In your life, there are many things that you may want to do, such as learning Spanish or how to play the guitar. That way, when you look at your calendar, you trust that it’s the source that will guide you on getting the right things done. Don’t put any items on the calendar that you are 100% committed to doing.

If you use a calendar for work or your personal life, make it your source of truth. Stop talking about doing things, and start doing them. “Talk does not cook rice.” – Chinese proverb. If you don’t do this, you risk not having full clarity and getting overwhelmed by the enormity of a project. Even if it’s a small action that simply gets you started, it will create momentum and allow you to identify the next step of tangible progress. Whether it’s at a work meeting or in your personal life, once you have decided on what you will do, identify the next action. As simple as the query seems, it is still somewhat rare to find it fully operational where it needs to be…Why? Because the question forces clarity, accountability, productivity, and empowerment.” “‘What’s the next action?’ as a fundamental and consistently asked question. Most of us spend far too much time simply thinking about all of the things we need to do, which does not bring us any closer to actually getting the thing done. Instead of thinking about all of the things you have to do, get started and start thinking about the problem or project itself.

“People think a lot, but most of that thinking is of a problem, project, or situation–not about it.” You will learn about the value of focusing on action, decluttering your mind, saying no more often, creating simple and streamlined task lists, and clarifying what you want to accomplish.Īccess My Searchable Collection of 100+ Book Notes Key Takeaways Thinking A practical guide to increasing your productivity and reducing your stress.

David allen productivity