GTD Guide for incorrigible pessimist

Do not know if you noticed, but most methods GTD (Getting Things Down, literally - "bring cases to completion"), and various motivations do not always work. Or work long enough. Or work, but not for all. You can do whatever your heart desires. For example, to write another list of your goals for the week, a month, a year, but at least for life - it does not matter. You can halt the entire monitor (flat or office) or motivational posters inscriptions - this is not enough to get out of the quagmire in which already draws a decent amount of years. And you can spend a pretty penny to attend the next seminar with the guru of self-motivation, which will reveal to you another "most important secret": "You have to remove the word" impossible "," can not "," do not "from your vocabulary forever and ever". Sounds "fresh", right? And it does not work. Only money in the end it is a pity, but others admit shame.

Therefore we suggest you to go by contradiction and try another, perhaps the same useless and short-term Shelf method - but it can help those who are already sick of the rays of joy and happiness sent to the scene and coachers other gurus. Tested and approved by modern psychology and ancient philosophical traditions.

The special charm of this method lies in the fact that we, the lazy pessimists, does not need to go through a complete transformation of personality and breaking itself through the "can not" ( "do not want").

1. Do not wait for inspiration attack

The main problem with most of GTD systems is that they would rather not talk about how it is to do business, and give tips on how to motivate yourself and create a sense executed tasks. This is the philosophy of positive thinking, which focuses on positive feelings, rather than on a specific act of the action. As a result, instead of having to do what you and so are not particularly want to, you are doubly amplify feeling of reluctance, because in addition to the job you need more and feel certain way.

James Hill, a practitioner Morita therapy (Japanese tradition that has arisen under the influence of Zen Buddhism) says, most Western practices focused primarily on self-awareness and change management feelings. This approach suggests that we need to overcome their fear to jump from the tower into the pool or the courage to ask someone out on a date. And most of us so nothing would have not taken, still waiting for inspiration (or until roasted cock temechko does not bite into the hot time of the reporting).

2. Try starting with the simplest cases

David Burns, author of the bestselling book on cognitive psychology Feeling Good, recommends this option to those who paralyze their perfectionism. He advises to take on the standard (mediocre) to do at least 60% of the time and warns that help it will be very difficult.

Positive thinking guru advised to set audacious goals (we erased the word "impossible" from his vocabulary, remember?). "If your dreams do not scare you, they are not great!" And this statement is even more spur perfectionism, which already prevents to finish things on time and in the normal psychological state. Here and so difficult to restrain themselves so as not to get to the last detail, and yet also a great purpose, so small steps become almost seven-league. Well then do not complain about ?!

Burns technique helps break the vicious circle. If you take a commitment to fulfill the standard case even perfectionism does not hurt to finish them on time. If you try and you still can not afford to get low quality standards, yet continue to move forward and not get hung up on one thing.

3. Focus on the process and not on the result

Famous novelist Anthony Trollope every morning, forcing himself to sit down and write for three hours, regardless of the order came to his muse morning and decided to take him off. Like many other writers and artists, he set himself a major goal: "to write for three hours each morning," and not "write a great book." However, if he had finished the book for 1.5 hours, then immediately start writing the next one, which is extreme. But that's not the point. The most important thing - the understanding that the result does not always directly depends on our efforts. Sometimes we get a better than expected, sometimes - worse. And not always to blame for this artist. And if the result - a consequence of unstable and unpredictable, why not focus on what we can control - on the course.

Sports psychologist John Eliot, author Overachievement book ( "The over-fulfillment"), emphasizes that, that nothing prevents us quality work and everything for which we are responsible - is itself process. Experiences for the result does not make good business.

4. Imagine that everything can go as planned

What usually advise us positive smiling people from the scene (or screens in their motivational movie)? They do not even allow you to think that things can go wrong so beautiful as we drew in his head. But the ancient Roman and Greek Stoics (Representatives of the philosophical school) offers a completely opposite approach: to imagine how things could be awful. Just take and think about the likely bad. Modern psychology calls this approach "defensive pessimism", and it can be a very useful tactic to weaken the forces of the scenarios that cause anxiety. Studies also show that too optimistic about the outcome of the submission likely have a negative effect and decrease motivation.

And it does not mean that we have to inflate their fears to the size of that little ability to control: it will lead to panic. The trick is to adjust rendered terror to the desired volume. While optimists shout at us from the stage that we must believe in the successful outcome of the case and in your dreams, stoic approach It proposes to realize all possible outcome, and believe that you will be able to cope with the task, even if all goes not so rosy as you planned.

I am aware that all of the above sounds at least strange and ill-suited for high-profile motivational slogans. But practicing psychologists say that the incorrigible pessimists it works. You can test these approaches in practice;)