How do you do nothing?

S

sparkle

0
I don't know if this has been asked before, but how do you do "nothing"? :-)

I think a lot of you have started with GTD, because you actually have a lot to do. Maybe even some of you might have been really stressed and maybe also suffered from some kind of burnout symptoms. GTD is a great way way to organize all those things and reduce the stress, but I'm curious to see if anybody has encountered the opposite effect - meaning, that GTD has also created stress for you?

GTD has made me very productive, actually I can't think of living without it anymore. But on the other hand, I've often discovered that I want to be productive in every single minute. Even if I have limited time + energy, I'm looking on my context lists to see if there is any small item I could do - and mostly, there is. You can really get addicted to being productive. If I choose to just do nothing, I'll immediately get the feeling of wasted time - even if I know there's nothing urgent to do (and thanks to GTD, you actually know, when there's nothing urgent to do!).

So, how do you manage to be "unproductive"?
 
Decide that sometimes taking a nap or reading a light novel is as important as something big and earth shattering. Doing nothing is productive too, it recharges your mind and body for the next burst of active doing.
 
As Oogiem is saying you could actually even add those types of actions to you lists. "Spend 30 minutes recharging mind and body". Some people (myself included) for some reason feel better if the action I'm currently taking is on my list..
 
And "nothing" is always something, e.g. "stare into the sky" or "talk with a friend" - so the difference between feeling productive and feeling unproductive is probably due to how easily you can see it fitting in with some overall purpose.

I have no problem being "unproductive", impulsive, doing work as it shows up etc. In fact, I somehow even mildly resent the tasks I have written down; I don't know why. The spontaneous impulses are much more fun to follow.

sparkle said:
GTD has made me very productive, actually I can't think of living without it anymore.
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How did you "do it" before? Never wrote anything down, and trusted your memory and impulses? Or used calendar planning or other very different kinds of methods? Or something else?
 
The secret with this hole GTD-endeavour, as I think David means, is that you sometimes have to pace yourself and let your lists wait a bit. I have the image on my mind when he is working with his bonsai-trees. Or put in another way, when everything is tracked, you can be really lazy without having a bad conscience about it.
 
sparkle said:
If I choose to just do nothing, I'll immediately get the feeling of wasted time - even if I know there's nothing urgent to do (and thanks to GTD, you actually know, when there's nothing urgent to do!).
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Just the opposite. When "thanks to GTD, I actually know, that there's nothing urgent to do" I can close my eyes and listen to the birds singing, sounds of passing cars and trains making "Woooh! Woooh!" sound... ;-)
 
There are two themes I get from your post. One is that I sense a false syllogism. The other is defining the "ultimate" goal of GTD.

In reverse order...

First - What is the goal of GTD? RecentIy I came to a deeper understanding about GTD that I think has relevance to your post. For me the goal of the practice of GTD is that it allows me to participate fully in the present - no matter if the task is grinding through a monthly report, to analyzing data, to playing with my kids. GTD provides me with a process to quickly and efficiently process stuff, define how and what to do and engage fully in that choice - and that choice alone. I don'’t really produce more, rather I am more engaged in my work and I know the quality of my work has improved since my practice of GTD began.

Second - The false syllogism: Doing nothing is bad. When I am doing nothing, I am not productive. Therefore it is bad when I am not productive. I know you did not explicitly say “bad” but I get the sense it’s a negative not to produce -- from your perspective. So let’s change the perspective and view GTD as a process which enables you to make choices of how you wish to spend your time. Is the idea of “unproductive” moments even relevant from this view? Here’s another perspective: A list some activities I do that produce “"nothing"”: Nap, Meditate, Pray, Read, Surf the web, Socialize with friends and family, Relax, Watch good TV, Watch bad TV…. Is it really not productive to use time to nourish the mind, body and soul?

For me GTD is not about producing more, it’ is about being able to be fully present when I am producing. I’'m not addicted to being productive. Rather I'’m liberated from second guessing my choices to do, or not to do.

Namaste
 
One more thought/possibility.

Perhaps you get what we are all saying - and I suspect you do. So is the problem that are you stuck in the processing mode and are blurring the distinction between processing all your stuff, vs. processing all of your time?
 
Thanks for your valuable responses, especially Instigase (however, I didn't quite got the point in your last post "processing stuff vs. time").

I know the value of doing "nothing", but the reason for feeling I would waste time is more a kind of a fear: I have the fear that in the future several tasks may appear suddenly. And some of these tasks may be very important or urgent. If I'll be in that situation, I would think - damn, had I only done more in the past where I had more time to do all the other things.

To be more concrete:

For example, I have to do my tax return by the end of this month. I could start doing it today or I can say, well the weather is so nice today, let's get out and enjoy it - I'll have time for this annoying tax return next week (or the week after). :-) BUT, what if some important tasks basically arise from nothing in the last week of this month....?
 
I have the fear that in the future several tasks may appear suddenly. And some of these tasks may be very important or urgent. If I'll be in that situation, I would think - damn, had I only done more in the past where I had more time to do all the other things.
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You're welcome!

So why fear the inevitable? Future tasks WILL appear because "stuff" happens. How you process your stuff and decide what to do is the essence of GTD. What GTD cannot do is place a value on the choices of next actions you choose to engage. The practice of GTD allows you to focus on your values you will need in order to examine and negotiate what you want to do with your options.

To your example: In the habits of processing stuff, GTD will force the examination and the negotiation of the emergent issues that arises on April 13-14 and competes with doing taxes.

OPTION 1: If you value getting everything done by 4/15, you have the energy to pull an all-nighter, or the time to take off work; then the choice to deal with both can be decided upon and you then get to work on both.

OPTION 2: If you value sleep, then the negotiation is that you deal with the emergent issue, then you spend just enough time to file an extension and plan on the next available weekend to finish your taxes.

OPTION 3. You assess that the emergent issue can be handled by someone else, or even deferred. Then you delegate, or negotiate to a defered time and then you pivot to getting your taxes done.

BUT in none of the options do you get to regret your weekend spent enjoying the spring weather. Why? You already made that decision of putting off washing the cat versus going outside. You found that the value in the latter was higher and you could defer, delgate, or "delete" cat washing....

That is the difference between processing your stuff vs. processing your time.
 
Thanks again, Instigase!

Not sure if I've understood you completely, but here's what I've derived from your post:

I think the key is to be really conscious about the value of your choices. Besides the value of the actual tasks, there's also the value of being more flexible in the future if a specific task is already done (because then, you've more time to do something else). You just have to add this value to the value of the task itself. On the other hand, there's also a lot of value in "fun" tasks and "doing nothing".

So, you can choose to do some fun tasks or to actually "do nothing" if the value is higher for you than for example having the tax done today plus being flexible for urgent future tasks.

I think that consciousness is the key element to actually use GTD to reduce stress. If you just do as much tasks as possible in order to achieve maximum productivity, you're completely ignoring the value of "fun" tasks and "doing nothing".
 
I'm just beginning to learn about GTD in earnest, but what I've done is to schedule in "take a break." And I don't manage what happens in that time. Maybe I'll read; maybe go for a walk. Etc. Kind of depends on where I am and how long a break I'm taking. There's really no such thing as "doing nothing." But you can schedule "an unmanaged break."
 
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