Tara Rodden Robinson :: The Productivity Maven

Doing work as I show up

When you think of GTD and being productive, you probably think about the system that supports your organizational prowess. The calendar, the task list, and so on. Or maybe you think about weekly review, the collection habit, or the horizons of focus. But how about the doing part? During a recent GTD Virtual Study Group call, I noticed we weren’t talking about doing at all! That got me to thinking about how I do work and carry forward actions.

David Allen talks about two ways of doing work: as it shows up and taking on pre-defined tasks. But in thinking about it, I’ve come to recognize a third way of doing work: doing it when I show up. Here’s an example. I get up from my desk to grab a glass of water. On the cabinet is a box that just arrived. The contents of the box are pre-defined work--it’s a filter for an air purifier. The filter is in my system as @waiting-for, the task of changing the filter is also in my system; it’s all pre-defined work as far as GTD is concerned. Suddenly, I find myself opening the box and changing the filter instead of getting the glass of water and sitting back down to resume what I had been doing. I did that work as I showed up, not as it showed up. Sound familiar?

Doing work as you show up can be part of the cycle of self-distraction. One of my friends called it “learned ADD.” You teach yourself to be easily drawn off, following your nose to whatever activity you run across. On the other hand, there are times when doing work as you show up can be highly efffective. For me gardening is a positive example of this “doing work as I show up;” it’s a relaxing and natural way to accomplish what needs to be done.

The key here is noticing. If you tend to get less done than you think is possible for you, and you’re working your system, take a look at your tendency to follow your nose and do work as you show up. On the flip side, if you have many related tasks and wandering from one to the next feels natural, then having a lot of pre-defined work that you take on in a somewhat associative, sort of random pattern might be just the thing for you.

The Dark Side of Captain and Commander

Funny, nobody ever seems to talk about the downside of nirvana. You always hear the positives: how great it will be, how easy it will make everything, how good you’ll feel. The same is true for GTD nirvana, that rarified state called Captain and Commander. David Allen points out the up- and downside of every other quadrant on the graph. But not the upper right--no, there it’s all supposed to be peachy keen. Except it’s not. The Captain and Commander has a dark side.

Captain and Commander is high perspective and high control. Information is a commodity to the Captain and Commander: whoever has the most, wins. It’s all about gaining that extra edge. And because the extra edge is attainable, it becomes easy to believe the you can take on more and more, running ever faster, juggling more and more projects because your carefully tended system allows you to. But one person can only do so much. This sends you back to find a better tool, a cooler iPhone app, another technique that will push you a little farther. Ultimately, Captain and Commanders must stand alone, either steering the ship to victory or going down with it--they are the stars of the show. If you don’t believe me, go see Star Trek at your local movie theater.

The authors of Tribal Leadership identified Stage Three as the “I’m great and you’re not”  culture. Stage Three is the natural habitat of the Captain and Commander. There’s nothing wrong with that--I’m a confessed Stage Three resident myself. The problem is getting stuck at that stage of development. Playing Captain and Commander can only take you so far. To get to the next level requires a “we,” not a “me.” Jim Collins, in Good to Great, described the best leaders as those who were ambitious for the group, not merely for themselves. It’s that unselfish ambition, paired with humility, that supplies the most powerful perspective of all, sharing control, and fostering collaboration.

No Perspective, No Control, No Problem

If you’ve read David Allen’s newest book, Making It All Work, then you may be familiar with this diagram. On the horizontal axis is control--from low to high; on the vertical axis is perspective. The idea is that the quadrant represent ways of having control and perspective in differing combinations, all the way to GTD nirvana: captain and commander with complete control and full perspective, sailing along with mind like water and, yes, ready for anything. The other four quadrants are labeled with words like “micromanager,” “crazymaker,” “victim;” in short, other, less desirable ways of being. However there are positive aspects to every quadrant, especially that lower left one. Here’s what I mean.

No perspective, no control happens when you’re totally in the moment and fully present, going with the flow. This could be when you’re on vacation--unplugged, relaxed, and exploring. For example, during my trip to South Korea last year, I had no idea where we were going, when we’d arrive, what we’d do when we got there. Nothing. Our hosts didn’t speak great English, our itinerary was in their heads, made up as we went along (or so it seemed to me). I consciously decided that my mantra was to be “I’m a leaf! A leaf in a stream!” It was far and away the most relaxing, fun trip I’ve ever had. I can’t remember thinking a critical thought or losing my patience, not once, in ten whole days. It was magical.

No perspective, no control can also be a highly useful mode of being when you’re in transition or crisis. By allowing things to be as they are and taking on the role of observer, navigating by curiosity, letting go of your assumption that you know--know anything: what’s best, what’s next, what the right answer is, where you’re going--you can respond (as opposed to react) in the moment. Control, by the way, is an illusion; we’re never in control, not really, we just think we are. We never have true perspective either; the whole story, the full shebang, is unknown, our knowledge is incomplete, always. By letting go of both perspective and control, just showing up and being present and accounted for, you’re ready for action or inaction, whatever the situation calls for, just right. By letting go of control and perspective, allowing yourself to not to know, you might just find a path that you would have missed otherwise.

Yes, there are times when you’d better be in control, with all your ducks in a row and being quite purposeful. Having a long range, high altitude perspective is, in the end, highly strategic. However, each and everyone of us needs to unplug and relax, refresh and recuperate. Everyone can use times to follow their noses and be totally in the moment.

Let it go--be a leaf, floating along, going where the current takes you.

How I Scooped Inc. Magazine

Dave Dahl was a six time loser. An ex-con. Recovering addict. But he had one thing going for him: the family business. In Dave’s case, this was his father’s bakery. And that’s where he’s working today, turning out some of the finest, yummiest bread known to man--Dave’s Killer Bread. That’s how I found him: I read his story on the wrapper. I was so taken by his tale that I asked him for an interview. He accepted and we talked on an October day in 2006. I published his story, and later an update, continuing to enjoy his bread on a near daily basis (and you can try it, too, just click here).

I was delighted to see Dave and his brother Glenn featured in the month’s issue of Inc. Magazine. In the Inc. piece, I was able to learn about the ups and considerable downs of how this family allowed a struggling brother to return. It was an honor to talk to Dave way back when and a pleasure to know that he’s still making progress on his journey. And I have to admit, I’m pretty pleased to know that I beat Inc. to the punch on his story!

The last paper list

I get a lot of questions about my productivity system. People always want to know what software I use for this or that. My system has changed a lot over the years and continues to evolve, becoming more mobile as I’ve gone entirely electronic. There was one hold-out on paper, though: my shopping list. For as far back as I care to remember, my grocery lists resided on pad, hand written, held by a magnet, attached to the refrigerator. Grocery shopping required a conscious decision to go get the list before leaving the house...or cogitating mightily when an impromptu errand took me to the store unexpectedly.

A few weeks ago, as I was standing in my local grocery store, feeling frustrated because I knew there were things on the list that weren’t in my head, I decided there had to be a great iPhone app for grocery lists. Well, I was right! It’s called Shopper.

When I searched for apps, there were many to choose from. I picked Shopper based on several key characteristics:

• I wanted different lists for different stores
• Price comparisons: I love my local Co-op but there are times when I think I can get something cheaper somewhere else.
• Customizations, like adding special items, was a must

Shopper gave me all this and more--it allows me to organize items so my list conforms to the layout of the store. I can create lists based on recipes so with a touch of a key, all the needed items are added to the appropriate grocery list. I can even email lists to my dearly beloved so he can pick up things for us on the way home.

I never go anywhere without my system--my calendar, task list, contacts--these travel on my iPod Touch. Now, my grocery lists are simply another part of the trusted system, always ready for action when the appropriate context arises. Now, I’m looking for an app that keeps my puppy occupied while I write!