The GTD perspective on Saying Yes to Mess?

[wordsofwonder]

That you willfully try to shut down monkey mind?

I don't think it's possible to willfully shut down Monkey Mind -- I think the problem gets worse the harder you try to do that. But you can ask Monkey Mind to go away for a while, and you can distract it with something so that it'll get out from underfoot and let you work. For some reason, routine brainless tasks -- cleaning my kitchen, for example -- seem to distract monkey mind and let my brain free associate about stuff, so I get a lot of good ideas when I'm doing that sort of stuff.

-- Tammy

 

[Constant]

For some reason, routine brainless tasks -- cleaning my kitchen, for example -- seem to distract monkey mind and let my brain free associate about stuff, so I get a lot of good ideas when I'm doing that sort of stuff.

-- Tammy

So you're saying, take your monkeys for a walk?

I can relate.

 

[wordsofwonder]

So you're saying, take your monkeys for a walk?

Sometimes that, yes. Sometimes I just give them a banana or two and send them out on their own so I can get some work done.

-- Tammy

 

[QuestorTheElf]

I am also aware that for some reason I enjoy visiting other people’s messy and cluttered houses more than houses that are very neat and clean. A cluttered house is often an interesting house while in a very tidy and ordered house I worry about knocking things over or putting something in the wrong place. Although I myself am very ordered and tidy, when others are like this I can find it stifling and oppressive. I’m not sure why this is but suspect its to do with being brought up in a very cluttered and untidy house.

I once visited a store that sells tiles with sayings in Solvang, a Danish village just north of David Allen's Ojai headquarters. I definitely bought it, given my unbalanced blend of orderliness and greater lack thereof.

It states,
"This house is clean enough to be healthy
and dirty enough to be happy."

 

[Constant]

I once visited a store that sells tiles with sayings in Solvang, a Danish village just north of David Allen's Ojai headquarters. I definitely bought it, given my unbalanced blend of orderliness and greater lack thereof.

It states,
"This house is clean enough to be healthy
and dirty enough to be happy."

Sublime philosophy. I bet Martha Stewart isn't a supplier to that store.