Contexts

[NewbGTD]

Hello everyone,

I’m just wondering what type of "things" fall under the following context lists because I’m unsure (and I‘trying to reduce my context lists)

@Home?
-
-
@Personal?
-
-
I see many people use these context lists but not sure on the specifics.

[mephisto]

Use the contexts that you feel are necessary. You don't have to take these two if you can't imagine what should be in there.

@home
-change light bulb
-reorder books on shelf

@personal
-repeat affirmations
-create workout project

[Stiernholm]

Hi Mephisto,

To me, only "@home" of the two represents a context, that is, a place or situation I need to be in, in order to be able to work on the task in question.

I see @personal more like a categorization, a contrary to "workrelated".

For tasks that I only need myself and my brain to complete, I frequently use @anywhere. Those tasks are defined by verbs like "consider...", "reflect on...", "make a decision regarding..." etc.

David

[mephisto]

Hi Mephisto,

To me, only "@home" of the two represents a context, that is, a place or situation I need to be in, in order to be able to work on the task in question.

I see @personal more like a categorization, a contrary to "workrelated".

For tasks that I only need myself and my brain to complete, I frequently use @anywhere. Those tasks are defined by verbs like "consider...", "reflect on...", "make a decision regarding..." etc.

David

I agree. But I imagine the things I have mentioned to fall under it if one would like to have a context like that. I put these things in my @misc category.

[malisa]

@home was too broad for me. There were too many different types of things that didn't seem to go together 'frame of mind' or energy-wise. I broke @home into:

@home-administrative (office-y type home things)
@home-around the house (cleaning and organizing type things)
@home-outside (yard work, car stuff, garage stuff, patio stuff)

I took all my @home tasks and sorted them into piles that made sense to me. Then I looked at the big piles and asked what they had in common. Then I looked at the stragglers and looked if I could see them fitting into the bigger piles if I defined them right (ie: I had @home-yard work, but then I didn't know what to do with the other things that ended up in my outside category...and yes, it bugs me that the garage isn't technically outdoors, but it's someplace I wouldn't work at night/in the cold...so I can deal with them being together).

I don't have an @personal context. Most of my personal things are either on my checklists of recurring/maintenace things or fit within the admin category (things like reflect, etc. fit there to me because they're 'mental' work).

[dschaffner]

I’m just wondering what type of "things" fall under the following context lists because I’m unsure (and I‘trying to reduce my context lists).

To paraphrase DA, you need as many as you need, but as few as you can get by with.

The main thing is to create contexts that work for you, so that you can see the actions you need to take when you are in a specific physical or mental place.

[TesTeq]

I agree. But I imagine the things I have mentioned to fall under it if one would like to have a context like that. I put these things in my @misc category.

Be careful with @misc! "Miscellaneous" killed many categorization attempts!

[humblepie]

tend to agree with most here. i see @home as the main context. its locational. the rest will be chunks of work or categories

@home - blogging
@home - developmnet work
@home - around the house

works well with appigo todo

[mephisto]

Be careful with @misc! "Miscellaneous" killed many categorization attempts!

It's my main/general category. Maybe I don't understand the semantics of the word completely and use it wrong but it seems to work for me.

[Brent]

What goes into your @misc context?

[Oogiem]

It's my main/general category.

That would scare me a lot. Misc for me turns into a dumping ground for when I haven't fully clarified the next actions.

What's the tool you need to do misc?

Can you do it anywhere?

Are there time limits?

Usually if something ends up in misc it stays there, not getting done for a long time. Upon weekly review I realize I put it in misc because I had not fully figured out what the real next action was.

I'm curious how you use misc and not fall into that trap?

[mephisto]

What goes into your @misc context?

Everything that isn't placed in a more specific context. Or everything I can't create a context for with enough items to justify the creating of the context.

[NewbGTD]

Thanks for all the replies people. Been getting my head down trying to simplify it now, and feeling good.

I have added a ‘misc’ list haha done so before I read it here. Though mine is not for general things, I’m just keeping it there for own peace of mind really just incase something comes in that doesn’t have a home. Its still empty now, mainly because my other context cover everything (so far). But I feel good having it there just for safe measure, I may remove it in time.

[TesTeq]

So, as far as I understand, @misc = @anywhere.

[Brent]

Thanks for the clarifications! Just to playfully seek to understand your system better:

(I asked, "What goes into your @misc context?")


Everything that isn't placed in a more specific context.

Why don't you have more specific contexts?


Or everything I can't create a context for with enough items to justify the creating of the context.

What's wrong with a context that contains one item?

[mephisto]

Thanks for the clarifications! Just to playfully seek to understand your system better:

(I asked, "What goes into your @misc context?")



Why don't you have more specific contexts?



What's wrong with a context that contains one item?

I strongly believe in keeping things as simple as possible. In certain software development paradigms there's a rule that says 'you ain't gonna need it'. What they mean by that is that you should only create those things you need right now to get things working, not any more (because you might use it later or just find it a good idea). I think this applies equally well to contexts. I started with only one and when the list growd bigger I created more contexts, but only those that I needed to do the work more efficiently. Adding extra contexts adds to the clutter (and since I use a card per context and extra card means also more clutter physically).

Some next actions that I put in @misc are:
-mail X to ask for Y
-buy Z on some site
-start healthy food plan

I do have a context where there's sometimes only one or no next action on it. It's my @boss context at work.

[TesTeq]

Some next actions that I put in @misc are:
-mail X to ask for Y
-buy Z on some site
-start healthy food plan

Here is my personal opinion about these actions:

mail X to ask for Y - @computer or @web or @mail
buy Z on some site - @computer or @web
start healthy food plan - I think it's rather Project, not Next Action

[Cpu_Modern]

Everything that isn't placed in a more specific context. Or everything I can't create a context for with enough items to justify the creating of the context.

The context is always there - for every next action. Question is, does your system highlight that context? Or does it leave that problem over for your brain (while you are scanning the lists)?

[sdann]

Some next actions that I put in @misc are:
-mail X to ask for Y
-buy Z on some site
-start healthy food plan


If you have other contexts, then the @misc seems almost like assigning no context at all.

[Brent]

I'm concerned that you see contexts as clutter, but maybe that's just me.

More contexts means better-defined work, and work that doesn't fall through the cracks. Not defining the context is like not defining a Next Action for a Project--sure, you can use the Project to force you to think of what to do next, but it's less efficient than defining the Action.

"You Ain't Gonna Need It" is a great concept for software development--I'm well aware of it, and use it myself in software development--but I humbly submit that it's not appropriate for personal work management, at least not in the same way that it's meant in the programming world.

[ellobogrande]

"You Ain't Gonna Need It" [YAGNI] is a great concept for software development--I'm well aware of it, and use it myself in software development--but I humbly submit that it's not appropriate for personal work management, at least not in the same way that it's meant in the programming world.

Perhaps a more appropriate mantra from the software development community is "Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work" (DTSTTCPW). It's important not to overthink one's system and the contexts.

To apply DTSTTCPW to GTD contexts, start with DA's "vanilla" list of contexts and work with them for a while. If you find they are lacking in some way for you, create additional contexts only as needed. As a Palm user, I have to be very stingy with my contexts; I can only have 15 categories in my system.

For example, I had issues with my @Home list in the past. I didn't like having to locate actions that required my home computer among housekeeping actions, plus I had a pretty bloated list. So I came up with @Home-Computer and tried it for a while. It worked fine and reduced my resistance to the @Home list, so I kept it. I haven't created any other custom contexts.

[sdann]

Perhaps a more appropriate mantra from the software development community is "Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work" (DTSTTCPW). It's important not to overthink one's system and the contexts.

This goes for setting up a classification system as well. In a set of 9 success characteristics, one is that a good classification scheme should be parsimonious - "Structure offers no more or less than is needed for the content available."

[mephisto]

Here is my personal opinion about these actions:

start healthy food plan - I think it's rather Project, not Next Action


It's the actions that starts a new project, not the project itself.


Here is my personal opinion about these actions:

mail X to ask for Y - @computer or @web or @mail
buy Z on some site - @computer or @web
start healthy food plan - I think it's rather Project, not Next Action



The context is always there - for every next action. Question is, does your system highlight that context? Or does it leave that problem over for your brain (while you are scanning the lists)?

Let's say you come home from buying groceries and ask yourself what to do. Notice how in this case you will never find yourself in an @computer context. You will need to scan your contexts and decide you can turn on your computer to put yourself in the @computer context. This shows that contexts aren't something that is always there but something you need to get yourself into. As such the context isn't highlighted by the system (and it couldn't be).

If you decide to sit behind the computer and do more next actions on it then either you find the actions quickly or not. In the latter case you decide that it's better to create a @computer context.

[TesTeq]

It's the actions that starts a new project, not the project itself.

I don't know how to do Next Action "start healthy food plan". What tools do I need to "start healthy food plan". Can I start it @home or @office?

The truth is it is not a Next Action. It is an unprocessed stuff or a Project without any Next Action.

[mephisto]

I don't know how to do Next Action "start healthy food plan". What tools do I need to "start healthy food plan". Can I start it @home or @office?

The truth is it is not a Next Action. It is an unprocessed stuff or a Project without any Next Action.

irritated answer
It's ok for me that you don't know how to do it since it's on my list and I know how to do it. And next time I need to know The Truth about something I'll create a context @TesTeq.
end irritated answer

normal answer
Hi TesTeq,

Actually it is the same as starting any project. This NA allows me to start a project when I have the timeframe for it or when I have the tools I need to start it (eg research some healthy recipes).
Let's give a use case. I wake up and weigh myself. I instantly realize that I really should start eating more healthy. No time to start with a project or even draft some rough project sketches since I'm in my usual morning routine and don't have enough time. I had this project on someday/maybe for a long time now so I transfer it to my context @home-computer. I write 'start project healthy food' so that when I have enough time and am in this context I actually start this project.

I think that you mean that that morning I should have put this 'start food plan' in my inbox and process it when I clean my inbox. I'm not sure that is what you mean.
end normal answer

[kewms]

I think that you mean that that morning I should have put this 'start food plan' in my inbox and process it when I clean my inbox. I'm not sure that is what you mean.

I'm not TesTeq, but that would be my answer. As I see it, one of the key differences between a Next Action list and a traditional "To Do" list is that everything on a Next Action list has the clarity that results from having been through that processing step.

Katherine

[mephisto]

I'm not TesTeq, but that would be my answer. As I see it, one of the key differences between a Next Action list and a traditional "To Do" list is that everything on a Next Action list has the clarity that results from having been through that processing step.

Katherine

I believe 'start project x' is a clear action. More clear would have been 'start with phase one of project planning: ask the "why" question'.

I understand that 'start project x' may not present the next physical activity in that someone else may not know what to do with that. On the other hand we've all read GTD and the two chapters on projects so we all know how to start a project. I don't think DA would be happy if he told us to create a project as an exercise and we would say 'but it is not clear' after having read the book.

[TesTeq]

Actually it is the same as starting any project. This NA allows me to start a project when I have the timeframe for it or when I have the tools I need to start it (eg research some healthy recipes).

In my GTD I would define:
- Project: "start healthy food plan"
- Next Action: "research some healthy recipes" @www

[kewms]

I believe 'start project x' is a clear action. More clear would have been 'start with phase one of project planning: ask the "why" question'.

*shrug* It's your list, so of course you can manage it however you want. For my own lists, that action would be much too vague.

Yes, having read GTD of course I know how to start a project. But that doesn't mean that "ask the Why question for project A" would be an immediately doable action. Indeed, answering it could easily spawn an entire subproject, focused around clarifying my Areas of Focus at the 30,000 foot level or higher. Rather than open such a can of worms, I'd be far more likely to avoid the action altogether. Which is fine, except that if I'm going to defer it, it doesn't belong on my NA list in the first place.

Katherine

[mephisto]

In my GTD I would define:
- Project: "start healthy food plan"
- Next Action: "research some healthy recipes" @www

This is how it would look like when I already know what direction the project is going, e.i. when I have drafted some ideas or have a clear idea on what to do.

[mephisto]

*shrug* It's your list, so of course you can manage it however you want. For my own lists, that action would be much too vague.

Yes, having read GTD of course I know how to start a project. But that doesn't mean that "ask the Why question for project A" would be an immediately doable action. Indeed, answering it could easily spawn an entire subproject, focused around clarifying my Areas of Focus at the 30,000 foot level or higher. Rather than open such a can of worms, I'd be far more likely to avoid the action altogether. Which is fine, except that if I'm going to defer it, it doesn't belong on my NA list in the first place.

Katherine

Not immediately doable, that's a good phrase to describe how I feel about wanting to start a project 'healthy food plan' in the morning when I don't have much time nor a clear idea on where to start with this project. Yet leaving the project in the inbox is'tn an option.
The next action I chose is like telling to myself: "Ok, you want to eat more healthy but have no clue where to start. Why don't you schedule some time this evening to clear things up".

[Cpu_Modern]

Let's say you come home from buying groceries and ask yourself what to do. Notice how in this case you will never find yourself in an @computer context. You will need to scan your contexts and decide you can turn on your computer to put yourself in the @computer context. This shows that contexts aren't something that is always there but something you need to get yourself into. As such the context isn't highlighted by the system (and it couldn't be).

If you decide to sit behind the computer and do more next actions on it then either you find the actions quickly or not. In the latter case you decide that it's better to create a @computer context.

You misunderstood me. The context is always there, as soon as you declare a NA it also has a context, regardless if you write it down or not. Your NA "google for something" has the @computer or @web context, regardless of the name of your list. If you write said NA on a @computer list, than the context is highlighted by the system. If you write said NA on a all-context NA-list or into the calendar, than the system doesn't highlight the context. You than have to "see" the context while scanning your list or the calendar respectively.