Each Day, R/Evolution

NOT GTD and the POWER of MEH

Link: Amasszone.com: Not Getting Things Done: Books: David McAllen.

Productivity & Spacing Out: A 10 Step Primer

From reading his books, and attending his Roadmap seminar, David Allen's whole point of putting things in the GTD system is to give oneself as much time as possible to relax, goof off, and space out. That's what "stress-free productivity" means.

There's a high associated to kicking ass under high-stress situations, a rush to the ego and self-satisfaction of multi-tasking efficiently. One feels superhuman, pushing limits of time and energy to the limit and expanding one's limits.  I used to be prideful about this kind of plate-spinning-split-attention-multitasking proficiency.  But what am I busy with?  That's a Tim Ferriss-kind of question, to evaluate the "busy work," and if what I'm doing is worthwhile (also David Seah-style). 

Sometimes, coming off a binge of hyperproductivity and an extremely fast-paced, high-octane stretch of work focus, it can be difficult to wind down.  The mind's machine whirs and clicks and becomes greedily accustomed to crunching tasks and data. When the work is done, it becomes hard to relax, and in the absence of "problems to crunch" the mind troubleshoots even the most silent, content moments, for some new problem to solve, even inventing or exacerbating problems just for FOOD.

My point, and the point of all the thinkers below, is that the goal of efficiency and productivity is to create more space/time for higher level creative thinking, pleasure/leisure-centric activities and RELAXATION!

Let me summarize what I've grokked from these guys below:

David Allen: capture data in trusted system and set times/contexts to execute and review - goal of stress-free productivity; clear psychic RAM and be focus-efficient with the details, free up mindspace for abstract, genius, creative thinking. Goal: Chill time.

Tim Ferriss: Energy and time-efficient clients. Paring down to sparest and most effective actions, outsourcing, automating or eliminate all else.  Work smart and efficiently to be more productive in less time. Goal: Chill time.

Malcolm Gladwell: Blink. I decided. Trust intuition about decisions and eliminate inefficient struggle or self-doubt. Goal: Chill time.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: 
"It is also important to develop the habit of doing whatever needs to be done with concentrated attention. Even the most routine tasks, like washing dishes, dressing, or mowing the lawn, become more rewarding if we approach them with the care it would take to make a work of art. "
Likens the Flow state to the basic concept of Zen mindfulness. To summarize: GO WASH YOUR BOWL!
Goal: Chill out time.

Jim Loehr: As a corporate athlete, the most energy-efficient way to work is in sprints of hyper/productivity. Focus sprints allow for long periods of downtime to rest, recover, relax. Goal: Chill time.

David Seah: Be aware of how you spend your "billable hour" and if what you're doing is the best use of your time.  Do what's the best use of your time and skillset, don't waste time doing what's beneath your skill level if you can help it. Goal: More chill-time.

Lesson: It's all about chill time.  Being productive, getting tasks done should make you feel relaxed as your reward.  As you are rushing about, crossing off your action items, remember to not only enjoy the moment of closing the open loop, but also consider that the elegant, efficient execution of tasks CREATES space for pleasure-centric activities!

So when your work for the day is done, don't seek out more work.  Enforce a quota for "work time" with yourself, and protect and defend your pleasure-centric hours of the day, however you choose to spend them.  Is there a switch to turn off hyper-productivity and multitasking anxiety? Yes. It's the same switch that turns on your thoughts of pleasure and leisure.

Here is Carmen's "Optimal Mindset" "License to Space Out" recipe, this is what I use to unplug and fall back into full possession of myself:

1. Stop all action.
2. Be alone in a room.
3. Lock the door.
4. Close the laptop.
5. Turn off the phone.
6. Hide the clock.
7. Drink some water.
8. Lie on the floor and be still. Stare at the ceiling or close your eyes.
9. Take 10 deep cleansing breaths.
10. Don't move until something really COMPELS you to move. Observe what motivates you to get up, besides eating and going to the bathroom.

Be still for as long as you can until something COMPELS you to movement.  What's compelling? It's what YOU want to do. It's what you WANT to do.  Not because it's expected, or you're obligated, or you want to prove something. 

This is how I sort my priorities.  By reminding myself how I choose my Next Action, based on what is important to me, and how I want to do things that concern what is important to me.

Confirmation of My Right Path

I have the honor of helping to guide and facilitate wonderful breakthroughs in the lives/work of brilliant clients, among them, some extremely gifted screenwriters, working moms, novelists and musicians. Receiving testimonials from people I've worked with who have achieved success in their endeavors is humbling, gratifying, and lets me know that I truly have a purpose in helping others.

Thank you.

On Hypnotherapy / Creative Coaching

Over the years I have sought (regular) therapy on an off for various reasons, but I've never met anyone as understanding, positive and intuitive as Carmen.  Her understanding of the artist's path and the struggles along the way have made her invaluable to breaking through my own fears and taking my talent to a level I knew I had in me but had no idea how to reach.  Carmen's guidance, patience and sheer enthusiasm have been crucial to bringing me to this place.  In a word, Carmen, you are awesome!

--Susie K.

On GTD-style Productivity Workshops / Coaching

Carmen's workshop is life-changing for me. No longer will I be anxious about my multi-tasking life.  This is perfect for working moms.  Carmen's enthusiasm encourages and inspires me to stick to the system. 

--Pauline M.

For other testimonials on my services, please see here - let me know if I can also be of service to you.

Not Getting Things Done

Nick Douglas has a funny little v-log up, in response to the Getting Things Done movement - called "Not Getting Things Done."  Check it out here.

Ordering the Chaos!

There's still room to sign up or sign someone else up for my Hypno-Organization Workshop!

If you'd like to tell people about this workshop, here's the short story:

Optimal Mindset Workshop Series: Hypno-Organization

A workshop to bring order to your chaos - internal and external - using hypnotherapy, NLP and  David Allen's "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity."

In this 4 hour workshop, we will:

_Access and Anchor Optimal states for Productivity
_Clear your mind of all the clutter of your "open loops" / unfinished projects
_Create strategies for successful goals and projects  by turning them into next actions
_Align your goals with your motivations, to break down any subconscious sabotage or resistance
_Implement "stress-free productivity" as a choice to evolve to a new workflow process!

In short, we're going to participate in learning how to organize in a simple, new and effective way, and reinforce this new process with hypnosis/guided visualization.

At the end of the workshop, you'll leave with:

_ Renewed passion/hope for your projects
_Confidence that you can see yourself achieving the result you want
_More free space in your mind to devote to creative thinking
_A  sense of PEACE that comes from  trusting that you have learned how to successfully GET THINGS DONE.

For dates, prices, and more information, please follow this link:
or contact me via email at [email protected]

Private coaching sessions are also available.

Ordering Chaos: PT 3: David Allen's GTD Roadmap Seminar!

I attended David Allen's Getting Things Done Roadmap Seminar, thanks to the help of my original GTD mentor Art Santos and I have to say, after years of doing GTD (since 2001, I think?) and training others to do it, there's nothing like going to see the Guru himself.  At the very classy Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica - we got some free schwag, I had him autograph my fresh clean copy of his original GTD book, and I learned so much!  But the main shockers:   

a) David Allen uses Lotus Notes to manage his GTD! He doesn't even use the Windows Outlook plug-in! I think I was the only one who audibly gasped to hear this!

b) David Allen doesn't care, and never has, about connecting his tasks to projects in a way that makes them trackable and sortable!

c) The "Mac Solution" that his company is coming up with is actually not a plug-in at all or a software! It's just a white paper that will outline how to configure Entourage to use GTD.  I don't know how I feel about that. . . yet.

d) David Allen calls himself "lazier than you are." He says he's spent more time researching how NOT to work all the time, and yet be productive, which is how he developed GTD.

All in all, it was worth $600, as the seminar summarized not only his first book but his second book: Ready for Anything.  There were about 100 people there. Homeboy takes this show all over the place.
He is making bank! I also found out his consultants charge $300 an hour!  Nice to know I could charge that too, when I feel like it.  But I'm down for my peoples, and right now, my intuition is that I'd rather help people who need it most. David Allen himself mentioned that it's probably the people who need GTD the least who are the ones who can afford his seminars and coaching.

BarCamp Los Angeles

Tonight I went to the first night of BarCamp Los Angeles, a geeky un-conference.  Heather and I set up a GearSwap / Electronics Iron Chef table for the l33t to hack into something.  So far no one's taken up the challenge yet. 

Tomorrow I'll be presenting "GTD with Mistress Chi-Chi" - a memorable way to evangelize the GTD workflow system and inspire discipline, in my organizatrix persona! So far there are a handful of other GTD enthusiasts who will also be on Chi-Chi's GTD panel to share their passion for productivity and their customized lifehacks!

Day 2 - Gravity wants my Eyes

This morning the struggle took place in my mind first.  The desire to remain in dreamland was strong, the pull of gravity on my eyes is something that I'm fighting even now as I write!

I woke half an hour earlier than needed, and just wanted to continue sleeping.  But something inside me asked "What did we decide?" So I rolled to my side, sat up and stood up and had a nice big stretch.
Did a few more stretches for my arms and legs and back and neck.  Plopped down and my eyes just closed.  Tis a struggle to be sure.  Sleep is sweet.

But I keep waking myself back up to shake it off.  Could be so easy just to get back into blanket burrito right now.  But that's the power of a choice - the decision to change - once made, wants to support itself.  And I must support it, too.

Going for a very short, brisk walk.

Choose a New Habit Day - Day 1

The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the habit we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act.  - Orison Swett Marden

Screw New Year's Resolutions. And even Lunar New Year's Resolutions.  Too much pressure to make a change.  So I am choosing a random day - February 7, 2006, to install a new habit for myself! It doesn't have to be something I have to think of as a sacrifice ( although those who enjoy self-denial might enjoy that ) but rather, just some new string I am adding to my overall instrument. 

Today I will take a first step in manifesting something new in myself.  A new habit to affect my life in unforeseen beneficial ways.  It's sounds like an ambitious goal, but if I do it each and every day, it will become part of me, my ritual and routine. 

Today I take a vow to fight gravity in the mornings. In the mornings only.  At all other times, gravity may have it's way with me. 

As I did this morning, when I feel myself awake, I will immediately roll to my side and sit up and put my two feet on the floor and stand up.  That's it.  With this movement, which I expect to become automatic within 21 days, I will commit to BEING AWAKE, even though most oftentimes my own excuse machine can give me split second rationalizations for going back to dreamland just a little while longer.

That's it.  My new habit is a movement.  Open eyes, roll, sit up and stand.  Whatever else comes after that, we will see.  Not quite as ambitious as Steve Pavlina's Polyphasic Sleep Schedule - just a simple change in physical action.  That doesn't seem so hard, although part of me (the loves-to-sleep part) is trying to tell me it's going to hurt.

I expect great things.  And will update this each day, for 21 days.

5 Ways to Wake in a Power State

   Power is a state of being where there is no fear.  - Dona Rosita

Can you remember a day you woke up and felt completely energized, balanced and fearless to face the tasks of your day? Where your eyes flew open, you took a deep breath in and smiled to greet the day, and just rolled out of bed, already winning the fight against gravity, because you were so excited to move, to live, to make that day count?

How many of those days do you have in a week? In a month? In a year?

It's winter, it's cold out, and we're all in hibernation mode.  It's easy to let the weather chase you back under the covers.  It's harder to get revved up.

Go back to that memory of that kickass morning - think back to those first few moments of waking - what was your first thought as your eyes opened?  Was there something special going on that day, some incentive or exciting event or challenge that motivated you to start the morning with focus, care and the desire to kickass?  Maybe it was a performance, or a presentation, or an exam. Maybe it was a date or a party.  Whatever it was, it probably provided you with the motivation to wait a few moments as you focused on that incentive, then spring into action, take the time to have a good breakfast, take the time to really groom and prepare yourself, to stretch or perhaps run, to get your blood pumping and your energy flowing.

Why not map over that ritual - from the moment you open your eyes to the moment you step out the door - of that kickass day - to every day?

It sounds easy enough - obvious enough, right? Lots of people do it - a disciplined ritual that happens every morning, no matter what - even if that means a forced restart.

1. Open your eyes and smile.
Even if you don't know why you should smile. Just do it. 10 seconds of fake smiling and you'll have a genuine smile just because you'll feel silly fake smiling.

2. Wiggle and Stretch.
Starting with your toes, through your ankles, and let that shimmy wiggle travel all the way up your body. Let yourself squirm under the covers, just to activate your connection with your body, and enjoy movement. Take a cue from cats and dogs - have one of those big body yawning stretches, to get oxygen into your bloodstream - point your toes and reach your arms over your head and just let yourself expand!

3. Give thanks.
Counting your blessings gets your mind focusing on the positive. Taking inventory of everything you have - especially the very basics - like food, shelter, health, the love and support of family and friends - starts the day off with a mindset of abundance.  Too often we start off thinking about the lack.  Focus on abundance, walk in abundance.

4. Set a challenge.
Setting a goal, however small, gives purpose to your day.  Making your goal a challenge engages you in the Game of Life, where you're creating your own rules and rewards. Purpose generates energy. Just lying in bed, visualizing a goal for the day, can help you to generate energy - allowing the hemispheres of your brain to activate by giving yourself specific goals and letting yourself know how much energy will be needed for the day.  When you take a few minutes to create your day, you are sketching out a map and accompanying directions for the flow of your thoughts and energy.  As you do this, you convince yourself of the value and incentive of your own actions - just as you do when you wake up on the day of an important performance, presentation, meeting or date - and this alone triumphs over any torpor!

5. Create your State with Music!
I don't care if it's Eye of the Tiger, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, Journey's Don't Stop Believin, Outkast's Hey Ya or MJ's Man in the Mirror - starting your morning off with music that you associate with an upsurge of energy can cajole you into some toothbrushing booty-shakin.  If you feel the urge to dance, DON'T FIGHT IT!

Remember the power you have to create your day, to generate energy, to shape your own thoughts and point your will towards your goal with enthusiasm and focus.  Remember your power. When you wake up - TURN IT ON. Wake in it, walk in it.

What do you call your power state? Do you know how you get there? Do you have a map you can follow so you can get there every day? I've based my hypnotherapy practice around what I call the Optimal Mindset - which is the state of flow, of inspiration - a mindset of center and balance, a state where you operate with grace, confidence, skill and dynamic adaptability, performing at your best in every situation, from the moment you open your eyes to greet the day!

Top 5 Reasons GTD is t3h r0xXoR

Organization, overcoming procrastination, motivation, goal-setting and creating better habits for getting things done - that's part of what I help people do as a hypnotherapist and creative/ life coach. While I encourage my creative clients to accept and trust their artistic process, a flow of continuous actions is necessary to bring visions and dreams forward into reality.

I've been using the workflow process Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity intermittently since around 2003, when I was turned onto it by my friend Art Santos.  Like everyone, when he told me about the system, I said - 'ok, sounds good, just tell me how to do it'.  I wanted the shortcuts - how to get started, what do I need, how do you use it? He was maddeningly cryptic and just kept telling me that I had to read it for myself.  I squalled and huffed. but bought the book, and went through the first chapter lackadaisically.  I called Art again - 'ok, I'm reading the book, tell me what I need to do.' 'Keep reading,' he said. 'Aggggh!' I said.

[ Impatience has always been with me. Born in the year of the Rabbit, always one of the fastest runners, readers, writers in school, I move quick, I think quicker, I want to get results, I sometimes read the endings of novels and fast forward movies.  (That's why I love TIVO) I grok things. Show me once, and I will do just as you did.  I integrate and synthesize and comprehend quickly.  I make BLINK-style decisions with little to no regret. Waiting is my #1 pet peeve.  I have focused my efforts in the past few years on meditation, stillness, kairos and the Power of Now.  I have struggled but learned to yield to the marvel of time passing without frenetic pace or movement.  I can now watch Microcosmos on an infinite loop, dissolve into a yoga posture, and slip into the Meta-Verse, holding, sustaining, the eternity and infinity like an endless pure tone. ]

So I sat and forced myself to read every page of Getting Things Done, and in the reading only I began to feel my brain rearranging, reallocating, freeing up memory and space!  Processing my INBOX for the first time into my Jan - Dec, 1-31, A - Z, Someday/Maybe, Next Actions ( my @s ), and Calendar was an exhilirating experience, and it's 2006, the beginning of a New Year, I've fallen off the GTD wagon a bit, but I'm ready to get back on - and bless you, David Allen, for making it so easy to come back to the fold.

These are my top 5 reasons why GTD is t3h r0xXoR

1. MULTIPLICITY, FOR OPTIMIZED LIFESTYLE!
I was able to manage multiple lives, personal and professional goals and identities, responsibilities and goals, without much effort. Everything I needed to do was integrated into each day. I went to Burning Man and completely turned off the Responsible/Professional part of my brain in the desert, came back to work and didn't miss a beat. Even as my synapses were still sizzling, I was calmly reviewing my @Waiting For list, Calendar and Date-based Tickler file.

2. THE FORGIVENESS OF GTD TO PRODIGAL FOLLOWERS
I hate Franklin-Covey. I hate that their system is so expensive, needs so much stuff, and makes me feel like a failure when I have to carry over unfinished items from the day before.  It's demoralizing and demotivating.  Maybe it works for some people, but the GTD system allows you to drop off, then pick up again, without having to buy new calendar pages or re-copy next actions. GTD doesn't care if you've been gone for 3 weeks or 3 months. GTD forgives, and receives your INBOX with open, ready buckets waiting to be filled with your Next Actions.  And cajoles you with a playful Tickler to tease out a Next Action, prodding you gently to movement.

3. The @s: PRODUCTIVITY IN EVERY MOVEMENT AND MINDSET
I go through my @Calls list when I feel chatty and talkative and have time to focus solely on the other
person on the line.  While I'm driving around and get somewhere early, I check if there's anything I can do on my @Errands list.  When I'm at home and want to be more productive than just sleeping, cooking and cleaning, I check my @Home list.  When I feel like daydreaming or zoning out, I visualize goals or things I might like to do and scrawl then on little notes, which then go into an @Review or Someday/Maybe file.  The @s trigger action - for whenever I feel like doing something.

4. ANALOG OR DIGITAL? DOESN'T MATTER TO GTD!
I used to run my GTD system off of Outlook, syncing up to my Sharp Zaurus PDA.  There are ample GTD / Productivity - based blogs, like 43 Folders, Slackermanager, and even David Allen himself. Many tout various platforms of implementation, ranging from various softwares or even the analog, paper-based models like the Hipster PDA. I've also run GTD in a notebook with tabs and printouts of Monthly-style calendars from Outlook.  Currently, I prefer buying a nice blank book, adding tabs and then using a diary-style calendar to keep my appointments.

5. GTD IS OPEN FOR TWEAKING
GTD is all about adaptation. You can customize your @s, you can tweak the process itself to incorporate the kind of work you do and the way you think.  It still works.  That's some great code.

When I get through my INBOX pile and my calendar, ticklers, @s are all set up, I know I will feel a great sense of accomplishment, freeing up psychic RAM and energy to concentrate on the moments of Now which will never come again.  When mind clutter is dispersed and every thought has a home, a cheer of voices will arise, from the thoughts which struggled to be remembered, and the dreams and tasks which clamored and competed for my attention.

Time for me to go close some open loops.