Two GTD sticking points: time needed and a today list

[ArcCaster]

So maybe we should divide the day up into two contexts: required and flexible.

Required is the 'today' list -- it has from 3 to 5 priorities.
Flexible is everything else.

Do the required, then move on to the flexible.

Keep the required context short and doable so that you virtually always make it.

Enjoy picking and choosing from the flexible list.

[Brent]

So maybe we should divide the day up into two contexts: required and flexible.

When do you decide what goes on which list?

Flexible items will become required later, right? So you'll have to review all your items to make sure you're not missing something that's become more important, right?

[TesTeq]

Try ETP (Emergent Task Planner). You can find the form and the description here http://davidseah.com/blog/the-printa...task-planning/.

[Howard]

So maybe we should divide the day up into two contexts: required and flexible.

This is a good solution. I use respectively, red and yellow colouring of daily, untimed appointments in Outlook to achieve something similar. The key is to mark in red only those items which really need to be done on a given day.

Like others, I find it very difficult to work on a daily basis directly from context lists. The disadvantage of doing so is that each completion of a next action necessitates a new assessment of which next next action to be addressed. This imposes recurring interruptions which are particularly unwelcome in fast moving, reactive roles. I prefer to maintain my context lists as a holding place for actions that I need to complete at some point and to review daily to compile and prioritise a manageable list for the next day i.e. all in one go rather than between actions. Also, night-before planning is an effective technique for going home mentally unburdened and starting the next day's work quickly, moving rapidly from one action to the next.

I do understand the appeal of a "no daily list" regime; end-of-day disappointment and frustration is avoided as no daily goals of lists are set in the first place, but I think this may be a luxury that can only be enjoyed by those who have more control over their daily events rather than by those who have to move fast and react quickly.

[sdann]

Like others, I find it very difficult to work on a daily basis directly from context lists. The disadvantage of doing so is that each completion of a next action necessitates a new assessment of which next next action to be addressed. This imposes recurring interruptions which are particularly unwelcome in fast moving, reactive roles. I prefer to maintain my context lists as a holding place for actions that I need to complete at some point and to review daily to compile and prioritise a manageable list for the next day i.e. all in one go rather than between actions. Also, night-before planning is an effective technique for going home mentally unburdened and starting the next day's work quickly, moving rapidly from one action to the next.

Your concept of a "holding place" is exactly how I view mine, where I'm continuously reviewing, adding, deleting. I must primarily work from a ~5 item daily priority list first. Not too often can I just work one NA after another from the context list, like quite a few on this forum can. I've always wondered why do I always need to see the "why" for doing something.