Anyone actually in the mind like water zone?

[bdizzy]

I've been implementing the system for a couple of months now, and I feel like it's going well. I browse this forum, 43folders, gtdwannabe blogs, etc. and in the midst of all of this GTD discussion, I've realized that I haven't heard from anyone that says "I've used GTD and am in the zone, and it's great."

Of course it makes sense that the people actually in the zone aren't wasting their time browsing through the web forums. But if you read even the coach's corner articles on davidco.com, THEY mention their problems with the systems too. Merlin of 43 folders mentions how he's terrible at it, that's why he obsessed with it. This has all led me to wonder, WHO besides David Allen himself is actually IN the zone? I'm not talking "well, this system has really helped me". I'm talking "stress-free productivity baby, yeah!", with emphasis on the stress-free part.

As for me, I think the system is going awfully well right now, but I wouldn't say I'm totally in the mind like water zone. Maybe I feel close, so that is why I'm writing it, I don't know. Lastly, if anyone says "you can't ever get there, you can only approach it" I'm going to be sorely disappointed. Not at the realization that it doesn't exist, but disappointed at the lack of optimism in that statement. I think what David talks about in the book is possible, I just want to hear from people that feel like they've sustained it.

 

[remyc88]

I don't think GTD is about staying in the zone all the time because that just means you are becoming stagnant.

The idea is that once you reach the zone, you take on more challenges that will push you out of the zone, and then you work harder to get back in.

For example, if the only responsibly I had was to sit around and watch TV, then I could be in the zone all the time!

I've been in the zone several times, and each time I was "in the zone" I was promoted and given more responsibilities and thus had to adapt my system to fit those responsibilities.

And most likely a lot of people have been in the zone, but they just don't notice it. Because once they're in it, they take on more challenges and are pushed out again.

 

[TesTeq]

Mind like water - ready for anything.

I'm talking "stress-free productivity baby, yeah!", with emphasis on the stress-free part.

For every person there are two kinds of stuff: known and unknown. The "mind like water" state is a state when you are capturing, processing, organizing, reviewing and doing the known stuff on a daily basis. The unknown stuff can attack you at any moment but you can use the five step process to deal with it, make it known and return to the stress-free nirvana.

In another thread http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36225&postcount=8 I wrote:

For me Mind Like Water in GTD means: do not overreact or underreact to the external stimuli. Your actions should be appropriate to the situation - that's all. To be prepared for unexpected (Ready for Anything ) you should have the trusted system with all loops closed. So - in case of unexpected - you have to deal with one new open loop only.

People often over- or underreact because they feel overwhelmed. One unexpected new open loop adds to other open loops and creates big wave (or no wave at all) instead of the wave that is objectively appropriate and most effective.

 

[Arnold Howard]

"Mind like water" zone

The "mind like water" zone is not as dramatic as you may think. With discipline, it is easy to achieve. It is a feeling of well being that comes from knowing that a) you are doing precisely what you should be doing at a given moment and b) you have planned out the rest of the day.

The zone means focusing on the present moment. It comes with a deep sense of peace and can be experienced in any line of work.

Arnold Howard

 

[kewms]

What remyc88 said. If you are in the zone all the time, you are stagnant.

Also, what looks like perfect balance from the outside may not feel that way from the inside. A martial arts master *is* far more balanced than an average joe on the street. However, he is also far more aware of his own balance and (if he's any good) always trying to be even better.

Katherine

 

[Mindi]

I've visited occassionally

My experience with "stress free productivity" is that I'm now stressed about the things I want to be stressed about. I find that I have a project that I'm excited about, and I'm in a whirlwind of activity around getting it done, which can be stressful. The nice thing is, I no longer stress out about whether or not the laundry gets done, as that is a project in my trusted system that I no longer have to spend energy dealing with.

Mindi

 

[BrianK]

For me, "stress-free productivity" doesn't mean a stress-free existence. Stress-free productivity means the ability to focus on what I am doing without being stressed about what I'm not doing. It means that I can devote all of my attention to the task, decision, or project at hand without thinking or worrying about other things that I need to do or should do or want to do.

David Allen's description of "mind like water" is what I always come back to when I figure out what state I want to be in. Mind like water doesn't mean just a flat, glassy lake with no ripples, with that being the end of the metaphor. It means a flat glassy lake that reacts with appropriately sized ripples depending on what is thrown at it. If a small pebble is thrown at it, it will react, but in proportion to the size of the pebble. If a huge rock is thrown at it, it will react more strongly, more forcefully. The end goal of GTD is to steady the water so that when a pebble (a small task, request, piece of data) is thrown your way, you can react, not overreact, but still react to it, and if a boulder is thrown your way (life-changing event), you can react to it and react appropriately, rather than being paralyzed by it or lulled into ignoring it.

So yes, I experience mind like water. I'm not always in a perpetual state of calm, glassy lake. But I am in and out of a state of mind like water, where I can handle what is thrown at me, and do so efficiently and with the appropriate amount of energy and effort. And a weekly review - which forces me to not do for a short period of time and put things back in order - keeps me from being out of that state for very long.

 

[Vramin]

Thanks for reiterating all of that...

The end goal of GTD is to steady the water so that when a pebble (a small task, request, piece of data) is thrown your way, you can react, not overreact, but still react to it, and if a boulder is thrown your way (life-changing event), you can react to it and react appropriately, rather than being paralyzed by it or lulled into ignoring it.

I really needed to hear it again. I have a quote from (I believe) the pages of Ready for Anything that says, "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." I'm aware that one of my weaknesses is overreacting or dramatizing things when they don't work. I allow myself to get so annoyed that it is hard to return to ready. Mind like water is not complacent, nor necessarily reactionary... just responsive.

 

[tominperu]

I myself now get a lot more done. I also find it easier to relax about things, but I have no need to justify GTD by using this metaphor which to me just sounds like a good tag line for selling the system to others. Call me cynical but...

 

[Vramin]

Okay...

I myself now get a lot more done. I also find it easier to relax about things, but I have no need to justify GTD by using this metaphor which to me just sounds like a good tag line for selling the system to others. Call me cynical but...

You're cynical.

 

[Arnold Howard]

"Mind like water" state

The "mind like water" state is peaceful, but not necessarily at an outer level. It is an attitude of mental relaxation, similar to the mental state of a good golfer. Yet the work place can be the opposite. You can have a mind like water while you are in the middle of a hurricane of activity and working under tight deadlines.

Arnold Howard