Dean Acheson Interview

bartco

Registered
I can't say anything else but absolutely brilliant. In the past, I've relistened to interviews, but this one I played three times in a row, and picked up nuggets each time. Thanks, David, for realizing there are different styles for different folks, saying some of the same things. I hope to hear and/or read more from Dean. Indeed, the magic is the mundane. First enlightenment and then the next action....
 

ArcCaster

Registered
This has been my favorite to date.

A perspective that came out of this talk that hadn't really struck me until now was:

a good reason for handling all the little 'unimportant' things that are on your mind is to free it up so you can work on what is 'really' on your mind. and when you have addressed what is 'really' on your mind, you are free to discover and tackle what is 'really really' on your mind. And so on.

and, if the carrot is not enough, failure to handle the little unimportant things that are on your mind can make you feel weak -- "if I can't take care of these trivial little things, I surely can't be very powerful" -- and feeling this way affects your actions on the important things that you do decide to tackle.
 

mondo

Registered
I totally agree that this was an awesome interview, and a kind of a rare glimps into David's origins.

I loved the mountain climbing analogy about having to know the destination (successful outcome), but if thats all you focus on, you'll balk at doing what it takes to get there. If instead you focus on each successive next step (NA), you'll only need to focus on that energy (effort) requirement, and if you keep doing that, you'll eventually reach the outcome.

This for me really summed up the power of knowing the SO, but focusing on the runway level NA.

Thanks David and Dean for sharing!
 

packmatthews

Registered
Let's hear more from Dean!

I couldn't agree more. Thanks David for sharing the source code of GTD. I'd like to hear more about the visioning process that Dean refers to. David A. has mentioned that he starts projects out with the imaginary review he'll read about in the Wall Street Journal when the project gets to "done". Is this the sort of thing Dean is referring to? I got the impression from Dean's description of his studio that his powers of focused visioning are so well developed that he experiences his projects simply landing themselves on his cleared runway as he watches from 50,000 feet. I've had the occasional goal seem to show up like that, often landing on what looked liked someone else's runway. The impulse was to sabatoge or dismiss it since I wasn't going to get the credit for it rather than happily check it off my list as one more item I don't have to be responsible for. Who was it that said, "There are no limits to what we can accomplish once we let go of needing all the credit."?
 
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dannybader

Guest
Vision in real life

I also thought Dean's insight about vision was right on the mark. The power of using vision is something I have really begun to focus on over the past 6 years or so - and I am learning every day! For me, I often reflect back to the fall of 1992 when I had been involved in a bad accident and was at the lowest point of my life. I was focused on all the unfairness about my situation, and on how it was probably not going to get any better.

The turning point - and this became clear long after the event - was when I had a conversation with my mom, and after the conversation I asked myself "What will it look like it when I start to get better?" To me, that was my first "conscious" engagement with visioning - and that question/focus impacted me in a dramatic fashion.
 

Tara

Registered
dannybader;59068 said:
The turning point - and this became clear long after the event - was when I had a conversation with my mom, and after the conversation I asked myself "What will it look like it when I start to get better?" To me, that was my first "conscious" engagement with visioning - and that question/focus impacted me in a dramatic fashion.

Wow, Danny! Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Isn't it amazing how imaging what a future looks like can be so powerful.

Peace and best wishes,
Tara
 

Frank T

Registered
Cycle of action

Fantastic interview.

Did anyone catch the phrase Dean was using when he was talking about the origins of the cycle of action? He said it began with something that sounded like "vedakamps". :confused:

Somebody more enlightened help?

Frank
 

vivek

Registered
Origins of Cycle of action

I believe the phrase he used was vedic hyms. He mentioned quite a few things which leads me to think Dean has studied Indian/Vedic Philosophy.

- vivek
 

Tara

Registered
Ask Dean your questions

Hi Everyone,

Forgive the double post but I wanted to make sure you know that Dean will join the GTD Virtual Study Group live and in person on Thursday, July 10. Please see the recent post in the Social Networking Lounge for details. All are welcome!

Peace and best wishes,
Tara
 

Dave John

Registered
Its’ great when a principal of GTD is restated in such a way that it makes your light bulb go on. Dean did exactly this by approaching a point from a different angle. He said something that I have noticed before when I was worrying about big deadlines – the big stuff always gets done. And we know deep down that it will get done too, because we have allowed ourselves to dishonour every other agreement we have in order to get this big task completed on time.

So, Dean's point: it’s not the big stuff that is stressing us, it’s the smaller stuff that we are ignoring that is causing the problem. And the stuff we are ignoring is stressing us because we are not giving it the correct amount of thought.

This has helped me recalibrate my GTD approach – I was using it to primarily track the big stuff, yet all the while the big stuff was so solidly standing right in from of me that it didn’t need to be tracked. It was the small, nagging, background stuff that I should have been processing. It has helped me realise that it causes a heck of a lot of background static noise.

I also enjoyed the way Dean was comfortable dipping in and out of Zen concepts. The Zen metaphor for GTD runs very deep, yet still GTD keeps its own identity. It’s a rich vein of thought to follow.

Dave
 
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