Minimalism, Simple Living, and Getting Things Done | GTD DC NOV 2015

[kewanna.hayward]

Minimalism, Simple Living, and Getting Things Done | GTD DC

Date: 18 NOV 2015

Attendees:  Karl, Ray, Bryant, Ke, Lillian, Darrin, Sahir, Sara

Location:  COSI

Challenges Forum:

Paper

• Evernote Journal

• Kahnban via sticky paids

• Bullet Journal; minimize symbols; creat your own paper based tracking

• Generalize

Making the most of weekend time

• What's different about weekend vs work week?

• Building habit slowly same exact things

• Waking up everyday is recommended

• Book: Mini-habits; too small to fail

• Book: How to be an imperfectionist

• Evaluate workspace

I write down things but not in my projects they are task list

• Recommend daily review

• The Next action list is the beginning part of needing a mechanism

• You have to know that you comfortable knowing where you ended

Plan annual and quarterly goals for personal life - imitating how to plan when you have so much time for it; shorter goals seems easier

• Reverse calendar; what has to be true a week before hand? a month before hand? make those milestones

• Prod Book Club 12 week year; shrinking the year into sprints

• Goals have other projects within them

• Some goals are about habit formation

Dealing with others paths diverse; a friend being the opposite of your traits (aka job, fitness etc)

• Accept that some friends you can do different things with

• “Assume nothing”

• You put forth energy for those you want to spend time with and other may fade away naturally

• Set outcomes that will clarify things

Practice GTD to feel comfortable with listing many projects [the discomfort]

• Anchor next action to really rest the ‘monkey on the shoulders’ but won’t take it out the mind

• After next actions than figure out timelines

• Weekly preview ; what REALLY has to be on my plate; and push more things to the someday list; be mindful of how many ‘active’ projects are in your queue

• Someday i will make commitment; maybe is really being on the fence

• Add rewards to milestones to projects

Main Presentation: Minimalism living a simple life

• Post WW2 the country going through a change; artsy idea around minimalism; purge and cleanse our visual palates

• SImple tools to make impact is important

• Being cautious of decision fatigue trying to choose from so many things

• Having ideas scattered about is not minimalist at all; an overstuffed brain

• Pomodoro technique time technique

• Your brain is constantly engaged; brain can be in the middle never fully disengaging nor re-engaging

• Commit to working to that list; take breaks when needed; push through when needed;

• From artist perspective negative space opens you up allows you to remain keyed in on what's important

• If you do things about latest and loudest all the time you are giving them higher priority

• Don’t focus on finishing focus on starting

• Don’t forget about the natural planning model and project triggers list; use to help define scopes and “project management functions”

• Bottom up view is for ALL projects; single projects are TOP DOWN

• Bigger stake risk ; more planning required; not something to consider for project like taxes; a bit too simplistic

• Sometimes you have to elevate yourself to higher level don’t get caught in the weeds; think you can’t see the whole forest if you're amongst the trees

• Practical components: Rays example: His system starts with a series of life categorizes; that’s his folder structure; label structure; calendar; notebooks in evernote; folders in drop box

• Life hacking - automation; example expense report uses IFTT depending on location it sends off data into a google docs spreadsheets; shared calendar amongst families

• Cooking; reducing the amount of ingredients (3 or less); clean dishes at night; set to go the next morning

• Triaging apps/tools all at once

• Being decisive at saying no; time tracking

• Ask yourself will this add value to me or do I like it?

• Automation: beyond the todo list podcast; time to review have automation actually happen (possibly make automation a check item in the weekly review)

Resources Sharing:Personal Business Accounting

• Coin by gold card; plastic, and swype

• Mint

• 2 checking 1 fixed; for all bills then 2nd is for incidentals

• Quicken

• Vanguard

• Duet Display; ipad is a 2nd display

• Timer for morning routine

Announcements:

• Prod Book Group Nov = Changeology actual discussion is 12/5

• Personal Kanban = DEC; 2 JAN actual discussion

• Prod Chat: Moving to monthly schedule 12/9 (2nd wednesday of the Month)

• 12/16 final GTD|DC (at COSI) holiday gathering