Ep. 213: The Someday Maybe List

50 snips

Jun 28, 2023

David Allen, the mastermind behind the GTD methodology, shares valuable insights on managing productivity and creativity. He emphasizes the importance of the Someday/Maybe list as a space for unacted ideas, offering relief from guilt. Trusting your intuition in prioritization is crucial amidst life’s distractions. Allen also discusses the challenges high achievers face in task selection and decision-making, advocating for self-awareness. In a fun coda, he reveals his new reMarkable paper tablet, blending technology with productivity.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Unlocking Creativity

David Allen describes a senior consultant who struggled with creative overwhelm.
Using the Someday/Maybe list freed the consultant's creative process by providing a parking lot for ideas.

ADVICE

Managing Someday/Maybe

Treat your Someday/Maybe list like other lists, revisiting it regularly.
Don't let it become a dumping ground like a neglected journal.

ADVICE

Prioritization

Prioritize based on what gives you freedom, fun, relaxation, or clarity.
Trust your gut feeling when deciding what to focus on.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Dave Edwards had another opportunity to ask David Allen about a variety of GTD topics. They begin with the Someday/Maybe list, and how to leverage that to improve your flow of creative ideas. Dave asks about prioritizing. David says it comes down to trusting your choices, and that's only possible when you have an externalized system for tracking your commitments. David also mentions that implementing GTD requires us to train cognitive muscles in ways that we were not taught in school. After they have officially closed the interview, David shows Dave his new reMarkable paper tablet, so of course we included that as a coda.

You can listen to the entire conversation from February 2021 at GTD Connect®.

This audio is one of many available at GTD Connect, a learning space and community hub for all things GTD. Join GTD practitioners from around the world in learning, sharing, and developing the skills for stress-free productivity.

Knowing how to get the right things done is a key to success. It’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. Stay focused and increase productivity with GTD Connect—a subscription-based online learning center from the David Allen Company. GTD Connect gives you access to a wealth of multimedia content designed to help you stay on track and deepen your awareness of principles you can also learn in GTD courses, coaching, and by reading the Getting Things Done book. You’ll also get the support and encouragement of a thriving global community of people you won’t find anywhere else.

If you already know you’d like to join, click here to choose from monthly or annual options.

If you’d like to try GTD Connect free for 14 days, read on for what’s included and how to get your free trial.

During your 14-day free trial, you will have access to:

Recorded webinars with David Allen & the certified coaches and trainers on a wide range of productivity topics
GTD Getting Started & Refresher Series to reinforce the fundamentals you may have learned in a GTD course, coaching, or book
Extensive audio, video, and document library
Slice of GTD Life series to see how others are making GTD stick
David Allen’s exclusive interviews with people in his network all over the world
Lively members-only discussion forums sharing ideas, tips, and tricks

Note: GTD Connect is designed to reinforce your learning, and we also recommend that you take a course, get individual coaching, or read the Getting Things Done book.

Ready to start your free trial?