Context, time, energy, and priority were key words that floated around a lot this chapter. I definitely agreed with his points on these, and even before this class I already had been implementing some parts of his system into my life.The Moment-to-Moment Balancing Act section was a great read because it touched upon a more philosophical approach to what things should be prioritized (something I struggle with often), and how it fits in the context of your life goals, relationships, and beliefs.
Life
Three- to five-year visions
One- to two-year goals
Areas of responsibility
Current projects
Runway: Current actions
I love how David cleverly applied this system, both forwards and backwards, through all aspects of our work. The way he presented the material was clear, and personable. I saw myself really implementing this system, because he was able to relate it to things that I currently experience in my life. Not only that, each level definitely brings a level of organization, purpose, and "big picture" vision for all the work in yourself. I can see this bringing much satisfaction and accomplishment in my life, if I approach all my work with a sense of looking beyond into the future, and doing things based on goal oriented focus.
I was interested/slightly confused when he said that, "in order to create productive alignment in your life, you could quite reasonably start with a clarification from the top down [of the 6 step approach]." Then he goes to say that you can start anywhere, and then you suggests you start from the bottom up. But I interpreted this as saying that it doesn't matter how you picture the system, but it matters how you are able to affirm with yourself that the work you are doing is meaningful. This in turn will allow you to be focused and extract more satisfaction out of your work.
I still have confusion about moment-to-moment balancing act; however, I do like the point he makes about "you won't feel anxious when you know what you are not doing." I do wonder how you apply this system to your life (especially the 6 level model) specifically. At the same time, I am happy for you that you feel satisfied using his system!
ReplyDeleteYou say that you didn't follow these things that you supposedly already knew, and I think it's easy to forget that kind of common sense. That happens to me too! We get caught up in our busy schedules, and unless this way of processing is innate, realizing what we should be keeping track of can get lost. I think practice, awareness, and discipline will help implement Allen's method!
ReplyDeleteI actually loved the point Allen made about how we're less stressed when we know what we're NOT doing (in reference to Echo's comment). I think I've really seen that play out in my life the last weeks as I lived out my life with the knowledge of Allen's advice. There were so many moments (particularly during midterm season) in which I felt significantly MORE stressed just because I knew I had something to do but couldn't recall what it was.
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