Ep. 213: The Someday Maybe List

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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.

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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.

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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®.

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