In Time Management GTD Part 1, we talked about David Allen’s premise – you need a clear mind, and you need to maintain a system of next actions.
Now there’s a concept of open loops. Open loops, in your mind, are loose ends. These are internal commitments, i.e., you need to take out the garbage. You need to build backlinks for a site. You need to complete your taxes, etc… Open loops are also used in copy writing. For example, “I’ll tell you about that killer technique in a few minutes, but first let me show you my revenue in the past month” is a common technique in sales videos. The viewer/listener’s mind is now waiting for that revelation, and the person keeps watching the video. A commitment has been made, and the mind needs to get that commitment resolved.
When you have responsibilities, your mind (generally) wants you to meet those committments. In the middle of driving, you will remember that you need to get milk, or whatever else you need to do. It is like your mind has a repeatable reminder; did you turn off the stove, did you send the check, etc…
Do you feel tension in your mind when this occurs?
Time management, based on my study, relies on the behavior of the mind. Consider what you’ve done when you feel this tension. You take a deep breath, consider all priorities, and maybe write them down. You feel better after that – things are not not jumbled in your mind. You can get down to the business of getting things done.
What kind of things are on your mind?
- Things you know that need to be done, but you don’t know their intended outcome. They are unclear.
- If you don’t know how to complete something, it will be on your mind.
- Something you think you will forget or not complete in time will be on your mind and cause you tension.
The GTD system aims to address these and create a system where:
- things will be off your mind in a place you trust you will review
- the system requires that you clarify the next action for any item
- the system has reminders in place that you will review regularly.
The system then, it is simply about managing actions. What to do, and when to do it. We’ll talk about implementation in the next post.
