I think people need to get sit-down and
clarify what experiences are you really
looking for in your life so a lot of
people now I want to have a clear head
go pour drinks or something clear your
head yeah as opposed to wait a minute
why is this on my mind and what do I
need to do to get it off my mind
you need to make action decisions when
you’re smart so that when you’re dumb
you do smart things
he’s a Productivity consultant best
known for creating the time management
system known as getting things done his
company focuses on productivity action
management and executive coaching Time
magazine called his best-selling book
getting things done the defining
self-help business book of its time he’s
David Allen and here’s my take on his
top ten rules for success rule number
four is my personal favorite and make
sure to stick around only to the end for
some special bonus clips and as always
if david says something that really
inspires you please leave it in the
comments below and put quotes around it
so other people can be inspired as well
enjoy
I think people need to get sit-down and
clarify what experiences are you really
looking for in your life and that
doesn’t necessarily it can include lots
of money but it can also include what do
you want to experience with that money a
sense of freedom a sense of service a
sense of providing value to the world a
sense of self confidence and self
efficacy what is it that you’re after so
there’s you know in my own you know
explorations and the whole personal
growth and self-awareness video game for
years I’ve been involved in that pretty
seriously you know there’s an exercise
and saying well what do you want I want
to read Portia great what experience do
you think that’s going to give you
freedom in a sense of fun whatever and
then the people get the red Porsche and
they’re worried about somebody going to
Dennett and they you know they can’t
afford the payments on it they didn’t
really get the experience they were
looking for what happened they got the
they got the symbol but they didn’t get
the inner experience but if you want the
experience of freedom and fun you can
have that this afternoon doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t have the red Porsche but
it just means that if you start to focus
on the inner experience what would
climbing the corporate ladder give you
as an inner experience why do you want
that what’s important to you about that
and because it could be I want to I want
to provide you know for my family for
you know for after I’m gone so there’s a
sense of building wealth or building net
worth or building assets you know for
the people around you that that care
that matter to you that’s there’s no
right or wrong about any of your answers
to this but I think getting clear about
whether you want to do that or whether
you want to get there because you want
to be able to impact a much larger
segment of the world for doing good or
taking it over I don’t know what do you
know whatever you want but I think
that’s the key is being able to
externalize and start to become
objective about well what is it that
you’re after
and so just crafting your own ideal
scene not only of the things you want
which is fine don’t don’t stop that and
if I don’t feel embarrassed that you
want a red Porsche so there’s nothing
wrong with any of that material stuff
that you might want but it’s also true
that’s a real good idea to just say let
me just lay that all out and then use
that as a map just to then guide you in
terms of your intuitive decision-making
they don’t think you have to work at it
that hard but I think you do need to be
conscious about it and validate it in
some part of yourself
most to-do lists are incomplete list of
still unclear things by the way what you
see on to-do lists are things like
budget mom dog babysitter go right well
I understand this sort of probably
indicates something that’s something
you’ve got to do something about but
what exactly is the work you need to do
and that’s going to be the second thing
you need to do is to take those things
that you’ve identified that are yanking
your chain and you need to make some
really specific decisions about what
does the work involve and there’s two
key questions you need to ask about
everything on your list what outcome am
I committed to finish so that you can
define that target out there what’s the
project about the budget about the dog
about the babysitter and identify those
and then you need to ask yourself what’s
the very next action step that I need to
take to move forward on that if I were
going to move on it outcome in action
zeros and ones a productive behavior
what are we trying to accomplish how do
we allocate resources to make it happen
but you need to apply that very
specifically if you want to be
appropriately engaged with anything
yanking your chain out there the late
great Peter Drucker you folks should
know that we tell every one of us is
knowledge workers are the toughest
admonition your toughest work is
defining what your work is he put it in
broad terms this is very specifically
what he’s talking about
what is the work embedded in that and
getting very clear about that and I
guarantee you if you sat down and take
at least a few of the things off your
list and make these decisions what’s the
project write it down what’s the action
step write it down you will feel
exponentially more appropriately engaged
with your world never seen an exception
to that tell us when you were just
starting out if you’re all big and
successful with that way long time ago
in the day when you were just first turn
out what were your most successful
marketing strategies well I think if
we’re what we’re talking about really is
building a business off of the brand of
building a business off to getting
things done model and methodology that
actually
about many many years after I was doing
the work or consulting and coaching but
didn’t market myself now marketing was
called pick up the phone you know it was
all referral whatever but even back then
I have to say you know job one called
Network engage like don’t turn down any
opportunity to talk to anybody about
what you’re doing as long as they’re you
know have a positively inclined you know
so you know if they’re trying to talk to
you beat you up or run you down or you
know to prove that they’re better than
hear that that’s probably not worthwhile
but you know most people are often
gracious about that and you know so you
got to ask you know where you got to put
yourself out so that’s what I’m done I
continued to do that as the book came
out then I had opportunities people
would you know I got press on that that
the book publisher you know produce but
I took advantage of every single podcast
every single interview every single like
this like you Stephanie and maybe to use
anything worth talking people I got sure
I’ll talk to people so I’m not actually
a naturally extroverted person it
actually is something I do need to focus
on and you know it’s not like I get all
my juice out of that so it is a
consciously done thing and I think have
you know hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of interview requests and and
would you write an article about or
whatever I think I’m only turned down
one there just seemed to be a bit sleazy
you know why my wife is my chief
executive assistant you know she
deceived she provides a little bit of a
filter for me about those kind of things
but I take advantage of all of that so
that’s not job one now cuz I just say
yes to any opportunity saying yes to
every opportunity and you know also just
in terms of my stuff many times it much
like a bump mr. Ford used to say he
never he never he learned what he knew
by talking to people because he said he
had a BS meter that would go off inside
him if he was talking people that’s
where he learned and I’m pretty much the
same way so it’s not only a one-way
street meaning you’re helping other
people out there but I also matured a
lot of my thinking about what I was
doing now
express it by doing that you’re a guru
of time management and getting things
done so give us the lay of the land and
then we’ll do a little deep dive you’re
ready yes I’m ready for this your head
is for having idea is not for Holi
that’s it that’s it if you get that you
now have the key to keeping creative
space in your brain to be able to have a
lot more room to be a lot more creative
have a lot more fun fulfill your life up
a lot better
most people are walking around most
99.9999% of das still walking around
with the constipated psyche with all the
stuff they’re trying to manage keep
track of remember remind themselves
about or whatever
and
you know that is so some awful my mouth
is open because I just I just got it in
that one sentence how profound that is
and I think about what you want to say
basically say it again
so the broke your hands for having ideas
I’m from holding her head is for having
ideas not for I’m guessing that’s
getting rich waited around then I know
cat food
should pop into your head once if it
pops in twice you’re not handling your
in your appropriate engagement with your
cat or its food all right if I have an
idea twice it’s just the reason you do
and the reason things pop into your head
for the most part is simply because
you’re not yet appropriately engaged
with whatever that thing is and it’s got
you as opposed that you got it so
interesting you have to learn the skill
and what I just discovered and develop
and really recognize I didn’t make it up
this is nothing new sure this is
humanity well yeah that’s what I did was
make explicit what we implicitly do to
get things done
the truth is that
you actually have to use your mind to
get stuff off your mind so a lot of
people now I want to have a clear head
goal or training course or something
clear your head yeah as opposed to wait
a minute why is this online mind and
what do I need to do to get it off my
mind and that actually requires thinking
those are know that very important value
is for everybody listening to this
thinking is required so that your brain
can actually think so let me try and
apply that the worldwide audience is
sitting in right now is largely create
as people who are
learning a new skill want to acquire a
new skill in photo video design our
music entrepreneurship for example and I
feel like I’m going to be the test
monkey here an apply what you just said
to me that when I like my best moments
are when my mind really
is the most clear it’s the most sort of
empty and I can able to take on a thing
and do it you need your your paints need
to be organized before you start
painting because any know where we’re
mustering is and I you know where their
canvas cobalt color is I mean if you’re
gonna cook how do you want your kitchen
to start you got friends coming over now
is that why we clean our room before we
do with four we study for the test it’s
why your car drives better when you get
it clean I coached one very senior
executive in a very large company whose
average backlog of email was four
thousand his biggest issue was the fact
that his calendar was booked for the
next two months
hardly anybody could get in because of
his schedule why was his calendar book
because people couldn’t get his input to
be able to okay or get his authority to
move on the things he had tasked them to
do they had to get in his face so they
needed a meeting after I coached him
I’ve never seen anybody change that
significantly that fast but then his
backlog went from four thousand to zero
what happened was you know he started
cleaning up his backlog and keeping it
clean then what happened was the
pressure came off his calendar why
because people could get a response
within 24 to 48 hours by simply sending
the guy an email huge change in his
culture simply because of his
responsiveness by the way the
sensitivity of a nervous system pretty
much indicates where you are on the food
chain
so organizations that do not have that
kind of instant responsiveness or people
who don’t have that responsiveness
basically put you further down on the
food chain over the years I just found
you know case
because the seeds boy especially in my
business seed planning is just amazing
and it’s probably true I mean come on
Stephanie must be with your your
business and anybody’s out there yeah
you know with the restaurant anything
else it takes a while to build there but
you just got to stay there and you got
to keep doing what you’re doing and you
know keep putting one foot in front of
the other and that consistency I think
is something also people that resonates
with people I’m so glad you said that
because I’m always beating my drum of
consistency do your marketing
consistently and you will get results
and the whole seed planting it’s just I
love that message yeah I’ve had people
come back you know boy years later
sometimes eight ten years later no David
I met you at XYZ data at a time I now in
this position right now you’re exactly
what we need and holy mackerel you know
how long you know did some of these
seeds to grow some of them pop right
away obviously but you just got to keep
you know Johnny Appleseed you just have
to keep spreading the seeds out there
wherever you can in the whatever way you
can you know in front of my Jack
Canfield he wrote you know chicken soup
and you know Jack’s got the great story
I mean they you know no publisher would
take it they fill this trunk with the
book so they did probe around the
country you know just talking about it
and taking every single radio spot
interview that they could you know it’s
at some point it reached a critical mass
they don’t sort of tipped over but and I
think there’s wisdom in that if he
didn’t believe what you’re doing and you
love what you’re doing you know just
stick with it and keep course directing
pay attention to feedback and you know
stick your guns and when your first TED
talk you said that the brain is not
necessarily good at multitasking but it
actually is a good planner but it
doesn’t always know what to be telling
you at the right time for example 3:00
in the morning you’re thinking about the
guy at work you can’t do anything about
but you said in the long run your mind
does plan things that plants
reproductive decisions eating decisions
and things like that yeah can you tell
me a bit more about that well the mind
naturally we naturally do a lot of that
stuff and all I did was recognize what
the process is that we go through and we
do that it’s it is kind of interesting I
don’t know that I don’t know that I have
the solid answer to this yet why
everything I talk about in the book is
easy to do
it’s stuff we in a sense naturally do
you you will naturally you know plan you
know the natural planning model is
called that because that’s how that’s
how you got dressed that’s how you walk
it’s how you talk you know you have an
outcome you you you you you have a
reason to be doing what you’re doing you
have a vision of it being complete and
that then generates
all the potentially meaningful things
you need to consider and then you sort
those and organize them and then you
take an action so we’re doing that all
the time and yet when people they don’t
really apply that same process in much
larger or more complex kinds of things
in those kinds of ways so it’s literally
sort of like learning from the smart
part of us right yes you deconstruct the
smart part of us they apply that to
those longer but those other pieces that
we don’t seem to do this yeah that you
know I don’t do that to I just I just
did a tweet because I was reminded of
that I was doing another interview that
if you you need to make action decisions
when you’re smart so that when you’re
dumb you do smart things all right
because see it’s the smart people who
really realize you’re only smart and
inspired and very random moment so when
you’re smart and inspired you want to
use that to capture the results of that
and then Park the results um that where
then when you’re kind of thick and
stupid which is majority of the time you
actually do smart stuff that you figured
out back when you were smart what
happens if you got a whole list of all
the stuff to do and you’re not doing any
of it relax you know enjoy have fun you
know procrastination simply is not doing
a bunch of stuff and sometimes the thing
that you need to do is stop doing
anything as a matter of fact how good
you are at this getting things done
methodology is often indicated by how
well you can do nothing
people have a hard time doing nothing
but we know now in terms of brain
science that you need as much time to
let your brain relax and be spontaneous
and daydream in order to refresh its
decision-making cognitive power because
you only have a limit of that and so if
you’re not napping if you’re not getting
enough sleep if you’re not backing off
and letting your mind just relax and
wander then your sub optimizing your
cognitive ability
so you know yeah most people
procrastinate though because they’re
afraid of stepping into something you
don’t feel like you can be successful at
so just a simple idea of deciding what’s
the very next action I need to take
oftentimes people’s lists do not have
next actions you’ll see things like on
somebody’s lists how many of you have
something that looks like a to-do list
somewhere anybody
yeah 99% of every to-do list I’ve ever
seen is an incomplete list of still
unclear stuff you’ll see things on a
to-do list like mom oh good well there’s
good historical data you probably had
one you know why did you write it down
oh well her birthday’s coming well great
what are you gonna do about a birthday I
don’t know right and most people’s to-do
list when you look at them still or
reminding you there’s decision-making
and thinking that you still need to do
about these commitments and you don’t
have the energy to think and decide so
you say stop reminding me I’m
overwhelmed so your lists become very
unattractive to you so there’s lots of
reasons people may have a high barrier
to entry to start engaging with the
things that you’re committed to actually
this is cool actually
the most productive times I’m am is when
I have the freedom to make a creative
mess you to you need I need I need room
to be crazy to make some mistakes to
brainstorm to be chaotic go a little off
the edge that is going to be your most
productive time it’s when you have that
kind of freedom to do that however folks
if you’re already NMS you ain’t got room
to make one if your kitchens a mess you
don’t have time or the energy to have a
creative dinner for your friends if your
desk and your office or a mess you don’t
have room and space to be you know crazy
about some new project and spread out
and have brainstorm with ideas if your
email is backed up on you with a
thousand unprocessed emails and you’ve
got three thousand other things going on
in your head you have no space to take
advantage of discretion or a time that
may show up in terms of it being
creative in terms of your energy
the results of that if you’re trying to
use your psyche to manage that mess and
you never get out of it is you get the
results of two things that are the
critical elements of self and
organizational productivity you’ll lose
perspective that is you lose the ability
to put your focus where you need it on
exactly the thing you need it at the
horizon you need it and/or you may be
experiencing the results of what happens
when you lose control that is I now
don’t have stability and I don’t have
the freedom in my head to be able to put
the appropriate attention and execute on
it when I do so those are the two key
elements folks you can’t manage time you
don’t miss manage five minutes and come
up with six the only time that you think
you need time management is when one or
both of these two dynamics is suboptimal
either things need to be more under
control or more appropriately focused if
you map those two things together what
do you get if you on the bottom left
here we’ve got no control and no focus
ever been there that’s your basic Vic
victim experience you know driven by
latest in loudest for the most part most
of us are thrown there by our own over
commitments and creativity we’re just
trying to come up for air now if that
part of you shows up that has high focus
of perspective but no control
now you’re the mad scientist now you’re
the desperate artiste
now you’re the crazy maker with all
kinds of crazy ideas and no constraints
of what you’re doing nothing very
well-organized middle of the morning you
decide to go buy the new iPhone but your
IT department won’t support it on the
other hand you can get down on the weeds
say hello wait I need to get 10,000
things organized I need to get all this
cleaned up and eaten and now you get
into micromanagement if you don’t have
appropriate focus you can get down on
those weeds and hung up and I’m like
crazy and you spend a lot of time you
know doing a lot of trying to get
organized about things that may not be
that important right in the morning
you’re crazy bakers have given you
iPhone the afternoon you spend two hours
of what could be a strategic afternoon
trying to set up the right ringtones
here’s what’s true about all three of
those folks you ain’t ready for what’s
coming towards you you will be
suboptimal in terms of your ability to
handle the surprises and they’re coming
good better and different they’re coming
trust me and you want to be optimally
available for those things when they
come to you it’s great to complete
things so it’s you know that’s a lot of
you know we know when we finish anything
there’s a part of us that sort of reaps
energy out of that
that feels good those are your best days
when you got you handle that you turn
that in you bought that thing you got
the fixed that you got the lightbulb and
screwed it in and then it worked them
Wow
so those are your good days you actually
finish a lot of stuff there’s a lot of
value to completing an open loop how n
at the same time you don’t want to feel
bad if that loop is not closed and
that’s a lot of what the GTD methodology
does is like look you don’t have to
finish all this stuff in order to get it
off your mind but you do have to
identify what it is and trust that
you’ll see it at the right time wherever
you are with it at whatever its status
is so yeah you don’t want to you know
it’s it there’s there’s a whole new idea
that goal setting is really not the best
thing to do especially if you set a goal
and feel bad until you get the goal
right because then you then you’re not
appreciating the process of moving
toward it and so you don’t want to be
able to create frustration or guilt or
you know or undermine your energy by
having some only future ideal win is
goal setting just as a pure exercise bad
no you’re setting goals all the time
that’s how you got dressed it’s how
you’re talking how you walk you’re
always you’re seeing yourself out the
door and then you will fulfill the
picture so we’re setting you you can’t
stop actually because you’re tell Elijah
chol being you’re always moving towards
something that part of us that’s always
attempting to expand Express fulfill
complete something I mean just look just
look around just anecdotally anyway that
everybody’s doing something even when
you’re not doing something you’re doing
that right so there’s an intentionality
still there but like a goal of I’m going
to be a billionaire in three years
da-da-da-da-da might not always be
depends on what you’re doing with it it
depends on whether it’s running you or
you’re managing that call hey here’s a
picture here’s an image let me just
stick that in there why not you know
it’s better to have nice positive
pictures and images in your head than
you know a bunch of negative ones and as
long as it creates expansion instead of
contraction I think that’s the big key
that’s something that I learned years
ago as a marker for me about whether
things are in alignment you know at
whatever level you want to interpret
that is is engaging in this creating
expansion or contraction you know love
or fear so you can look at it that way
okay same thing right in loving
everything works you know in fear
nothing works so it’s in a way it’s just
that that aspect of making sure so don’t
beat the medium and don’t there’s no
reason there’s no bad or good about any
of these kinds of things whether it’s
goal-setting or not
other than is that the most optimal
thing way to be engaging with it okay
and love or fear expansion contraction
that’s kind of a way and it got a gut
feeling whether you’re opening yourself
up doing that and whether you’re
protecting and limiting yeah and it’s
also a good way to for decisions like I
don’t know which way I should go should
I should I change jobs should I should I
move to Amsterdam whatever you know
start doing you know practicing
rehearsing scenarios in your mind about
whatever that future scenario is and see
if that’s feeling expansive or
contracted
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because yogin champion
asked me to I hope I pronounced that
okay so there’s a famous entrepreneur
that you want me to profile next leave
it down the comments below and I’ll see
what I can do
I’d also love to know what the day would
say that really left its mark on you
what rule did you like the best what
clip really inspired you leave in the
comments and I’m going to join in the
discussion I also want to give a quick
shout out to Alejandro Baltazar
Alejandro thank you so much you’re
picking up a copy of my book your one
word it really really really means a lot
to me so thank you guys again for
watching I believe in you I hope you
continue to believe in yourselves and
whatever your one word is much love I’ll
see you soon
I think over time people develop their
own signature and I think anything is a
while to find out what your signature
really is so I’ll fast forward a little
bit where I am now we never really
marketed ourselves as I begin to build a
little company around the success of the
book and brought in other trainers and
coaches and presenters and started to
build some product around that still not
a huge company and there are only 20
plus of us you know doing that work but
we’re partnering with other people out
there but as I started to do that we
really realized that the branded kind of
run out from under us GTD which was the
shorthand for getting things done became
this global thing kind of like Kleenex
and Xerox and we didn’t own it I mean we
we owned it but we do it was kind of
running faster than us and we really had
to rethink how are we showing up out
there in the world because people would
meet me or meet us and go wow you’re
nothing like what I expected you to be I
said what you expect me to be this about
corporate left brain and hard working
and rigorous and discipline and whatever
and a lot of people go you know I
probably should but that’s not me but
that’s not us either and so there was a
disconnect between how we were actually
showing up in the world and people’s
perception of us and the reality so we
we had a really smart guy help us think
through this if it’s really about being
authentic so those really tie together
call what’s my signature what’s the
David Allen signature if you go to my
website now if you if anybody ever saw
it a year or two ago it looks very
different now than it did then because
what we decided was lotte to tie off you
know because I’m really kind of hanging
on spontaneous you know kind of guy
which is really a lot of what my
methodologies about what the message is
about but initially we you know we had
targeted the market of the people those
are the people that the high you know
high profile professionals and fast
track professionals were the ones who
were probably in the most pain in terms
of overwhelm and that could use the
methodology most to begin with but the
truth is is for anybody and the you know
it’s now spread around the world with
our signature in other words our
expression is much more aligned with who
we really are so we didn’t really have
to go with
where you know many times the problem
companies have is their marketing is a
big time they can’t deliver on the big
tada
well our tada stocked you know we were
delivering huge value and people were
you know having transformational
experiences but you know you didn’t look
that way you know so we said well
there’s a lot of people were not
reaching because there’s kind of an
inauthentic this about what we are doing
so that’s been a lying now within the
website and a brand yeah yeah much more
much more so whether it works is a
business I don’t know but it’s certainly
a lot more fun to show them trying to be
something else or or how to deal with
people’s perception of me not being who
I really am and so you know maybe more
approachable lowering the bar for people
to be able to engage and to engage with
me you know early on you have to kind of
you know everybody you know probably
gets a nice business card so that you
look like you’re bigger than you
probably really are you know you start
to cronic create an image and a brand
around you know who we think we really
ought to be given you know you know so
we can attract people and not let not
turn them off but at some point you
really need to kind of catch up with
that and allow yourself to just gonna be
who you are and let the world come to
you that are interested in you okay make
sense that’s but that’s done that has
been a bunch of personal development
development as a marketing development
on my side okay that’s fascinating so
it’s another again there’s two things
happening here as you do a little bit a
personal element the marketing those two
things are aligned and they’re important
for them both to create a successful
business I I think so you know but I’m
not
I’m studied all the successful business
to say that’s how they did it I do know
that in the world that we’re in now
because it’s so transparent and social
media can spread word like crazy and you
know that that essentially that
transparency the more authentic you are
probably the safer it’s going to be so
you don’t have to you know worry about
trying to be something that you’re not
RG they follow me of that and now I have
to be
them and don’t have to be that for them
just makes life easier it does make life
easier whether it makes it more
profitable I would think so but yeah I
think the world gets attracted to
authenticity I think and that’s that’s I
think where the world is because it’s so
transparent enough is in authenticity I
think shows up at least subliminally if
not directly yeah you know so you know
people out there trying to create
marketing campaigns that really aren’t
who you are or trying to show up as
something that’s just somebody’s writing
ad copy but then your engagement with
the company you know doesn’t doesn’t
hold up to that or doesn’t doesn’t match
for that you know that’s tricky business
clarify what experiences are you really
looking for in your life so a lot of
people now I want to have a clear head
go pour drinks or something clear your
head yeah as opposed to wait a minute
why is this on my mind and what do I
need to do to get it off my mind
you need to make action decisions when
you’re smart so that when you’re dumb
you do smart things
he’s a Productivity consultant best
known for creating the time management
system known as getting things done his
company focuses on productivity action
management and executive coaching Time
magazine called his best-selling book
getting things done the defining
self-help business book of its time he’s
David Allen and here’s my take on his
top ten rules for success rule number
four is my personal favorite and make
sure to stick around only to the end for
some special bonus clips and as always
if david says something that really
inspires you please leave it in the
comments below and put quotes around it
so other people can be inspired as well
enjoy
I think people need to get sit-down and
clarify what experiences are you really
looking for in your life and that
doesn’t necessarily it can include lots
of money but it can also include what do
you want to experience with that money a
sense of freedom a sense of service a
sense of providing value to the world a
sense of self confidence and self
efficacy what is it that you’re after so
there’s you know in my own you know
explorations and the whole personal
growth and self-awareness video game for
years I’ve been involved in that pretty
seriously you know there’s an exercise
and saying well what do you want I want
to read Portia great what experience do
you think that’s going to give you
freedom in a sense of fun whatever and
then the people get the red Porsche and
they’re worried about somebody going to
Dennett and they you know they can’t
afford the payments on it they didn’t
really get the experience they were
looking for what happened they got the
they got the symbol but they didn’t get
the inner experience but if you want the
experience of freedom and fun you can
have that this afternoon doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t have the red Porsche but
it just means that if you start to focus
on the inner experience what would
climbing the corporate ladder give you
as an inner experience why do you want
that what’s important to you about that
and because it could be I want to I want
to provide you know for my family for
you know for after I’m gone so there’s a
sense of building wealth or building net
worth or building assets you know for
the people around you that that care
that matter to you that’s there’s no
right or wrong about any of your answers
to this but I think getting clear about
whether you want to do that or whether
you want to get there because you want
to be able to impact a much larger
segment of the world for doing good or
taking it over I don’t know what do you
know whatever you want but I think
that’s the key is being able to
externalize and start to become
objective about well what is it that
you’re after
and so just crafting your own ideal
scene not only of the things you want
which is fine don’t don’t stop that and
if I don’t feel embarrassed that you
want a red Porsche so there’s nothing
wrong with any of that material stuff
that you might want but it’s also true
that’s a real good idea to just say let
me just lay that all out and then use
that as a map just to then guide you in
terms of your intuitive decision-making
they don’t think you have to work at it
that hard but I think you do need to be
conscious about it and validate it in
some part of yourself
most to-do lists are incomplete list of
still unclear things by the way what you
see on to-do lists are things like
budget mom dog babysitter go right well
I understand this sort of probably
indicates something that’s something
you’ve got to do something about but
what exactly is the work you need to do
and that’s going to be the second thing
you need to do is to take those things
that you’ve identified that are yanking
your chain and you need to make some
really specific decisions about what
does the work involve and there’s two
key questions you need to ask about
everything on your list what outcome am
I committed to finish so that you can
define that target out there what’s the
project about the budget about the dog
about the babysitter and identify those
and then you need to ask yourself what’s
the very next action step that I need to
take to move forward on that if I were
going to move on it outcome in action
zeros and ones a productive behavior
what are we trying to accomplish how do
we allocate resources to make it happen
but you need to apply that very
specifically if you want to be
appropriately engaged with anything
yanking your chain out there the late
great Peter Drucker you folks should
know that we tell every one of us is
knowledge workers are the toughest
admonition your toughest work is
defining what your work is he put it in
broad terms this is very specifically
what he’s talking about
what is the work embedded in that and
getting very clear about that and I
guarantee you if you sat down and take
at least a few of the things off your
list and make these decisions what’s the
project write it down what’s the action
step write it down you will feel
exponentially more appropriately engaged
with your world never seen an exception
to that tell us when you were just
starting out if you’re all big and
successful with that way long time ago
in the day when you were just first turn
out what were your most successful
marketing strategies well I think if
we’re what we’re talking about really is
building a business off of the brand of
building a business off to getting
things done model and methodology that
actually
about many many years after I was doing
the work or consulting and coaching but
didn’t market myself now marketing was
called pick up the phone you know it was
all referral whatever but even back then
I have to say you know job one called
Network engage like don’t turn down any
opportunity to talk to anybody about
what you’re doing as long as they’re you
know have a positively inclined you know
so you know if they’re trying to talk to
you beat you up or run you down or you
know to prove that they’re better than
hear that that’s probably not worthwhile
but you know most people are often
gracious about that and you know so you
got to ask you know where you got to put
yourself out so that’s what I’m done I
continued to do that as the book came
out then I had opportunities people
would you know I got press on that that
the book publisher you know produce but
I took advantage of every single podcast
every single interview every single like
this like you Stephanie and maybe to use
anything worth talking people I got sure
I’ll talk to people so I’m not actually
a naturally extroverted person it
actually is something I do need to focus
on and you know it’s not like I get all
my juice out of that so it is a
consciously done thing and I think have
you know hundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of interview requests and and
would you write an article about or
whatever I think I’m only turned down
one there just seemed to be a bit sleazy
you know why my wife is my chief
executive assistant you know she
deceived she provides a little bit of a
filter for me about those kind of things
but I take advantage of all of that so
that’s not job one now cuz I just say
yes to any opportunity saying yes to
every opportunity and you know also just
in terms of my stuff many times it much
like a bump mr. Ford used to say he
never he never he learned what he knew
by talking to people because he said he
had a BS meter that would go off inside
him if he was talking people that’s
where he learned and I’m pretty much the
same way so it’s not only a one-way
street meaning you’re helping other
people out there but I also matured a
lot of my thinking about what I was
doing now
express it by doing that you’re a guru
of time management and getting things
done so give us the lay of the land and
then we’ll do a little deep dive you’re
ready yes I’m ready for this your head
is for having idea is not for Holi
that’s it that’s it if you get that you
now have the key to keeping creative
space in your brain to be able to have a
lot more room to be a lot more creative
have a lot more fun fulfill your life up
a lot better
most people are walking around most
99.9999% of das still walking around
with the constipated psyche with all the
stuff they’re trying to manage keep
track of remember remind themselves
about or whatever
and
you know that is so some awful my mouth
is open because I just I just got it in
that one sentence how profound that is
and I think about what you want to say
basically say it again
so the broke your hands for having ideas
I’m from holding her head is for having
ideas not for I’m guessing that’s
getting rich waited around then I know
cat food
should pop into your head once if it
pops in twice you’re not handling your
in your appropriate engagement with your
cat or its food all right if I have an
idea twice it’s just the reason you do
and the reason things pop into your head
for the most part is simply because
you’re not yet appropriately engaged
with whatever that thing is and it’s got
you as opposed that you got it so
interesting you have to learn the skill
and what I just discovered and develop
and really recognize I didn’t make it up
this is nothing new sure this is
humanity well yeah that’s what I did was
make explicit what we implicitly do to
get things done
the truth is that
you actually have to use your mind to
get stuff off your mind so a lot of
people now I want to have a clear head
goal or training course or something
clear your head yeah as opposed to wait
a minute why is this online mind and
what do I need to do to get it off my
mind and that actually requires thinking
those are know that very important value
is for everybody listening to this
thinking is required so that your brain
can actually think so let me try and
apply that the worldwide audience is
sitting in right now is largely create
as people who are
learning a new skill want to acquire a
new skill in photo video design our
music entrepreneurship for example and I
feel like I’m going to be the test
monkey here an apply what you just said
to me that when I like my best moments
are when my mind really
is the most clear it’s the most sort of
empty and I can able to take on a thing
and do it you need your your paints need
to be organized before you start
painting because any know where we’re
mustering is and I you know where their
canvas cobalt color is I mean if you’re
gonna cook how do you want your kitchen
to start you got friends coming over now
is that why we clean our room before we
do with four we study for the test it’s
why your car drives better when you get
it clean I coached one very senior
executive in a very large company whose
average backlog of email was four
thousand his biggest issue was the fact
that his calendar was booked for the
next two months
hardly anybody could get in because of
his schedule why was his calendar book
because people couldn’t get his input to
be able to okay or get his authority to
move on the things he had tasked them to
do they had to get in his face so they
needed a meeting after I coached him
I’ve never seen anybody change that
significantly that fast but then his
backlog went from four thousand to zero
what happened was you know he started
cleaning up his backlog and keeping it
clean then what happened was the
pressure came off his calendar why
because people could get a response
within 24 to 48 hours by simply sending
the guy an email huge change in his
culture simply because of his
responsiveness by the way the
sensitivity of a nervous system pretty
much indicates where you are on the food
chain
so organizations that do not have that
kind of instant responsiveness or people
who don’t have that responsiveness
basically put you further down on the
food chain over the years I just found
you know case
because the seeds boy especially in my
business seed planning is just amazing
and it’s probably true I mean come on
Stephanie must be with your your
business and anybody’s out there yeah
you know with the restaurant anything
else it takes a while to build there but
you just got to stay there and you got
to keep doing what you’re doing and you
know keep putting one foot in front of
the other and that consistency I think
is something also people that resonates
with people I’m so glad you said that
because I’m always beating my drum of
consistency do your marketing
consistently and you will get results
and the whole seed planting it’s just I
love that message yeah I’ve had people
come back you know boy years later
sometimes eight ten years later no David
I met you at XYZ data at a time I now in
this position right now you’re exactly
what we need and holy mackerel you know
how long you know did some of these
seeds to grow some of them pop right
away obviously but you just got to keep
you know Johnny Appleseed you just have
to keep spreading the seeds out there
wherever you can in the whatever way you
can you know in front of my Jack
Canfield he wrote you know chicken soup
and you know Jack’s got the great story
I mean they you know no publisher would
take it they fill this trunk with the
book so they did probe around the
country you know just talking about it
and taking every single radio spot
interview that they could you know it’s
at some point it reached a critical mass
they don’t sort of tipped over but and I
think there’s wisdom in that if he
didn’t believe what you’re doing and you
love what you’re doing you know just
stick with it and keep course directing
pay attention to feedback and you know
stick your guns and when your first TED
talk you said that the brain is not
necessarily good at multitasking but it
actually is a good planner but it
doesn’t always know what to be telling
you at the right time for example 3:00
in the morning you’re thinking about the
guy at work you can’t do anything about
but you said in the long run your mind
does plan things that plants
reproductive decisions eating decisions
and things like that yeah can you tell
me a bit more about that well the mind
naturally we naturally do a lot of that
stuff and all I did was recognize what
the process is that we go through and we
do that it’s it is kind of interesting I
don’t know that I don’t know that I have
the solid answer to this yet why
everything I talk about in the book is
easy to do
it’s stuff we in a sense naturally do
you you will naturally you know plan you
know the natural planning model is
called that because that’s how that’s
how you got dressed that’s how you walk
it’s how you talk you know you have an
outcome you you you you you have a
reason to be doing what you’re doing you
have a vision of it being complete and
that then generates
all the potentially meaningful things
you need to consider and then you sort
those and organize them and then you
take an action so we’re doing that all
the time and yet when people they don’t
really apply that same process in much
larger or more complex kinds of things
in those kinds of ways so it’s literally
sort of like learning from the smart
part of us right yes you deconstruct the
smart part of us they apply that to
those longer but those other pieces that
we don’t seem to do this yeah that you
know I don’t do that to I just I just
did a tweet because I was reminded of
that I was doing another interview that
if you you need to make action decisions
when you’re smart so that when you’re
dumb you do smart things all right
because see it’s the smart people who
really realize you’re only smart and
inspired and very random moment so when
you’re smart and inspired you want to
use that to capture the results of that
and then Park the results um that where
then when you’re kind of thick and
stupid which is majority of the time you
actually do smart stuff that you figured
out back when you were smart what
happens if you got a whole list of all
the stuff to do and you’re not doing any
of it relax you know enjoy have fun you
know procrastination simply is not doing
a bunch of stuff and sometimes the thing
that you need to do is stop doing
anything as a matter of fact how good
you are at this getting things done
methodology is often indicated by how
well you can do nothing
people have a hard time doing nothing
but we know now in terms of brain
science that you need as much time to
let your brain relax and be spontaneous
and daydream in order to refresh its
decision-making cognitive power because
you only have a limit of that and so if
you’re not napping if you’re not getting
enough sleep if you’re not backing off
and letting your mind just relax and
wander then your sub optimizing your
cognitive ability
so you know yeah most people
procrastinate though because they’re
afraid of stepping into something you
don’t feel like you can be successful at
so just a simple idea of deciding what’s
the very next action I need to take
oftentimes people’s lists do not have
next actions you’ll see things like on
somebody’s lists how many of you have
something that looks like a to-do list
somewhere anybody
yeah 99% of every to-do list I’ve ever
seen is an incomplete list of still
unclear stuff you’ll see things on a
to-do list like mom oh good well there’s
good historical data you probably had
one you know why did you write it down
oh well her birthday’s coming well great
what are you gonna do about a birthday I
don’t know right and most people’s to-do
list when you look at them still or
reminding you there’s decision-making
and thinking that you still need to do
about these commitments and you don’t
have the energy to think and decide so
you say stop reminding me I’m
overwhelmed so your lists become very
unattractive to you so there’s lots of
reasons people may have a high barrier
to entry to start engaging with the
things that you’re committed to actually
this is cool actually
the most productive times I’m am is when
I have the freedom to make a creative
mess you to you need I need I need room
to be crazy to make some mistakes to
brainstorm to be chaotic go a little off
the edge that is going to be your most
productive time it’s when you have that
kind of freedom to do that however folks
if you’re already NMS you ain’t got room
to make one if your kitchens a mess you
don’t have time or the energy to have a
creative dinner for your friends if your
desk and your office or a mess you don’t
have room and space to be you know crazy
about some new project and spread out
and have brainstorm with ideas if your
email is backed up on you with a
thousand unprocessed emails and you’ve
got three thousand other things going on
in your head you have no space to take
advantage of discretion or a time that
may show up in terms of it being
creative in terms of your energy
the results of that if you’re trying to
use your psyche to manage that mess and
you never get out of it is you get the
results of two things that are the
critical elements of self and
organizational productivity you’ll lose
perspective that is you lose the ability
to put your focus where you need it on
exactly the thing you need it at the
horizon you need it and/or you may be
experiencing the results of what happens
when you lose control that is I now
don’t have stability and I don’t have
the freedom in my head to be able to put
the appropriate attention and execute on
it when I do so those are the two key
elements folks you can’t manage time you
don’t miss manage five minutes and come
up with six the only time that you think
you need time management is when one or
both of these two dynamics is suboptimal
either things need to be more under
control or more appropriately focused if
you map those two things together what
do you get if you on the bottom left
here we’ve got no control and no focus
ever been there that’s your basic Vic
victim experience you know driven by
latest in loudest for the most part most
of us are thrown there by our own over
commitments and creativity we’re just
trying to come up for air now if that
part of you shows up that has high focus
of perspective but no control
now you’re the mad scientist now you’re
the desperate artiste
now you’re the crazy maker with all
kinds of crazy ideas and no constraints
of what you’re doing nothing very
well-organized middle of the morning you
decide to go buy the new iPhone but your
IT department won’t support it on the
other hand you can get down on the weeds
say hello wait I need to get 10,000
things organized I need to get all this
cleaned up and eaten and now you get
into micromanagement if you don’t have
appropriate focus you can get down on
those weeds and hung up and I’m like
crazy and you spend a lot of time you
know doing a lot of trying to get
organized about things that may not be
that important right in the morning
you’re crazy bakers have given you
iPhone the afternoon you spend two hours
of what could be a strategic afternoon
trying to set up the right ringtones
here’s what’s true about all three of
those folks you ain’t ready for what’s
coming towards you you will be
suboptimal in terms of your ability to
handle the surprises and they’re coming
good better and different they’re coming
trust me and you want to be optimally
available for those things when they
come to you it’s great to complete
things so it’s you know that’s a lot of
you know we know when we finish anything
there’s a part of us that sort of reaps
energy out of that
that feels good those are your best days
when you got you handle that you turn
that in you bought that thing you got
the fixed that you got the lightbulb and
screwed it in and then it worked them
Wow
so those are your good days you actually
finish a lot of stuff there’s a lot of
value to completing an open loop how n
at the same time you don’t want to feel
bad if that loop is not closed and
that’s a lot of what the GTD methodology
does is like look you don’t have to
finish all this stuff in order to get it
off your mind but you do have to
identify what it is and trust that
you’ll see it at the right time wherever
you are with it at whatever its status
is so yeah you don’t want to you know
it’s it there’s there’s a whole new idea
that goal setting is really not the best
thing to do especially if you set a goal
and feel bad until you get the goal
right because then you then you’re not
appreciating the process of moving
toward it and so you don’t want to be
able to create frustration or guilt or
you know or undermine your energy by
having some only future ideal win is
goal setting just as a pure exercise bad
no you’re setting goals all the time
that’s how you got dressed it’s how
you’re talking how you walk you’re
always you’re seeing yourself out the
door and then you will fulfill the
picture so we’re setting you you can’t
stop actually because you’re tell Elijah
chol being you’re always moving towards
something that part of us that’s always
attempting to expand Express fulfill
complete something I mean just look just
look around just anecdotally anyway that
everybody’s doing something even when
you’re not doing something you’re doing
that right so there’s an intentionality
still there but like a goal of I’m going
to be a billionaire in three years
da-da-da-da-da might not always be
depends on what you’re doing with it it
depends on whether it’s running you or
you’re managing that call hey here’s a
picture here’s an image let me just
stick that in there why not you know
it’s better to have nice positive
pictures and images in your head than
you know a bunch of negative ones and as
long as it creates expansion instead of
contraction I think that’s the big key
that’s something that I learned years
ago as a marker for me about whether
things are in alignment you know at
whatever level you want to interpret
that is is engaging in this creating
expansion or contraction you know love
or fear so you can look at it that way
okay same thing right in loving
everything works you know in fear
nothing works so it’s in a way it’s just
that that aspect of making sure so don’t
beat the medium and don’t there’s no
reason there’s no bad or good about any
of these kinds of things whether it’s
goal-setting or not
other than is that the most optimal
thing way to be engaging with it okay
and love or fear expansion contraction
that’s kind of a way and it got a gut
feeling whether you’re opening yourself
up doing that and whether you’re
protecting and limiting yeah and it’s
also a good way to for decisions like I
don’t know which way I should go should
I should I change jobs should I should I
move to Amsterdam whatever you know
start doing you know practicing
rehearsing scenarios in your mind about
whatever that future scenario is and see
if that’s feeling expansive or
contracted
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because yogin champion
asked me to I hope I pronounced that
okay so there’s a famous entrepreneur
that you want me to profile next leave
it down the comments below and I’ll see
what I can do
I’d also love to know what the day would
say that really left its mark on you
what rule did you like the best what
clip really inspired you leave in the
comments and I’m going to join in the
discussion I also want to give a quick
shout out to Alejandro Baltazar
Alejandro thank you so much you’re
picking up a copy of my book your one
word it really really really means a lot
to me so thank you guys again for
watching I believe in you I hope you
continue to believe in yourselves and
whatever your one word is much love I’ll
see you soon
I think over time people develop their
own signature and I think anything is a
while to find out what your signature
really is so I’ll fast forward a little
bit where I am now we never really
marketed ourselves as I begin to build a
little company around the success of the
book and brought in other trainers and
coaches and presenters and started to
build some product around that still not
a huge company and there are only 20
plus of us you know doing that work but
we’re partnering with other people out
there but as I started to do that we
really realized that the branded kind of
run out from under us GTD which was the
shorthand for getting things done became
this global thing kind of like Kleenex
and Xerox and we didn’t own it I mean we
we owned it but we do it was kind of
running faster than us and we really had
to rethink how are we showing up out
there in the world because people would
meet me or meet us and go wow you’re
nothing like what I expected you to be I
said what you expect me to be this about
corporate left brain and hard working
and rigorous and discipline and whatever
and a lot of people go you know I
probably should but that’s not me but
that’s not us either and so there was a
disconnect between how we were actually
showing up in the world and people’s
perception of us and the reality so we
we had a really smart guy help us think
through this if it’s really about being
authentic so those really tie together
call what’s my signature what’s the
David Allen signature if you go to my
website now if you if anybody ever saw
it a year or two ago it looks very
different now than it did then because
what we decided was lotte to tie off you
know because I’m really kind of hanging
on spontaneous you know kind of guy
which is really a lot of what my
methodologies about what the message is
about but initially we you know we had
targeted the market of the people those
are the people that the high you know
high profile professionals and fast
track professionals were the ones who
were probably in the most pain in terms
of overwhelm and that could use the
methodology most to begin with but the
truth is is for anybody and the you know
it’s now spread around the world with
our signature in other words our
expression is much more aligned with who
we really are so we didn’t really have
to go with
where you know many times the problem
companies have is their marketing is a
big time they can’t deliver on the big
tada
well our tada stocked you know we were
delivering huge value and people were
you know having transformational
experiences but you know you didn’t look
that way you know so we said well
there’s a lot of people were not
reaching because there’s kind of an
inauthentic this about what we are doing
so that’s been a lying now within the
website and a brand yeah yeah much more
much more so whether it works is a
business I don’t know but it’s certainly
a lot more fun to show them trying to be
something else or or how to deal with
people’s perception of me not being who
I really am and so you know maybe more
approachable lowering the bar for people
to be able to engage and to engage with
me you know early on you have to kind of
you know everybody you know probably
gets a nice business card so that you
look like you’re bigger than you
probably really are you know you start
to cronic create an image and a brand
around you know who we think we really
ought to be given you know you know so
we can attract people and not let not
turn them off but at some point you
really need to kind of catch up with
that and allow yourself to just gonna be
who you are and let the world come to
you that are interested in you okay make
sense that’s but that’s done that has
been a bunch of personal development
development as a marketing development
on my side okay that’s fascinating so
it’s another again there’s two things
happening here as you do a little bit a
personal element the marketing those two
things are aligned and they’re important
for them both to create a successful
business I I think so you know but I’m
not
I’m studied all the successful business
to say that’s how they did it I do know
that in the world that we’re in now
because it’s so transparent and social
media can spread word like crazy and you
know that that essentially that
transparency the more authentic you are
probably the safer it’s going to be so
you don’t have to you know worry about
trying to be something that you’re not
RG they follow me of that and now I have
to be
them and don’t have to be that for them
just makes life easier it does make life
easier whether it makes it more
profitable I would think so but yeah I
think the world gets attracted to
authenticity I think and that’s that’s I
think where the world is because it’s so
transparent enough is in authenticity I
think shows up at least subliminally if
not directly yeah you know so you know
people out there trying to create
marketing campaigns that really aren’t
who you are or trying to show up as
something that’s just somebody’s writing
ad copy but then your engagement with
the company you know doesn’t doesn’t
hold up to that or doesn’t doesn’t match
for that you know that’s tricky business
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