The ancestor of every action is a thought. —Ralph Waldo Emerson David Allen More Quotes by David Allen More Quotes From David Allen Decision-making when things show up instead of when they blow up is actually a habit that can be developed and enhanced. The trick is to get used the clean feeling of having decided, instead of sitting on a fence. David Allen decisionblowfeelings We suffer the stress of infinite opportunity: There are so many things that we could do, and all we see are people who seem to be performing at star quality. It's very hard not to try to be like them. The problem is, if you get wrapped up in that game, you'll get eaten alive. You can do anything-but not everything. The universe is full of creative projects that are waiting to be done. So, if you really care about quality of life, if you want to relax, then ... control your aspirations. That will simplify things. Learning to set boundaries is incredibly difficult for most people. David Allen stressstarstime It was helpful to be able to call a lawyer...it turns out, that not only did they help me, but they really helped the whole community. David Allen ablecommunityhelping If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves. David Allen encouragingencouragementinspirational When we truly need to do is often what we most feel like avoiding. David Allen avoidinginspirationalneeds You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool your own mind. David Allen productivityfoolmind Most people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it's not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. I just suggest that you do this weekly instead of yearly. David Allen vacationagreementinspirational A successful executive is one that solves bigger problems than he/she creates. David Allen biggerproblemsuccessful It's easier to change directions if you are in motion. David Allen easierifs Sometimes the biggest gain in productive energy will come from cleaning the cobwebs, dealing with old business, and clearing the desks—cutting loose debris that's impeding forward motion. David Allen cobwebscuttingenergy Mosquitoes can ruin the hunt for big game. David Allen mosquitoesruinsgames You don't actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. David Allen projectsactionsteps If you’re at zero backlog, it’s a whole lot easier to change priorities. David Allen prioritieseasierzero Want freedom? Get organized. Want to get organized? Get creative. David Allen organizedcreativewant You can do anything, but you can't do everything David Allen focuscan-do Most often, the reason something is "on your mind" is that you want it to be different than it currently is, and yet: you haven't clarified exactly what the intended outcomes is; you haven't decided what the very next physical action step is; and/or you haven't put reminders of the outcome and the action required in a system you trust. That's why it's on your mind. David Allen differentmindwant Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. David Allen getting-things-donecausesdoe The right amount of complexity is what creates the optimal simplicity David Allen optimalcomplexitysimplicity What you'll tend to avoid doing is probably the most important thing you need to do because it'll probably be the most daunting and the most potentially successful thing you could be doing and that's usually out of people's comfort zone. David Allen importantsuccessfulpeople Every decision to act is an intuitive one. The challenge is to migrate from hoping it's the right choice to trusting it's the right choice. David Allen choicesdecisionchallenges
