Discussion Forum > Resistance Zero Report
It's very encouraging to hear this report from Ryan. It matches my own experience of RZ.
On the boundary issue, the question is always "In order to be able to do this, what am I not going to do?"
On the boundary issue, the question is always "In order to be able to do this, what am I not going to do?"
July 27, 2022 at 21:16 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
One thing that I like about ZR approach is that it moves shifting inertia (something that is a perennial struggle) into a zone that I don't feel resistant to. The moment of inertia moves around the point of "what don't I feel a sense of static inertia to" which is a great question to ask when I am feeling in stasis...essentially tricking my brain very easily by intentionally focusing on things that don't feel like an inertia shift...but in reality the shift happens behind the scenes as soon as I ask "what don't I feel resistance to"...so it is kind of a productive sleight of hand that my brain doesn't see coming.
July 30, 2022 at 16:30 |
Cafe655
Cafe655
I'm finding that RZ is incredibly useful with my personal projects for which I don't have hard and fast deadlines and frankly fewer commitments. As Cafe655 said, it does a great job of building momentum.
I've still not figured out how to incorporate it with my much longer work lists. The full review in Step 2 takes too long and I find myself resisting it throughout the day and there are somethings on the list that I don't need to concern myself with until tomorrow or next week... I'm toying with the idea of a review in the morning to initiate a smaller list of things I can or should do TODAY. (is this sort of what you mean by boundaries Ryan?)
This precursor review would in theory produce a smaller temporary list to cycle through during the day. I'm not sure I want to ditch the long list, so I'm thinking one dot means "can or should do today" and then two dots means zero resistance.
I'd want to review the longer list less often than the shorter list.
if this works maybe Focused Resistance Zero is a good name.
I've still not figured out how to incorporate it with my much longer work lists. The full review in Step 2 takes too long and I find myself resisting it throughout the day and there are somethings on the list that I don't need to concern myself with until tomorrow or next week... I'm toying with the idea of a review in the morning to initiate a smaller list of things I can or should do TODAY. (is this sort of what you mean by boundaries Ryan?)
This precursor review would in theory produce a smaller temporary list to cycle through during the day. I'm not sure I want to ditch the long list, so I'm thinking one dot means "can or should do today" and then two dots means zero resistance.
I'd want to review the longer list less often than the shorter list.
if this works maybe Focused Resistance Zero is a good name.
August 8, 2022 at 17:50 |
Brent
Brent
A process for you Brent:
1. Scan your very long list. Pull out anything that stands out as could be doable / should be done.
2. RZ that list.
3. Put remainders back.
Exactly how you interpret 1,2,3 is up to what you feel is right.
1. Scan your very long list. Pull out anything that stands out as could be doable / should be done.
2. RZ that list.
3. Put remainders back.
Exactly how you interpret 1,2,3 is up to what you feel is right.
August 9, 2022 at 17:14 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Brent:
<< The full review in Step 2 takes too long >>
How many tasks do you have on your full list? I'm usually working on about 100, and I don't find that any problem. It should be a fast, intuitive scan focusing on a feeling of zero resistance, not a slow plod agonizing over what degree of resistance you are feeling.
<< and I find myself resisting it throughout the day >>
This definitely shouldn't be happening, however long your list is. It's intended to be a quick scan resulting in selecting about 5-6 tasks. There may be less, there may be more, but you are only supposed to be selecting tasks you feel absolutely no resistance to. If you find yourself hesitating over whether to select a task... then you are resisting it.
<< and there are some things on the list that I don't need to concern myself with until tomorrow or next week... >>
If you find them getting in the way, then take them off the list and put them in a bring-forward system. That applies especially to ones you can't do now for whatever reason.
Apart from the B/Fs I've just mentioned, I counsel against having more than one list. The whole point of the system is to reduce resistance by repeated scanning. By all means split the list into Work and Leisure, or Home and Office if you find it helps, but that's all.
<< The full review in Step 2 takes too long >>
How many tasks do you have on your full list? I'm usually working on about 100, and I don't find that any problem. It should be a fast, intuitive scan focusing on a feeling of zero resistance, not a slow plod agonizing over what degree of resistance you are feeling.
<< and I find myself resisting it throughout the day >>
This definitely shouldn't be happening, however long your list is. It's intended to be a quick scan resulting in selecting about 5-6 tasks. There may be less, there may be more, but you are only supposed to be selecting tasks you feel absolutely no resistance to. If you find yourself hesitating over whether to select a task... then you are resisting it.
<< and there are some things on the list that I don't need to concern myself with until tomorrow or next week... >>
If you find them getting in the way, then take them off the list and put them in a bring-forward system. That applies especially to ones you can't do now for whatever reason.
Apart from the B/Fs I've just mentioned, I counsel against having more than one list. The whole point of the system is to reduce resistance by repeated scanning. By all means split the list into Work and Leisure, or Home and Office if you find it helps, but that's all.
August 10, 2022 at 12:41 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I don't really have more than 150 things on my list. Upon reflection, I think the resistance pops up as the day goes on regarding the items that earlier in the day had no resistance but I hadn't gotten to it before the resistance started.
For example, take the following list
check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
check email
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
when I dot the items with no resistance it looks like this
*check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
*check email
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
Per the rules I work backwards on the list and check my email. The first email I read is from Sara about Project X and I really should deal with it before I check in with John
so now in theory my list looks like this
*check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
Get with Sara about what she needs with Project X (before talking to John)
I now have resistance to both getting with Sara AND John on project X because of the information that emerged.
When this compounds, I find that I'm skipping previously marked low resistance tasks and I lose momentum.
I think maybe my problem is I'm not allowing myself to quickly dismiss a previously marked ZR task- or at minimum re-write it with new requirements and move on to truly ZR tasks regardless of previous resistance designations..
Resistance can also increase during the day based on fatigue. So perhaps that problem needs to be dealt with via better habits that Ryan alluded to. It's just really easy to look at a long list later in the day and feel resistance to all of it if the momentum never really got started in the first place.
For example, take the following list
check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
check email
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
when I dot the items with no resistance it looks like this
*check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
*check email
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
Per the rules I work backwards on the list and check my email. The first email I read is from Sara about Project X and I really should deal with it before I check in with John
so now in theory my list looks like this
*check in with John on project X
write documentation for project Y
review yesterday's meeting notes
do mid-year reviews
Get with Sara about what she needs with Project X (before talking to John)
I now have resistance to both getting with Sara AND John on project X because of the information that emerged.
When this compounds, I find that I'm skipping previously marked low resistance tasks and I lose momentum.
I think maybe my problem is I'm not allowing myself to quickly dismiss a previously marked ZR task- or at minimum re-write it with new requirements and move on to truly ZR tasks regardless of previous resistance designations..
Resistance can also increase during the day based on fatigue. So perhaps that problem needs to be dealt with via better habits that Ryan alluded to. It's just really easy to look at a long list later in the day and feel resistance to all of it if the momentum never really got started in the first place.
August 11, 2022 at 22:31 |
Brent
Brent
> I'm toying with the idea of a review in the morning to initiate a smaller list of things I can or should do TODAY. (is this sort of what you mean by boundaries Ryan?)
I'm mostly talking about taking on too many projects, so that I never feel like I've reached "inbox zero" on all of them. So I'm talking about the vice of "project gluttony" ;-) I've got a new experiment running to mitigate that by combining RZ with the "Authorized Project List" from Secrets / Mark's blog.
---
I do notice that I am more effective at urgent tasks in RZ when I use a project header and a dynamic list instead of putting all tasks in the main list itself. In addition to the "classic" Dynamic list of writing everything that comes to mind with a project, I sometimes find it useful to use a rotating list for the specific project heading, especially when it's a bunch of different "check on thing" type tasks.
Usually when I find things have a "yes" to me asking "Zero resistance?" that means they're ripe for action, and they don't usually expire very readily from that state. I also have a policy of allowing myself to simply turn a task over in my mind carefully and that counting as "taking action" on it. Maybe that could help others.
I'm mostly talking about taking on too many projects, so that I never feel like I've reached "inbox zero" on all of them. So I'm talking about the vice of "project gluttony" ;-) I've got a new experiment running to mitigate that by combining RZ with the "Authorized Project List" from Secrets / Mark's blog.
---
I do notice that I am more effective at urgent tasks in RZ when I use a project header and a dynamic list instead of putting all tasks in the main list itself. In addition to the "classic" Dynamic list of writing everything that comes to mind with a project, I sometimes find it useful to use a rotating list for the specific project heading, especially when it's a bunch of different "check on thing" type tasks.
Usually when I find things have a "yes" to me asking "Zero resistance?" that means they're ripe for action, and they don't usually expire very readily from that state. I also have a policy of allowing myself to simply turn a task over in my mind carefully and that counting as "taking action" on it. Maybe that could help others.
August 11, 2022 at 23:12 |
Ryan Freckleton
Ryan Freckleton
>> I also have a policy of allowing myself to simply turn a task over in my mind carefully and that counting as "taking action" on it. <<
I really like that. I think it could help reduce the resistance on it for the next time it pops up. Since it probably means my subconscious will have worked on it a little more as the ZR system intends to promote.
I really like that. I think it could help reduce the resistance on it for the next time it pops up. Since it probably means my subconscious will have worked on it a little more as the ZR system intends to promote.
August 12, 2022 at 18:19 |
Brent
Brent
This is the most sustainable time management system I've ever used, and I've used almost every one of Mark's systems. I am able to use it each day without pushing myself through resistance, burning out, etc.
Directly prior to this I was using the rotating no-list systems with good success. I purposely tried to keep with that for 50 days.
I got about the same amount of work done but feel a lot less psychologically drained using Resistance Zero. I also pleasantly surprised myself with fixing a few lingering projects.
When nothing stands out with zero resistance, that's a good indicator that I need to free wheel for a few hours and just do what comes to mind. This happens more on the weekends and evenings, unsurprisingly.
Rarely I will leave the list for a time with tasks selected but so far they haven't "expired" as quickly as what happens with FV and FVP.
----
I'm still really bad at having commitments with clear boundaries. It's something I struggle with. I know a lot of the advice for it (keep track of what you **won't** do for a given commitment, keep a list, etc.) but I never seem to be able to execute on it consistently. This is an issue in whatever system I use, except Do It Tomorrow when I keep up with audits.
It's important to have good habits to keep even in the face of extreme variability. For me this includes prayer, weight training and walking.