Quote
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”— David Allen, in Getting Things Done (2001) · Getting Things Done →
Why it was said
David Allen repeats this line throughout Getting Things Done, and it is the premise behind the first step of his method: capturing every open loop into a trusted system outside the head.
What it actually means
The mind is a poor filing cabinet and an excellent generator, and asking it to be the first wastes the second. Every unfinished thing you are trying to remember costs attention whether or not you are working on it. Allen's sentence is the reason for writing everything down: not tidiness, but freeing the part of you that thinks from the part that is anxiously keeping a list.
How to use it
- 1Empty your head onto paper once this week, every open loop, and notice what returns to your attention afterwards.
- 2Keep one trusted place for everything you have to remember, and review it weekly so the mind trusts it.