Being often in a hurry, millennials love to abbreviate. One of my favourites is “tl;dr” (too long; didn’t read). In case you’re a millennial reading this now, here’s the “tl;dr” version of this article: if you’re afraid...
“Honey, I just realised – nothing is going to try to kill me out here.” My wife and I were ambling along one of England’s many public footpaths through gentle countryside. I agree it may sound like an unusual observation. But having come from...
Artificial intelligence has made impressive gains in our time. That said, I am still more excited by the possibilities of the human mind. In particular, I am interested in how our vast collective investment in thinking about how to train computers to adapt and solve...
In this episode, Todd and Robert talk about the final, critical phase of mastering workflow–choosing how to effectively engage, or simply “do”. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
On April 21st, 1918 Manfred von Richtoven, ‘The Red Baron’, was shot and killed by an anti-aircraft bullet. Considered the greatest flying ace of his time, he had made a rookie mistake by flying too low into enemy territory. It was a mistake he himself...
“Ready when you are!”, I hollered. My wife looked back at me and sighed, “We’re nowhere near ready to go.” “Sure we are!”, I beamed, holding up my personal packing list, each item carefully ticked. I was, after all, a faithful...
It seemed like it was going to be an ordinary Tuesday. Then the phone rang. Have you ever had one of those moments when the camera seems to pan back on your life suddenly, and everything that seemed so important up to that moment falls away in the clear, cold focus of...
In this episode, Todd and Robert talk about reflecting at the right horizons in the right rhythms–including that all-important habit: the weekly review. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
Sometimes simple questions can provoke profound responses. Take, for example, the question, “Is this your project?”. Most busy professionals, once they have built a trusted GTD system to manage all their commitments, end up with upwards of fifty projects...
“[Once you have learned GTD,] at least you have a wagon.” -David Allen It all makes sense. You want to do it. And yet, you aren’t doing it. If this sounds familiar in relation to your GTD practice, know that you are not alone. The methodology is...
It’s that time of year when we start thinking about Christmas. For many, it’s not all red-nosed reindeer and fairy lights, however, because Christmas is in fact one of the most stressful times of the year – mostly due to the amount of planning that...
In this episode Todd and Robert talk about how to structure the results of your thinking effectively to maximise your experience that “meaning matches location”. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
“She’s gonna blow!” It is a phrase they shout in action films, just before the pressure gets too great, and whatever ‘she’ happens to be erupts in a spectacular ball of flame. Hopefully, this is not a phrase you hear shouted too often...
“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” -Robert Burns, “To a Mouse” It happens about once per seminar. During the practice session, where people are clarifying their project outcomes and next actions, a hand goes...
In this episode Todd and Robert talk about the first and one of the most fundamental steps in the GTD process: capturing what has your attention effectively, often, and well. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
“I’ll get right on it, boss,” the new recruit beams back at me. There’s just one problem – he doesn’t write it down. When I mention this, his face falls, as if to say, “Don’t you trust me?” Still, I am not too...
As a teenager, I used to play competitive chess. One of the most exciting spectacles in this world is the exhibition match, where a single player would compete against numerous other players simultaneously. I got to participate in one such match against a Russian...
In this episode Todd and Robert discuss how to make best use of summertime to unleash creative thinking and relaxed focus. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
Like so many of us, I have a love-hate relationship with the alarm clock on my phone. I often hate how early it wakes me up, but of course love that it does so reliably. Like the bookmark, whose simple virtues I extolled in a previous article, the alarm clock is...
“A truly good man does nothing, yet leaves nothing undone. A foolish man is always doing, yet much remains to be done.” – Lao Tse, from Tao Te Ching, Chapter 38, trans. Gia-fu Feng and Jane English I read a lot of books. To keep track of where I left...
Expat life is full of discoveries. I am particularly fond of the British phrase, “I’ll have a think about that.” It implies deliberation, as though one intends to set aside dedicated time, perhaps by a fire with a long clay pipe, to give...
Todd and Robert talk GTD® tools: what to look for in a good one, how to get started with a new tool or switch from one to the other. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
Todd and Robert talk about how each component of the GTD® methodology holds value. In this episode, they discuss the power of clarifying. Click to play this episode Subscribe to the Podcast
Taking on a new goal can be easy when the path to get there is clear, and the steps along the way are fun. However, for those parts of life that are ambiguous or unpleasant, creating and holding to a vision of success is all the more important. I recently lost my...
