As I’ve been getting used to having more control of my time with GTD, I’ve found an interesting phenomenon that I call “autopilot brain”. Essentially the way I think of it is that the brain (or perhaps the will) has a couple of modes. In one mode I have the ability to dream up any idea or action, figure out what needs to be done. In that mode I can write down huge lists of things that I’d like to have happen, or I can sit and contemplate what I need to do. But, it is very hard to actually do anything when I’m in that mindset. The most I can usually manage is to write the things down or record them in some other way.
The second mode is what I call “autopilot brain”. It requires almost no willpower because I’ve already defined what needs to be done, so I just follow those decisions. Sometime it takes a little more work because I have a lot of options, but it is within a world of narrow possibilities. The great thing is that it is so much easier to do all those things, I don’t need to “get motivated” or “find the energy” I just start rolling along and as I complete each action I find a bit more energy for the rest. When I have a long list of things to crank through and don’t feel like thinking too much, it’s nice to just start at the top and trust that I was right when I decided to put each item on the list.
There are probably other modes, reflection, contemplation, etc. and I even think there are times when I can do both at the same time which I would call “congruent” mode. I think that I may be better than the average person at that congruent mode, which is why I was able to survive so long without any kind of organizational system. But the problem is that it can be very stifling and limiting to try to “do both” or to force it. I think it’s much better to shift back and forth and then periodically click into the flow of both doing things and deciding what to do in the same moment. It may actually be more beneficial to switch back and forth because the non-obvious but still important things get done.
I still haven’t figured out the rhythm of how this will all work with school. It seems like I’m always coming up to the wire with reading, I’d like to find a way to get just a little ahead. It just takes a lot of time so I’m often tempted to get a few other quick things checked off my list instead of doing the reading which is arguably one of the most important tasks I have these days.
