Get Everything Done

I've been using some questions to kickstart my day whenever I've felt rudderless. These have stuck around long enough for me to consider sharing them. The ARROW mnemonic is happily appropriate, as it points the way forward.

Attention
"What has my attention?" is a classic GTD question, but don't hold that against it! Sometimes my mind gets hung up on specific tasks in an unhelpful way. Getting it down on to paper helps, and if I still can't look past an issue, jotting down a quick 'if... then...' plan has been proving effective.

Resistance
"What am I resisting?" is Mark Forster gold plated wisdom. Usually what I'm resisting points to what I should be doing.

Rewarding
"What task would be rewarding?" is a good reminder that work itself can be valuable self-care. Rewarding work can help build confidence, momentum and a sense of empowerment.

One Thing
"What's the One thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" is a helpful catch-all question from Gary Keller's book, even if I don't always come up with a compelling answer.

Wellbeing
"What could I do today to improve my wellbeing?" is self explanatory.


How about you? Do you have any core questions you fall back on when you feel directionless?

One of Mark's classic questions: "How good am I feeling now?"

http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2017/7/25/the-most-important-thing-ive-ever-written.html

A low answer indicates to me that I'm in my head, too much thinking, low clarity. A high score - say 8 or 9 - indicates general wellbeing and that I can trust decisions made from that place.

Thanks for the replies!

Mike - If you get a low score, how do you try to get out of your head?

Alan - one or two key tasks from my answers generally resonate and I add them to my DIT list. But the questions aren't fool-proof and sometimes I still find myself drifting.

Mark - The answers from the prior questions usually give me enough context to come up with an answer. Although, not always.

JohnD:

<<Mike - If you get a low score, how do you try to get out of your head?>>

By not trying to get out of my head. If my head is full of thoughts, then more thinking won't clear it. It's like furiously shaking the snow globe to make it settle down.

A low number just means I'm in a low mood and I know from experience that any sort of mental work will be a struggle.

For myself, when I know my head is in that place, I revert to the physical and do activities that use the long muscles of the body: sweep the floor, wash the dishes, cook, clean, walk, exercise. Putting my attention on physical tasks -- however briefly -- diverts me from whatever twister is going on inside my head. And usually, within not too long a time, my head is clearer -- I may have gone up one or two points in answer to the question -- and I'm in a better mental state.

Or, you know, just take a nap :)

@JohnD: For me the answer is a return to "presence". The quickest recipe for this: 5 things I can see, 4 things I can hear, 3 things I'm touching, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing I love and appreciate.

@JohnD: Another question: What am I sacrificing by doing X?

John thank you for this. Very helpful.