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You clearly didn't read this. It's about rowing. Not being on a playground.

The original quote is a bit unclear, but it does refer to being on a playground:

"Recall the pure joy of riding on a backyard swing: an easy cycle of motion, the momentum coming from the swing itself. The swing carries us; we do not force it. We pump our legs to drive our arc higher, but gravity does most of the work. We are not so much swinging as being swung."

It's a bit confusing since it starts with "Rowers have a word for this frictionless state..."

I spent a good minute or two trying to picture what 'drive our arc higher' could mean during rowing, as that is not when force is exerted...

I found it excerpted in Getting Things Done, where the author presented it as the ideal for how one should approach their life, both professionally and personally.

GTD is the opposite of being on a swing. It's the constant fear of the parents shouting your name from the balcony to tell you the playtime is over and you need to get back home for a Weekly Review.

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