Next Action?

Cosmetic Addictions, New Breasts - Part 5

I was quiet. Dee stopped talking and squeezed my knee.

“Next week, if we can schedule it, I would like to meet with both of you separately,” Dr. Marty said. “Now that I know the two of you well enough, I think I have some great ideas that we should be working on.”

“All you’re ideas have been great,” Dee said.

You’re ideas have been crap ever since we started.

Yeah, but at least you have to listen to me now.

No I don’t.

“So Dee, two things, bring me a list of 5 projects that you’re committed to doing right now and maybe e-mail me a brief description of the successful outcome you anticipate. Also I want you to focus on writing down all those thoughts that randomly pile into your head. We won’t be making front-end decisions about those or anything, and don’t think of that as stuff.”

“It’s not stuff,” Dee said. “It’s a butt-load of work and a pain in my ass.”

“Stuff is a GTD term,” Dr. Marty said. “I just want pages and pages, OK?”

“I’ve started writing those things down at least some of the time. But pages and pages?”

“You’ll get there. Maybe just pick next Monday as the day to really watch and write the stuff down and we can go over Monday’s list of random thinking. OK?”

“Yeah,” she said, opening up her new planner and writing stuff down. “Do you like my new planner?”

“If you’d like, we can talk about all the different tools that might work for you. I love planners, and computer keyboards and mind-mapping software.”

“Mind-mapping software?” She asked. “That sounds great.”

“We’ll spend time with that too. And Tom?” It was my turn. “Would you find a few more passages from GTD to rewrite. I thought those e-mails were exceptional.”

“What e-mails?” Dee interrupted.

“I sent you a copy,” I said.

“Tom rewrote David Allen’s introduction to Getting Things Done. I guess I didn’t know how effective the type of rewriting that Tom does can be. I laughed and forwarded it to David.”

I didn’t say he could do that.

Chuckling, he continued, “David has a great sense of humor for these things. I forwarded it to a bunch of others too.”

He didn’t have my permission to forward my e-mail. I asked his permission to write about life coaching. He needs my permission to use my writing.

“Maybe you’ll get some new business,” Dr. Marty finished.

For those referrals, I’d have to raise my rates.

“So two other things, Tom. I’d like you to detail a project for me, but not a writing project, OK?”

“Nothing comes to mind.”

… continued

——

Cosmetic Addictions, New Breasts

Part 5: Next Action?
Part 4: Dee On The Desk
Part 3: Clacking
Part 2: Smell The Writing
Part 1: Detail, Time Square