GTD seems to work fine but still no relaxation

Z

Zelda

0
Hi there,

does anyone of you know this feeling: GTD seems to work fine, you don't miss deadlines, you get your work done and still you are NOT relaxed?

My stomache is still telling me something by bothering me with strange feelings - but what?

I do a review - but not the full weekly one.

thanks for your ideas

Zelda
 
I can't say I've ever been fully succesful at implementing GTD. I'm starting to jump back on the bandwagon now. I was using a hybrid Franklin/GTD for a while and then for a while I was doing about nothing.

You could try a brainstorming or mind mapping session about what is bothering you. Just sit down and jot down whatever comes to you.
 
I'm new at this, but I think Neil Fiore addresses your concerns in his "The Now Habit". Specifically, google for a PDF file called "how to use the unschedule" (sic). The basic (somewhat counterintuitive) idea is that you should consider rest your high priority, and fill your schedule with leisure time first.
 
Zelda said:
Hi there,
I do a review - but not the full weekly one.
Zelda
Click to expand...

That could have a lot to do with it... maybe there is something lurking around that hasn't been fleshed out because you're skipping the weekly review?
 
I have found at times that after a weekly review, when I have listed all my NAs, my mind clicks into the expectation that I am about to start into my list of NAs. I get into a total action oriented frame of mind, and my wheels start spinning. The only problem is, this can happen on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I should be chilling with my family – the result: a distracted and agitated daddy/husband.

Not sure how to cure this yet.

David
 
I second the suggestion of brainstorming or mindmapping. If those don't appeal to you, try freewriting--just write down whatever comes to mind for 20 minutes. You might be surprised by what that unearths.

I used to get the daily stomachache at work and found that taking a small writing break (to work on my book) kept that at bay. Sometimes that small break was all the writing time I got in a day, but it kept me moving.

Perhaps you too have something you care deeply about that's not being addressed?
 
If something bothers you, get it out

How to use the Unschedule:
http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/pdf/How_to_Use_the_Unschedule.pdf

I think the other advice, about mind sweeping, journaling, or freewriting, may serve you better in the short term. If something is bothering you, spend some time trying to figure out what it is. If you can get it out on paper in front of you, it will help you to think about it and deal with it. You may still have things on your mind that aren't in your system, or you may have other things to work out in your life.

Doing a more thorough weekly review will help you keep a good handle on your GTD system, so don't neglect that. I went without real reviews for a long time, and I have more trust in my GTD system now that I review regularly.
 
Thanks for your replies!

Everytime I'm finishing a taks out of a project I review the project to plan the nex step. GTD works fine for work - bus iot doens't for home! I habe home / freetime stuff in there - but I never look at it.

At work I look at it all the time - at home never...

I think about dropping it for home, because it doens't bring anything and I like to be free in my freetime :-) And I don't have so many fixed things in my freetime.

The "Unschedule" sounds interesting - sounds like a time recording system somehow.

Zelda
 
Separate work & home

Hi Zelda, my home time (weekends in particular) is different. I do not look at my GTD lists on the weekend. I make a separate list of things to accomplish: laundry, mow the grass, pay bills, ride bikes with kids, hike with dog, go on a date with wife, etc.

This gives me a place to focus and keeps my focus out of work so I can return fresh.

Tips:
Full weekly review. Focus and puts mind at ease (empties brain of worry).
Exercise outside. Gets blood pumping and the open space gives your brain room to relax.
Trust yourself that you did all you can. There will always be more to do.
 
In my opinion, the essential problem when you can't relax is a lack of trust. You don't trust your system fully to bring things around at the proper time and in the appropriate context.

Whether that lack of trust is caused by not completing the weekly review, not being confident that all the N/A's are assigned their proper context, or not being confident that you have captured everything appropriately, it's all the same.

David says "You can only feel good about what you are not doing when you KNOW what you're not doing." At any given time, we are "not doing" infintely more than we are "doing", so it's essential that you trust that what you are currently doing is the most appropriate thing and that EVERYTHING you are currently not doing can wait.
 
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