This tip was originally published in The Simplifier #31.

In a nutshell: Check out Getting Things Done.

Outside the nutshell: To complement the article, I wanted a practical, easy-to-use tip that would directly facilitate simplifying. The one I thought of was identifying the next action for any projects or ToDos that are floating around your head or workspace unfinished. However, just identifying the next action isn’t as powerful as sandwiching it in a comprehensive system.

Enter the “Getting Things Done” workflow management system (simply laid out in a book of the same name). Developed by the primary advocate of Next Actions, David Allen, this system aims to be an air-tight capture system of your responsibilities. The general premise is to free your mind of tracking unfinished business so you can better enjoy your life and get things done.

The system is easy to use. I’ve found it does provide relief to my over-active mind that would otherwise wonder what happened with this, that, or the other piece of information. Interestingly, it has achieved something akin to a cult-like following, including major online support forums and numerous blogs unconnected with Allen’s site.

The only grain of salt I’ll sprinkle on the Getting Things Done system is the awareness that it’s a workflow management system, not a motivational system. Nor does it assist you in incorporating your values into your workflow. This means that you continue to take responsibility for ensuring your work reflects what you want to be doing.

For more info, check out this CNN article on David Allen.

If we could read the secret history of our enemies
we should find in each person’s life
sorrow and suffering enough
to disarm all hostility.

Apologies for the late notice, but… you still have time to dig out boxes of old (seven or more year old) financial records for a shred-a-thon. Well, not technically an “a-thon” nor do they have to be financial documents. Basically, if you have boxes of papers you’ve wanted to get rid of but were hesitant to leave them in the recycle bin or trash because they have personal info, now’s your chance to get them out of your space!

Here is a link to the Union article on the shredding event Saturday or you can just stick with the basics:

Gold Country Telecare, a local nonprofit organization that provides door-to-door transportation for the elderly and disabled, is holding a paper shredding fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 21 at the Copyright parking lot on 791 Maltman Drive in Grass Valley.

I like to get out of my office and work/write in cafes. Laptop in front of me, the music & voices around me become a lively backdrop for writing and thinking. However, working in a café in a small town is practically inviting conversation–and really, I do come here to work :)

This morning I saw someone in the café who is in one of my workshops. He was barely willing to say hello to me! “It’s your writing time—I don’t want to interrupt!” I appreciated his sensitivity and realized that I hadn’t emphasized the fact that it’s my responsibility to protect my work time (when working in a public place). Besides, maybe I’d like a break and would like to talk! Or perhaps we had a few things to discuss that take priority to what I was currently working on.

It’s my job to be clear on what my priorities and to convey, gracefully, if it isn’t time for me to chit-chat. I can say, “I’m in the middle of a project.” Or if it looks like he has something to discuss, “can I call you later to talk about that?”

What makes this easy is having a phrase or two that you are comfortable saying, for ex. the ones I just mentioned.

And when you see a friend or acquaintance working in a public place, be sensitive to whether they look like they are wanting to converse or continue on their task at hand!

Here’s a sweet little story that’s been passed around via email. One of my workshop participants brought it this week:

The 92-year-old petite, well-poised and proud lady is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied–even though she is legally blind.

She moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

“I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room … just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.”

“Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind.”

“I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.”

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away … just for this time in my life.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Old age is like a bank account: you withdraw from what you’ve put in? So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.

Whether ’tis real or not, I find it a good reminder that we have choice to be dragged by negativity or to proceed in positivity. Emotions can fool us into thinking we don’t have control, and sometimes we get to ride out a little upheaval. It will always pass, if we let it go.

The thirty-fifth issue of the Project Simplify newsletter The Simplifier is now archived on our newsletter archives page.

Here is a brief summary of the contents:

1. A Note From Shawn
Pass it on!
2. Our Featured Quote
by Norman Vincent Peale
3. Article: Problem Solving vs. Solution Creation
by PS Head Simplifier Shawn Tuttle
4. This Week’s Simplification Tip
Wrangling Your Wild Todos
5. In the News
The lost art of time management, Organizing your entertainment, and Time Management = Boss Management
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
Our NC Biz Links page
7. Keep Smiling
Amazing Handimal Paintings

Read the full issue here.
Subscribe to The Simplifier here.

[posted by Lance]