C
C
Camus
Guest
That was the Wired article which introduced me to GTD this morning, and I'm really thankful for it. It was really a breath of fresh air. I'm relaxed, calm and focused, but I think GTD would help me to achieve the bigger goals in my life.
Now I'm ready to join the cult.
I've been a fan of Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now," Jerry and Ester Hicks, and a few others. I supposed, those were preparing me for GTD.
The 'Getting Started Guide' looks a bit intermidating for a newbie like me. I have a few thousand e-mails sitting in my mailbox for the past couple of years. But let me read the book first, which I hope to pick up on my way home later. Wish me luck on my first day on the GTD bandwagon.
Now I'm ready to join the cult.
I've been a fan of Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now," Jerry and Ester Hicks, and a few others. I supposed, those were preparing me for GTD.The 'Getting Started Guide' looks a bit intermidating for a newbie like me. I have a few thousand e-mails sitting in my mailbox for the past couple of years. But let me read the book first, which I hope to pick up on my way home later. Wish me luck on my first day on the GTD bandwagon.
B
Bob Burtt
Guest
...
Wow, I've never belonged to a cult before...HAHA
Bob
Wow, I've never belonged to a cult before...HAHA
Bob
I wonder what this portends...
"A while ago we discovered that it's easier for people to buy into a personality than a process, so what the heck?"
I can just see a reality show along the lines of the current Hilton incarnation, "I Want A Mind Like Water." Sponsored by Propel, of course.
"A while ago we discovered that it's easier for people to buy into a personality than a process, so what the heck?"
I can just see a reality show along the lines of the current Hilton incarnation, "I Want A Mind Like Water." Sponsored by Propel, of course.
GTD|Connect
David Allen attached the entire original email interview to his July 12th entry in his blog. I found this particular comment intriguing:
I'm creating a membership model for the fall of 2005 - GTD|Connect - to give people who want more touch-points with me on a consistent basis to be able to stay the course toward what we call "black belt." The best and brightest get it, and get that they don't yet get it, and they've been asking for a more on-going way to participate and play.
Carolyn
David Allen attached the entire original email interview to his July 12th entry in his blog. I found this particular comment intriguing:
I'm creating a membership model for the fall of 2005 - GTD|Connect - to give people who want more touch-points with me on a consistent basis to be able to stay the course toward what we call "black belt." The best and brightest get it, and get that they don't yet get it, and they've been asking for a more on-going way to participate and play.
Carolyn
S
ShawnL
Guest
Sheesh, the author of this article sure has fallen in love with his "cult" metaphor.
Someone really ought to tell this writer that respect of an individual who is of great help to people in developing productive habits and skills does not make a cult.
This is not about Celebrity. It is not about worshiping Dave. It's not about a Religion. It's about coaching. It's about being a good communicator. It's about helping people out, and selling a few books in the process...
It's the classic big media conceit that the common people are merely sheep to be led around. Thus it just isn't possible that we are thinking for ourselves, but turned over our lives to the almighty David Allen...
Sheesh.
Someone really ought to tell this writer that respect of an individual who is of great help to people in developing productive habits and skills does not make a cult.
This is not about Celebrity. It is not about worshiping Dave. It's not about a Religion. It's about coaching. It's about being a good communicator. It's about helping people out, and selling a few books in the process...
It's the classic big media conceit that the common people are merely sheep to be led around. Thus it just isn't possible that we are thinking for ourselves, but turned over our lives to the almighty David Allen...
Sheesh.
J
jmarkey
Guest
I have to admit, I'm drinking the Kool Aid...
ShawnL said:
I dunno... I've seen some of the posts on these boards and elsewhere come pretty close to DA worship.
But then, in other contexts I've found that people who are looking for gurus always seem to find them, no matter how firmly the object of their admiration denies his guruhood.
Katherine
Guru versus Mentor
I bought the GTD Fast CD set when the news came up here that there was a limited supply left. No regrets! I have been playing the CDs while I am working. Sometimes something DA says jumps out at me, sometimes I don't hear it at all because I am so focused on the task in front of me. I have been surprised at the effect. The listening has helped me further streamline my work, and the background flow where I can listen when I want and ignore when I'm really focused has been so motivational. It has given me hope that with persistence I really can reach black belt status. The look of my desk has completely changed in the past week, and I believe there will be more change.
Guru? Cult leader? Not to me, but most certainly a respected mentor who has had a positive impact on my life. I will continue to listen to/read his words, putting into practice those processes that are working so well for me.
Carolyn
I think of David Allen as a mentor, not a guru. I've always had trouble with piles of paper, feeling like I was working in a whirlwind. I met deadlines, but I knew there had to be a better way. I read oodles of time management books, but it was only Getting Things Done that made sense to me. It has made a difference in my work style, and my sense of control over my work. By no means have I mastered it, but I can tell a distinct difference in my stress level and my productivity.kewms said:
I bought the GTD Fast CD set when the news came up here that there was a limited supply left. No regrets! I have been playing the CDs while I am working. Sometimes something DA says jumps out at me, sometimes I don't hear it at all because I am so focused on the task in front of me. I have been surprised at the effect. The listening has helped me further streamline my work, and the background flow where I can listen when I want and ignore when I'm really focused has been so motivational. It has given me hope that with persistence I really can reach black belt status. The look of my desk has completely changed in the past week, and I believe there will be more change.
Guru? Cult leader? Not to me, but most certainly a respected mentor who has had a positive impact on my life. I will continue to listen to/read his words, putting into practice those processes that are working so well for me.
Carolyn
ceehjay said:
LOL, how shrewd, to define a prospective market by "best," "brightest," and those who "get that they don't yet get it." Why, that's only.......
ALL OF US?
I'm all for him cashing in, but I'll treasure the memories I have of The GTD Era of Geeky Innocence and Leaving Money on the Table.
I know there are few things more dreary than a dictionary definition. But Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary has as one of its definitions of "cult"
I think DA is a great fellow. I think he has made an extraordinary contribution to the world and that contribution has increased my happiness and improved my life in numerous ways. That said, I see no sign that people on this board have lost their critical faculties. Some of DA's stuff is better than others. When DA first publicized his blog I looked at it for a while and decided it's not for me. There was too much emphasis on the person DA and too little on GTD. Ochant, CosmoGTD, and most others on this board appear to have little interest in discussing the details of which dentist DA goes to or how DA's dog is doing these days. But they are members of the cult which critically examines personal information management systems and strategies.
a usu. small circle of persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure.
In this very narrow sense I view myself as a member of the GTD cult. I have written, tongue in cheek, "Viva David Allen!" But in reality my allegiance is not to David Allen but to the intellectual movement he initiated. CosmoGTD has written some trenchant criticisms of DA, and I have agreed with most of them. Ochant, in the very article about the GTD cult, states that he has learned at least as much from people other than DA, as he has from DA.
I think DA is a great fellow. I think he has made an extraordinary contribution to the world and that contribution has increased my happiness and improved my life in numerous ways. That said, I see no sign that people on this board have lost their critical faculties. Some of DA's stuff is better than others. When DA first publicized his blog I looked at it for a while and decided it's not for me. There was too much emphasis on the person DA and too little on GTD. Ochant, CosmoGTD, and most others on this board appear to have little interest in discussing the details of which dentist DA goes to or how DA's dog is doing these days. But they are members of the cult which critically examines personal information management systems and strategies.
C
ChuckR
Guest
Camus said:
Ha - I've been of a fan of Tolle, too. I wonder if there is a common denominator between Tolle and Allen that attracts the same type of people - I've known many other GTDers that also like Tolle - perhaps it is the attraction to peace and serenity and the need for help in trying to achieve it.
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
From my perspective, that Wired article was really just tongue-in-cheek, and was not at all seriously saying GTD is cultlike, in the sense of a real cult.
It isn't.
But one could make a very strong argument that it is something used by folks who can have quite Obsessive personalities. It can easily be taken to the extreme, when people go berserk with their lists.
David Allen and his people do market his personality, as personality marketing is what works with most people. Even Geeks go in for that, as its human nature. But DA is doing this in a pretty limited way compared to many other folks out there.
Personally, I don't put his work in the same category as these so-called bogus "success and self-help gurus" who use the techniques of personality marketing to the extreme.
GTD is not a cult, or even cultlike.
But as an off-topic aside, in terms of a REAL cult, a GTD-like comprehensive system for "controlling your life" could be used as a mechanism to control people. So it could be abused. So there is some truth that this type of obsessive system for total life control, could be easily used in a nefarious way. I could give a couple of examples right now where people are doing something along these lines....
I hope DA continues to stay out of the flakey "self-help" business, and just sticks to teaching his system, with minimal show-biz frills. I guess it all depends on which direction he wants to take it.
It isn't.
But one could make a very strong argument that it is something used by folks who can have quite Obsessive personalities. It can easily be taken to the extreme, when people go berserk with their lists.
David Allen and his people do market his personality, as personality marketing is what works with most people. Even Geeks go in for that, as its human nature. But DA is doing this in a pretty limited way compared to many other folks out there.
Personally, I don't put his work in the same category as these so-called bogus "success and self-help gurus" who use the techniques of personality marketing to the extreme.
GTD is not a cult, or even cultlike.
But as an off-topic aside, in terms of a REAL cult, a GTD-like comprehensive system for "controlling your life" could be used as a mechanism to control people. So it could be abused. So there is some truth that this type of obsessive system for total life control, could be easily used in a nefarious way. I could give a couple of examples right now where people are doing something along these lines....
I hope DA continues to stay out of the flakey "self-help" business, and just sticks to teaching his system, with minimal show-biz frills. I guess it all depends on which direction he wants to take it.