Many times when we set out on projects we can overwhelm ourselves by biting off more than we can chew. We blow ourselves up with frustration before we have a chance to successfully move forward by taking on more than we can handle. That is why starting with small changes makes more sense at first, rather than taking on the big shifts above our horizon. This is exactly what David Allen says, the creator of the productivity system GTD which stands for Getting Things Done. He turned much of the accepted practices of the time management community on its head by focusing on the mundane aspects of our world first as opposed the "pie in the sky" factors in our lives. He proposed that in the other top down systems where people's overarching lifetime goals and big picture concerns became the starting point were actually causing people to encounter things they weren't yet ready to handle. He teaches that we need to "clear the decks" of "the runway" aspects of our lives before we can graduate to the higher levels.
It is this very idea that joyfully helped reinvigorate a writing project of mine that I have been working on for varying degrees over the last 7 years. Similarly to how he tells the story I couldn't get my arms around the breadth of the project because I still hadn't been able to plant my feet firmly on the ground in the present with my day to day concerns. This block is quickly becoming dislodged as I earnestly implement his system. About an hour ago I managed to sit down and type out a rough draft of the introduction for this book with little effort or pain. It amazed me to see the words that seemed so hard to come by flying out of me with ease. I am so excited as I come face to face with the genius of working with my lifetime aspirations in this brilliantly organic and profound manner, and I can't wait to see how it informs the rest of my life.
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