B'fast in bed... Kid style; GTD teaching opportunity

Today is the first day of winter vacation for the kids. In true GTD style we will spend some time today brainstorming and capturing ideas. We will use our ubiquitous blank white note cards (aka our portable Think-a-toriums) as our capture tool. We will imagine success. We will create a schedule. We will then let the fun unfold as we move toward our outcomes.

My role in all of this is simply to ask questions, provide encouragement ("high five... That is a super idea!"), and provide transportation (a pretty common next action these in this phase of life!).

In the grand scheme of things this is my on going process for teaching and nurturing the GTD principles with my kids. Planting GTD seeds is great fun. Winter vacation is another teaching-by-doing opportunity.

Have you planted any GTD seeds with your children lately? If yes, I'd love to learn from your examples and share them with our community (Please post them to the comments section).

Any teaching opportunities coming your way?

Wishing you well on your journey. The kids have finished breakfast and it is time to start the capture process! :)

Good, clean, pure, powerful, and positive information

This quote:

Make sure that on a daily basis you only allow good, clean, pure, powerful, and positive information to enter your mind. Zig Ziglar

(from: http://twitter.com/TomZiglar)

Reminded me of this post:

http://www.zonebyzone.com/2008/02/would-you-wash-with-dirt.html

Which reminds me...

I need to keep leveraging my commute time.  This is a great Zone.   Goal:  Decrease commercial radio and increase more quality music, audio books and reflective time.

Question for you...

What do you do during your commute time? I am looking for some fresh ideas and I am sure others would appreciate your ideas too.

In just a little while... life, death, living and the band

This is a post about death. This is a post about life. This a post about living.

I have a playlist of "reflective" songs. In my last post I talked about some work I was doing at the GTD 50K foot level. At that level you are asking yourself "What is my Mission in life?" Listening to my "reflective" play list is part of the process I use to detect my mission.

There is one song on my playlist that really resonates with me when thinking about the bigger picture of life.  The song is Believe by Brooks and Dunn.

"Says he was in the war when in the navy
Lost his wife, lost his baby
Broke down and asked him one time
How ya keep from going crazy
He said I'll see my wife and son in just a little while
I asked him what he meant
He looked at me and smiled, said

(Chorus)

I raise my hands, bow my head
I'm finding more and more truth in the words written in red
They tell me that there's more to life than just what i can see

I have found comfort in the phrase "in just a little while." It has helped me frame my belief of life and death. We all will die. I think that is an indisputable fact. It is what happens after that last breath that causes my mental and spiritual wheels to turn.


I also love the phrase "there's more to life than just what I can see." We are all ripples in the same pond. The inner circles of the ripple we can see, the outer circles are out of our view but still living and impacting the world. For example, a kind word to someone today may put a smile on their face (an inner ripple that you can see) but it also may be the tipping point in their day between choosing one path over another. My father was a football coach and a teacher. He worked with a lot of kids growing up. Every so often he meets a former player or student who says, "You remember when you said XYZ? That really made a difference for me. Thank you." Who knew? That is an outer ripple coming back. That is a gift. Most of them enter the mysterious realm of "there's more to life than just what I can see."


My aunt Margaret Ann once told us of a dream she had after my grandmother (her mother) passed away. She saw Nana (my grandmother) playing in a band with other family members. This also included my Uncle Steve (Nana's son) who died at an early age and before Nana. In the grand scheme of things it was just a "little while" before she saw her son again. It will be just a little while before I join the band too.


"Just a little while." That is comforting to my heart and soul.

Cruising @ 50K level of perspective

(You can click on the picture to enlarge)

I am at one of my favorite coffee shops (the Village Cup in Jericho, Vermont).  It has the vibe that allows me to fly to higher levels of perspective.  The location, music, furnishings and chatter of the patrons fuel my creative juices.  I have discovered that certain physical locations get me into the higher levels of perspective "zone" more than others.

My goal today is to continue my intentional search for items that can inform my 50K (a.k.a. mission in life, legacy) intentions.  Here are some of the thoughts that come to my mind as I work at this level:

"be soft, be open..."

"life is a process of discovery..."

"life continues to unfold... what is next?"

"how will I respond to [fill in the blank]?"

"the continuation of the story amazes me... I am so thankful for those who have come before me, who are with me and will come after me."

Victor Frankl mentioned that "you detect your mission."  That really resonates with me.  My real mission feels like it is delivered to me one piece of the puzzle at a time.  When I am tuned in, I will capture a piece of the puzzle (a quote, a comment, a vision, an idea)  for later review.  Slowly, over time, the content and context of my mission is making its way into my heart and my actions.

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What are your favorite higher-level-of-thinking locations?  Do you get to them as often as you would like?

How do you capture or record the results of your higher level thinking?

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One last note... a new book is out from one of my favorite authors, Dan Roam.  You may enjoy it, too.

The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures

Unfolding the Napkin: The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures

EOY + Vacation = Trip to higher levels of perspective

Furnace filter changed? Yes, but... EOY updating of my GTD checklists

I am loving the art of creating checklists. At this stage in my GTD journey I am trying to strike the balance between too many and too few. My home maintenance checklist keeps growing. My piece of mind keeps growing with it as I find ways to keep the house running smoothly.

My lastest find... I was not changing my furnace air filter nearly enough. I was changing it once a year. I did some research (click here) and found I should be changing it once every couple of months if not once a month.

I updated my home maintenance checklist with my new found knowledge.  Also, I read a great tip during my research: Write the date you installed the filter on the filter for future reference.  I also took it to the GTD next step and added a reminder to my tickler system.

My Dirty Air Filter

Here are some links that my help you with your filter research  if you are in the same boat:

Honeywell CF200A1008 4-Inch Ultra Efficiency Air Cleaner Filter 16x25x4 Inches

Air Filter Replacement: MERV 8 for Trion Air Bear 20x25x5

12 each: Ace Pleated Furnace Air Filter (84804.011625)

Merry Christmas from Zone by Zone

May each passing moment today bring you peace and joy.

All my prayers and best wishes go with you.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays,

Mike @ Zonebyzone.com

Breakfast Quote of the Day

What is your most productive capture spot?

Without a doubt my sink is one of my most productive capture spots. From a zone by zone perspective, my time here sits between breakfast with the kids (a distinct zone) and getting dressed for work (a distinct zone). I have captured many productive items here. I've also forgotten many gems because I was not capture ready.

What is one of your most productive spots?

Quote of the day