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There are only two problems in life.<\/h2>\nThere are only two problems in life.<\/h2>\nIsn\u2019t that nice to know? You only have two things you ever need to be concerned about. Not only are there only two problems\u2014they are really quite simple. Ready?<\/p>\n
Problem #1:<\/strong> You know what you want, and you don\u2019t know how to get it.<\/p>\n Problem #2:<\/strong> You don\u2019t know what you want.<\/p>\n Anything you can define as a problem can be reduced to one or both of those statements.<\/p>\n Now, since there are only two problems, it follows that there are only two solutions that you will ever need. You need to make it up, and make it happen. You must decide and clarify what outcome you\u2019re after; and you must then determine how you get from here to there.<\/p>\n It turns out that those two issues match the two sides of your brain. The \u201cmake it up\u201d part relates to the right hemisphere\u2014the imaging, gestalting, creative part of our thinking. The \u201cmake it happen\u201d part is identified with the left side\u2014the linear, logical, figure-it-out aspect.<\/p>\n Another way to understand this polarity is that if you know what you want and where you\u2019re going, efficiency is your only improvement opportunity. Getting there with less effort is the name of your game. If, however, you\u2019re not so sure where you\u2019re headed or what it is exactly that you\u2019re after, your challenge is to identify and sharpen the image, the outcome, the goal.<\/p>\n This dual nature of our work and our world connects with the two key questions of what we refer to as the \u201cfundamental thinking process\u201d\u2014What\u2019s the desired outcome? And, what\u2019s the next action? Those are the two questions that must be asked and answered by any of us, to determine what any of our \u201cstuff\u201d means to us. What do I do with this email, this piece of paper, this thought I had driving home? What outcome, if any, am I now committed to about it? What\u2019s the next action required to move it toward that outcome? Those questions are normally answered for us or self-evident, except in a crisis. Usually we have to, in a sense, make something up (decide what we\u2019re committed to) and make it happen (choose a next physical action to move forward on it).<\/p>\n Welcome to \u201cknowledge work athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n So, which question do you need to answer, about what, at this point? Where do you need to put some more mental horsepower into figuring out what you\u2019re trying to accomplish, at what horizon? And on which things do you still need to challenge yourself and others to decide the next actions to take, and who\u2019s going to take them?<\/p>\n Time management? No, you can\u2019t manage time. It\u2019s thought management. You must lasso the wild horse of your mind with the two critical aspects of a successful ride\u2014direction and control. Make it up, and make it happen.<\/p>\n \u2013David Allen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are only two problems in life. Isn\u2019t that nice to know? You only have two things you ever need to be concerned about. Not only are there only two problems\u2014they are really quite simple. Ready? Problem #1: You know what you want, and you don\u2019t know how to get it. Problem #2: You don\u2019t … <\/p>\nThe two sides of your brain<\/h2>\n
GTD fundamental thinking process<\/h2>\n
You can’t manage time<\/h2>\n