Do you ever feel compelled to complete a project, start one, or simply get random tasks done instead of not doing them? Honestly, most days, that’s me. My inner driver strives to accomplish and move things forward. I’m not perpetually focused on my list, but I am always aware of items that need my attention. I enjoy the satisfaction of getting things done. Today was no different. Does this sound familiar?

Sometimes I recognize what I really need to do is let go. I had my list of what I wanted to accomplish today, and writing this post was at the top. However, after meditating, journaling, and eating a leisurely breakfast, I took a walk with my husband. The beautiful spring day called out to me. “Linda, it’s too nice to be inside. Come out now!” With an offer like that, how could I resist?

Guess what? I couldn’t refuse, so I leaned in, let go, and went for a long walk before sitting down to write. It was time to savor simple pleasures.

The air was warm with a slight breeze. We wandered over the Croton dam and meandered through the woods. We spotted yellow and purple flowers, heard bamboo stalks rustling, smelled the sweetness of spring, heard birds chirping, and listened to the sounds of flowing water. It felt so good to be outside on this amazing day. I let go of and paused my to-do list to enjoy nature and time with Steve.

“Sometimes I recognize what I really need to do is let go.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

After our walk, we ate lunch outside in the backyard. The warm sun made us a tad bit sleepy. So uncharacteristically, we took a short nap in our chairs as the birds sang and the sun lulled us to sleep. When we woke, I was ready to activate.

Here I am now, writing this shorter post. Soon I will go outside again to partake in this spectacular day. 

What can you let go of now, even if it’s only for today? Do you need a break from your list? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

David Allen "Ask the Expert" interview about ProductivityBased on your outpouring of positive feedback, once again I'm happy to bring you the “Ask the Expert” interview series, which connects you with industry thought leaders. We’ve spoken with Peter Walsh about clutter, Sheila Delson about letting go, Laura Berman Fortgang about next steps, Judith Kolberg about change, and Sue West about fresh starts. This month I’m excited to have with us the world’s leading personal productivity guru, David Allen, to share his insights and wisdom about time management.

David’s book, Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, is a favorite in my collection, and is well worn and highlighted. Some of his concepts that I find most valuable are the ideas of gathering all your “to dos” in one place and then moving each one along by focusing on its “next” action. It’s an understatement to say that David has many fans. He’s an international best-selling author of three books, has over one million Twitter followers and over one-hundred thousand members in his LinkedIn GTD® Enthusiasts group. My sincere thanks goes to David for taking the time to join us. A special thanks to Kathryn for making it happen. Before we begin, here’s more about David.

David Allen is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on personal and organizational productivity. His thirty-year pioneering research and coaching to corporate managers and CEOs of some of America’s most prestigious corporations has earned him Forbes’ recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the U.S. Time Magazine called his flagship book, Getting Things Done, “the definitive self-help book of the decade.” Fast Company called David “one of the most influential thinkers” in the arena of personal productivity. He is the engineer of GTD®, the popular Getting Things Done® methodology that has shown millions how to transform a fast-paced, overwhelming, overcommitted life into one that is balanced, integrated, relaxed, and has more successful outcomes. David is the Founder and Chairman of the David Allen Company. You can connect with David on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, blog or website.

Linda Samuels:  You are internationally known as the “personal productivity guru.” While there is no quick fix for being more productive, where is a good place to begin?

David Allen:  Stress-free productivity means being in a personal state of relaxed, focused control and engaging in meaningful activity. A prime requirement for that condition is having a total inventory of your commitments with yourself – one that is current and objectified and well defined, at all the levels they exist (from “get cat food” to “get a new job” to ”get enlightenment”.) So job one is to capture and clarify that roster. Start by collecting all the particles around your environment that don’t belong there permanently and put them in your into your IN-tray (or a note to represent them, if they won’t fit). Then use pen and paper to empty your head of any- and everything else that has your attention. From there you’ll need to move on to determining the outcomes desired and next actions required for each of them. That whole process can take 10 to 20 hours, but anything you can start doing along those lines will move you in the right direction.

Linda:  Life requires that we get things done. Anna Quindlen said, “I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” What is your perspective?

David:  Big Secret: Getting Things Done is not about getting things done. It’s about achieving appropriate engagement with all of your involvements. In order to feel comfortable with whatever you’re doing, you need to feel OK with what you’re not doing. So, not getting things done, for the most part, is a hallmark of optimal productivity! Of course, if your purpose on the planet is actually to complete, accomplish, and express, you’ll need to be getting those things done, in order to be at peace with yourself. Once you really catch what this game is about, and the optimal rules of engagement, playing the game, itself, is the reward. Indeed.

Linda:  What is your most surprising discovery about focusing on the “next” action step?

David:  That the decision about the most mundane aspects of our life (what visible, physical activity do I need to do, to move the needle on this?) is core to the sense of fulfilling our agreements with ourselves. If you think you should be doing something about a situation with your parents or your kid, but haven’t yet decided what the very next thing to do about it is, you’ll be in stress and not fully present in your life.

Linda:  What has been your toughest personal time challenge?

David:  Realizing how much of a clear context, in terms of time and environment, is required to do sustained, creative thinking. I can’t write the next chapter of anything without a good four-hour block of free space and warmed up fingers with a great laptop.

Linda:  If you had an unexpected extra hour on a particular day, how would you spend that time?

David:  Beats me. When it shows up, I’ll let you know. I trust my spontaneous, intuitive hunches.

Linda:  Is there anything you’d like to share that I haven’t asked?

David:  The experience of stress-free productivity is one of a very natural flow. But it doesn’t consistently happen by itself. It requires specific practices that often seem unnatural and unnecessary at first. (“Write everything down? You’ve got to be kidding!”) Once they become habitual, however, you’d never think of doing anything else.

Thank you, David for sharing your thoughts about stress-free productivity and time management. Something you said which jumped out at me is the idea of “appropriate engagement.” Be comfortable with what you choose to do and not do. That in fact, not getting things done is the “hallmark of optimal productivity.” I love this perspective.

I invite all of you to join David and me as we continue the conversation. We’d love to hear your ideas about productivity, GTD®, and time management. Which concepts resonate with you? What are your recent productivity challenges or successes? 

Why is it that we do anything? The answer to that varies as widely as we do. We are not made from the same mold and what motivates you to accomplish your goals is different from what motivates your friends, kids or co-workers. It’s important to know what works for you because we all need something to help us move from place “A” to “B.”

Admittedly, I am extremely goal oriented. I think in terms of projects, short and long term goals. Sometimes just having a daily list of items I’ve set out to accomplish and knowing that by the end of the day they will be crossed out by my red marker is enough to motivate me to complete them. There are other times when my motivation works better if instead of it being visual (as in lots of red marker lines) it is time based. I play a “beat the clock” game with myself to accomplish something before a certain time so that I can go out and play. Wasn’t this a tactic our mothers used on us when we were small? I guess it was ingrained in my way of thinking. This often works well for me because as much as I like to get things done, I love to play even more.

A few weekends ago, in the true spirit of summer, we planned a day trip for Saturday. We were leaving around noon. So I woke up early to have breakfast, shower and get some work done. The fact that we were leaving at a specific time enabled me to focus on what I needed to accomplish. The added bonus and motivating force was that after I worked, I’d get to play and spend time with my family.

And play we did! There’s nothing like taking a day trip. One of my friends, Stacy Maxwell, writes a wonderful blog called “Backyard Therapy” exclusively about the value of going on day trips. The concept is that by stepping out of our normal routines and taking a break just for one day, our sense of well-being is restored.

Our day trip to the east end of Long Island did just that. While our girls are no longer little kids, we went to visit the Children’s Museum of the East End. My husband built some exhibits for them several years ago and we went to visit them in place. While it was fun to see his work, it was just as much fun watching our girls “play” at the museum. Dressing up was always a huge part of their childhood and they haven’t outgrown that yet. Their playfulness spilled over to us as we also enjoyed putting on tutus, pirate gear and firefighters’ jackets. Silly is good!

The day wouldn’t have been complete without having lunch outdoors, walking through the town, checking out an antiques fair, eating ice cream, touring the neighborhoods and seeing the ocean. I was amazed about the positive, rejuvenating effect our excursion had. It was a wonderful day! The idea of the trip provided me with the motivation to get some work done in the morning. The trip itself gave me time to reconnect, play and relax with my family. I was motivated to work by the notion that fun was at the other side. It was a win win!

Yesterday marked the first day of spring. And oh what a magnificent day it was! I had a mongo list of things left to do from the previous day, and figured I’d have all day Saturday to check things off. I woke up with good intentions of getting things done. However, the day unfolded differently than I planned.

After breakfast, I looked outside, just to smell the air and appreciate spring’s arrival. There sat the pansies I purchased the day before, waiting to be planted. It was so gorgeous out, that the thought of working inside at my computer seemed ridiculous. So, I grabbed my gardening tools and decided that the next thing I’d do was to plant the flowers. What a great sensation it was to dig in the dirt, touch the plants, submerse them in the soil and water them!

Being outside in the warm sun, getting dirty and smelling the earth made me feel connected to all the other gardeners and growers. I thought about my grandmother who loved to garden and took such pleasure in her flowers and vegetables. When I’d visit her, she’d give me a big bear hug, firmly take my hand and say, “Come! Let me show you the garden.” We’d go out back and with such joy we’d walk through her garden. She had me touch, smell and see all that was blooming.

After planting the pansies and stepping back to appreciate their vibrant colors and whimsy, I went back inside to do some work. It was hard to concentrate after enjoying the spring air. I worked for a bit until it was time for lunch. This presented another opportunity to be outside. So, I gathered up my food and positioned myself in the sun. This had a calming effect. Things were mostly quiet except for the chirping of birds and distant buzzing of a power saw. After eating, I just sat and wrote. The calm I felt reminded me of similar feelings experienced on vacations. I was relaxed and didn’t want to move.

The rest of the day had a loose feel to it. You may have already guessed it, but I abandoned “the list” yesterday. I decided that my next step was to simply savor the magnificent day. Work could wait because the day was too good to ignore. Spring had arrived and I opted to delight in it. The choice gave me time to plant our flowers, write while sitting in the sun, and enjoy a walk and ice cream with my daughter.

So today is another gorgeous day! My big list is still before me. I will choose the next thing on it to accomplish and then stick my head outside. Who knows where that might take me?