Know what actually to do! What does doing look like???
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mickdodge
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Article I just read that might be of interest:
Use Productive Procrastination to Start a Daunting Task
Ref: “Use Productive Procrastination to Start a Daunting Task.” 2023. Lifehacker. September 16, 2023. https://lifehacker.com/use-productive-procrastination-to-start-a-daunting-task-1850845462.
gtdstudente
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bcmyers2112
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I've been meaning to return to this thread and share some more serious thoughts. I do have them from time to time.
I see a lot of analysis paralysis in these forums. Since some of that has come from me, that's an observation and not a value judgement.
I remember @DavidAllen saying that some of the people most attracted to GTD are those who are already successful and high-performing because they're looking for something that can help them stay that way without blowing a gasket (admittedly, the phrasing is mine and not Allen's but I think got the gist of it). Then you've got people like me who have always had trouble doing things, hoping GTD could help us become one of those high performers.
Here's the problem for people like me: GTD can't make you want to do things. No one and nothing can do that for you. So it's out of scope for GTD.
My own journey to clearing away internal roadblocks involved abandoning any semblance of "doing GTD" for a couple years. Yeah, I was keeping stuff in my head, letting things fall through the cracks, all that stuff. It was still the right thing for me during that time.
While I've derived a lot of value from GTD I'm actually going to take issue with Allen in one respect. I've heard Allen say at least once that if you're severely depressed, maybe you need to clarify all of your commitments. In other words, maybe the path out of depression is GTD. I can tell you that my own mental health journey has included bouts of depression and other issues I would not want to reveal here. And GTD was of no help. None. I needed medical help. Talk therapy. Other things that, again, I'm not inclined to reveal here.
It turns out I couldn't get full value from the material comprising GTD until I dealt with the things that were keeping me stuck. Irrational fears. Distorted thinking. An inability to be honest with myself.
The funny thing is that it's easy to do things. Decide on an outcome, decide on an action, and then do that action. If it turns out it wasn't the right action, you've learned something you can apply the next time you have a similar outcome you need or want to achieve. Over time, your mistakes will guide you to future successes.
If you're wondering how to organize something in your GTD system, try it one way. If it doesn't work for you, try it another. Over time, trial and error will guide you toward your goal of a mind like water.
(As an aside, I find my thinking regarding GTD changes as I do. So I let my system change in response. Sometimes it takes time to get the system to align with those changes. Discomfort is part of a life well-lived, or at least I believe it is.)
Unfortunately, for some of us it's really difficult to learn that doing things doesn't have to be that difficult. It was the case for me.
I hope someone, somewhere got some value out of this. If not, I can at least take solace in the fact that I smarted off at David Allen in two previous comments and also provoked @mcogilvie into writing about flatulence in a GTD forum. Both of those align with my life's purpose.
I see a lot of analysis paralysis in these forums. Since some of that has come from me, that's an observation and not a value judgement.
I remember @DavidAllen saying that some of the people most attracted to GTD are those who are already successful and high-performing because they're looking for something that can help them stay that way without blowing a gasket (admittedly, the phrasing is mine and not Allen's but I think got the gist of it). Then you've got people like me who have always had trouble doing things, hoping GTD could help us become one of those high performers.
Here's the problem for people like me: GTD can't make you want to do things. No one and nothing can do that for you. So it's out of scope for GTD.
My own journey to clearing away internal roadblocks involved abandoning any semblance of "doing GTD" for a couple years. Yeah, I was keeping stuff in my head, letting things fall through the cracks, all that stuff. It was still the right thing for me during that time.
While I've derived a lot of value from GTD I'm actually going to take issue with Allen in one respect. I've heard Allen say at least once that if you're severely depressed, maybe you need to clarify all of your commitments. In other words, maybe the path out of depression is GTD. I can tell you that my own mental health journey has included bouts of depression and other issues I would not want to reveal here. And GTD was of no help. None. I needed medical help. Talk therapy. Other things that, again, I'm not inclined to reveal here.
It turns out I couldn't get full value from the material comprising GTD until I dealt with the things that were keeping me stuck. Irrational fears. Distorted thinking. An inability to be honest with myself.
The funny thing is that it's easy to do things. Decide on an outcome, decide on an action, and then do that action. If it turns out it wasn't the right action, you've learned something you can apply the next time you have a similar outcome you need or want to achieve. Over time, your mistakes will guide you to future successes.
If you're wondering how to organize something in your GTD system, try it one way. If it doesn't work for you, try it another. Over time, trial and error will guide you toward your goal of a mind like water.
(As an aside, I find my thinking regarding GTD changes as I do. So I let my system change in response. Sometimes it takes time to get the system to align with those changes. Discomfort is part of a life well-lived, or at least I believe it is.)
Unfortunately, for some of us it's really difficult to learn that doing things doesn't have to be that difficult. It was the case for me.
I hope someone, somewhere got some value out of this. If not, I can at least take solace in the fact that I smarted off at David Allen in two previous comments and also provoked @mcogilvie into writing about flatulence in a GTD forum. Both of those align with my life's purpose.
schmeggahead
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Getting retooled to consistently escape depression is how I thought of it when my practitioners were giving me training in those mental health methods. GTD happened to be a way for me to use these tools after my practitioner taught me those other techniques. I needed more than GTD in my tool box to deal with it.
The interesting thing about my discussion of GTD tools with my various practitioners is they thought the GTD skills were useful: decide what something means to me, ask myself am I in an appropriate relationship with this, ask myself what is the appropriate relationship and a single step to start moving me there. They helped me integrate the tools they were training me to use into my GTD system customizations.
So without those practitioners, I would have struggled and without GTD I would have struggled to integrate the practitioners advice. I'm better off having all of those tools.
Clayton.
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
gtdstudente
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While GTD listed or unlisted, it often helps on this end to realize that 'doing nothing' is really doing something while actually, perhaps subconsciously, preferring to do something else.
Hopefully through this subtle realization one might find sufficient clarification(s) to make it encouragingly easier to move oneself from 'doing nothing' to doing something else, as seemingly small as 'doing nothing', as a productive help to do a something else GTD listed or unlisted that helps/grows in doing additional something 'elses' on one's sufficiently attractive GTD lists as one's previously non-funked motivated concern(s)?
As any other GTDer's might also see as a worthy consideration?
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bcmyers2112
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Hey, if GTD was instrumental in your recovery then that’s your truth. And I wouldn’t presume to tell you you’re wrong.
All I can tell you is that in my case, I was a perfectionist who just saw GTD and everything on my lists as more things I would “fail” at if I ever dared to try consistently. Until I changed that mindset, GTD was of no use to me.
That’s what I mean about “analysis paralysis.” It’s ok to be analytical, to be detail-oriented, to be a planner. But when those things cross the line from supporting you to being excuses not to do things, there’s a problem.
With GTD, David Allen discovered how the game is played. But he can’t make you want to play it. No one can.
To me, doing is as simple as this: decide you want to make happen, then decide what to do to make it happen, and then do it. If it was the wrong thing, make adjustments and try again.
And in my experience, doing with GTD just means doing the above more consistently, rigorously and effectively than we’re used to.
If I tell myself anything else, it’s usually self-sabotage rearing it’s ugly head again.
But that’s me. YMMV.
gtdstudente
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@bcmyers2112,
GTD agree with: "To me, doing is as simple as this: decide you want to make happen, then decide what to do to make it happen, and then do it. If it was the wrong thing, make adjustments and try again."
However, with all due respect, while all about perpetually trying on this end, sometimes a GTD three-fold: "decide . . . decide . . . do. . . ." can be overwhelmingly daunting [like finding oneself in one of life's overwhelmingly fun quagmires?] on this end and therefore, hopefully respectfully, posted the above as just one possible way getting through/beyond "doing nothing" . . . at least on this end
Sometimes to just get the GTD train moving as effortlessly as possible is the most crucial Next [less than two-minutes all the better] Action?
As all GTDer's respectfully sees fit
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