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[Ger80C]

I really do understand the intention of this statement and fully agree with it but… isn't it extremely illogical? How can one create the lack of something? @John Forrister

The same way one can write negative numbers, breath in air or walk backwards... Us humans can create negative space, and negative space is also an energy expansion to the negative which can be read as a positive expansion of something once the perspective is reversed.
For example, when correcting a typo above I *created* a deletion of a letter by pressing the delete key.

Or, to put more simply: We create the lack of something by creating overspent time on something else.

 

[Longstreet]

I really do understand the intention of this statement and fully agree with it but… isn't it extremely illogical? How can one create the lack of something? @John Forrister

Essentially, this means that if one is overwhelmed with too many ongoing projects and deadlines and is "running out of time" to be able to get them all done within a specific timeframe, the only person responsible for this is yourself. By never saying no and not sequencing work properly, one can find that they have "created the lack of time".

 

[mksilk2]

I really do understand the intention of this statement and fully agree with it but… isn't it extremely illogical? How can one create the lack of something? @John Forrister

I think it is very profound and true. eg mindlessly surfing the web watching cats playing the piano creates a lack to time to perform other tasks. I have found using more selective self-talk in this instance is key. For example, you find yourself mindlessly trawling on the interwebs...this takes time, therefore increases ambient pressure on any other tasks you have on your next action lists. One way to help is to use the language (self-talk) of 'i choose...' eg "I choose to surf the web for the next 5 minutes before i do xxx'. Moving away from the 'I must' or 'I should'. 'I choose' is more powerful.

I also created lack of funds...I have created lack of sleep...the list goes on...

I have also been heard to say, 'I don't have time to read' which I know is rubbish, it is that I have chosen not to read and instead watched cats playing the piano... that is why I found the 'Lack of time is self created' a very profound and true statement (for me, at least)

 

[Matt_M]

I really do understand the intention of this statement and fully agree with it but… isn't it extremely illogical? How can one create the lack of something? @John Forrister

I would agree as well. Personally, I find the phrase to be rather reductionist. It seems almost as if it is designed to beat a person down. It flies in the face of what David often retorts to folks who say "they want to manage time" or "do time management" or thereabouts: "Nobody manages time. You don't mismanage 5 minutes and come up with 6" (paraphrased to an extent).

GTD is really all about what has one's attention and focusing on the right things because one is NOT using their head as an office and because they have a complete, clarified inventory of all of their commitments so that they can see all of the potential things they could, would, or should be doing.

It's quite easy to make the wrong choice if you didn't have all of your choices available, in-front of you, to review. GTD is all about being able to have a complete inventory of all of your stuff so that you can see it all at a larger level and make intuitive choices about what to do.

Per David: "You can only feel good about what you are not doing when you know what you're not doing". Which, to me, is far more helpful and still conveys the same underlying intent as "lack of time is self-created" while not being so critical or taking a reductionist stance.

 

[schmeggahead]

Moving away from the 'I must' or 'I should'. 'I choose' is more powerful.

This is new to me and I like it a lot.
Something along the same lines:

GTD is really all about what has one's attention and focusing on the right things

Choosing the "right thing" to do has a subliminal push to perfection. I notice your phrasing is "right things" plural which is helpful in reducing this baggage for me. Having this suite of things of high value helps let us shortcut the prioritization to a pool of valuable items to focus upon without having to stack rank them against each other. Once we reach a certain ballpark of value, figuring out exactly which one is most valuable is mostly a wasted effort and the time is better spent on doing one of them.

Thanks,
Clayton.

When I say foot at the 45, you don't need a protractor to get it right. - Me introducing the Tor-yu.