Discussion Forum > Courage rather than analysis
The ones that say you must do something induce courage to follow through. The others don't have much relation to courage. But you can engage a list courageously if you have perspective on your life: delete the things you don't need, which you want but don't help your focus. Persist in the things which do meet your criteria.
August 22, 2013 at 23:36 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Same here. The various systems develop good approaches and take over the running while you play and see what works. I found myself shedding more and more until I now just have a single txt file reminder list for appointments, waiting fors and things I don't want to forget.
So yes I think they can teach what is being described as courage, but they are like training simulators or stabilisers on a bike. Eventually you should be able to work without them having internalised the best approaches and accepted the work required to move towards your goals.
It's like a diet - you don't want to be on one forever but you may temporarily outsource your dietary running to one while you get the right approaches learned. I've said before I think diet-hopping and productivity system-hopping stem from the same mindset of not fully taking responsibility, while applying the knowledge without these frameworks is that courage which lets you be free.
So yes I think they can teach what is being described as courage, but they are like training simulators or stabilisers on a bike. Eventually you should be able to work without them having internalised the best approaches and accepted the work required to move towards your goals.
It's like a diet - you don't want to be on one forever but you may temporarily outsource your dietary running to one while you get the right approaches learned. I've said before I think diet-hopping and productivity system-hopping stem from the same mindset of not fully taking responsibility, while applying the knowledge without these frameworks is that courage which lets you be free.
August 22, 2013 at 23:53 |
Chris
Chris
Great quote, Seraphim. It seems like it can work in both directions. Failing to be able to manage your work with a list method may give you the courage you need to make changes that allow you to focus on priorities. But it also seems that if you have the courage to make the tough choices, just about any approach will work for you, including AF-type lists.
Courage plays the biggest role for me in admitting what I don't have time for.
Courage plays the biggest role for me in admitting what I don't have time for.
August 23, 2013 at 3:28 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
This is precisely why I like Mark's systems. I tried courage for decades and failed. If I have to depend on courage I'm sunk. I'm hoping that Chris is correct about the training wheels and I'll get there eventually but in the meantime I have to function somehow.
Weirdly, saying, "Okay, I can't just guts my way through this, I'm not tough enough," takes a lot of courage, too. Possibly because so much of self-help literature is all about how the reason you fail is that you don't want it bad enough.
(I think I've posted here ages ago, but effectively I'm a noob, please excuse any ignorance...)
Weirdly, saying, "Okay, I can't just guts my way through this, I'm not tough enough," takes a lot of courage, too. Possibly because so much of self-help literature is all about how the reason you fail is that you don't want it bad enough.
(I think I've posted here ages ago, but effectively I'm a noob, please excuse any ignorance...)
August 23, 2013 at 13:49 |
R.M. Koske
R.M. Koske
R.M., what a great insight. I agree it takes courage to admit what doesn't work and seek what does. I'm so glad Mark's systems support your efforts. And I agree that we definitely hear all the time that we aren't good enough and need to try harder. The problem with this is that those who do need to try harder aren't listening and those who need to go easy on themselves ARE. Happy you chimed in.
August 23, 2013 at 13:53 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
Hi Seraphim
" "Courage rather than analysis dictates the truly important rules for identifying priorities"
Courage doesn't identify what's important. Courage is an attitude to act on what you've already decided is important. Or courage allows you to use your own analytical skills to decide for yourself what is important. For me, it's always been important to be careful of what I'm thinking and how I'm instructing myself. During the Viet Nam war, many pacifists were drafted and were forced to display courage on ideals not given to them because they didn't want to flee their country or go to jail. The Barrigan Brothers were jailed for burning their draft cards. All had to act on courage. Unless they were passively accepting values taught to them, analysis was needed to decide what those values were and also analysis was needed to decide on how to courageously act on it. I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their values.
" "Courage rather than analysis dictates the truly important rules for identifying priorities"
Courage doesn't identify what's important. Courage is an attitude to act on what you've already decided is important. Or courage allows you to use your own analytical skills to decide for yourself what is important. For me, it's always been important to be careful of what I'm thinking and how I'm instructing myself. During the Viet Nam war, many pacifists were drafted and were forced to display courage on ideals not given to them because they didn't want to flee their country or go to jail. The Barrigan Brothers were jailed for burning their draft cards. All had to act on courage. Unless they were passively accepting values taught to them, analysis was needed to decide what those values were and also analysis was needed to decide on how to courageously act on it. I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their values.
August 23, 2013 at 14:58 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
Hi R.M. Koske
No, your sentiments are far from that of a noob. It takes great courage to admit to your limitations and find means to continue on despite them.
Stubborn courage to act despite this is foolhardy at best. Believe me, I was horribly guilty of this. I didn't want to admit that I was disabled and wasted lots of time and effort fighting against it. I get more success acknowledging my weaknesses because I can learn where to intelligently apply my efforts. Mark has helped many people (myself included) find ways to work despite powerful resistance. I've learned that acknowledging this has made my work go much easier for me.
Even before the disabilities, I've always had to work against high amounts of resistance in the face of boredom or fear. I firmly believe that it's a genetic propensity. I learned how to work in a very effortful style because I was taught that it was simply my attitude. If I knew how to work around it then, my efforts would have been better placed. The internet wasn't around back those days. Many people on the right brain/ADHD continuum have these challenges. Also people with typical brain functioning who must do boring work that stifles them, also faces these challenges. It's not a character defect at all. These people have been successful the hard way. LOL! Many sites focus on teaching and learning methods that deal with effectively handling resistance. It's relieving to learn that many intelligent and creative people experience resistance who don't have defective characters. They certainly are not noobs! LOL!
To continue with the theme of this post, I think your efforts will be better placed because you have the guts to accept advice about how to work despite your weakness. Your post revealed great courage which followed intelligent analysis and appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses!
Mark helps thousands of intelligent people who need better ways to deal with their resistance. If his methods help you to do your work more effectively, I wouldn't think twice. I only wish that DIT worked for me straight out of the box. I modified it only because I needed to. I think Mark is bang on about the principles of resistance. He offers many different rule sets for people to try. Even if people use it as "training wheels", they are most likely still using knowledge, principles or tips they learned from him or the excellent people who populate this site and other sites that focus on this.
No, your sentiments are far from that of a noob. It takes great courage to admit to your limitations and find means to continue on despite them.
Stubborn courage to act despite this is foolhardy at best. Believe me, I was horribly guilty of this. I didn't want to admit that I was disabled and wasted lots of time and effort fighting against it. I get more success acknowledging my weaknesses because I can learn where to intelligently apply my efforts. Mark has helped many people (myself included) find ways to work despite powerful resistance. I've learned that acknowledging this has made my work go much easier for me.
Even before the disabilities, I've always had to work against high amounts of resistance in the face of boredom or fear. I firmly believe that it's a genetic propensity. I learned how to work in a very effortful style because I was taught that it was simply my attitude. If I knew how to work around it then, my efforts would have been better placed. The internet wasn't around back those days. Many people on the right brain/ADHD continuum have these challenges. Also people with typical brain functioning who must do boring work that stifles them, also faces these challenges. It's not a character defect at all. These people have been successful the hard way. LOL! Many sites focus on teaching and learning methods that deal with effectively handling resistance. It's relieving to learn that many intelligent and creative people experience resistance who don't have defective characters. They certainly are not noobs! LOL!
To continue with the theme of this post, I think your efforts will be better placed because you have the guts to accept advice about how to work despite your weakness. Your post revealed great courage which followed intelligent analysis and appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses!
Mark helps thousands of intelligent people who need better ways to deal with their resistance. If his methods help you to do your work more effectively, I wouldn't think twice. I only wish that DIT worked for me straight out of the box. I modified it only because I needed to. I think Mark is bang on about the principles of resistance. He offers many different rule sets for people to try. Even if people use it as "training wheels", they are most likely still using knowledge, principles or tips they learned from him or the excellent people who populate this site and other sites that focus on this.
August 23, 2013 at 15:25 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
p.s.
another brain deadend....
I erroneously typed " I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their values. " I was thinking in my head, " I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their reactions to those values." Sorry about that. I'm working with a defective brain. LOL!
another brain deadend....
I erroneously typed " I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their values. " I was thinking in my head, " I think Drucker is putting the cart before the horse for people who actively decide their values which dictate or infer their reactions to those values." Sorry about that. I'm working with a defective brain. LOL!
August 23, 2013 at 15:41 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
I think I posted unclearly at the opening post of this thread.
I didn't mean that analysis and structure are useless. The structure provided by Mark's systems, for example, can help a person get better insights into what is really important and what isn't.
And I do think I should think deeply about my work, analyze my objectives and my environment and other factors contributing to my work and its success.
But ultimately, the analysis doesn't determine the success. A lot of the time, the actual choice I make about what should be done next -- what my top priority this week should be -- or which action I choose from the list -- doesn't really matter so much. The critical thing is that I choose SOMETHING, and then stick to it long enough to FINISH it.
Knowledge workers like myself are presented with so many options. And if you have a lot of interests like I do, and see opportunities under every rock, there are so many interesting and useful things that one could pursue, but never finish more than 1% of them in a whole lifetime of efficient work.
I have found that I should do the analysis, think about the options, and try to make the best choices. But then, I need to stick to it long enough to finish it, before moving on to the next thing.
I was always worried that I'd choose the less-than-optimal opportunity to pursue. So, I'd keep way too many irons in the fire, and not really do a great job on any of them. Some of those irons would sit there in the fire for years, while I paid them a bit of attention now and then. I was afraid that I was giving up something that I could never get back. That's true. But holding on to each of those things had the result that I never really got the results I wanted with any of them.
I'm finding that by focusing on the top thing and driving it to completion, and having the courage to say "the rest can wait, maybe forever" and be OK with that, I am so much more focused and actually getting a lot more done and getting much better results.
I think choosing the right sized task is important here. Each of the top tasks I've been focusing on has required maybe 1-3 weeks of work to complete. I think if it gets too much bigger than that, it starts to get too risky. My work environment changes so quickly (product roadmaps, organizational changes with my stakeholder groups, etc.), I need to adapt to changing priorities at least once or twice per quarter. That means the situation can change significantly in just 3-6 weeks -- so my tasks must be able to completed in less than that amount of time so my contribution remains relevant. The longer-term vision and objectives don't change so quickly, but the next-most-important-thing to do, to achieve the ultimate vision, needs to adapt to the changing business environment.
Even if I chose the wrong task, I've only committed to it for 1-3 weeks. It's more important to cultivate FOCUS and a DRIVE TO COMPLETION than it is to make sure I always choose the optimal task. Within a 1-3 week timeframe, I can be pretty sure whatever I focus on will have SOME relevance, and don't feel the need to re-think and re-evaluate the priorities all the time. I can do that after I complete the thing that I've already chosen.
But doing that takes courage. I have to be OK with letting other things go, that were not the number 1 priority. And I have to stop worrying that other people will be upset I haven't chosen THEIR top priority. Mainly I have to be OK saying no to all those other opportunities that are not being addressed.
Maybe for others this isn't such a big deal. But when my AF1 lists typically had over 1000 items, and growing, and FV quickly got to the same place, I clearly have a tendency to overcommit and a fear of letting go. This new approach has been very very helpful.
I didn't mean that analysis and structure are useless. The structure provided by Mark's systems, for example, can help a person get better insights into what is really important and what isn't.
And I do think I should think deeply about my work, analyze my objectives and my environment and other factors contributing to my work and its success.
But ultimately, the analysis doesn't determine the success. A lot of the time, the actual choice I make about what should be done next -- what my top priority this week should be -- or which action I choose from the list -- doesn't really matter so much. The critical thing is that I choose SOMETHING, and then stick to it long enough to FINISH it.
Knowledge workers like myself are presented with so many options. And if you have a lot of interests like I do, and see opportunities under every rock, there are so many interesting and useful things that one could pursue, but never finish more than 1% of them in a whole lifetime of efficient work.
I have found that I should do the analysis, think about the options, and try to make the best choices. But then, I need to stick to it long enough to finish it, before moving on to the next thing.
I was always worried that I'd choose the less-than-optimal opportunity to pursue. So, I'd keep way too many irons in the fire, and not really do a great job on any of them. Some of those irons would sit there in the fire for years, while I paid them a bit of attention now and then. I was afraid that I was giving up something that I could never get back. That's true. But holding on to each of those things had the result that I never really got the results I wanted with any of them.
I'm finding that by focusing on the top thing and driving it to completion, and having the courage to say "the rest can wait, maybe forever" and be OK with that, I am so much more focused and actually getting a lot more done and getting much better results.
I think choosing the right sized task is important here. Each of the top tasks I've been focusing on has required maybe 1-3 weeks of work to complete. I think if it gets too much bigger than that, it starts to get too risky. My work environment changes so quickly (product roadmaps, organizational changes with my stakeholder groups, etc.), I need to adapt to changing priorities at least once or twice per quarter. That means the situation can change significantly in just 3-6 weeks -- so my tasks must be able to completed in less than that amount of time so my contribution remains relevant. The longer-term vision and objectives don't change so quickly, but the next-most-important-thing to do, to achieve the ultimate vision, needs to adapt to the changing business environment.
Even if I chose the wrong task, I've only committed to it for 1-3 weeks. It's more important to cultivate FOCUS and a DRIVE TO COMPLETION than it is to make sure I always choose the optimal task. Within a 1-3 week timeframe, I can be pretty sure whatever I focus on will have SOME relevance, and don't feel the need to re-think and re-evaluate the priorities all the time. I can do that after I complete the thing that I've already chosen.
But doing that takes courage. I have to be OK with letting other things go, that were not the number 1 priority. And I have to stop worrying that other people will be upset I haven't chosen THEIR top priority. Mainly I have to be OK saying no to all those other opportunities that are not being addressed.
Maybe for others this isn't such a big deal. But when my AF1 lists typically had over 1000 items, and growing, and FV quickly got to the same place, I clearly have a tendency to overcommit and a fear of letting go. This new approach has been very very helpful.
August 26, 2013 at 2:34 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Another thing I have found: I used to try to "hoard" all those opportunities I had found. Some new idea, some compelling new thing to try. I didn't want to let go.
But now I am beginning to see how rich with opportunities life can be. There are just so many of them -- I can NEVER pursue them all, never pursue even a small fraction.
But not pursuing them, and consciously allowing them to pass by, has helped me see them more objectively. And I believe that I'm seeing that there is no end to opportunities. I am not really losing anything by letting most of them go by. There will always be more. All I can do is choose the one I should focus on NOW, and when that one is done, then focus on the next one. Think hard about which one will bring the best value if I pursue it, will move me closer to my ultimate objectives. And then go for it.
This was unexpected. One might think that by learning to say NO, one is basically cultivating an attitude of limitation and pessimism. But by learning to say NO, I am finding that I have a much more positive and optimistic view of opportunity: there really is no end to them, and by focusing on ONE AT A TIME, I am really making the best possible use of them. Pretty cool!
But now I am beginning to see how rich with opportunities life can be. There are just so many of them -- I can NEVER pursue them all, never pursue even a small fraction.
But not pursuing them, and consciously allowing them to pass by, has helped me see them more objectively. And I believe that I'm seeing that there is no end to opportunities. I am not really losing anything by letting most of them go by. There will always be more. All I can do is choose the one I should focus on NOW, and when that one is done, then focus on the next one. Think hard about which one will bring the best value if I pursue it, will move me closer to my ultimate objectives. And then go for it.
This was unexpected. One might think that by learning to say NO, one is basically cultivating an attitude of limitation and pessimism. But by learning to say NO, I am finding that I have a much more positive and optimistic view of opportunity: there really is no end to them, and by focusing on ONE AT A TIME, I am really making the best possible use of them. Pretty cool!
August 26, 2013 at 2:44 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Hi Seraphim
I'm glad you've found a way to enrich your life. That's why I have my MITs. Otherwise, I'd have too many 1/2 finished projects. LOL! It's always exciting to start a new project especially if you have a challenging learning curve, create or problem solve. It's like entering new territory! That's why I love DIT so much. All the principles take care of this for me especially commitment vs interest. CI is always fun to choose! Bundling expedites the recurring stuff. A project queue keeps things in check. I adjusted it without spoiling the principles. Doing it in a weekly version is much more flexible for me. Sometimes I'll chart my longer projects for months but it works fine with the project queue. It helps to keep my brain humming while I complete a few projects. I need the variety when I'm not going with all pistons firing on one project. LOL!
pssst....I've GOT to ask..... What happened to the +1000 task list?
I'm glad you've found a way to enrich your life. That's why I have my MITs. Otherwise, I'd have too many 1/2 finished projects. LOL! It's always exciting to start a new project especially if you have a challenging learning curve, create or problem solve. It's like entering new territory! That's why I love DIT so much. All the principles take care of this for me especially commitment vs interest. CI is always fun to choose! Bundling expedites the recurring stuff. A project queue keeps things in check. I adjusted it without spoiling the principles. Doing it in a weekly version is much more flexible for me. Sometimes I'll chart my longer projects for months but it works fine with the project queue. It helps to keep my brain humming while I complete a few projects. I need the variety when I'm not going with all pistons firing on one project. LOL!
pssst....I've GOT to ask..... What happened to the +1000 task list?
August 26, 2013 at 4:49 |
learning as I go
learning as I go
"there are so many interesting and useful things that one could pursue, but never finish more than 1% of them in a whole lifetime of efficient work. ". That's how I see things.
'having the courage to say "the rest can wait, maybe forever" and be OK with that, I am so much more focused and actually getting a lot more done and getting much better results.'
That's a key insight. I don't think you clearly expressed that before. But the following is even more interesting:
"there is no end to opportunities. I am not really losing anything by letting most of them go by."
In choosing one activity over another, I might lose the opportunity of that other, but there's always going to be something else that comes up. That insight is the key to all levels of disciplined focus. Get "it" done now so you can both experience the rewards of completion and the excitement of a new thing you don't even know about yet.
'having the courage to say "the rest can wait, maybe forever" and be OK with that, I am so much more focused and actually getting a lot more done and getting much better results.'
That's a key insight. I don't think you clearly expressed that before. But the following is even more interesting:
"there is no end to opportunities. I am not really losing anything by letting most of them go by."
In choosing one activity over another, I might lose the opportunity of that other, but there's always going to be something else that comes up. That insight is the key to all levels of disciplined focus. Get "it" done now so you can both experience the rewards of completion and the excitement of a new thing you don't even know about yet.
August 26, 2013 at 12:47 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Learning wrote:
<< pssst....I've GOT to ask..... What happened to the +1000 task list? >>
I have no idea. I think the OneNote version is archived somewhere, or maybe I finally actually deleted it, since I haven't touched it in over a year. I think my last FV / AF notebooks are in the landfill somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson. :-) My last DIT notebook still has some useful notes in there, since I used it for notes as well as DIT, so I still have that on the shelf at home. :-)
<< pssst....I've GOT to ask..... What happened to the +1000 task list? >>
I have no idea. I think the OneNote version is archived somewhere, or maybe I finally actually deleted it, since I haven't touched it in over a year. I think my last FV / AF notebooks are in the landfill somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson. :-) My last DIT notebook still has some useful notes in there, since I used it for notes as well as DIT, so I still have that on the shelf at home. :-)
August 26, 2013 at 17:48 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
This sounds very, very familiar to me.
That's why FV didn't work for me. I hit a string of projects I'd put into hibernation. FV told me it was OK to work on it! Wheeee!!! After two weeks I scrambled to meet deadlines that I'd known about for months -- and this was even though I prioritized things.
Yes, those hibernating projects should not have been on the list in the first place. However, I wasn't ready to admit it, and the thrill of making progress on those projects (work on it as long as you like!) was wonderful. That's why I don't recommend FV. If you need a system, chances are you haven't narrowed down your projects sufficiently. It's probably a great system if you already have a lean list.
I still don't trust myself not to put some of them back on the list of current possibilities, even though I accept that they need to stay off it.
This restriction is nothing new to Mark. Even AF includes "dismissal". Remember the discussion about high-lighting vs low-lighting? (Highlighting in AF means admitting it's not going to happen for a long while, but to many people highlighting means drawing attention to it because it should be done.)
I'm going to focus on saying, "Yes" to a few projects this season, rather than hesitate about saying "No."
That's why FV didn't work for me. I hit a string of projects I'd put into hibernation. FV told me it was OK to work on it! Wheeee!!! After two weeks I scrambled to meet deadlines that I'd known about for months -- and this was even though I prioritized things.
Yes, those hibernating projects should not have been on the list in the first place. However, I wasn't ready to admit it, and the thrill of making progress on those projects (work on it as long as you like!) was wonderful. That's why I don't recommend FV. If you need a system, chances are you haven't narrowed down your projects sufficiently. It's probably a great system if you already have a lean list.
I still don't trust myself not to put some of them back on the list of current possibilities, even though I accept that they need to stay off it.
This restriction is nothing new to Mark. Even AF includes "dismissal". Remember the discussion about high-lighting vs low-lighting? (Highlighting in AF means admitting it's not going to happen for a long while, but to many people highlighting means drawing attention to it because it should be done.)
I'm going to focus on saying, "Yes" to a few projects this season, rather than hesitate about saying "No."
August 29, 2013 at 19:37 |
Cricket
Cricket
Probably the key insight that clinched this for me is from Drucker, again. "Courage rather than analysis dictates the truly important rules for identifying priorities". I have found this to be true in so many ways:
1 - Courage to oppose the naysayers.
2 - Courage to oppose the distractions and interruptions, a la "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
3 - Courage to say NO to all the little distracting and appealing items on my list that I'd *really* like to do, if only there were enough time.
Mark has proven to me that you can get in touch with your intellect and intuition by following a good set of rules - AF1, DWM, FV have all proven this. But can algorithmic list-processing rules teach COURAGE?