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The English word for strategy comes from the Greek word Strategos:

The term strategos (plural strategoi; Greek στρατηγός) (literally meaning “army leader”) is used in Greek to mean “general”. In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor.

I chose this as the name for this new weekly column that will analyze the greatest book on strategy ever written as a foundation for your productivity system. Over time we will explore the five elements of Sun Tzu’s system - Philosophy, Heaven, Earth, the Leader, and the Methods.

These timeless leadership strategies will be invaluable to us in the study and evolution of productivity systems, personal knowledge management, toward the end result of stress-free life and work.

Sun Tzu created a complete philosophy of strategy, where a handful of principal concepts are used to articulate the key steps to achieving the most advantageous position. These steps - knowing, anticipating, moving, and positioning - when followed as a process create your strategic situation.

Over the next few weeks we will explore The Art of War together, with the translated text by Sun Tzu side-by-side with the productivity principles of Getting Things Done. The book begins with the definition of terms, the analysis of our mission. So, too, shall we begin to define our GTD practice.

Analysis

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Sun Tzu said: This is the strategy of war. It is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, It is the road either to safety or to ruin. On no account can it be neglected.The art of war is governed by five factors. Deliberate on these factors when you plan war. You must insist on knowing your conditions. …….Discuss the Philosophy. ……….Discuss the Heavens. ……………Discuss the Earth. …..Discuss the Commander. ………..Discuss the Methods. It begins with your moral philosophy. Command your people in a way that causes them to be in complete accord with the ruler. You can lead them to death. You can lead them to life. They must never fear danger or dishonesty.

~ This is productivity. It is the skill that leads to success. It is the basis of Getting Things Done. It is the practical application of Workflow. You can learn to be productive.The workflow process is based on five steps. Implement these steps every day. The workflow will guide you to the proper context: Collect Process Organize Review Do Productivity begins with the workflow. Organize your contexts in a way that leads to accomplishing goals. Avoid micromanaging yourself into paralysis. Only use as many contexts as you need, no more. Keep the appointments that you set with yourself.

I trust that this brief introduction to the format of the weekly Strategos column will be useful and informative. Feel free to discuss and share your thoughts in the comments. I am looking forward to the conversation.A public domain version of the Art of War (.txt file, .html file) can be downloaded here. (from Project Gutenberg)

If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5nghev. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen