There are a couple things that I really love:
(1) My wife
(2) My kids
(3) Breakfast
(4) Practicing the art of living - with a focus and appreciation for small "wins"
This post is about items (2) + (3) + (4).
From my vantage point, GTD is one of the best games around to help you lead a life of small wins. I have two children: Conrad (7) and Hannah (10). We have breakfast together almost every day. It is from this precious "zone" in my day that I listen, teach and learn.
This is also where we practice the the art of living and where I get to experiment with GTD with my kids - but I do not use the GTD language... at least I try not too.
Here is an example.
The scenario:
I am taking the day off from work to spend time with the kids while they are on school vacation.
Here is a summary of the breakfast scene with the kids highlighting the GTD principles:
Dad: It is time to pull out our portable Think-a-torium (that is our code word for a blank piece a paper).
Kids: Why?
Dad: We need to capture all our ideas on what we could do today. [GTD - Getting our gear ready for the capture phase]
We now have a piece of paper next to our cereal bowls...
Dad: Let's see how many ideas we can write down in 1 minute. Ready? Go!
Kids and Dad write frantically. [GTD - we are capturing]
Conrad (7): I don't know what to write?
Dad: Just draw a picture then. Draw a picture of what you want us to do. [drawing in pictures has worked well for Conrad. I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree! ;) ]
Hannah: I am ready.
Dad: okay... let's hear all the ideas. [GTD - Clarify phase. Also, positive reinforcement for the kids]
Dad: Hannah, before we start what is my favorite quote about ideas?
Hannah: (roll of the eyes) "you have to have lots of ideas, even real clunkers, to find the good ideas."
Dad: That's right. It is about how many Thinks you can Think (from Dr. Seuss)
Kids share ideas
Dad's feedback:
"Cool..."
"Nice one..."
"How would we do that one?..."
"Tell me more about that..."
"That is a crazy idea... I love it!"
Dad: Wow! You guys never cease to amaze me. Where do you get all these crazy ideas! These are great.
Dad: Let's try to piece together a plan for today based on these ideas. Hannah, can you draw a schedule for today? [GTD - preparing for the organizing phase; we hand draw a calendar for the day]
Hannah (10): Sure.
Dad: What are the top three things we want to do?
Kids discuss, debate and select. Dad steps into mediate as needed but I try to stay out.
Dad: How much time will we need for each and when do you want to do them? [GTD- we are figuring out our "hard landscape and soft landscape" items.]
The kids block off time on the schedule, we write "next actions" on a separate piece of papaer (e.g. call friend to see if they want to join us).
Dad: (holding up the schedule that the kids made) This looks like a great day.
Dad: (whispering) Can I tell you a secret? The Think-a-torium is a magic tool. You can use it any time and any place. I am always amazed how it is blank one moment and filled with great ideas the next.
Kids: Dad, you are weird!
Dad: Absolutely...!
We carry around our plan for the remainder of the day.
Dad: (in the front seat of the car) Hannah and Conrad what is next on our schedule?
At the end of the day...
Dad: Hannah and Conrad let's take a look at our day. That was a great day. What was your favorite part?
Great discussion. I use this time to listen and try to understand what the kids naturally enjoy. This could be a clue to one of their strengths.
As you can see we used GTD yet made up our own crazy words for some things. Yet, best of all, we had a day full of adventures and smiles. The power to pull this off again is one Think-a-torium session away!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Breakfast, Kids, GTD = Great vacation day
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Road Trip! GTD Summit March 11-13
I look forward to meeting my fellow panelists and the DavidCo staff. Have you seen the list? Talk about a diverse group of people. This is sure to be a great experience.
I also used to live in San Francisco so it will be great to be back in the city again. This is where I officially got hooked on coffee! We used to live above a coffee shop on Polk and Green. We lived above a used book store, too. A powerful 1-2 combo: books and coffee. It was during this time read some the books that influenced me deeply:
- Mans Search for Meaning, Victor Frankle- First Things First, Stephen Covey- The Mind of St. Paul, William Barklay- Using Both Sides of Your Brain, Tony Buzan
My wife and I also started our married life together in San Francisco. We loved our time there. We were broke most of the time, my mountain bike was stolen, our car was vandalized, our car was stolen... but through it all we had the BEST time! We would do it all over again without hesitation.
It is fitting that GTD is leading me back to the place that was the genesis of my personal renaissance. Ten years after San Francisco GTD helped me enter my second renaissance (can you have two?).
Please come with me on my journey.
Book blender
Ingrediants:
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life
The result:
I've been on a bit of a sabbatical from writing and posting. During this time I spent some time reading the Power of Now and Making It All work. For me, these are the types of book you read one sip at a time. One or two pages leads to a day of self observation and experimentation.
The Power of Now (PoN) really has some very interesting and challenging ideas. It exposed me to a larger universe of concepts that helped frame why things are on my mind. The "mind" is an interesting thread between both books. I found that the books complete each other (to steal a line from the Jerry McGuire movie).
The PoN talks about "psychological time." The amount of "mental cycles" you either spend in the past or the future versus being present now. GTD gives you the tools to name, label and expose those mental cycles. "Why do you need to have the same thought more than once?" is a prompting statement from David Allen.
Getting things off your "mind" is the key to clarity. It is the key to being present "now." I've also discovered that it helps channel energy toward resolution. Try this:
(1) Imagine a person walking toward you and bumping into your shoulder. You feel the physical conflict in that interaction.
(2) Now imagine the same scenario but you change your engagement with it. Instead of taking the blow to your shoulder you turn, put your arm around the person, and start walking in the same direction. In this scenario, you are working with the energy of the situation and experiencing the energy from the other person's perspective.
(3) Last now imagine the person walking toward you and you simply step aside and watch them walk past. You then continue walking in your original direction. The energy was the same. How you engaged was the only difference.
These physical examples can be applied to the thoughts that flow through your mind. I submit the way your body feels them is roughly the same. Just replace the "person" with "a thought."
- How many time are you "bumping" into the same thought?
- How many times do you to yield to a thought and follow it?
- How many times do you see a thought and let it pass on by with no lingering residue?
Does any of this ring true with you? If yes, why? Does is sound hokey? If yes, why?
