Mind Like Monkey

How the changes on Mobile Me are going to affect your Omnifocus Experience

I was going to begin this saying: ‘unless you leave under a rock, you know by now that Apple announce that Mobile Me will disappear in June 2012’; but then I was reminded that the fact that I am constantly checking under certain rocks, doesn’t mean, people is looking under those too.

There is no certainty if the new service, iCloud will allow us, OmniFocus Users to continue putting our OmniFocus Files there, or if by June 2012 we will be out of sync ability. One of the things that allow me to do so much with OmniFocus is the fact that I can see the same information regardless of witch device I am using. Most of my Omnifocus use is on the iPad and the iPhone, and for me is really important that they sync. At this time, we can assume that in June 2012, we will be out of luck and sync ability.

I know that 12 months seems like a lot, but should I remind you that it is already June 2011, do you remember June 2010, yes feels like yesterday, before you digest that you will be writing 2012 in your paperwork. The good news is that the cool people of Omnigroup had create a service that it is in Beta and for free now (they had a disclaimer that the service could go paid in the future)

Your device will allow you to use their service Omni Sync Server. Set it up is as simple or more simple than set up Mobile Me. 

You go to the link (click here if you miss it) and put your email to get the invitation. Fill the information and you will receive an email with the instructions or a link that will configure your OmniFocus automatically.

After you do that, you are set. The OmniGroup Save the day!

 

I did that after the Apple Keynote,because I want to be sure how was going to work, and I regret that I didn’t do that years ago (or when the service was released). I was impress how fast the synchronization of my data is now, I am not sure why, but it’s significantly faster, and I am happy about it.

If you use Mobile Me, take in consideration that the clock is ticking and you will need to find a solution, (unless apple release something that they had not announced) you will need one. If you are an advance user, you can set up your own WebDav solution, other wise, you may try the OmniSync Sever. Just on the speed improvements will be worth to check it. That was the most impressive thing for me, how fast my apps sync now, for sure there is some secret and or special sauce in that server.

 

The I will not Procrastinate list

 
Somedays I need a list like that. We all somedays want to or simply procrastinate, today it has been one of those days. I just put on Twitter the following set of tweets:

 

I am honestly considering not doing nothing, I don't want to even see the short list (yes this post is in the short list), so I begin considering look into software that I don't need, to do functions that I don't use, so I don't do what I need to finish. (and I will complaint later on about not doing that stuff, but that's other story) 

I have talk about my DO NOT DO LIST in the past on my personal Blog (Click here), it's a trick I learned from Michael Hyatt a long time ago, and it's basically a list of stuff you will not do, period.

I was surprised by the fact that my list has not changed nothing in so long, so when I was going to download an install a developer version of a certain software in my main Mac and iPhone I refer to the list, and read: "I will not test with my Productivity tools and machine"

 

I am glad I have this list, the things that I will not do in this list, had save me for spend countless hours playing with my machines instead of doing something more productive, and more importantly to hurt my productivity on other times, therefore, I choose to disconnect and rest and recharge, will not do what I need, but will not hurt more my productivity for today.

Using Flags in Omnifocus

One of my favorite things on OmniFocus are the Flags. OmniFocus allow you to put flags on Projects as well as in Actions. In my particular case, I only used Flags for Actions, but let me explain the concept as I understand it for Projects.

 

Using Flags for projects generate that all actions bellow that project contain the flag, if you are wishing to have a way to make the project or all their actions different or easier to filter, this may be a way to go. As you can see in the image bellow, when you flag the Project, all actions get flagged, therefore is you use a FLAG filter, all will show.

 

 

As I said, I don’t use flags for Projects, but I use them extensively for actions. I had said before that in the morning I do a review, every morning, and the first things I do is remove all the items with flags on it. In order to do that I open a the Flag Perspective, and if any item is there I just remove the flag. After all flags are removed, I begin my morning review. The morning review consist on read all the actions that I have on my list, and mark three to five actions with the respective flag. The result is a short list, of things that will show up on the different perspectives, because they are flagged.

 

Somedays after I review, I end up with more than five, I am not counting how many flags, I am just trying to set priorities on the day. When that happen, I just clean based on the final list and leave three to five. In the great days, those in witch I mark those flag items as complete, if the speed allow me, I go and do another mini review, and select more items to be flagged, other times, I just work on my lists based on the contexts. One of my favorite things of this method, is that I can consider my self successful when I finish those things that I mark on the morning, even if it’s only nine am, and can evaluate my day at the end of the night or the next morning when I didn’t finish. 

 

Another trick I have learn is to be kind with myself, even if you mark three things, the day can go crazy, insane and in the opposite direction of your original plans, the cool thing with a complete system is that you can be sure that everything is captured, and even if you couldn’t accomplish anything on that list, you can build a new one the next morning and continue playing, for example if you mark three items, for witch context is @Office, and at nine in the morning you got the call that your kid is sick. Well you will pack the computer, go home and those items will not be done that day, even if you accomplish many more, those will be there in the morning, you just need to learn the difference between that, and procrastination.

 

The final trick, is to remember that the list is nothing else than that. You can go in the morning, mark three things and do other three in your list, and it’s fine, you make a different decision based on later feedback, and that happen, and it’s ok.

 

The Real Priorities

I am guilty of trying to accomplish more than what I can. Over the years I have push, organize, work harder and eventually sadly some things had failed. Some projects that I don't really care, and some that I care a lot for.

The reason some of this projects had failed is because they weren’t real priority. The real priority is the thing for witch you will stop doing other things in order to do accomplish that. For some people is reading, for others is TV, for some is their family; regardless what it is, that's the real priority, and if you pay attention you will find witch one it is yours.

When I was working on an office environment, my priority was play with my baby when I arrived home every night. When I got home, I hang up the phone, and pay attention to her, I didn't care about anything else. I didn't succeed 100%, but was pretty successful.

In 2010 I made finish my first novel a real priority (I finally released my novel on May 2011. It's called The Writer, for more information click here) I stop doing other things so I could finish it, I stop doing many things, it was something important for me to accomplish, it was a priority. I wrote a lot, I wrote early or late when people went to sleep, I wrote on planes, and many little times I had, that was not my first priority, but an important one.

Yesterday, listening to the last episode 17 of 'Back to Work' with Merlin Mann and Dan Benajmin, Merlin said that a priority is not something that you need to have done, or must be done, a priority is something for witch you will stop or not do other things.

For the longest time, I didn't understand the concept of scarcity, understand that I only have a limited amount of hours. One of my priorities in life is make my daughter happy, and I know it is a priority because I am willing to stop doing things to spend time with her. For me is a priority to write, because I am willing not to read (one of my favorite things to do in the world) so I can write a little. I am willing to stop doing many things, in order to spend some time writing.

For me it's not a priority, (at least not any more) to live in a museum home, I don't care anymore that the house is not perfect, I don't care if people stop by and the house is not pristine, because for me is more important spend time with my daughter, because I prefer to write, those are priorities for me, my wife, my daughter, my writing, everything else, is not a real priority, sorry, and because of that, everything else will suffer, because I will be willing to sacrifice everything else in order to give a chance to my real priorities.

 

The question now, is what are your real priorities, I had a friend, that his higher priority is to play golf, I like golf, but not like him, he will be out sunny, wet, cold or hot, every chance he had, he will not do things in order to play golf, that's his priority, I have a friend that love her house pristine, clean and impeccable. Even when my home is pristine, feels dirty next to her home. For her is a priority to have her house that way, and she will stop doing things in order to have her house that way.

What are your real priorities, what are the two or three things that you will stop doing things in order to do those, what will make everything else behind because those need to be done, what will get late, not be done, and procrastinating about in order to finish those things, those are your real priorities, for some people is their work, for others is cooking, for others is reading or cleaning the house, everything else in your lists are not, are things you must do, or should do, or will so someday, but they are not priorities, your priorities are written in your heart, you don't need any reminder and everything else will wait in order for those to be done.

 

Write down those summer plans

Unless you are in denial, May will end soon and June will be moving in fast. Summer is coming, the hot weather, the playing outside, and more. 

What are your Summer plans? Did you write them down? Did you have defined goals for what to expect? Most likely NO.

I that a problem? most likely, YES.

Let's stop and think in your last summer, the one from last year, did you regretted that you didn't accomplish things, that was shorter, that you didn't do this or that or nothing? Most likely. We dream on the idea of the summer and imagine all the stuff we are going to do, and then life gets in the middle and we do nothing, summer end and we regret that we didn't accomplish any.

The problem is not that you got busy, the problem is you were not clear on what you want it to be, you had no plans, no images, no idea, so you did a little bit of nothing.

We begin in January a list, "THINGS TO DO ON THE SUMMER" and this weekend we are planning to sit and plan, purge the list or add more. We will have this long list, in priority, we may or may not do the whole list, but since will be in priority of what we want to do we will begin summer for those things that we are really looking forward to do, leaving us chance to repeat some of them is we want, and toward the end of the summer we will do the things in our list that had less priority. Last year we accomplish 17 out of 20, I didn't even remember that we didn't accomplish, or visit those other 3, and there is no regret. This year, our list is so far 15, I hope we get to do them all.

How long is your list? 

If you don't write down the plans, you will forget the important details, and the time you have will pass leaving you only with the wish that you accomplish more.

 

'Mark Complete when completing the last item' on OmniFocus

There is this little feature in OmniFocus called: 'Mark Complete when completing the last item’.  This give you the option to mark a project complete when the last item is done. It is one of those trick options that OmniFocus provide for you. As I said before OmniFocus is a great tool, but you need to be careful, because there are certain things that if you are not careful will bring you in the down spiral fast; you know the crash and burn one.

Why do you want to click the project automatically. In my book, is because you are absolute sure that there is no way this project will be alive after that, and even if it is, you will have an easy reminder that this project is alive, but for me is only on the first case.  In general, I don’t advise people doing this, I don’t think you should automate the thinking process, but if you do, this is a really cool feature.

When I have use this feature. Let’s say I create a project that is called “Buy Groceries for Friday Dinner” This assume that I will not cook, or do anything else than buy the stuff for the mentioned dinner, bring them home, and forget about it. In case of doubt I am really good about the last part, the forgot part.

Let’s get back to the creation of the project. I create the project and add the list of things that I need to buy, in the Context (Errands, or Groceries, or the appropriate one) and when you are done creating, populating, then I go and click on the Inspector  (Yes that inspector is kind of helpful and useful.)

When you do that, you will see an option to “Mark Complete when completing the last item” click it, and a soon as you finish that last item, your project will be mark as complete.

I may insist that this is something that you or I should not use all the time, because have the risk that you will have more stuff coming relevant to this project that you will not be able to use, but in many cases is a cool feature.

 

The problem with automating the process that you should think about, is that instead of be part of a system that will create silence in your mind, and allow you to move faster the chance that things will get back into your head, are incredible high, because sadly, most of this automated process will not take into consideration other factors. For example, I have a recurring task in my system for every monday that reads: Wash baby’s Clothes. It is a recurring thing, and comes every monday. When that happen I need to think and choose, if it’s or not. Sometimes, especially when I was potty training her, I was doing so much laundry than coming monday there wasn’t nothing to wash, others, I made the decision that she didn’t have enough clothes to make a load, and I will wait until next week. The problem is you don’t think about this, and renegociate in a conscious level, is that will get back into your head, and if it is in your head, the only thing that it’s creating is stress and anxiety. (At least if something is in my head, thats what tend to create.)

 

So we aware of those things you automate, in OmniFocus or anywhere else, you want to automate only those things that are not going to bite you back, and are going to allow you to continue moving as fast as you really need to move.

 

Feeling miserable after a productive weekend

I know this is something that has never happened to you, but I am also sure you know people that suffer from this and people that this happen to them all the time. They begin the weekend with great plans, exited about it, full of hope and even wake up early. By Sunday night you feel miserable, you feel that you waste so much time and didn't accomplish anything.

This is the weekend of most of the productive people I know (including some of my weekends too) we over plan, assuming that everything will take less than what actually take, and feel like a failure because the big list continue big (maybe even bigger) on Sunday night.

The problem is that we aren’t honest with ourselves, or fair for that matter./ If you are honest with yourself, you did stuff, you accomplish stuff, what you didn't do was finish the list. The real question is how real was that list.

        This weekend my wife and I made one of those list.

• Mown Lawn (Back and Front)
• Put Grass Seeds (Back and Front)
• Buy Stuff to Paint Baby Bath, Our Bedroom and Our Bathroom.
• Paint Baby Bath
• Paint Our Bedroom
• Paint Our BathRoom
• Go to the PetExpo
• Go to Church

Guess what, we only did 5 our of the list. For most people this was a failure, but guess what. We also play in the backyard with our baby and dogs, make BBQ outside in the grill, did groceries, clean the house, make nice dinner on sunday, sit to talk outside for a couple of hours, sleep late on Sunday and play in bed with the baby, told stories and read stories to the baby, walk around the block with the dogs.

Any of those items were in our list, and don't count them will make us feel as if we failed.

If you read this week discussion on Monkey Talks, if you have not click here, we were exactly discussing that, you are frustrated because you don't finish your lists, but you don't take in consideration all the stuff you did that wasn't on those lists.

I have learn that those lists need to have a priority, the list you saw In this post, the actual list look really like this:

            WILL DO

• Mown Lawn (Back and Front)
• Buy Stuff to Paint Baby Bath, Our Bedroom and Our Bathroom.
• Go to the PetExpo
• Go to Church

            COOL TO DO

• Put Seeds (Back and Front)
• Paint Baby Bath
• Paint Our Bedroom
• Paint Our BathRoom

Now let's re-evaluate. Out of the WILL DO: we accomplish the whole list. Out of the COOL TO DO we accomplish only one. That's the key for us, we make the list, but then pick the ones that we will do all in our power to accomplish, and make a second list with all the cool opportunities. If any of those opportunities happen we are trill and it's COOL, if any of them happen and we finish our WILL DO, guess what, we had an incredible and successful weekend. The trick, the will do is never more than three things (four if you put Go to Church in the list )

Do you have a WILL DO and a COOL TO DO for the weekend, or you set yourself to failure creating the classic no priority I HOPE A MIRACLE HAPPEN AND I CAN FINISH ALL THIS SO I DON'T FEEL I FAILED THIS WEEKEND LIST. I got rid of the latest and I hope never again use it. What about you?

 

Monkey Talks! May 2nd Edition

This is a new idea we are playing with, during the week, Tara (The Productivity Maven), Dan and Augusto will exchange emails on a Question or a Topic. The next monday, we will post the conversation un-edited or minimally edited. 

If you wish to submit your question, please do, to mindlikemonkey at gmail.com and put in the subject: Monkey Talks!

We will work on your question and place it here the next time. For now enjoy!

The Question of the Week:

I've noticed I have a problem with never finishing. I start so much, but I never finish much. I have to change this and I will starting now. I have too many ideas, too many projects and this makes me concentrate on nothing. Having too many things on my mind just distracts me.

I need a system that lets me have nothing on my mind and lets me clear my mind from things that start popping up. If anyone knows of such a system PLEASE tell me. Yes, this is a cry for help. From now on, I'm finishing EVERYTHING I start and you want to know how I will start? By finishing those projects on my list that were started and abandoned later.

No projects deserve to be abandoned. If you aren't happy with them you should change something about them until you are happy with the finished product, but you can't give up on the project. I know I just have to keep going and changing it until it works. Nothing can be perfect and nothing can work the first time because then what would the point be? You wouldn't learn.

I am not sure how to help. I have this same problem. I don't finish everything I start. I have unfinished projects all over the place. I don't think a system is going to help. It is more of a function of distract-ability. This week, for example, I am overwhelmed with things and by the time I get home, it is all I can do to accomplish one thing without abandoning it halfway. For example, I was mowing the lawn tonight because it looks like it will rain on Saturday. Since it has been cold and wet since the last time I mowed, it only needed it in a few places. There were several times I almost gave up and quit, not finishing it. I wanted to do something else. However, I stuck with it. I got it done. I'm glad I did. 

I think that is the key. I have to recognize when I am tempted to abandon a project in the middle. It takes conscious thought to not start something else before the previous project is complete. Another item to consider is the next action for the in-flight project. Is there something blocking it? Sometimes I have to think through those 'stuck' projects to see if I really know the next action. Errands are often a roadblock to finishing a project. I have to make sure I get those on the list appropriately.

Thoughts?

 

I have so much that I hadn't finished over the years that isn't funny, but i also believe that over the years, I had learn to improve in the completion/Incompletion ratio. I am not great identifying when I have too much, until it breaks, but I am able to identify when I had too much and not reduce the amount of things that renew me, but renegotiate the current agreements. I also had improve, noticing how much stuff (specially major time projects) I am taking into my plate, this backfire on me more than what I am willing to admit, but without a doubt has improve, this allow me to quit on less project.

For me there is something important to differentiate, the projects you quit because they are not part of the master plan, and the ones that are, but you stop doing. I don't worry about the ones that are not part of my master plan, those are irrelevant for me. For example if I begin learning how to play guitar and I really don't care for it, I had no problem quitting those kind of projects. Instead when I stop reading or writing, that are projects close or directly into my master plan, I get mad and frustrated.

Writing specially I notice this, you begin writing this post for example, and ideas begin coming of things you should do or write, instead of going to those I just capture. When I am writing a novel, I get the ideas that will be incredible books, more appealing to write, and seems that much better than the story I am working on, the key, is to focus.

I remember when I went to School for my undergraduate degree, I discover that I hate my major. Pick a different one wasn't an option, since will means four more years, my option was to finish or to quit. I almost quit, but at the end finish and decide that with a diploma on hand I was going to correct the course of were I want it to go.

I agree with you that there is no system, mine is my Major Project List. This list originate from my GTD Project list in OmniFocus, and it's just those projects that are important, that I want to make sure they move forward, all those projects that are part of the Master Plan, and yes those get stuck (Editing First Draft of Second novel, anyone?) and move slow (almost that feel stock), but because I have that little list, I made sure that they keep alive in the radar. It's also that little list that allow me to keep me in check.

I have the projects, and in my Weekly Review I check all those, against how the week was. This may take, five to ten minutes, if the week was stressful and incredibly overwhelmed may means that I am already trying to do to much. I don't know the total opposite, but I had learn to calibrate how much overwhelmed I can do.

Today I finish most of the projects that are tide in with my Master Plan (usually in this Major Project List) and I have improve making sure that important projects get there.

This blog is a great example of that. I love writing here, and in the past (like long long ago) this was in the list, and suddenly life happens and I remove it from the list. The result. I stop writing, I quit a project that is related to Writing (on my Master Plan). Took me longer to identify the issue, but a soon as I did, I have been trying to correct the course.

It's not that you abandon projects, is that you try to abandon the correct ones, and not the ones that are part of your Master Plan. I think... 

 

 

I think it is important to keep the active projects to a workable level. I have many, many projects, but most are inactive, stuck on the 'shelf'. If I have too many going on, I get overwhelmed and don't work on anything. The past two weeks are a great example for me. I have so many things going on, I end up just sitting and staring at the wall. I normally don't watch TV or movies, but that is what I am doing this week. To get out of that mode, I have started identifying just one thing to do each day. When I do it, I can be happy that something was accomplished. It also ends up being a springboard to getting the second things done - Bonus! I also think it is important to be aware of things that are going on with the family. My youngest is in a production of Fiddler on the Roof this week. With performances every night, I have had to table some of my tasks to support his week. Next week is my daughters AP exams for school. Again, I need to take up some slack for her to spend a little more time studying. That's part of being a family. The GTD practice comes into play of keeping my projects on ice until I am ready to take them back up again. 

I commend our questioner's commitment to finishing all the open projects on the list. That is a great place to start. Grab one and work it until it is done. Bravo! That is the right thing to do. Go for it! Clear the list. 

 

That's a great example. Thanks! 

The key is to understand all that is happening around, and evaluate with your own list, is on weeks like the ones you are describing that you need to be careful with your own expectations, because if you expect to accomplish the same amount of things you do on a cleaner week (regarding the amount of commitments) things not only will get behind but your disappointment will grow exponentially and your frustration with that.

In my experience, I always get in trouble when I am planning thinking on peak potential I failed miserably, I always do better when I plan for less than peak potential, because if I get a couple of great days in the week, then I will finish earlier.

Sadly, I know too many people that try to plan always based on peak potential, and when their work is less than that things got behind and frustration and disappointment grows that bring potential even lower and the spiral circle begins.

We all need to remember, that as you said, sometimes the best you can do, is make the list and try to accomplish only one thing, instead of catching up with everything at the same time.

 

 

I hadn't thought of it as planning for peak potential until you said it, but that is exactly what I do. That is a great insight. Now that you have named it, I see my problem and can deal with it. Thank you. 

For years, I have struggled with Saturdays. I put so many things on my list, I couldn't possibly get them all done. I then proceed to beat myself up because I only got ten things done. I can't celebrate the ten for the three undone. What you described is exactly what I have battled for years - a spiraling disappointment. The last year I have made a conscious effort to limit the number of items on my list that are active. This has really helped me. I get more accomplished, feel better and don't feel bad about just doing nothing. In the end, isn't that the real goal of GTD - to feel good about what we aren't doing? I remember a quote from David Allen that really struck me at the time. "You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you know what you are not doing." 

 

 

In theory, that's exactly what GTD does, create a complete inventory so you don't plan for full potential, you just do. The problem is, in my experience and at least for me, that there is always too many actions, to many projects, and too much to do. We are all aiming to overachieve, and ignore the fact throat the day had only twenty four hours in witch you need to do all that, rest and recharge. See how I put rest and recharge separate, and it's because I am a believer that they are two different activities. 

Not only we tend to plan for maximum potential, we tend to minimize the importance of Recharging and Resting. So we sleep less and stop doing the activities that recharge us, and at the same time we try to push harder, the result: frustration & disappointment. 

As you said, GTD is about feeling good for what you are not doing, but the underlying key is to be OK for what you are not doing, and not expect you to have them done.  

When you made your list of thirteen items and accomplish ten, you know exactly what didn't get done, you should be OK with the fact that you are not doing them, but what happen is that I'm your mind those items were supposedly DONE!

When you made the list, you didn't say this is the things that will be cool to do, this is the pool of opportunities that I am going to pick from, regardless if I finish them or not; you said, this will be DONE today, hence the spiral of deception. 

If instead, the list is a list of potential opportunities instead of things that need to get done, and you understand the difference in your mind, you will finish the day and feel great if you didn't accomplish anything in the list, because you had a complete inventory and feel good doing something that was not in the list, you feel good about what you're not doing, because you knew all the options.

This is the struggle most of us have, we make the complete inventory, do the weekly review and begin a race to catch up, and we have been loosing this race week by week over the last years and every week we come back and play again, hoping to win this time. On those rare ocacions in witch you can play four or more days on full potential you didn't win (because you and me plan for seven days of full potential and divine help on some issues of that list) but you feel that is that the time in witch you came close, and next week I will win. But usually next week, you get less days of full potential and go back to square one, trying to win an impossible game. 

That is the problem with most GTDers, (me included) that we don't see our list as potential actions, but as things that should have been done, an until that click on the brain, we are playing a game that we will never win. 

 

Have a default Context for a Project in OmniFocus

Continuing in our path to learn to create a solid system using OmniFocus, today we are going to talk about assigning a default context to an specific project.

There are projects that will be done in an specific context all the time, there are no others, there is in general only that, so you can configure OmniFocus to create all the actions for that project for default in an specific project.

Let me provide you with an example. You have a project called Buy Groceries. (Last week we talk about creating an Grocery List on OmniFocus, if you didn't read it you can go there by licking here) you can then set up that all the actions in that project for default go to an specific contexts, for example, Errands-Groceries.

Let m give you another example, I had in the past a project that was Double Sales for Customer Y in Q4. By default all the actions there were set to be part of a context called @Work. If things need it to go to a different one, I just manually change it.

Let's go on how do you accomplish that. First select of create a new project. Then hit the Inspector  button. You will see after Type and Status a drop down menu that said 'Context'. By default is set to none, and thats the reason when you create a next action in any of you projects they do not come with a context created. If you click on the drop down menu, you will see the whole list of current contexts. From there you will select the context you want for default, and after that, every time you create a new action under this project will populate the context area with your default context. Remember, you can change it, to another one, but this can be really useful if you know you will be creating many actions and you want them to be to that context.

For example, I have a project called 'Things to share with my wife' is a single action list project, but because i have really bad memory, I add to that project all those things I want to share with my wife, at the end of the day, or if/when we talk, by default, the context for anything created there is @Agendas-Wife. Works like a charm, and allow me to create a list of action that may or may nor need a full project, but because I can populate it so fast get's to be used more than what sometimes I should do that it's create. Project. I try to avoid bad habits, but sometimes, they are faster and easier to do than the good ones.

 

It’s not that you don’t have the discipline—it’s that you don’t have the ritual

In a recent interview on the Harvard Business Review by Daniel McGinn to David Allen and Tony Schwartz I found a fantastic quote, something that we should constantly remember!, something that I should constantly remember!, something that I actually notice last week and was thinking to write about it. If you have not read the article you should, but going back to the question you can continue reading here:

David, how has Tony’s thinking influenced the way you work?

Allen: The piece that’s made the biggest difference is his work on energy cycles. I actually brought a pillow into work. I work in a glass office, and now people can see me lying on my floor taking a nap for 20 minutes. That’s directly from Tony’s work. I wish I had the discipline Tony does to tackle the hardest tasks first thing in the morning, but I don’t.

Schwartz: It’s not that you don’t have the discipline—it’s that you don’t have the ritual. If you built that ritual, I have zero doubt that you could do it.

That little piece it’s worth gold. Has noting to do with discipline, and all to do with Rituals!

The lack of basic routines is one of those things that distract you from the GTD Objective, and your objectives in general. People focus themselves in Discipline, and they are wrong. People think they can't do GTD, or be organize, or more productive because they lack discipline, when in reality, in the words of Tony Schwartz is a ritual issue, they don't posses the necessary rituals. I have accomplish over the years out of rituals than discipline, usually comes as a surprise to people close to me that I am not a really disciplined person, but I have a set of rituals that allow me to move faster and compensate for the lack of discipline, but it is every time I challenge my rituals that I get into trouble, has nothing to do with my discipline, and all to do with the ritual.

Let me give you an example. 

Every friday I do a Weekly Menu planning. I plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next seven days. That doesn’t mean that we can not skip it, or go to a restaurant, or cook something else, it just mean, that I plan a week of meals and food, it just mean that my grocery list is based on that list and the food we have at home. At a result, we don’t buy unnecessary stuff and we waste less food (I hate to waste food). Also this remove an stress out of my life, since at six in the morning, I know the menu, I can take out what need to be taken out, and be ready, I don’t need to think about it again, so I can use my thinking energy in the stuff that really interest me.

You think that's discipline, well let me tell you that our fridge is full of stuff because two weeks ago on Friday I skip the planning, and then did groceries out of inspiration instead of what we really need and were going to use, this has nothing to do with discipline, and everything to do with rituals.

Not convince yet, do you think is the discipline that will move you forward, let me bring you then another example...

I had over the years as GTDer more or less success with the Weekly Review, but had nothing to do with Discipline, and everything to do with a little ritual I discover many years ago. If I try to do my weekly review in Starbucks, I am able to focus, concentrate and finish it successfully, if I try any other way, I failed miserably. Discipline or Ritual? I pick Ritual and that incredible four shot latte with Honey (or Pumpkin Spice latte in the fall)

People focus their success on the discipline factor, and punish themselves for the lack of it, their self talk (and mine in occasions) go an do a party, but we tend much less to focus on the rituals, we focus much less on how to improve our rituals and instead look how to improve our discipline. My question is how that has worked for you? In my experience, it's the ritual that help me, I have an incredible lack of discipline, but I love routines.

Maybe, you that have been pushing into be more discipline in 2011, can begin working into betters routines. Have you consider, that maybe Tony Schwartz is right, and you don't need more discipline but better rituals?

Not yet convince, that you have been blaming the wrong concept and focus on the wrong assumption, let me provide you then another example.

I have use short lists for years, basically in the morning I read all the next actions in my list, and pick the most important ones, the ones I will begin my day with. I did this for many years, before I leave to the office I went over the list with my coffee. Discipline, no a ritual. In November last year, I stop going to the office, and working at home. Two things happen with this, one is that I break the ritual, since I wasn't going to the office, I stop checking my lists. I know, I should have now better, had more discipline, and not let things go south, but I didn't all that I had was a fantastic ritual. In January we moved to Indiana, and among other things I began to spend the afternoons with my daughter. That is a great luxury, and I am aware of my blessings, but I was unaware on the impact that having her playing around me was going to have on my productivity. Not only that, but try to stablished any kind of routine with a two year old girl... I hope you stop to laugh, so you can continue reading.

The problem again, had nothing to do with discipline, and everything to do with rituals. So I begin building a new ritual, and picking two sets of tasks to focus, ones in the morning that I am by myself and ones for the afternoon that I am with her. Guess what, in the mornings that I do this, the mornings that I respect the ritual, my day go smoothly, the mornings that I hope on discipline, my day is at best chaotic.

I know that me telling you that you should focus on rituals instead of discipline sounds crazy, but look around, look on the effective people you know, look on the super productive people you know, and know pay attention how many of them are disciplined people and how many of them have better rituals, you may be surprise. Also remember, that most people will deny their own rituals, because people wrongly think that rituals make them boring individuals, when this happen, it's just because they had not yet connected the fact that are those rituals that allow them to be free, fun, spontaneous.