Oops: Did You Drop Something?

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Bruce Keener

Did you ever have a good habit, and then, for no reason, you dropped it? Stopped using it? Don’t you wish your bad habits were so easily disposed?

The good habit that I am rediscovering, and that I think is worth sharing with you, is to periodically review inspiring and motivational quotes. Several years ago, I put together a list of inspirational sayings and I developed the good habit of reviewing that list at least weekly. Some of the items on this list are as follows:

  • Much is expected of those to whom much is given. (Jesus)
  • Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation. (Jesus)
  • Never confuse activity with productivity. (The Purpose Driven Life)
  • We should take care not to make the intellect our god. (Einstein)

I don’t know why I got away from reviewing that list. Perhaps it is because I was accustomed to reviewing it in my Palm TX memo listings, and found it less easy to review when I went back to a Pocket PC (I’ve switched between the two platforms too much over the years). Regardless, I regret having stopped a periodic of review of it and am recommitting to reviewing it regularly.

In addition to dropping some good habits over the years, I have also dropped the use of some good tools. The key example that comes to mind is the MindManager mindmapping software. I did not reinstall it when I upgraded to Leopard on my iMac (and had not been using it on Windows for several months). I really wanted to minimize the amount of software I installed on Leopard, keeping it “lean and mean.”

But, with my rededicating myself to implementing pure GTD, I was reminded that I had used MindManager a lot to do some of my 20,000 foot and above activities. So, I am getting back into using it and will do a writeup on mindmapping within the next week or so. Mindmapping is great for managing projects. It is also ideal for working through all the cobwebs in one’s head to ensure you capture all the “open loops” and get them into an actionable system. I’m using it right now for that, and having a blast using it.

What about you? Have you gotten away from some of your good habits, or tools that worked well for you? What thoughts would you add?

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  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    “Oops: Did You Drop Something?”

    Why, yes, now that you mentioned it. I blew off my weekly GTD review. And I’ve been paying for it in unbelievable stress and anxiety levels. I’m actually doing it now, but needed to take a quick breather.

    One of the reasons I’ve been bad about the weekly review is the feeling that I wasn’t doing it right. Well, I wasn’t. My version of the mindsweep was simply skimming the “Incompletion Triggers” template that came with my copy of the GTD book. Today I decided to do what you do, Bruce, and sit down with pen and paper and really do a core dump. I filled SIX FREAKING NOTEBOOK PAGES (8 1/2 by 11 to give you a frame of reference). Now I just need to process everything.

    I understood in the abstract what David Allen was saying about the need to clear one’s mind, but today for the first time I’ve actually experienced it. It’s very powerful, and yes, I feel calmer already, because I know the action lists I’ll develop will give me the basis for making the right choices about what to do over the next several days.

    Good day, Bruce! :)

  • http://www.billmyerscreations.com Bill Myers

    Addendum: The GTD templates have been extremely useful today. Granted, you could just transcribe what’s in the book (the material is all in there) but I find them to be a time-saver and are well-worth the extra expense.

  • http://www.keenerliving.com/ Bruce

    Good for you, Bill!
    The weekly review is way to easy to blow off. I like to have mine on a set schedule, an appointment with myself, which makes it a bit easier to keep, but even then one can blow it off (especially old retired farts like me).

    I agree that the templates are well worth the expense. And, I also agree that just setting down and doing a core dump is perhaps the best way of doing a mindsweep. And, sometimes it takes more than one mindsweep session to really clear the head out.

    Anyway, glad you are finding your way back into the swing of the single most important part of GTD: the weekly review.