Today I virtually attended a webinar offered by David Allen and Tony Schwartz titled "Creating Energy, Space & Time - designing a life that really works." It was quite good and got to a lot of the things I am personally working on - being more honest with my commitments, optimizing my work when I'm working on it, and really feeling like I'm doing the thing I am supposed to be doing at any given moment.
As usual, I took some furious notes and I wanted to share that work with you all. Do let me know if you have questions. I highly, highly, highly recommend David's book below, and plan to read Tony's soon.
Speakers: David Allen and Tony Schwartz (The Energy Project)
Getting Things Done - David Allen
The Way We're Working Isn't Working - Tony Schwartz
American Society of Training and Development Conference - might be worth looking into this
Three big ideas:
1. you have an operating system, too
DA
- you don't need to work harder
- you need to change how you are working
- inverse relationship between the amount something is on your mind vs the amount of work you have done on it
- To deal with something on your mind:
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- start with "What is the outcome?"
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- you need to clarify the meaning of the item
- what is the project there?
- what are we trying to accomplish?
- what has to happen for you to mark the project complete?
- Then, What is the next action?
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- what is literally the next thing you need to do to move this along
- Then, Where do these go?
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- how are you keeping track of your next actions
- most people are making decisions out of crisis
- much different when making informed decisions at the right time and place
- practiced a brain dump: what is on your mind? - take 30 seconds and list all of the things that are occupying your mind
2. maximizing is not optimizing
TS
- more and more isn't sustainable
- we need to optimize our experience
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How well are you managing your energy (capacity to do work)?
- how much fuel do you have in your tank?
- we don't focus on how you are taking care of yourself
- Tony has developed an energy audit
(see attached photo)
- determine what score relates to what level of energy quantity
- we're not designed to run like computers, on high all of the time, multitasking, assuming more value that you are creating/contributing - that is nonsense
- renewal and recovery are critical components of high performance
- optimizing means getting the most out of what you do
- you need to renew energy so you can bring everything you have to the table
- GTD says people using their psyche rather than their system is what drains energy from your tank
3. willpower is highly overrated
- we vastly overestimate abilities of our conscious mind
- will and discipline burn down quickly, and we only have one reservoir
- we can't just waive our fists and say we are going to do it!
- you actually have to land the change process in the reptilian mind, into the habitual part of the brain
- you should not have to think about it
- a habit (something you fall into it) vs a ritual (work over and over until you don't have to think about it)
- you can create rituals if you understand the simple technology of building a ritual
- you only have a certain equity of will - you will draw that down each time you resist or avoid something
- why you are so wasted at the end of the day when you avoid making decisions about next actions
So what?
- TS: You can't change what you don't notice
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- we have to start noticing the way our operating system works if we want to being to optimize it
- DA: there is a systematic way to clear your mind
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- most people think their life is all the stuff in your head
- there is a way to get to a clear mind - mind like water
- it is the best mindstate to use when dealing with anything
- there is a way to work your way there
- TS: You are designed to make waves
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- false: the optimal behavior is the continual behavior
- we are designed to spend energy and renew energy, not just spend all of the time
- you will not be more productive that way
- DA: the power of reflection
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- managing the forest instead of hugging the trees
- we have to unhook from the weeds and step back
- a weekly review is key
- psychic space is essential
- you have to get rid of distractions to the space
- you have to build in the triggers and tricks to make sure you think about the right things when you need to think about
- TS: what sticks is what you make automatic
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- we can't always be trying to change
- the more you don't have to think about things the better it can be for you
- DA: small things done consistently produce big results
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- it does not happen all of a sudden
- investment over time can be very rewarding
- works in a negative sense, too, so be careful
Now what?
- people won't go through a miraculous transformation from listening to this
- how do we go about starting at being better
- we believe in our heart of hearts that we have something profound yet simple to offer folks
- they are offering a conference to crowdsource these skills/principles
- when two or more gather, many tend to show up
- hold the world back, press the reset button
- this is hard to happen during the day to day
- even if you don't come, just use our books - you need to give yourself the space to apply new techniques
Miraval Conference
January 19-22
a combination of conference, spa experience, time to work and time to renew
first 20 registrations receive a 1/2 hour follow up coaching call with either Tony or David after the event
tuition: $5,995
early registration tuition: $4,995 (until Dec 20)
2-4 tuition per person $4,795
5+ tuition $4,595
800-232-3969
