Quote
“In karate there is an image that's used to define the position of perfect readiness: 'mind like water.'”
— David Allen, in Getting Things Done (2001) · Getting Things Done →
Why it was said
Allen introduces this image in the first part of Getting Things Done to describe the state his method aims at. He then explains it: a pebble thrown into a still pond makes the water respond in proportion to the force and mass of the input, after which the water returns to calm.
What it actually means
Water does not overreact or underreact; it responds in proportion, then settles. Allen uses the image to describe a working mind that gives each demand the attention it deserves, no more and no less, because nothing else is nagging at it in the background. The point is not calm for its own sake. A mind crowded with unrecorded commitments either panics at small things or misses important ones; a clear one can respond to whatever arrives. The rest of the book is a method for getting there.
How to use it
- 1Recall the last time you overreacted to a small request, and ask what else was on your mind at that moment.
- 2Before focused work, spend five minutes writing down every open commitment that comes to mind.
- 3End the working day by deciding what each new item in your inbox means, even if you do not do it yet.