In his book, Getting Things Done, David Allen presented an idea that struck a chord with many readers.
“In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: ‘mind like water.’ Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriately to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact.”
Achieving a calm mind, in our wired and information overloaded world, appealed to many computer geeks. Among them were Mac fans who began to tweak software on the Mac to fit GTD. Home-brew software like KinklessGTD and blogs like 43Folders inspired the Apple Faithful to build systems to experience “mind like water”. Multiple GTD blogs were birthed every week. Soon after that a plethora of Mac GTD Software hit the market and Mac users spent countless hours moving from one piece of software to the next. Looking back, the calm we were all seeking became a distant idea as our enthusiasm for “mind like water” turned us into consumers of GTD rather than followers of GTD.
Mac Like Water is another GTD blog. The difference is that I’ve been using Macs for nearly 30 years and I’ve been a GTD follower since 2005. I’ve consistently used both systems while avoiding much of the hype. Whether it’s mind like water or Mac like water; it’s all the same to me. Both systems complement the other beautifully. I like Macs and GTD because they work and I believe it helps me frequently experience “mind like water”. I can’t work without either system.
Welcome to Mac Like Water.
GTD Works
1. GTD is for everyone David Allen’s system works for all people regardless of their busyness level. We all have minds, therefore we should all know how to use our minds efficiently. GTD provides a way to have a better relationship with our brain. Allen sums up the philosophy in his book by stating, “A basic truism I have discovered over decades of coaching and training thousands of people is that most stress they experience comes from inappropriately managed commitments they make or accept. Even those who are not consciously...
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Joshua Foer
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30 Years
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read moreDavid Allen
In karate there is an image that’s used to define the position of perfect readiness: ‘mind like water.’ Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond? The answer is, totally appropriately to the force and mass of the input; then it returns to calm. It doesn’t overreact or underreact.
read more