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.
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