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Ev Williams: Achieving balance with GTD
Merlin Mann | Nov 27 2005
evhead: Ten Rules for Web Startups Ev's ten rules for a startup are all strong, but #10 particularly caught my eye:
Right on. Slightly off-topic, but on my mind...as I commented earlier today, I'm finding myself increasingly uncomfortable framing techniques like GTD strictly in terms of "productivity" (although the ability to be more efficient and productive is definitely a nice perk). GTD fights stress not by transforming you into a drone or a brainless corporate cog, but by affording a framework for recovering and maintaining smart focus. What you do with that focus is entirely your affair -- clearly people will use it for everything from building a very swell startup to managing their music career and beyond. Gratefully, nowhere does The David say you have to turn into an enormous-toothed White Guy running sales seminars at the La Quinta Inn. In any case, when we're doing GTD right, Ev is right on the money: balance is sewn into every stitch of your week. Even two years into using GTD, I have to say I'm still pleased -- and sometimes even surprised -- at how well it still works for me. Whenever I fall off the horse, I'm usually just a mini-review away from feeling retuned to my priorities and commitments. I agree with Ev; it's powerful stuff. I do wonder if there's a better term for GTD's goals and methods than simply "productivity" or even "time management" What do you think? Does it matter? 19 Comments
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Tim K - I think...Submitted by Paul (not verified) on November 28, 2005 - 5:26am.
Tim K - I think David actually is working on something for kids. I don't know any details, but I'm pretty sure he talks about it a bit in his blog on the Davidco website. I completely agree that this kind of thing should be taught sooner. We learn a lot of "stuff" in the various stages of school that we attend, but we don't really learn how to actually work until several years into the fray (at least for me - some probably get it sooner) and we stumble across a website that leads us to a book... and here we are. I wonder, though, if open loops and next actions would mean much to kids. Today's kids seem busier and more structured than I was, but I doubt I would have understood the need in my teens or sooner. This may have helped me in college, though. » POSTED IN:
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