They might be different.. they came from different world, they speak seemingly different language, yet they have something in common. And more than that, they complement each other.
No, I’m not talking about man and woman, I talk about the 2 books that I recently read, Getting Things Done by David Allen and Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. While one is considered business/productivity book, the other is considered as spiritual book. Nevertheless, they indeed have something in common. They complement one another, especially in one thing… that is to help you to get things done!
Free our mind…
I guess most of us are used to keep a lot of our “things” in our mind, and that includes our to-do list. Here is what both of them similarly suggested: Let it go from your mind!
Keeping them in mind is a waste of your space in mind, and more importantly that will steal you from the presence, from the now.
It’s a waste of time and energy to keep thinking about something that you make no progress on. And it only adds to your anxieties about what you should be doing and aren’t.
~David Allen… or you are carrying in your mind the insane burden of a hundred things that you will or may have to do in the future instead of focusing your attention on the one thing that you can do now.
~Eckhart Tolle
A journal is also something I found helpful, especially to record those “things” in our mind. Simply pick a pencil (or pen) and paper, and start writing. It doesn’t have to cater only for to-do list, the important point is to make it complete.
Have you ever felt relieved after sharing your problem with a friend? Even if he/she did not give any suggestion, you just want to speak out, to be heard. Journaling has the same power to pour out what you feel and what’s in your mind. Flow rather than oppose them, let it go, or -what some people call- “process ” it. After that, identify something you can do right now, and start focus on that thing. I called them Journaling to Done.
Build the system…
Eckhart Tolle does not oppose the clock time. On the other hand, he said that clock time is useful. What he is against is the psychological time, the time where you bring in regret and resentment of the past, also worry, anxiety, or expectation of the future.
Clock time is not just making an appointment or planning a trip. It includes learning from the past so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over. Setting goals and working toward them… Any lesson from the past becomes relevant and is applied now. Any planning as well as working toward achieving a particular goal is done now.
~Eckhart Tolle
So, the power of now does not mean that you are not planning, but instead, plan! And more importantly, be present while planning!
Some might worry about the future, feeling overloaded, or fear that it will never get done, forgotten into the bottom of the “to-do” stack. Isn’t that again how time has rob us from the moment we have, that is now?
If you want to do something about it, then I found that what you can do right now is building a reliable system.
Getting Things Done (GTD) technique has been helpful in this area. It helps you to build a reliable system to collect, process and organize your “stuffs”. Even more, when you have integrated the habit of weekly review, to ensure that you really make use and go through the system.
Take an action…
David Allen wrote one chapter in his book emphasizing on the power of next action. Maybe I can say that it is the power of now in David’s term.
When you have built a reliable system, that system should be able to tell you what you have to do at a particular time and location, without any worry whether it’s right or not.
David Allen even said that a culture which adopts “What’s the next action?” as a standard operating query will have an automatic increase in energy, productivity, clarity, and focus. Isn’t that really a power of now?
The next step after you pick the next action is… dumbing down your mind!
Even after we have identified the next action, the challenge did not end there. Something in your mind can trouble you, doubting that the action is the right one. It is especially more critical towards the bright and creative people, those more prone to the problem with procrastination.
… because their sensitivity gives them the capability of producing in their minds lurid nightmare scenarios about what might be involved in doing the project, and all the negative consequences that might occur if it weren’t done perfectly! They just freak out in an instant and quit!
~David Allen
David even comes to a point where he is suggesting for us to intelligently dumbing down our brain by figuring out the next action. Maybe it’s intuition or courage, but we really need them to move forward rather than re-evaluating or criticizing our decision again and again.
Isn’t that a very similar key point that Eckhart suggested? That we let go of the smart-ness of our mind and our thinking. You should do what you’re doing wholeheartedly or it will affect our productivity.
When you are able to let go or at least minimize those thoughts, we can see any bright light, positive side about the moment we have, the now!
When you are full of problems, there is no room for anything new to enter, no room for solution. So whenever you can, make some room, create some space, so that you find the life underneath your life situation.
~Eckhart Tolle
You may have to-do list, but it’s very important to pick one action at one moment, and give fully attention into it. Be confident in the action you pick, and dumb yourself down from worry or other thoughts. When you give a full attention at one thing at a time, you’ll be amazed at what you will be able to get done!
All the best,
Robert
Hello and welcome! I am Robert, sharing with you articles in personal management and personal development. Check out the 
13 Comments
Evan
on 6th Feb, 09 10:02pm
Our worrying, fretting and distracting ourselves also happens now. Living in the Now is about the quality of attentiveness.
When dealing with problems I find that saturating myself with a problem can be the quickest way to get some headspace about it.
Sorry to disagree with a guru (well, OK, not really).
Rossi
on 6th Feb, 09 11:02pm
Very interesting! I will read your blog in more detail because I am fried after bloggin all day!:) Thank you for writing this, I have intuition that it will be insightful for me.:)
Namaste~
Robert A.
on 8th Feb, 09 12:02am
Hi Evan, I don’t really get how saturating yourself with a problem can help you get yourself some headspace… is it something related with what Tolle said as observing the problem and your reaction to it? I agree that we can see the solutions better when we are observers rather than victims…
Hi Rossi, thanks for visiting! Hope you enjoy this blog!
Cheers,
Robert
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk
on 8th Feb, 09 08:02pm
I bought Allen’s book and promptly gave it away. It made me feel too cluttered. I’m more like Evan, I try to organize my life so I can immerse myself in one thing at a time. I call it <a href=”http://cheerfulmonk.com/2008/05/05/slipping-into-sacred-space/”>slipping into sacred space</a>.
Jean Browman--Cheerful Monk
on 8th Feb, 09 08:02pm
Try again, I didn’t see that you let me link automatically.
I bought Allen’s book and promptly gave it away. It made me feel too cluttered. I’m more like Evan, I try to organize my life so I can immerse myself in one thing at a time. I call it slipping into sacred space.
Arswino
on 9th Feb, 09 12:02pm
Hi Robert,
“It’s waste of time and energy to keep thinking about something that you make no progress on.” Hmm.. I like that saying.
I also like the point of take an action because I think that is the most important of getting things done and the power of now.
Thanks for sharing, Robert.
Nicole Price
on 9th Feb, 09 04:02pm
Robert, take it from a getting it doner. The best way to get it done is not to worry about what some expert says but is to get down to just doing it. If you make a mistake, so what? It is a nice thing that you have found similarities between the two books, but in my opinion, I think that they need to be kept in their separate domains.
Robert A.
on 10th Feb, 09 09:02am
Jean n Nicole, thanks for a different perspective on productivity system! I like a system on its practicality and helping me to build the habit.
Arswino, you’re welcome!!
Thanks!
Robert
Dirk
on 11th Feb, 09 06:02am
I have also read The Power Of Now, but it did not appeal to me as it did yourself. The philosophies are fine, but the writing was terrible. I’ve written a review of the book if you are interested.
game-girl
on 16th Feb, 09 07:02am
I believe in the power of now,it is the moment called the life.We must enjoy the life and control our thoughts,if we revise them,some of them are regrets and dissatisfaction about the past events,the two third are future fears, the rest are dealing with the present moment.Having cleared the mind of the burden we really have the room for solving problems.I think the revisio of the mind looks like cleaning a house.It must be usual.
Lisa
on 22nd Feb, 09 08:02pm
Very well written!! I try to live by the principles that Eckhart teaches. Detaching from the ego and learning to live in the present moment. I read his book “A New Earth” and it was very profound.
used tires
on 11th Jun, 09 12:06pm
Haha I have to admit, I was laughing at your joke where you say “no I’m not talking about man and woman” The points you speak of actually remind me of a book called “get off your but” , yes but, as in “I would but…” its by Sean Stephenson, and I would recommend it. Its about the power of now, he states that you should not make excuses but just go for it. What you state about focusing on one thing is also very crucial, too many people have a zillion things on their mind, and they don’t focus on the “now”, the things they should be doing at the moment
Till then,
Jean
Robert A.
on 12th Jun, 09 01:06pm
Hi Jean, is it your first time reading this blog?
If you do, welcome!
Thanks for the book recommendation, i’ll check!
Hope to see you again.
Robert