Calm Achiever - Blog
Actionable Advice to Help You Get Things Done®
A Formula to Guarantee Focus & Completion
I had unwavering focus. Nothing could distract me. What normally would take me weeks, I can get done in an hour. My attention was so acute, I felt like I had the attentive power of Buddha himself. This is how I am studying on the last day just before an important...
Stop Carrying the Weight Of the World. Capture Instead.
This is a common sight at Indian Railway stations. That's how porters carry luggage from one's car to their carriage. A participant at my last workshop shared a lovely analogy: "Imagine you're travelling by train, you notice a passenger seated across the aisle.There's...
How Holacracy Gamifies the Workplace to Boost Team Engagement
Allow me to paint you a picture of 2 companies: Company A is a place where people come to work because they have to. They come in as late as they can and leave 10 minutes early. In between, they make themselves look busy, but in reality, they're doing the bare minimum...
6 Parallels between Holacracy and Nonviolent Communication
I discovered Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in 2015, and then Holacracy in 2016. At the time I didn’t see the similarities between the two. But after some deeper practice, I realized how complementary they are. If these practices are new to you, here are some quick...
Create a Private Podcast to Make the Best Use of Your Travel Time
Imagine you're in an amusement park with the most fantastic rides. Each ride offers you a thrilling experience. And you want to experience them all. But... you just have 30 mins. That's time to enjoy only one. You're not sure when you're going to visit the park next....
How to Be a Power Delegator to Unleash Your Team’s Talent
I used to think that the key to success was just hard work. Meaning the more time and effort I’d put in, the greater the output. I wasn’t completely wrong, but I realized over time while working hard is important, it only gives incremental benefits. Have you heard of...
My Top Productivity Apps in 2020
In almost every GTD workshop I've facilitated, I get asked "Ali, what tools do you use?" I hesitate to answer because I don't want people to think its the tools that makes one productive. It's how you use the tools. Remember, Leonardo Da Vinci just had paper and...
Create a Feel-Good Checklist to Overcome Anxiety
Have you had thoughts like: "Why does this always happen to me?" "How dare he or she speak to me in this way!" "This is not fair." "It's not my fault, this should not be happening to me." There are times I feel completely stressed out. I can't think...
Make 2020 Your Best Year Ever
It's that time of the year where we make plans for the coming year. While most people make resolutions. I and Arif have a ritual to do an annual review. It's a series of questions to reflect on how the year went by. What we learned from it. Reflect on our guiding...
How to Get WhatsApp to Inbox Zero
I hate Whatsapp! For a long time, I never had it installed. I knew that once I did I’d be obligated to respond to messages on this noisy medium. But I couldn’t avoid it forever. There were times that I needed folks to get in touch with me and they...
6 GTD® Mental Models To Automate Your Productivity
Search for "how to increase productivity" on Google, and you'll get a laundry list of different ways to be more productive What you need is not new tips and tricks, but new ways of thinking about work. Once you change the way you look at the world, you'll...
10 Things GTD is Not
Almost a year back I did a post 20 things GTD is Not (and what it really is). After doing Level 3 and attending the GTD Summit, I got some more insights on what GTD is not (and what it really is) Here are 10 things GTD is not, and what it really is: GTD is not about...
Highlights & Key Takeaways from GTD Summit 2019
We just returned from the GTD Summit in Amsterdam. A heart-warming event that celebrated everything GTD and what Mind Like Water can accomplish. Practicing GTD for a decade and a half the Summit brought closure on several open loops on GTD. Arif's top highlights from...
Sharing Holacracy at Isha Foundation – Human Is Not a Resource 2019
Ever since I began my journey with Holacracy in 2016, its lead me to meet amazing people & speak at awesome events. This month (June 2019) my journey with Holacracy took me to Isha Foundation to speak at Human is Not a Resource conference. What is Isha Foundation?...
How can you Make GTD® Stick? (David Allen’s Advice)
Getting Things Done® provides compounded returns. In short, the more you practice the 5 steps, the better you get at managing your attention and working on the tasks that actually move your goals forward. But GTD® mastery is a long road…. It takes a while. In this 10...
The Definition of “Emptying your Mind”
What is allowed to occupy your mind? One of the basic tenets of GTD® is the concept of “emptying your RAM” or capturing what has your attention. But often a little bit of grazing can actually do you good. Watch David Allen share his insights into how much and how...
What is GTD® Really About?
Is Getting Things Done® only about getting things done? No. The methodology is about clearing space so that you can make a creative mess, have the freedom to consciously choose your tasks (instead of them blowing up in your face) and relish the idea of doing...
How can you go from Procrastination to Getting Things Done?
This topic is always a winner. Procrastination. Procrastination causes real harm. It can adversely impact your health as well as your financial well-being. David Allen believes that the fear of “being out of control” is the reason why people procrastinate. He also...