When's the best time to do a mind sweep?

[gtdstudente]

@Mrs-Polifax and @fooddude

Thank you both very much for your good GTD of mutual concern

If "What is It?" is the first dynamic question from Inbox to Organize, is to be appropriately answered, then chances are good that GTDer would like the benefits of good 'know control' without needing to think since the thinking was GTD presumably already done

Alas, when one engages with their GTD system then it would seems that the first question thereafter needs to be a so very, very, very static question:

"Where is It?" in reaping the benefits of appropriately answering the first "What is It?" question and preventing all seemingly becoming unraveled in what now what seem like a most undesirable multi-flustering dynamic question despite best efforts?

Potential remedy for at least some improvement: Slower-&-Smaller for more Next Action/Sequential* awareness ?

Been there . . . still there . . . hopefully no more there

As you see GTD fit. . . .

The post has one thinking, GTD is one of the best possibilities one can do to 'stop' [postpone] one's 'world' before the world barks back: "nice try kiddo" ?


Lack of 'Sequential awareness' as a potential root of the problem:

*Next Action/Sequential awareness: As was humbly understood Mr. Allen express in the following paraphrased manner:
A Next Action is truly only a Next Action when the absence of any Next Action to the Next Action is possible

Thus, when a random Next Action shows-up for the Next Action item other than its originally intended Next Action, then attempts to find the Next Action item for some other random intervening Next Action could become daunting to find ?

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

@gtdstudente

Thanks for your insights. Perhaps I am adding an initial (implicit) question to the GTD Workflow Processing Diagram:

Where is it?
Where do I find it?
Where do I put it?

I think this is supposed to be answered in the process of setting up an office with the equipment, tools, and supplies needed. I recall a couple I used to hear from by email who taught their version of GTD. They started their students out by having them create a physical GTD Command Center. In other words, they did not ask their students to clarify and organize without having the physical or digital buckets needed to hold that information.

David Allen gives lots of suggstions for office setups in his book, leaving the details to the individual person, since we all need different things. DA does make clear that having an office setup comes first by structuring his chapters with office setup at the beginning. I think the obvious reason that this comes first is that everything in physical or digital form needs a parking place or home, so we can put it where it goes, and so we can find it again.

Perhaps it would help to develop a slower and more sequential awareness, as you say, which is interesting. I found when I was practicing clarifying an item recently in a post that it was a very thoughtful experience and surprisingly difficult, but it was also exciting. David Allen tells us that this front-end thinking is essential, yet it can be difficult at first because it is different from our usual way of thinking. We are learning how to think differently in GTD.

The constellation of open loops and challenges in my life makes everything feel difficult. It is as if a huge mountain blocks the sun and is directly in my way. Specific things like buying hanging folders or cleaning out a file cabinet, which do take time and some money, but are otherwise simple to do, become near impossibilities because of decision fatigue of what to do when and the immensity of a lifetime of backed up unfinished business.

One thing I have noticed in my life can perhaps be enlightening about this. When I do my dishes, something in me genuinely believes it is totally impossible to ever get this done; it is too big a job. While this seems at first like a real feeling of my own, I realize this is really only part of me or "something in me" that is perceiving the world like the two or three year old I once was.

Of course a young child could be overwhelmed by having the huge responsibility to complete such an impossibly difficult task, from its point of view. That is too much responsibilty for a young child. I tell "something in me" I hear how overwhelmed she feels, and I am here with her. I do not try to change her. I accept her as she is.

Then I (the adult) wash the dishes. No overwhelm. No problem.

Thanks,

Emily

 

[fooddude]

The constellation of open loops and challenges in my life makes everything feel difficult. It is as if a huge mountain blocks the sun and is directly in my way. Specific things like buying hanging folders or cleaning out a file cabinet, which do take time and some money, but are otherwise simple to do, become near impossibilities because of decision fatigue of what to do when and the immensity of a lifetime of backed up unfinished business.

Start where you are don't go back. Project- Start new file cabinet. @Errands- Buy hanging folders. That's it. You can do the very next action. You can't do all next actions.

David Allen gives lots of suggstions for office setups in his book, leaving the details to the individual person, since we all need different things. DA does make clear that having an office setup comes first by structuring his chapters with office setup at the beginning. I think the obvious reason that this comes first is that everything in physical or digital form needs a parking place or home, so we can put it where it goes, and so we can find it again.

You have two projects right here. One doesn't necessarily follow the other. They seem concurrent. Your whole life needs to be in the system. From big projects to the mundane. I have one that is redesign web site and one that is buy steering wheel cover. One is help Ryan do instagram and portfolio resume for performance and his quartet. And one that is buy new inbox. What I see are systems that just have the big projects and then the small things don't get done or only done when it becomes an emergency. Then they are managing from crisis to crisis. I joke that everything from planning dream vacation to buying socks should be on your project list. I know this sounds strange, but I have my system set up so if anything happened to me, someone could see exactly where I am and pick up where I left off.

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

@fooddude

I think what you are saying is to find some way through, over, under, or around the difficulties in my way, and start capturing everything on my mind as it arises, and start processing these things into my GTD system. If I do not have a GTD system that works for me yet, creating that system is part of my GTD system; it is not a separate thing to be done first. I can create a GTD system as I go, no matter where I am now, even from within deepest jungle with a machete. Just start and take the next step.

My gosh! I could not understand that before. I am so grateful to you for this feedback! I did not realize this at all whatsoever! You mean I don't have to be perfectly ready in order to start?? I could not even think that idea on my own. It was so foreign to me that I just could not have that idea. I agree completely that everything in my life is included in GTD, so this makes so much sense.

Okay, I am going to try this.

 

[fooddude]

@fooddude

I think what you are saying is to find some way through, over, under, or around the difficulties in my way, and start capturing everything on my mind as it arises, and start processing these things into my GTD system. If I do not have a GTD system that works for me yet, creating that system is part of my GTD system; it is not a separate thing to be done first. I can create a GTD system as I go, no matter where I am now, even from within deepest jungle with a machete. Just start and take the next step.

My gosh! I could not understand that before. I am so grateful to you for this feedback! I did not realize this at all whatsoever! You mean I don't have to be perfectly ready in order to start?? I could not even think that idea on my own. It was so foreign to me that I just could not have that idea. I agree completely that everything in my life is included in GTD, so this makes so much sense.

Okay, I am going to try this.

I'm glad I could help.

 

[gtdstudente]

@fooddude

I think what you are saying is to find some way through, over, under, or around the difficulties in my way, and start capturing everything on my mind as it arises, and start processing these things into my GTD system. If I do not have a GTD system that works for me yet, creating that system is part of my GTD system; it is not a separate thing to be done first. I can create a GTD system as I go, no matter where I am now, even from within deepest jungle with a machete. Just start and take the next step.

My gosh! I could not understand that before. I am so grateful to you for this feedback! I did not realize this at all whatsoever! You mean I don't have to be perfectly ready in order to start?? I could not even think that idea on my own. It was so foreign to me that I just could not have that idea. I agree completely that everything in my life is included in GTD, so this makes so much sense.

Okay, I am going to try this.

@Mrs-Polifax

If interested, the following was added to the above post and possibly one of the counter productivity effects in making one's personal GTD system 'too smart' ?

Lack of 'Sequential awareness' as a potential root Next Action(s) problem:

*Next Action/Sequential awareness: As was humbly understood Mr. Allen express in the following paraphrased manner:
A Next Action is truly only a Next Action when the absence of any Next Action to the Next Action is possible

Thus, when a random Next Action shows-up for the Next Action 'item' other than its originally intended Next Action, then attempts to find the Next Action item for some other random intervening Next Action could become daunting task to find and therefore needs a preemptive solution to preempt any 'future' difficulty?

If its true that nothing permeates all good GTD systems more than Next Actions; since Next Actions are integral part of all of the five Work Flow (Capture, Clarify, potential Organize locations, Reflect, Engage) steps, then, reality says the more one can understand all of the practical aspects and nuances of Next Actions, then the more proficient one becomes in practicing GTD for all of its Mind Like Water glory ?


As you see GTD fit. . . .

 

[gtdstudente]

@gtdstudente

Thanks for your insights. Perhaps I am adding an initial (implicit) question to the GTD Workflow Processing Diagram:

Where is it?
Where do I find it?
Where do I put it?

I think this is supposed to be answered in the process of setting up an office with the equipment, tools, and supplies needed. I recall a couple I used to hear from by email who taught their version of GTD. They started their students out by having them create a physical GTD Command Center. In other words, they did not ask their students to clarify and organize without having the physical or digital buckets needed to hold that information.

David Allen gives lots of suggstions for office setups in his book, leaving the details to the individual person, since we all need different things. DA does make clear that having an office setup comes first by structuring his chapters with office setup at the beginning. I think the obvious reason that this comes first is that everything in physical or digital form needs a parking place or home, so we can put it where it goes, and so we can find it again.

Perhaps it would help to develop a slower and more sequential awareness, as you say, which is interesting. I found when I was practicing clarifying an item recently in a post that it was a very thoughtful experience and surprisingly difficult, but it was also exciting. David Allen tells us that this front-end thinking is essential, yet it can be difficult at first because it is different from our usual way of thinking. We are learning how to think differently in GTD.

The constellation of open loops and challenges in my life makes everything feel difficult. It is as if a huge mountain blocks the sun and is directly in my way. Specific things like buying hanging folders or cleaning out a file cabinet, which do take time and some money, but are otherwise simple to do, become near impossibilities because of decision fatigue of what to do when and the immensity of a lifetime of backed up unfinished business.

One thing I have noticed in my life can perhaps be enlightening about this. When I do my dishes, something in me genuinely believes it is totally impossible to ever get this done; it is too big a job. While this seems at first like a real feeling of my own, I realize this is really only part of me or "something in me" that is perceiving the world like the two or three year old I once was.

Of course a young child could be overwhelmed by having the huge responsibility to complete such an impossibly difficult task, from its point of view. That is too much responsibilty for a young child. I tell "something in me" I hear how overwhelmed she feels, and I am here with her. I do not try to change her. I accept her as she is.

Then I (the adult) wash the dishes. No overwhelm. No problem.

Thanks,

Emily

@Mrs-Polifax

While tools are necessary to practice GTD since locating everything outside of one's mind is a GTD imperative ?

As such, one naturally desires the best tools to that effect, however, it seems necessary to remain vigilant that a more universal tool might be sufficient or possibly even too digitally universal ?

Meanwhile, adding particular tools for particular purposes might also be excessively 'promising' in regards to its overall GTD value ?

On this end, when it comes to tools, some qualities that are deemed desirable: Availability, Ease-of-Use, Low-Cost Replacement, dynamic-&-static Engagement-Predictability, etc.

As you see GTD fit. . . .

 

[cfoley]

@fooddude

I think what you are saying is to find some way through, over, under, or around the difficulties in my way, and start capturing everything on my mind as it arises, and start processing these things into my GTD system. If I do not have a GTD system that works for me yet, creating that system is part of my GTD system; it is not a separate thing to be done first. I can create a GTD system as I go, no matter where I am now, even from within deepest jungle with a machete. Just start and take the next step.

My gosh! I could not understand that before. I am so grateful to you for this feedback! I did not realize this at all whatsoever! You mean I don't have to be perfectly ready in order to start?? I could not even think that idea on my own. It was so foreign to me that I just could not have that idea. I agree completely that everything in my life is included in GTD, so this makes so much sense.

Okay, I am going to try this.

This is a wonderful realisation.

You don't need much to do GTD. My GTD system started with a few loose sheets of paper to write lists on, quickly followed by some cardboard folders for reference. The one I use today isn't much different.