Where do desire go in GTD?

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Pietro

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What immediatly became clear was the connection with many forms of meditation. In particular with Vipassana, but not only.

It is quite interetsing how using GTD you reach a level of silent mind that normally you enjoy only in the middle of a one week workshop... when you have nothing to do, and a clean agenda. And then you wonder how much of that 'enlightened' experience is due to meditations, and how much to the simple fact of having nothing that needs to be on your mind.

Now the question comes:
After having dumped all the maybe/someday, the projects, the actions in waiting, the next actions. I still find in my mind a certain number of desires which do not properly depend on me.

Things I would like to do... if the right situations arises. If the right door opens. But there is no next action I can do to make them happen (ok, excluding prayer and magic :) ).
But those things still sticks in my mind. What am I supposed to do with those thoughts that are squatting my mind?
 
I would suggest 2 places for those desires. Both require you to caputure them.

You could place them on the someday/mayble list and look over them once in a while. If the situation changes and you can use that "idea" then move it to your current project area and action it.

The second place is the reference file. Just file it away. If you need it you have a place to look for it. Plus during the yearly review of your reference material you will come back across it. You can then either keep it/ amend it or trash it - time will tell.

But your first action is to capture those desires and place them in the system.
 
ReBuild:
The reference sounds like the right place, I haven't though about that.
Or maybe both.

Barisoff:
is the name enough or do you want also their phone number?

:rolleyes:
 
Provide as many details as you can.

Pietro said:
Barisoff:
is the name enough or do you want also their phone number?
Click to expand...
We need real examples to help you - please provide as many details as you can.
 
Index cards and monthly review

Pietro said:
Things I would like to do... if the right situations arises. If the right door opens. But there is no next action I can do to make them happen (ok, excluding prayer and magic).
But those things still sticks in my mind. What am I supposed to do with those thoughts that are squatting my mind?
Click to expand...
Usually I write this kind of stuff on index cards and keep the cards in an old billfold. This "file" is separated from my day-to-day system and reviewed monthly. You could call this billfold with index cards a kind of "maybe-file" or "hidden-agenda-file".

Rainer
 
I have in my system a Someday/Maybe and an Ideas Cabinet. All those that can depend on a door to be open goes to my Ideas Cabinet. This one is review once a month. My Someday Maybe is for projects that I am working on, that are going or need to happen in the next 9 months.. My dreams about buying a house in the Beach goes to my Idea Cabinet, since that will be my retirement home. I have even have some flowers picket for that house already, but everything is in the Ideas Cabinet.

Hope this help
 
When a thought keeps haunting me (even though it's captured)

Pietro,

I either write these kinds of things on a Someday/Maybe list, or on a Probably Never list. I know it sounds odd to keep a list of things I will probably never do, but I'd rather have those things off my mind and review them rarely than have my brain trying frantically to remember the various woulda/shoulda/coulda ideas. A friends of mine who uses GTD came up with the Probably Never list, and I think it's worth trying out. Of course, if these are truly your desires, I recommend hope and optimism!
 
Intrusive Thoughts

Pietro said:
Now the question comes:
After having dumped all the maybe/someday, the projects, the actions in waiting, the next actions. I still find in my mind a certain number of desires which do not properly depend on me.
. . .
What am I supposed to do with those thoughts that are squatting my mind?
Click to expand...
Pietro,

I'm not sure how new you are to GTD, but the thoughts may be lingering after they have been captured because you have not fully developed the habit of revisiting them during weekly review. The key in GTD is to capture intentions to act in a trusted system. You may not have demonstrated to yourself that the system is trustworthy. The cure for this is to keep working the system until you fully trust that intentions placed into it will not be lost.

If that is not the case, then I would suggest you try these other strategies in the order indicated.

1. When the captured thought re-intrudes, then mentally note it, release it, and return your attention to what you were doing. Try it repeatedly before trying anything else.

2. Do a "pattern break" by getting up from where you are and performing an active task of some kind. This could be a short walk, getting something you need from the supply closet, or whatever. The important points are that you are physically active, and that you physically remove yourself from the place where you are having the thought.

3. Take some time to think the thought intensely. Think it through and articulate it fully in writing. (You don't need to create a finished document. Mind mapping or speed writing would work perfectly well.) Anything you produce may be saved as project material or discarded at your option.

Hope these help.
 
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