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Danny Bader
The Power of Persistence
“It is not sufficient that a man know how to ride a horse, he must also learn to fall.” - Confucius
Recently, while waiting for a plane, I observed a curly-haired toddler learning to walk. After a few tentative steps, he would fall, sit for a moment, smile at his father who was sitting in a chair across a large, open walkway and then get up and do it again. As I watched this toddler enjoying the experience of mastering this physical act, I could not help but to think about the wonderful people I coach and their initial experience with GTD.
The resistance that is often expressed by people new to GTD is that they don’t have the time to set up their system, or they don’t like to file. Or that all this “thinking about” and “defining” work doesn’t seem like they are actually getting anything done. Similar to my little friend in the airport, these folks continue to fall as they try out new or unfamiliar behaviors. One participant in a D.C. seminar said, “I know I keep a lot of stuff in my head, it just feels too weird to write it all down.”
The folks who have said they do not have time to set up their systems have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of time they reclaim once those systems are in place. Many have said that it is great just to finally “do” without having to think about it; and it is nice to have everything they need to “do” readily available. This is often referred to as “flow” or “being in the zone” by athletes who find themselves in that state of high productivity with little thought. GTDers seek this experience through getting a Mind Like Water – where the mind is clear and free of distraction, able to respond to input without over or under-reacting.
There is a great deal of clarity to be gained when people trust that actionable items are not mixed in with reference. The ability to separate action from reference is one of the easiest ways for one to get more relaxed and focused on the actionable portion of their work.
Those who initially resist filing soon come to find peace of mind and control when they are now “able to easily access what they could not find before. The act of creating a label for a file – often a foreign thought for many people – can become satisfying, even fun. Why? – because that label is the key to easily retrieving information.
Before GTD, when new information came across their desks, they would usually say, “I’ll get to it later.” By applying the GTD Fundamental Process of asking two questions: “What is my desired outcome with this?” and “What is the next action?” many have come to realize a powerful thing about knowledge work: “To get to it does not necessarily mean to do it.” Rather, it means to think about what needs to be done, and then to park a reminder for this action in a trusted system where they will be notified of it when they need to be. Aaahhh, relief! Clients have told me they enjoy the challenge of actually “thinking” about their work.
Back to my little friend in the airport; I watched and smiled as he toddled his way clear across the walkway and back to his dad. The pleasure he found in his accomplishment was obvious as he began to do an interesting version of the Irish Jig.
This show reminded me of the challenge facing our clients. They begin to walk, or to implement GTD, and often fall. Then they get back up and try again. Like the little boy in the airport, it is vital to see where you want to go, and to commit to getting up when you fall!
Learning GTD and incorporating the principles habitually into your life requires vision, commitment, support, and the ability to not take yourself too seriously.
Take the leap, and as you go along, learn how to fall…it will take you where you want to go!
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