the fact that the level 2 Area of Focus (aka Area of Responsibility) can be used in at least two very different ways. For me personally, an AoR is strictly a level 2 reviewing entity (between levels 1 and 3). For me the AoR simply represents a concrete job role, usually a real contracted or similarly agreed role, but sometimes a "pretend" job role such as "family ambassador". But I have recently noticed that many others, you included, seem to interpret Area of Focus as a level 5 entity which you then break down vertically through levels 4, 3 and 2. I am not saying that one of these ways is necessarily better than the other for you - we all do what we feel comfortable with, obviously - but I think it is probably helpful to be acutely aware of the big difference as it will entail very different sets of practicalities when you design your system or choose tools.

 

[Oogiem]

I would like to know how other GTDers are handling the Life Vision concept. Which tool are you using and how are you using it? In what way your life vision is beneficial for you?

My Level 4 and 5 stuff is in a DEVONThink Note.

I originally had it as a simple text or word processing document but I found I referred to it, added to it and used it as inspiration more when it was in DT and on my iphone and iPad all the time. I make a special effort to review it explicitly at least once a year at year end but I find that I am tweaking it a bit at most of my quarterly more in-depth reviews at the solstices and equinoxes.

 

[mcogilvie]

Let's talk about Life Vision !

To produce my Life Vision document, I project myself in the future (5-10 years from now) and I put in writing the main characteristics I envision. I ask questions such as How would be my future lifestyle, What would I do/have, Who would I be/know, How would I behave, etc.

I try to identify sates, end results or new standards I'd like to reach in the different areas of my life (e.g. level of confidence in my investment plan, level of satisfaction in my income, level of satisfaction in my relationship with my wife, more or less detailed description of my job, etc.).

I also use my Life Vision to store ideas that keeps popping up. Sometimes they end up in my Someday/Maybe list and sometime in my Life Vision. I admit that I'm not consistent in that matter.

This document helps me to identify 2 - 3 goals (30k ft. - Level 3) that I should focus on in priority. These goals are a lot more precise and usually follow the SMART model (e.g. My yearly gross income is at least $x, I ran a marathon, I learned salsa with my spouse).

I don't have a life vision. I do have 1-2 year goals, 3-5 year goals, and some life goals/purposes/principles. I don't write much down at these levels, honestly. I know who I am and where I am going. Handling next actions up to areas of focus is where most of my energy goes. Having said that, I find that GTD has enabled me to accomplish a lot of good things at these higher levels, as well as cope with the stresses that are inevitable in a full life.

I am not fond of SMART goals. They are not a part of GTD and they often seem like a recipe for failure to me. What if you don't make the money you said you wanted? Are you a failure? Some of your goals would be GTD projects to me. "Learn salsa" would be in my "Friends Fun Family" area of focus and "Run a marathon" would probably be in "Health." If your methods work for you, that's great. I am not a strict practitioner of GTD, but I do appreciate the things David Allen did NOT put in his book.

 

[DenaDahilig]

To produce my Life Vision document, I project myself in the future (5-10 years from now) and I put in writing the main characteristics I envision. I ask questions such as How would be my future lifestyle, What would I do/have, Who would I be/know, How would I behave, etc.

It's so ironic you posted this today. One of the members here had recommended the book The 12-Week Year, and it really spoke to me, so I ended up signing up for some coaching that parallels the book. One of our "assignments" was to write out a Have/Do/Be list and use it to create a vision statement as the backbone for our own 12-week year plans.

Props to those of you who have been able to quickly craft your vision! It's surprisingly hard word work! I mean, of course it is, but planning anything beyond 1-2 years and I feel like the child who sits on Santa's lap for 10 minutes passionately rattling off the entire contents of Toys-R-Us. If I wasn't so sure that the next two years will bring wild success, maybe I could reign it in, but it seemed like once I cracked open the Pandora's box of possibilities, I couldn't fit them all back into a concise vision. So... still working on this! Thanks for the question, Popoye!

Dena

 

[TesTeq]

It's so ironic you posted this today. One of the members here had recommended the book The 12-Week Year, and it really spoke to me, so I ended up signing up for some coaching that parallels the book. One of our "assignments" was to write out a Have/Do/Be list and use it to create a vision statement as the backbone for our own 12-week year plans.

I don't know if it was me recommending the book (maybe) but I wonder if this approach works for you.

 

[DenaDahilig]

I don't know if it was me recommending the book (maybe) but I wonder if this approach works for you.

It was you! It was you! Thank you for recommending it! It's challenging and exceptionally focused work, and I won't really be able to evaluate it well until I'm further along, but I'll keep you posted.
Dena

 

[Popoye]

One thing I would like to point out - something I have only recently discovered - is the fact that the level 2 Area of Focus (aka Area of Responsibility) can be used in at least two very different ways. For me personally, an AoR is strictly a level 2 reviewing entity (between levels 1 and 3). For me the AoR simply represents a concrete job role, usually a real contracted or similarly agreed role, but sometimes a "pretend" job role such as "family ambassador". But I have recently noticed that many others, you included, seem to interpret Area of Focus as a level 5 entity which you then break down vertically through levels 4, 3 and 2.

I use the AoR in both ways.
1) I use my list of AoR as a checklist to review quickly during the weekly review. It contains about 8 AoR that are more or less broken down depending on how clear or fuzzy things are in my head. Sometimes I feel the need to go deeper into details in that list, by adding child and sub-child to the main points.
2) I also use most of the high level 'parents' of my AoR as a way to organise my thoughts in my Life Vision document. I consider them as Life Categories and by using them at that level (level 4) it helps me feel like I covered everything.

 

[Popoye]

I am not fond of SMART goals. They are not a part of GTD and they often seem like a recipe for failure to me. What if you don't make the money you said you wanted? Are you a failure?

Pro vs. Cons SMART goals is another topic. I like this approach because it forces me to think enough before committing to achieve a new goal. It is equivalent to a brainstorming session when one try to plan how to reach a goal.

Some of your goals would be GTD projects to me. "Learn salsa" would be in my "Friends Fun Family" area of focus and "Run a marathon" would probably be in "Health.

Absolutely! After all, a goal is nothing more than a dream with a target date. For some, learning salsa has nothing exciting nor challenging and it makes sens if they consider it as a simple project. For others, it could be viewed as a goal that will get them closer to their Life Vision of having a deep connection with their wife (for example).

I always had trouble to have a clear distinction between a goal vs. a project and a goal vs. a someday item. All my goals could be considered projects (comprised of subprojects). And most of my goals could also be considered as someday items because they are not about to get done anytime soon.
I think my distinction relies mostly on the emotional link that I attach to these things (and the degree of commitment I have toward making them come true).