ZenDonut

The ice feels very thin here … I may be prodding the wasp nest with this posting. However, as Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning”.

First, a prelude: I like David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD). I like it alot. He has exposed untold numbers of people to the value that can be uncovered by following a set of relatively simple actions. He has changed the dialogue with which productivity is discussed. He has become a phenomenon and an icon. Myself and many others cannot thank him enough for the positive impact his ideas have had on peoples’ lives. I highly recommend reading his book.

Now … the tough part. I think GTD has missed the boat with a fundamental construct. One of the most basic tenets of the book is wrong. (oooh … living on the edge) The idea he espouses is that by documenting everything in your mind in an external trusted system, you free your mind from the responsibility of remembering and tracking everything. This freedom removes stress and allows you to be more productive. (thus the subtitle to the book)

Here’s the snag. I agree that documenting all to-do tasks is important and can help ensure nothing “slips through the cracks”. Unfortunately, as I’ve shared before, most people’s minds are not only full of to-do’s, phone numbers, and tasks … they’re also full of lyrics from “Baby Got Back” (which seem to come back at inopportune times), movie quotes from Pulp Fiction, and so on. These are things that I wouldn’t consider documenting on my online to-do list manager. Writing the lyrics to “Baby Got Back” on a moleskine notebook will not remove them from my memory … but might highlight my tenuous link to sanity. Therefore, no one can really “get everything out of their head” by writing it down. It’s just not realistic to think that anyone can write down everything that is taking up their attention at any point in time. Therefore, your mind will continue to hold onto things and the “stress-free productivity” is not obtained through this task.

Let me go further. When I was in school, the way I learned and memorized important concepts, was to write them down on a trusty notebook, then review the notebook often. Does that sound like anything familiar? (hint … To-Do List) In other words, using a to-do list is more akin to a technique to firmly plant ideas in your mind rather than remove them. Is memorization a way to remove thoughts from your mind and eliminate stress? Of course not.

My premise is twofold: 1. Your mind is full of items you wouldn’t consider writing on a to-do list, project list, or next action list and therefore will remain in your active mind, and 2. Your to-do list is a technique that doesn’t eliminate stress through the removal of that “to-do” from your conscience. The act of writing things on a to-do list and reviewing them frequently only serves to cement their position in your mind. This is contrary to the basic tenet of GTD.

Thanks again for reading. While you’re here, check out my post on why “Mind like water” is not exactly a great target state). The same post begins to lay out the solution to these shortcomings (It’s easy to complain and criticize, which I why I’ve also developed a solution).

Tags: david allen, getting things done, GTD, moleskine, Productivity, stress, stress free

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