Friday
Nov252005
Where the rubber meets the road
Friday, November 25, 2005 at 12:22AM
In LAX-ORD: air; ORD-CLE: car, Jason Womack describes choosing to drive all night from Chicago to Cleveland after his flight was canceled, to arrive just in time to deliver a morning presentation.
The principle at play here wasn't apparent to me at first. Certainly it's hard not to be impressed by Jason's willingness to go the extra mile (over 300 of them, actually) for his client. However, at a deeper level was his GTD-style decision making, in which he made a conscious choice, based on the situation, priorities, and time available, and was agile enough make it quickly, then take action. In other words, he chose to undertake something relatively extreme (drive many miles, overnight, without sleep, to arrive just in time to deliver), and he did this explicitly, knowing the risks and potential benefits. I also admire his attitude ("shift happens"), and that his principles are so clear (e.g., "I keep my agreements," and "People can count on me").
With respect to David Allen's work, this story reminds me of a quote I recently came across: Time management is not a technique. It is a way of relating to the world. (Apologies - I couldn't find the origin.) Jason's behavior helps me realize that a core principle of GTD is about making clear and informed choices, based on the context. After all, how we spend our time (of which we all have a limited amount) determines our impact in the world, which means every single choice - day in and day out - is where our commitments are realized. In Jason's case, it was literally "where the rubber meets the road." Good show!
The principle at play here wasn't apparent to me at first. Certainly it's hard not to be impressed by Jason's willingness to go the extra mile (over 300 of them, actually) for his client. However, at a deeper level was his GTD-style decision making, in which he made a conscious choice, based on the situation, priorities, and time available, and was agile enough make it quickly, then take action. In other words, he chose to undertake something relatively extreme (drive many miles, overnight, without sleep, to arrive just in time to deliver), and he did this explicitly, knowing the risks and potential benefits. I also admire his attitude ("shift happens"), and that his principles are so clear (e.g., "I keep my agreements," and "People can count on me").
With respect to David Allen's work, this story reminds me of a quote I recently came across: Time management is not a technique. It is a way of relating to the world. (Apologies - I couldn't find the origin.) Jason's behavior helps me realize that a core principle of GTD is about making clear and informed choices, based on the context. After all, how we spend our time (of which we all have a limited amount) determines our impact in the world, which means every single choice - day in and day out - is where our commitments are realized. In Jason's case, it was literally "where the rubber meets the road." Good show!
Reader Comments